Skip to content
Cartsaver

Shopify Messaging WhatsApp vs Cartsaver (2026)

Shopify Messaging, Shopify’s free-to-install app for email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing, sends WhatsApp campaigns and abandoned cart, checkout and browse reminders, and bills each WhatsApp message on your Shopify bill at a published rate per country. Cartsaver covers the rest of the WhatsApp journey as well: one-tap Cash on Delivery (COD) confirmation, order notifications, cross-sell, reviews and auto-replies, on monthly plans from $0 to $349.99.

This comparison is written by Xtnd, the team that makes Cartsaver. We describe Shopify Messaging from Shopify’s help center, changelog and Shopify App Store listing, checked 2026-11-02.

Shopify added WhatsApp marketing to Shopify Messaging (formerly Shopify Email) on 29 July 2026. For Cartsaver’s campaigns, templates and results tracking, see WhatsApp marketing campaigns for Shopify.

Shopify Messaging WhatsApp vs Cartsaver at a glance

Section titled “Shopify Messaging WhatsApp vs Cartsaver at a glance”
CartsaverShopify Messaging (WhatsApp)
DeveloperXtnd, based in EgyptShopify
Shopify App StoreCartsaver CoD, launched 20 May 2025, 63 reviews, Built for ShopifyShopify Messaging, launched 14 Apr 2020, 4,781 reviews (4.8)
App priceFree plan, then $9.99, $29.99, $79.99, $159.99, $349.99 a monthFree to install; 10,000 emails a month free, then from $1 per 1,000 emails
How WhatsApp is billedMonthly plan with a WhatsApp / SMS message allowance; on your own number, Meta bills you directlyPer message, in USD, on your Shopify bill, itemized per campaign
WhatsApp ratesMeta’s own rates on your own number, no markup (Meta’s pricing page)Published per country: a marketing message is $0.129 to Egypt, $0.100 to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, $0.024 to India, $0.106 to the UK
Free messages10 WhatsApp / SMS messages a month on Free1,000 service messages a month per WhatsApp Business account; 25 test marketing messages a week
Store plan neededNo Shopify plan requirement in Cartsaver’s docsAn active paid Shopify plan, the Online Store channel and a payment provider
Your own WhatsApp Business account neededNo: you can start on Cartsaver’s sender; own number on Scale, Ultra and EliteYes, connected through Meta’s embedded signup
WhatsApp campaignsScale, Ultra and Elite, from your own number; Cartsaver commission per delivered campaign message: $0.01 on Scale, $0 on Ultra and EliteYes, to customers who opted in to WhatsApp marketing
Campaign templates68 starters in seven categories; single image message or a carousel of 2 to 10 cards; FAQ button that opens inside WhatsAppFive: Back in stock, Blank WhatsApp, Upcoming sale, Product showcase, VIP exclusive; up to 10 buttons
WhatsApp opt-in at checkoutNo; every campaign message carries a “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” lineYes: a WhatsApp marketing opt-in at checkout
Cart recoveryAbandoned cart reminders on WhatsAppAbandoned cart, abandoned checkout and browse abandonment automations
Other WhatsApp automationsOrder notifications, cross-sell, review requests, buy again, auto-replyNot on WhatsApp: welcome, thank-you, upsell, win-back, birthday and VIP automations are email only
COD order confirmationOne-tap WhatsApp confirmation; unconfirmed orders marked High Risk or auto-cancelled after a wait you setNot described in Shopify’s help center
OTP before the orderWhatsApp, SMS (Egypt only) or email, on pre-checkout and Fast CheckoutNot described in Shopify’s help center
Email marketingNoYes

Sources are listed at the end of this page, checked 2026-11-02. “Not described in Shopify’s help center” means we didn’t find it there, not that the product lacks it. Cartsaver allowances on Pricing depend on your store’s country.

How much does WhatsApp cost in Shopify Messaging?

Section titled “How much does WhatsApp cost in Shopify Messaging?”

The app is free to install. Each WhatsApp message is charged at Shopify’s rate for the recipient’s country, in USD, billed monthly on your Shopify bill as “WhatsApp”, with per-campaign details under Billing. Marketing messages include campaign messages, confirmations to new subscribers and automated keyword replies such as INFO or HELP. Service messages, replies inside the 24-hour window after a customer writes to you, have a lower rate, and the first 1,000 a month per WhatsApp Business account are free. Shopify started charging service messages above that threshold on 1 October 2026.

Marketing message rates in Shopify’s table on 2026-11-02, for example:

Recipient countryMarketing messageService message
Egypt$0.129$0.0036
Saudi Arabia$0.100$0.0107
United Arab Emirates$0.100$0.0157
India$0.024$0.0014
Pakistan$0.095$0.0100
United Kingdom$0.106$0.0220
Germany$0.248$0.0550
Indonesia$0.082$0.0250

Shopify’s page doesn’t say how these rates compare with Meta’s own rate card. You can set a monthly spending threshold to get an email when Shopify Messaging costs reach it.

How much does WhatsApp cost on Cartsaver?

Section titled “How much does WhatsApp cost on Cartsaver?”

Cartsaver publishes its plans: Free ($0, 10 WhatsApp / SMS messages a month), Advanced ($9.99), Unlimited ($29.99), Scale ($79.99), Ultra ($159.99) and Elite ($349.99). Stores in Egypt, India and Pakistan get 450 to 60,000 messages a month on the paid plans, and stores elsewhere 150 to 8,000.

On Scale, Ultra and Elite you can connect your own WhatsApp number. Meta then bills the messages sent from it directly to your WhatsApp Business account, at Meta’s own rates, with no Cartsaver markup, and those WhatsApp messages don’t use your Cartsaver allowance. Campaigns add a Cartsaver commission per delivered campaign message: $0.01 on Scale and $0 on Ultra and Elite. See Pricing.

Who should choose which?

Section titled “Who should choose which?”

Choose Shopify Messaging if you want WhatsApp campaigns and cart reminders with no app fee, inside Shopify, billed per message. Choose Cartsaver if you sell with Cash on Delivery or want WhatsApp for the whole order journey, not only marketing.

Shopify Messaging is the better choice if you:

  • send occasional WhatsApp campaigns and want to pay only per message, with no monthly app plan (Cartsaver campaigns start on Scale at $79.99 a month);
  • want WhatsApp opt-in at checkout and consent tracked in Shopify;
  • want email, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns in one Shopify app, on one Shopify bill;
  • want browse abandonment and abandoned checkout reminders on WhatsApp alongside abandoned cart;
  • value an app built by Shopify with 4,781 reviews.

Cartsaver is the better choice if you:

  • sell with Cash on Delivery and want every COD order confirmed with one tap on WhatsApp, with unconfirmed orders flagged or cancelled automatically;
  • want order notifications, cross-sell into the same order, review requests, buy again reminders and an order-status auto-reply on WhatsApp;
  • want to start without a WhatsApp Business account: Cartsaver sends from its own sender until you connect your number;
  • want carousel campaigns, an in-WhatsApp FAQ button and 68 starter templates, with clicks, orders and revenue per campaign;
  • want OTP verification before the order, or Fast Checkout, a one-page COD form;
  • are on a Shopify plan or trial where Shopify Messaging can’t message subscribers.

Does Shopify Inbox support WhatsApp?

Section titled “Does Shopify Inbox support WhatsApp?”

Not on its Shopify App Store listing as of 2026-11-02. Shopify Inbox is Shopify’s free live chat app for your online store (with AI replies and order updates in the chat); its listing doesn’t name WhatsApp as a channel. Shopify’s WhatsApp feature is in Shopify Messaging, and it is for marketing campaigns and abandonment reminders.

Do I need my own WhatsApp Business account?

Section titled “Do I need my own WhatsApp Business account?”

For Shopify Messaging, yes. You connect a WhatsApp Business account through Meta’s embedded signup, with your existing business number, a number provided by WhatsApp or one bought from another provider. A number connected to another provider must be disconnected from it first. The business must not be registered in China, and stores based in Brazil or Indonesia can message only their own country until they verify with Meta or reach the volume Shopify sets.

For Cartsaver, no. Confirmations, notifications and other messages go out from Cartsaver’s WhatsApp sender. Your own number is optional on Scale, Ultra and Elite, and required for campaigns. See Choose a verification channel.

Can I send WhatsApp marketing to customers in the United States?

Section titled “Can I send WhatsApp marketing to customers in the United States?”

No, on either app. Shopify’s help center says WhatsApp marketing messages can’t be sent to customers in the United States (a US store can still message opted-in subscribers in other supported countries). This follows Meta’s rule for marketing templates to US numbers, so it applies to every app on the WhatsApp Business Platform, Cartsaver included. Shopify also lists China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk as unsupported.

Can I use Shopify Messaging and Cartsaver together?

Section titled “Can I use Shopify Messaging and Cartsaver together?”

Yes, for different jobs: for example, email and WhatsApp campaigns in Shopify Messaging, and COD confirmation, order notifications and cross-sell in Cartsaver. Turn on WhatsApp cart reminders in one app only, so a customer doesn’t get two messages for the same cart. A WhatsApp number can be connected to one provider at a time, so use a different number in each app if both send WhatsApp.

Sources

Section titled “Sources”

Checked 2026-11-02.

Last reviewed: 2026-11-02.

Section titled “Related reading”