The Gupshup alternative for developers who bring their own AI agent

Gupshup is a large conversational AI platform: campaigns on WhatsApp, RCS, SMS and Truecaller, its own AI agents and voice bots on its own ACE LLM, and enterprise-grade throughput on the official WhatsApp Business API. If you want a vendor to run campaigns and AI agents for you, it is built for that. If you already have an agent — in Claude, Grok or your own code — and need it to answer people on the WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn and Messenger accounts a business already has, you need a different kind of tool. That is what Spaces is.

Every Gupshup fact below comes from Gupshup's own site and docs, checked on 11 November 2026. Where Gupshup is the better or cheaper choice, we say so.

Already down to two? See Spaces vs Gupshup.

Two different products, one sentence each

• Gupshup is a conversational AI platform for marketing, commerce and support: broadcasts, journeys, a no-code bot builder, live-agent tools and its own text, voice and avatar AI agents, across WhatsApp (official Business API), RCS, SMS, Truecaller and voice, with Instagram and Messenger listed for Enterprise. (pricing, llms.txt)
• Spaces is messaging infrastructure for AI agents: one REST API and one MCP server that let the agent you already use read and reply to conversations on the Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Messenger accounts a business already has, inside each platform's limits. WhatsApp connects by QR code, like linking a computer. (pricing, llms.txt)

The short version: Gupshup sells the campaigns and the AI. Spaces is the pipe for the AI you already run.

Spaces vs Gupshup, head to head

Price assumption: a small team with 5 chat accounts, which is what an agent builder typically connects for one client. Gupshup does not sell LinkedIn or a per-account bundle, so the second row compares WhatsApp alone on one number. Spaces prices are from spacesos.com/pricing; Gupshup figures are from gupshup.ai/pricing and its WhatsApp self-serve pricing page, checked 11 November 2026, excluding tax (Gupshup adds 18% GST in India). Meta's fees vary by country and category and are not estimated.

On WhatsApp volume alone, Gupshup's published per-message fee ($0.001) is a fifth of Spaces' overage rate ($0.005 per action). If WhatsApp volume is the whole job, Gupshup's model is likely cheaper. Spaces is the cheaper and simpler fit when one agent needs several inboxes, including LinkedIn, at modest volume.

Where the difference shows up

1. Bring your own agent, or use theirs

Gupshup's platform is built around its own AI: industry-trained AI agents, Voice AI agents, an avatar agent and an AI co-pilot, on its fine-tuned ACE LLM with enterprise guardrails and 100+ languages. "Superagent" (early access) builds campaigns, journeys and templates from a prompt. AI is billed by AI message after the first 1,000 a month (₹1 each in India, $0.012 each on the USD page). (pricing.md, llms.txt)

Spaces includes no AI model. It gives the agent you already pay for — Claude, Grok, ChatGPT, Cursor or your own code — the tools to read and reply on real accounts. An agent can set Spaces up itself: paste "Set up Spaces for me by following https://www.spacesos.com/agents". (llms.txt)

If you want a vendor-run AI agent with a team behind it, Gupshup fits. If your agent already exists and only needs a way into the chats, Spaces fits.

2. Two different ways onto WhatsApp

Gupshup is a Meta partner on the official WhatsApp Business API. You create or connect a Meta Business account at signup; completing business verification raises sending limits. Meta sets a daily limit on business-initiated conversations for each new number. Conversations you start use approved templates, and replies are charged (Gupshup's FAQ gives ₹0.145 per service message in India). Gupshup's pricing FAQ says a number active on the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app must be removed from the app before it moves to the API, and chat history does not carry over. Its developer docs also describe Coexistence, which keeps a WhatsApp Business App number on the phone while it joins the Cloud API. Gupshup lists known Meta issues with it, and the app account must be 3 months old with active messaging. (pricing.md, Coex docs)

Spaces does not use the Business API. It links the number you already use by QR code, like linking WhatsApp on a computer, and the number keeps working on your phone. Spaces says that on this connection there is no Meta approval, no message templates and no Meta message fees (Spaces WhatsApp API page). It is built for answering people and following up with people who know the business: new WhatsApp chats only go to people who messaged the number before or are marked opted in. For template broadcasts to large lists, Spaces' own guidance is to use the official WhatsApp Business Platform. (llms.txt)

Stay on Gupshup for template campaigns, click-to-WhatsApp ads and official API compliance. Choose Spaces to let an agent answer the people who already write to a number, without moving it onto the API.

3. Channels: campaigns everywhere, or inboxes your customers use

Gupshup covers channels Spaces does not: RCS, SMS, Truecaller business messaging and voice, plus click-to-chat ads. Its Instagram API handles DMs, comments, story mentions and private replies, listed under Enterprise. (pricing, Instagram API)

Spaces covers inboxes Gupshup does not list: LinkedIn messages, along with Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, through one MCP server or a server per channel. TikTok is live for posts and comments; Facebook Pages is coming soon. Spaces does not offer SMS, RCS, voice or email as live channels. (llms.txt)

4. MCP: documentation and enterprise actions, or conversations

Gupshup publishes four MCP servers: a Docs MCP and a Console Docs MCP for searching documentation (no authentication), an Enterprise MCP for acting on an enterprise account (OAuth with Gupshup enterprise credentials), and a Voice AI MCP. (llms.txt)

Spaces' MCP (https://api.spacesos.com/mcp) is on every plan, including Free. Its tools read chats, reply, start chats where allowed, schedule messages, run routines (new message, keyword, no reply after N hours), require human approval, and pause all sending at once. On Pay as you go it also runs follow-ups that stop when someone replies, and webhooks for every new message. (pricing, llms.txt)

5. Pricing: what Gupshup publishes, and what it doesn't settle

Gupshup's pricing page headlines "Zero platform fee" and "₹0 / month platform fee", with a prepaid wallet, 18% GST in India, 10 agent seats and 5 chatbot flows included. The same page's FAQ asks "What does the ₹5,999 monthly fee cover?" and says "the platform fee is billed monthly". Its Markdown version says every rate is all-in, including Meta's charges. Its WhatsApp self-serve pricing page says Gupshup charges $0.001 per message and Meta's fee is billed at actuals. Enterprise is a custom rate card on committed volume. Because these pages disagree, we do not quote a single Gupshup monthly price — check with Gupshup for your market. (pricing, pricing.md, WhatsApp self-serve pricing)

Spaces has a Free plan — $0, no card, 1 connected account, 50 actions a day (sending stops until midnight at the limit; reading keeps working; no sequences or webhooks). Pay as you go is $9 per connected account a month, prorated, with 1,000 actions per account pooled, then $5 per 1,000 ($4 above 100,000 extra, $3 above 1,000,000). Reading is always free, and you can set a monthly usage cap. Five accounts within included actions are $45 a month. Older Spaces plans stay as they are for existing customers for 6 months. (pricing)

6. Built for enterprise programmes

Gupshup's Enterprise plan adds multiple organisations and WhatsApp Business Accounts under one login, up to 10,000 messages a second, custom AI agents built with Gupshup's team, SSO, audit logs, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2, regional data hosting, an uptime SLA and 24/7 priority support. (pricing)

Spaces is deliberately smaller and per-account: limits, pacing and a four-week warm-up on each connected account, read-only keys, pause and revoke. That lowers the risk of a platform restricting an account; it does not remove it. (limits, safety)

Choose Spaces if

• You already run an AI agent and want it to answer customers on WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn and Messenger through one API and MCP.
• You need LinkedIn messages in the same agent.
• You want to link an existing WhatsApp number by QR code rather than move it to the Business API.
• Your work is replies and follow-ups, not broadcasts, at small-team volume.
• You want to start free and pay $9 per account as you grow.

Stay with Gupshup if

• You run template campaigns on WhatsApp, RCS, SMS or Truecaller, with segments, journeys and click-to-WhatsApp ads — Spaces deliberately does not.
• You want Gupshup's own AI agents, voice bots or avatar agents, built and supported by its team.
• You send high WhatsApp volume, where a $0.001 per-message fee beats per-action pricing.
• You need enterprise controls: SSO, audit logs, SOC 2, regional hosting, an SLA and very high throughput.
• You need official WhatsApp Business API compliance and Meta verification.

Other alternatives to consider

• 360dialog — direct official WhatsApp Business Platform access, priced per number: Regular €49 / $59, Premium €99 / $119 (includes its Messaging MCP), Scale €500 / $600 a month, plus Meta's fees with no markup. WhatsApp only. (360dialog.com/pricing, docs, checked 11 Nov 2026) · Spaces vs 360dialog
• Bird — APIs for email, SMS, WhatsApp, Apple Messages and voice with a hosted MCP. WhatsApp is $0.005 per outbound message plus Meta's fee (US service total $0.0084), with optional monthly deposits from $15 that add broadcasts. (bird.com/pricing/whatsapp, checked 11 Nov 2026) · Spaces vs Bird
• Zoko — a WhatsApp platform for Shopify stores on the official API: Starter $49.99, Plus $79.99, Elite $139.99 a month, Meta fees paid directly to Meta, Instagram $9.99 a month. (zoko.io/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026) · Spaces vs Zoko

For up to 24 hours after a WhatsApp account connects, reconnects, or is disconnected and connected again, Spaces does not start new chats or outreach. Replies in chats that already exist still go out. Other channels have no reply-only window: the warm-up limits apply from the first day, and replies to people who wrote in go out immediately.

FAQ

What is the best Gupshup alternative for an AI agent?
If you already have an agent and need it to answer people on WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn and Messenger, Spaces is the closest fit. If you want official WhatsApp campaigns, 360dialog and Bird are nearer swaps.

Does Gupshup include its own AI?
Yes. Gupshup sells AI agents, voice AI agents and avatar agents on its ACE LLM, with 1,000 AI messages a month free. Spaces includes no AI model; it connects the agent you already use. (pricing.md)

How much does Gupshup cost?
Gupshup's pages do not agree on one figure today. The pricing page headlines zero platform fee with a prepaid wallet, but its FAQ describes a ₹5,999 monthly fee. Its WhatsApp self-serve page lists $0.001 per message plus Meta's fees. Enterprise is custom. Check with Gupshup for your market. (pricing)

How much does Spaces cost?
Free for 1 account and 50 actions a day, with no card. Then $9 per connected account a month with 1,000 actions each, pooled, and $5 per 1,000 extra. Five accounts within included actions are $45 a month. (pricing)

Can I keep my WhatsApp number on my phone?
With Spaces, yes: it links by QR code like WhatsApp on a computer (Spaces WhatsApp API). With Gupshup, its pricing FAQ says the number must be removed from the app first; its docs describe Coexistence for WhatsApp Business App numbers, with some known Meta issues. (Coex docs)

Does Gupshup support LinkedIn messages?
LinkedIn is not listed among Gupshup's channels. Spaces includes LinkedIn messages.

Can Spaces send WhatsApp broadcasts?
No. For template broadcasts to large lists, use the official WhatsApp Business Platform — Gupshup is built for that. (llms.txt)

Where can I see a direct comparison?
On Spaces vs Gupshup.

Facts about Gupshup, 360dialog, Bird and Zoko come from their own websites, checked on 11 November 2026. Prices and features change; their sites have the current version. Product names are trademarks of their owners.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked on 11 November 2026 from the official product pages linked in the text, and from Spaces pricing.