Does ActiveCampaign Have WhatsApp? (Broadcasts, BSP, Cost)
ActiveCampaign added a native WhatsApp channel that, unusually, can broadcast to a segment. Here is what it does, why the Hilos acquisition matters, what it costs, and the US rule that limits the feature it is best known for.
Short answer: yes, ActiveCampaign has a native WhatsApp integration, and it is one of the few CRM-style platforms that can actually broadcast. ActiveCampaign states it is an official WhatsApp Business Service Provider, so the channel runs on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, and you can send promotional WhatsApp messages to a segment, add personalization, and drop a WhatsApp step into an automation. Much of that capability came from ActiveCampaign's April 2025 acquisition of the WhatsApp automation platform Hilos. The catch is that WhatsApp rides inside a full marketing-automation suite with demo-based pricing, and marketing templates do not deliver to US numbers.
Why ActiveCampaign can broadcast when most CRMs cannot
This is the interesting part. Most CRM WhatsApp channels are built for the shared inbox: HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and Pipedrive all attach WhatsApp conversations to records but do not send one template to a whole list. ActiveCampaign is different because it is a marketing-automation platform first, and it treated WhatsApp as a broadcast channel from the start.
In April 2025, ActiveCampaign acquired Hilos, a WhatsApp automation platform, and folded that capability in. The result is a native channel that sits next to email and SMS in the same automation builder, with the ability to broadcast to any segment of your contact list. In ActiveCampaign's own description, you can send promotional WhatsApp messages to a segment with added personalization to improve engagement. That is a genuine broadcast feature, not a repackaged inbox.
Is it an official WhatsApp integration?
Yes. ActiveCampaign states plainly that it is an official BSP, which means it connects you to the WhatsApp Business Platform on Meta's Cloud API. That is the compliant route. It is worth checking, because a large share of tools marketed as "WhatsApp for marketing" are unofficial: they automate WhatsApp Web through a browser after a QR scan, which breaks WhatsApp's terms of service and risks a permanent ban on your number. ActiveCampaign is not one of those. You still bring your own WhatsApp Business Account and a dedicated number registered to the platform.
What it costs, and why that is harder to pin down
Two layers, as with any WhatsApp tool, but ActiveCampaign is less transparent on the first. The platform itself has published prices for its email and automation tiers, but WhatsApp is not an add-on you can buy at a listed price. Its WhatsApp pages route you to request a demo, so the real cost of the channel is a sales conversation rather than a number you can compare on a pricing page.
The second layer is Meta's per-message charge, billed per delivered template by category and recipient country since July 1, 2025. The old 24-hour conversation model is deprecated. Neither Meta nor ActiveCampaign publishes a fixed US per-message rate, so ignore any exact cent figure and budget from Meta's current rate card. What stays free: non-template messages and utility templates inside an open 24-hour window, and everything for 72 hours when a chat starts from a Click to WhatsApp ad.
The US rule that limits its best feature
Here is the part that matters most for a US audience, precisely because broadcasting is ActiveCampaign's standout. Since April 1, 2025, Meta has not delivered marketing-category template messages to US phone numbers. They fail with error 131049, and there is no resume date as of July 2026. So the segment-broadcast feature that sets ActiveCampaign apart cannot reach a US list with promotions. This is a Meta platform rule, identical across every WhatsApp tool.
What still reaches US numbers: utility templates (order updates, appointment reminders, account alerts), authentication templates, and any reply inside the 24-hour window. If your audience is outside the US, marketing broadcasts deliver normally and the feature is genuinely valuable. If it is US-based, ActiveCampaign's WhatsApp is best used for transactional and utility flows, the same as every other tool. The full picture is on our ActiveCampaign WhatsApp integration page.
When ActiveCampaign is the right call, and when it is not
Use ActiveCampaign's WhatsApp if you already run email and automation there and want WhatsApp as one more channel inside the same flows. Having email, SMS, and WhatsApp in a single automation is a real advantage, and the BSP status is legitimate. Weigh two things against it: you are buying a whole suite to get the channel, and you cannot see a WhatsApp price without a demo.
If WhatsApp broadcasting is the only job you need done, that is a lot of platform for one channel. A dedicated WhatsApp bulk sender gives you the same broadcast capability standalone, with flat published pricing and no suite to run, and it points at the same WhatsApp Business Account so you are not locked out of ActiveCampaign later. For a side-by-side of the main options with the US block called out, see our comparison of the best WhatsApp marketing tools.
FAQ
Does ActiveCampaign have a native WhatsApp channel?
Yes. ActiveCampaign has a native WhatsApp integration and states it is an official WhatsApp Business Service Provider, so it runs on Meta's Cloud API. It sits next to email and SMS in the automation builder, and much of the capability came from its April 2025 acquisition of the WhatsApp automation platform Hilos. You connect your own WhatsApp Business Account.
Can ActiveCampaign send WhatsApp broadcasts?
Yes, unlike most CRM WhatsApp channels. You can send promotional WhatsApp messages to a segment of your list with personalization, and add a WhatsApp step to automations. However, marketing-category templates do not deliver to US phone numbers as of July 2026, so for a US audience the broadcast feature is limited to non-marketing use.
How much does ActiveCampaign WhatsApp cost?
ActiveCampaign does not publish a per-message WhatsApp price; its WhatsApp pages route you to a demo, so the platform cost is a sales conversation. Separately, Meta bills per delivered template message by category and recipient country underneath any BSP. Neither publishes a fixed US per-message rate, so budget from Meta's current rate card.
Is ActiveCampaign or a dedicated sender better for WhatsApp?
ActiveCampaign is better if you want email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one automation platform and already use it. A dedicated sender is better if WhatsApp broadcasting is the only job, because you get the same capability standalone with transparent flat pricing and no suite to buy. Both use the same WhatsApp Business Account, so the choice is not permanent.