The best WhatsApp ordering software for a restaurant is the one where the customer can see the menu, build a cart, confirm an address and pay without leaving the chat on your own number, and where the order then lands somewhere your kitchen can act on it. Several products are sold as "WhatsApp ordering" and only some of them do that; the rest are chat inboxes, store links or POS add-ons. This roundup compares seven options on what actually happens when a customer sends "hi".
Competitor pricing is described by model rather than by amount because the amounts change; check each vendor's pricing page. Tezzu's prices are stated because they are ours, and Tezzu is listed first because this is our blog; the descriptions of the others are meant to be fair.
What WhatsApp ordering software should actually include
Before the list, the checklist. A product earns the name if it covers these:
- Ordering inside the chat on your own WhatsApp number, with a bot handling the menu, variants, add-ons and cart, rather than a link that opens a web page.
- A store page or web menu as a second entry point for Google, Instagram and QR codes, ideally on your own domain.
- Payment per order through UPI and cards, plus cash on delivery, with the status visible against the order.
- Delivery zones with distance-based charges, pickup points and scheduled orders.
- A live dashboard and a staff app with new-order alerts, order statuses, KOT and thermal printing, GST bills.
- Campaigns to your customer list from the same place, so broadcasts and the orders they produce are connected.
- Pricing you can forecast from your order count.
The complete guide to WhatsApp ordering systems explains each piece in depth, and the 20 questions to ask before you buy turns the checklist into a demo script.
The seven options
1. Tezzu
Tezzu is a WhatsApp-first ordering platform for food businesses in India and the US. The customer messages your own number, the bot shows the menu, takes the cart, checks the address against your delivery zones and collects payment through Razorpay (UPI and cards) or marks cash on delivery. A free store page at tezzu.in/store/your-name takes the same orders on the web, with a custom domain if you want one, and there is no app for customers to download. Orders land in a live dashboard and on a staff app with new-order alerts and spoken announcements.
It includes delivery zones with distance charges and per-zone free-delivery thresholds, pickup points with collection times, scheduled orders and pre-orders, dine-in with QR tables, table numbers and a served status, KOT and thermal printing, GST bills, bundles and build-your-own combos, rotating menus and menu scheduling, coupons that auto-apply, promo banners, WhatsApp campaigns with a prepaid wallet, Click-to-WhatsApp ads and WhatsApp Status on the Growth plan, reviews after delivery, staff roles, multiple outlets on one number with nearest-outlet routing, Shiprocket for packaged food, two-step login, and Hindi and English. You can connect your own Razorpay account for zero platform fee on payments.
Pricing: Starter ₹999, Growth ₹1,999, Enterprise ₹3,999 a month, ₹100 a month less on yearly billing, plus a flat ₹10 per order, no commission, unlimited orders, 7-day free trial on every plan. Setup is about 30 minutes through Meta's embedded signup with your own number. Best for restaurants, cloud kitchens, tiffin services, cafes, sweet shops and home bakers. Not a fit if you need inventory and recipe costing, which a POS does.
2. DotPe
DotPe is an all-in-one commerce stack: QR dine-in ordering, an online store link shared on WhatsApp, POS billing, payments, loyalty and delivery tie-ups. The WhatsApp part is a link to the store rather than ordering inside the chat. Pricing has combined subscription plans with charges linked to payments processed; check their pricing page. Best for restaurants that want billing, dine-in and online orders from one vendor. The DotPe alternatives comparison goes deeper.
3. Thrive
Thrive is a website-first direct ordering platform with a branded ordering page, built-in loyalty and a consumer discovery app. WhatsApp is used to share the link and send updates. Pricing is a subscription with a per-order or percentage charge; check their pricing page. Best for metro dine-in restaurants and small chains that want a branded web ordering page and a loyalty programme.
4. Interakt
Interakt, from Haptik, is a WhatsApp Business API platform: shared inbox, campaigns, chatbot flows and commerce through the WhatsApp catalog and cart. Pricing is subscription tiers plus Meta's conversation charges. The ordering logic, delivery zones and payment matching are yours to build or integrate. Best for businesses that need a support inbox and marketing with Indian support, and already take orders elsewhere.
5. Wati
Wati is a WhatsApp API platform with a shared inbox, a no-code chatbot builder, broadcasts and integrations with CRMs and ecommerce stores. Pricing is a subscription by tier and users plus conversation charges. Like Interakt, it is a chat tool; a restaurant builds the ordering on top. Best for support and marketing teams that want to build their own flows. The chat tool vs ordering platform comparison sets out the difference.
6. AiSensy
AiSensy is a WhatsApp marketing platform: broadcasts, drip campaigns, chatbots, Click-to-WhatsApp ads, a shared inbox and catalog-based commerce. Pricing is a subscription plus per-message charges. Best for food brands whose main need is sending offers to a large list, with orders taken in another system.
7. Petpooja online ordering
Petpooja is a restaurant POS with online ordering and WhatsApp marketing as add-on modules, priced as an annual per-outlet subscription plus modules. The direct ordering page is a web link tied into the POS; WhatsApp is for messaging. Best for restaurants whose main need is billing and inventory and who want a direct page connected to the same system.
Comparison table
| Software | Ordering inside WhatsApp on your number | Store page included | Zones, pickup, scheduled orders | Dine-in, KOT, GST bills | Campaigns | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tezzu | Yes, bot included | Yes, free, custom domain | Yes | Yes | Yes, prepaid wallet | ₹999 to ₹3,999/month plus flat ₹10 per order |
| DotPe | Store link shared in chat | Yes | Yes | Yes, with POS | Via loyalty tools | Subscription plus payment-linked charges |
| Thrive | Link shared in chat | Yes, branded | Delivery yes | Via partners | Via loyalty tools | Subscription plus per-order or percentage |
| Interakt | Catalog cart; checkout external | No | No | No | Yes | Subscription tiers plus conversation charges |
| Wati | Via flows you build | No | No | No | Yes | Subscription by users plus conversation charges |
| AiSensy | Catalog; checkout external | No | No | No | Yes, core | Subscription plus per-message charges |
| Petpooja | Link; WhatsApp marketing add-on | Yes, module | Via module | Yes, core | Add-on module | Annual per outlet plus modules |
How to choose in three questions
First, where should the order happen? If the answer is inside the chat on your number, only the WhatsApp-first platforms qualify; the rest hand the customer a link or leave you to build the flow. Second, what else do you need the same system to do? Dine-in with KOT, delivery zones, pickup and campaigns narrow the list further; inventory and recipe costing point you to a POS. Third, how do you want to pay? A flat per-order fee can be worked out from your order count; a percentage of payments grows with your average bill; per-conversation charges depend on message volume and Meta's rates. The Tezzu pricing explainer shows how the flat model works out at different volumes.
What this looks like on Tezzu
Setup starts with the WhatsApp number you already use. Meta's embedded signup connects it to the WhatsApp Business API in a few minutes, and you keep the number. You build the menu in the dashboard with categories, variants, add-ons and bundles, draw delivery zones with distance-based charges and a free-delivery threshold each, add pickup points with collection times, and switch on Razorpay or connect your own Razorpay account for zero platform fee on payments. Cash on delivery is a toggle.
A customer who messages the number gets the menu from the bot, builds a cart, confirms an address, pays by UPI or picks cash, and the order appears on the live dashboard and the staff app with a spoken announcement. The kitchen gets a KOT on the thermal printer, the customer gets status updates on WhatsApp, and a review request goes out after delivery. The same menu is live on your store page for Google and Instagram traffic. Campaigns run from the same dashboard with a prepaid wallet. The whole setup is about 30 minutes and the 7-day trial takes real orders; the step-by-step setup guide walks through it screen by screen.
Try ordering inside the chat
Connect your own WhatsApp number, build your menu and take real orders during the 7-day free trial. Flat ₹10 per order, no commission, every plan included.
Start your free 7-day trialFrequently asked questions
What is the best WhatsApp ordering app for a small restaurant?
For a small restaurant the deciding factors are that the customer orders inside the chat on your own number, that payments and delivery zones are built in, and that the price can be worked out from your order count. A WhatsApp-first platform with a flat per-order fee, such as Tezzu at ₹999 a month plus ₹10 per order, fits that. Chat tools and POS add-ons leave more for you to build or pay for separately.
Is WhatsApp ordering software free?
The WhatsApp Business app is free and lets you list a catalog and reply by hand, which works up to a few orders a day. Software that automates the menu, cart, payment and kitchen side runs on the WhatsApp Business API, which carries Meta's conversation charges, and the platforms on top charge a subscription, a per-order fee, a percentage or per-message rates. Most offer a free trial; Tezzu's is 7 days on every plan.
Do I need the WhatsApp Business API for ordering software?
Yes, for anything automated. The ordinary WhatsApp Business app cannot run a bot, connect to a dashboard or send order updates automatically. Ordering platforms connect your number to the API through Meta's embedded signup, which takes a few minutes, and you keep the same number. Customers notice no difference except that replies arrive instantly.
Can WhatsApp ordering software handle dine-in and delivery together?
Some can. Tezzu handles delivery with zones and distance charges, pickup with collection times, and dine-in with QR codes on tables, table numbers, a served status and KOT printing, all landing in one dashboard. Chat tools do not handle any of these, and website-first platforms usually cover delivery and pickup but rely on partners for dine-in. Check each product on the specific order types you run.