Circles vs Wassenger
Circles vs Wassenger: a team inbox, or your own chats for your agent
Wassenger is a hosted WhatsApp API and team inbox with ChatGPT-based replies, campaigns and an MCP server in beta. Circles is for one person who wants Claude, ChatGPT or Instinct to read their own chats, with tight control over sending.
Choose Wassenger if you run a team on WhatsApp and want a shared inbox, campaigns, CRM features or a verified Business number. Choose Circles if you want your agent to read your personal chats with OAuth sign-in, per-chat permissions and voice notes as text, on Free, Starter $9.90 or Pro $29 a month, against Wassenger's $39.90 and up (as of October 2026).
Updated
Wassenger and Circles at a glance
As of October 2026. Facts about Wassenger come from the sources listed at the end of this page.
| Wassenger | Circles | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Create an account, link a number (or bring a verified Business number), create an API key, add the MCP server | Link your number from your phone (a code or a QR), then connect your agent with a tap, an address or a token |
| Your personal number | Yes, as a linked device; a verified WhatsApp Business number is also supported. Group and channel tools work only on linked-device numbers. | Yes, your existing number as a linked device. No WhatsApp Business, no second number. |
| Hosted | Yes | Yes, always on. Nothing to install, no computer that must stay awake. |
| MCP and sign-in | api.wassenger.com/mcp, in beta ("testing and prototyping"). API key only; for claude.ai and ChatGPT on the web the key goes in the address as a query parameter. | Remote MCP at https://app.usecircles.app/api/mcp: OAuth 2.1 (paste one address and approve) or a token |
| Per-chat permissions | No per-chat scoping | Per chat: hidden, read, or read and send. Hidden chats do not exist for agents. |
| Voice notes | No transcription (its AI features are ChatGPT-based replies) | Transcribed automatically, Hebrew and English, inline as text and searchable |
| Photos and files | Yes, through the API | Photos, PDFs, documents and video handed over on request, up to 50 MB each. The agent reads them itself. |
| Sending controls | Rate limits per plan; campaigns | On Pro. Off until you open a chat for it. Daily cap across all agents (default 5), never retried automatically, every request logged. |
| Price (October 2026) | Professional $39.90, Business $69.90, Enterprise $99.90 a month ($33.25, $58.25, $83.25 billed annually). 7-day trial. MCP on every plan. | Free; Starter $9.90 a month; Pro $29 a month (₪99 in Israel), 14 days of Pro free |
Where Wassenger is the better choice
- Teams. A shared inbox for several people answering one number.
- Campaigns and CRM features, which Circles does not offer.
- A Business number option. Bring a verified WhatsApp Business number if you need the official route.
- AI replies built in, so Wassenger itself can answer customers.
Where Circles is the better choice
- OAuth sign-in. Paste one address in Claude or ChatGPT and approve on Circles' page. There is no API key to put in a connector address.
- A lower price: a Free plan, Starter at $9.90 and Pro at $29 a month, against $39.90 and up, as of October 2026.
- Per-chat permissions. Hidden, read, or read and send, chat by chat.
- Voice notes as text and files on request, ready for the agent.
- Circles' MCP is the product. Wassenger labels its own MCP beta, for "testing and prototyping", as of October 2026.
Same terms for both. Circles, like every tool that reads a personal number, connects as an unofficial linked device, which is outside WhatsApp's terms. No one can promise WhatsApp will never disconnect a device. What Circles offers is careful defaults: reading by default, sending off until you allow it, a daily cap, no broadcast, and a dedicated IP address shared with no other customer. It makes no claim to a safer protocol. How Circles handles your chats.
Personal number, or team inbox?
The real split is who the WhatsApp is for. If a team answers customers on one number, Wassenger (or another team inbox) fits. If it is your own phone, with family, school groups, suppliers and clients all in one place, Circles is built for that, including a small business run from a personal number.
Questions and answers
Does Wassenger have an MCP server?
Yes, in beta as of October 2026, at api.wassenger.com/mcp, with an API key. Circles' MCP is at https://app.usecircles.app/api/mcp, with OAuth or a token.
Is Wassenger for personal or business WhatsApp?
Both: it supports linked-device numbers and verified Business numbers, and is built as a business API and team inbox. Circles is built for one person's own number.
Does Wassenger transcribe voice notes?
Not per its pages on 27 October 2026; its AI features are ChatGPT-based replies. Circles transcribes voice notes automatically, Hebrew and English.
How much is Wassenger compared with Circles?
Wassenger is $39.90 to $99.90 a month (less billed annually) as of October 2026. Circles is Free, Starter $9.90 or Pro $29 a month, with 14 days of Pro free.
Sources
Competitor facts as seen on 27 October 2026 unless another date is given. Prices change often in this category: check the vendor's own page before you buy.
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