Interakt alternative for restaurants (2026)
Updated October 21, 2026
Short answer: Interakt (by Haptik/Jio) is a WhatsApp Business API suite — broadcasts, a shared inbox, chatbots, a catalogue and a sales CRM. It's a capable WhatsApp commerce tool, but it is not a restaurant ordering system: it doesn't run your menu as a live cart, calculate a food bill with modifiers, push orders to a kitchen dashboard or dispatch your own riders. If you run a restaurant and want customers to order and pay on WhatsApp, you need an ordering platform with WhatsApp built in — Menuthere: WhatsApp ordering on your own number, a QR menu and ordering website, your own delivery riders and 0% commission, with a free plan.
Facts checked 21 October 2026.
In short
- Interakt is a WhatsApp commerce/CRM suite, not a restaurant ordering system.
- Interakt charges a markup on top of Meta's per-message rates (see its pricing page); Menuthere does not resell messages.
- For restaurant ordering on WhatsApp: Menuthere — own number, QR menu, own riders, 0% commission, Free plan.
- Keep Interakt only if you mainly need bulk WhatsApp marketing and a sales CRM, and ordering lives elsewhere.
What Interakt actually is
Interakt is an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider. Businesses use it for:
- broadcast campaigns to opted-in contacts;
- a shared team inbox for WhatsApp;
- no-code chatbots and automations;
- a product catalogue and a Sales CRM add-on.
As of 21 October 2026, Interakt's own pricing page lists a Growth plan at ₹2,799/month (+taxes) and an Advanced plan at ₹3,799/month (+taxes), with an Enterprise tier on request and separate add-ons for a Sales CRM and WhatsApp AI agents. Crucially, Interakt bills per-message charges on top of Meta's rates — its pricing page lists, for example, utility messages at about ₹0.160 (Growth) to ₹0.140 (Advanced) and marketing at about ₹0.970 to ₹0.949 each. Those are Interakt's platform charges in addition to the WhatsApp conversation; check interakt.shop for current pricing.
That is a messaging and sales-CRM product. It broadcasts, replies and runs a catalogue. What it does not do is operate as your restaurant ordering system: there's no food cart with modifiers and combos, no order total that flows to your kitchen, no automatic "accepted / ready / on the way" tied to your order dashboard, and no own-rider dispatch with live tracking.
Why a messaging tool is not an ordering system
| An ordering system does | A WhatsApp commerce/CRM suite (Interakt) does |
|---|---|
| Runs your menu with items, modifiers and combos | Sends templates, replies, runs a catalogue |
| Builds a food cart and order total | — |
| Takes payment (UPI, Razorpay, Cashfree) | Payment links you configure |
| Pushes the order to a kitchen/order dashboard | — |
| Sends automatic order updates from the order's status | Templates you wire yourself |
| Dispatches your own riders with live tracking | — |
| Is 0% commission on direct orders | Plan fee + per-message markup + Meta fees |
You can assemble a basic "order on WhatsApp" flow on Interakt with a catalogue, a chatbot and a payment link, but you are then building and maintaining an ordering system on top of a marketing tool. For most restaurants a platform where ordering is already built in is faster and cheaper.
Menuthere vs Interakt
| Interakt | Menuthere | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | WhatsApp commerce + CRM suite | Restaurant ordering platform |
| WhatsApp ordering (menu → cart → pay) | Catalogue + payment links you build | Yes — on your own number (Pro) |
| Automatic order updates | Templates you wire | Yes, sent automatically |
| Broadcasts / comeback offers | Yes | Yes (Pro) |
| QR menu & ordering website | No | Yes, every plan |
| Own delivery riders + live tracking | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Loyalty points | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Payments (India) | Payment links you configure | UPI, Razorpay, Cashfree on your account |
| Per-message charges | Markup on top of Meta (see pricing page) | No message resale — Meta bills you directly |
| Commission on direct orders | Plan fee + markup + Meta fees | 0% |
| Published price | Growth ₹2,799/mo; Advanced ₹3,799/mo (+taxes) | Free; Lite US$17/mo; Pro US$39/mo; App US$99/mo |
| Free plan | No restaurant free tier | Yes — Free ordering page and QR menu |
How ordering on WhatsApp works with Menuthere
On Pro, Menuthere connects an official WhatsApp Business number to your menu:
- A customer messages your number or taps your WhatsApp link.
- They build an order from your real menu — items, modifiers, combos — in the chat and on a linked ordering page.
- They pay with UPI, Razorpay or Cashfree (or Stripe outside India).
- The order lands on your dashboard and the kitchen is alerted.
- Order updates are sent automatically as the status changes.
- You broadcast offers and comeback messages to past customers — the marketing you might have bought Interakt for.
Meta still charges its per-conversation fee (its model, through any provider), but Menuthere adds 0% commission on the orders and does not resell messages with a markup.
Who should pick what
- You want customers to order and pay on WhatsApp, start free, keep 0% → Menuthere.
- You mainly need bulk WhatsApp marketing and a sales CRM, with ordering taken elsewhere → Interakt can fit.
- Comparing other tools → see the WATI alternative and AiSensy alternative, or WhatsApp ordering in India.
Create your free ordering page — WhatsApp ordering, QR menu and 0% commission. Want your own branded app? Prefer a walkthrough?
FAQs
Is Interakt an ordering system for restaurants?
No. Interakt is a WhatsApp Business API suite for broadcasts, a shared inbox, chatbots, a catalogue and a sales CRM. It can send templates and run a catalogue, but it does not operate your menu as a live food cart, calculate a bill, push orders to a kitchen dashboard or dispatch your own riders, so it is not a restaurant ordering system on its own.
What is the best Interakt alternative for a restaurant?
If you want customers to order and pay on WhatsApp, an ordering platform with WhatsApp built in is a better fit. Menuthere offers WhatsApp ordering on your own number, a QR menu and ordering website, your own riders and 0% commission, with a free plan.
How much does Interakt cost?
As of 21 October 2026, Interakt's pricing page lists a Growth plan at ₹2,799/month and an Advanced plan at ₹3,799/month, both plus taxes, with Enterprise on request. It also charges per-message fees on top of Meta's rates. Check interakt.shop for current pricing.
Does Interakt add a markup on WhatsApp messages?
Yes. Interakt's pricing page lists per-message charges on top of Meta's conversation rates — for example utility messages around ₹0.160 to ₹0.140 each depending on plan. Menuthere does not resell messages; Meta bills you directly and Menuthere takes 0% commission on orders.
How much does Menuthere cost?
Menuthere has a Free plan at US$0, Lite at US$17 a month and Pro at US$39 a month, billed in US dollars. A Branded App is US$99 a month. Lite and Pro include a 7-day trial; a card starts the trial and nothing is charged until it ends.
Which payment methods does Menuthere support in India?
In India, Menuthere supports UPI, Razorpay and Cashfree on your own account. Outside India it uses Stripe on your own account.
Sources (3)
- Interakt pricing (Growth ₹2,799/mo +taxes; Advanced ₹3,799/mo +taxes; Enterprise on request; per-message markup on top of Meta — utility ~₹0.160-0.140, marketing ~₹0.970-0.949). https://www.interakt.shop/pricing/ (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
- Interakt for restaurants (WhatsApp Business suite: broadcasts, catalogue, chatbots, CRM). https://www.interakt.shop/whatsapp-business-for-restaurants-food-businesses/ (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere pricing and plans (Free, Lite US$17, Pro US$39, Branded App US$99). https://menuthere.com/en/pricing (accessed 21 Oct 2026)