360dialog alternative — WhatsApp CRM with the app already built

Editorial disclosure: I work at Zellbox, so this post is naturally biased. I’ve tried to describe 360dialog as accurately as possible based on their pricing page and product page as of August 2026. If you find a factual error, message me on LinkedIn and I’ll fix it. No affiliate links.

360dialog is a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider — one of Meta’s official partners providing direct API access + infrastructure + pricing. They’re not a competitor in the usual sense: 360dialog gives you the pipes; you still need an application on top. Zellbox IS the application (with WhatsApp built in) — designed specifically for appointment-driven small businesses.

Where 360dialog fits

360dialog is the right pick if you’re a developer or agency building a custom WhatsApp application from scratch — you want direct API control, transparent per-conversation pricing, and no product opinion layered on top. Many WhatsApp-first apps (including some competitors we’ve mentioned) route their traffic through 360dialog or another BSP under the hood.

Where Zellbox fits

If you’re a clinic, salon, vet, physio, or fitness studio and you want WhatsApp reminders in your operation, you don’t need to buy the API — you need a product that already does the job. Zellbox includes WhatsApp on the free tier (shared platform number, 100 reminders/month) and supports connecting your own WABA on paid plans. Zero BSP setup.

Feature-by-feature

When to pick which

Pick 360dialog if: you’re a developer or agency building a custom WhatsApp app from scratch and need direct API + volume pricing.

Pick Zellbox if: you’re a small business that wants working WhatsApp reminders + calendar sync + signed consent, without building an app or dealing with BSP registration.

Migration checklist: switching from 360dialog

If you (or your developer) built a custom app on top of 360dialog’s API and you’ve concluded you’d rather run a ready-made product, the switch is mostly a data-export + reconnection exercise, not a rebuild from zero.

Export your 360dialog contacts and conversation history

Pull your opted-in contact list and template library out of your 360dialog-backed application first — 360dialog itself doesn’t retain a portable “export” button since it’s infrastructure, not an app, so this step happens on whatever custom app you built on top. Get a CSV of phone numbers + names + last-contact date, and a copy of any approved message templates so you’re not rewriting them from scratch on the new side.

Reconnect your WhatsApp Business number to Zellbox

Your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) and phone number belong to Meta, not to 360dialog — so the number itself is portable. In Zellbox, use the Embedded Signup flow to re-point that same WABA at Zellbox’s infrastructure (this takes about 10 minutes and doesn’t require a new phone number or losing your message history with customers). Once connected, Zellbox becomes the app talking to Meta instead of your old 360dialog-backed build.

Rebuild your automations and templates in Zellbox

Recreate the handful of message templates you actually use (appointment confirmation, 24 h reminder, 2 h reminder) inside Zellbox’s template library — most clinics and salons need 3-5 templates, far fewer than a general-purpose 360dialog integration usually accumulates. Import your exported contact list, connect Google Calendar, and the reminder schedule takes over automatically; there’s no flow-builder or webhook code to maintain going forward.

360dialog vs Zellbox: pricing at a glance

About the author: Nacho Coll is the founder of Zellbox. He writes about WhatsApp Business automation for appointment-driven small businesses.

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