Cekat.ai Alternatives for Small Businesses: 2026 Features and Pricing
Cekat.ai alternatives for small businesses: features and prices of Cekat, cshub, Qontak, SleekFlow, and respond.io from official sites, checked Oct 20, 2026.
cshub
06 Nov 2026 10 min read
The Cekat.ai alternatives that UMKM (Indonesian small businesses) look at most are cshub, Mekari Qontak, SleekFlow, and respond.io. The right pick comes down to one question: do you need an AI that's good at replying to and qualifying chats on the WhatsApp API, or a system that also handles stock, shipping costs, orders, and bookings from the chat? Cekat is strong at the first. This article compares features and prices from each vendor's official website, checked on October 20, 2026.
A note up front, to be fair: this article was written by the cshub team. So we describe Cekat's strengths as they are, and we also name the things cshub doesn't have yet.
What is Cekat.ai and who uses it?
Cekat.AI is an AI agent platform for sales and customer service chat, run by PT Teknologi Cekat Indonesia with offices in Jakarta and Tangerang. On its official website, Cekat calls itself an official Meta Business Partner and says it's trusted by more than 3,000 businesses. It also has offices in Singapore and Malaysia.
The product is split into modules: Chat, CRM, Marketing, and a combined Cekat 360 package. On the home page they also show an Order & Automation module (shipping cost checks, payment links, follow-up flows without coding).
Cekat's strengths you should know about
Before you look for an alternative, make sure you actually need one. Here's what Cekat does well, based on its official website as of October 20, 2026:
Wide channel coverage. WhatsApp Business API, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, website live chat, and email all land in one inbox.
AI agents you can train on your SOPs. There's an AI agent builder, task-specific agents, a drag-and-drop flow builder, and settings for the AI's working hours.
Strong ad attribution. There's a ROAS dashboard and CAPI integration, so you can see which ads end in a closed sale. This helps if you spend a fair amount on Meta ads every month.
Human support. Business plans and up get an account manager. Enterprise plans get a WhatsApp group and a key account manager.
No setup fee. According to their pricing FAQ, regular plans have no separate setup fee and no minimum contract. There's also a 14-day free trial.
If your business is a sales team that runs on ads, closes deals on the WhatsApp API, and wants hands-on support from the vendor, Cekat makes sense.
How much does Cekat.ai cost?
The Cekat pricing page (checked October 20, 2026) doesn't show Rupiah amounts. Each plan has a button to contact the sales team on WhatsApp, and quotes don't include PPN (Indonesian VAT). What the page does show is the quota for each Chat plan:
| Cekat Chat plan | WABA numbers | MAU | AI Credits | Seats | AI type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | 1 | 3,000 | 15,000 | 5 | AI Simple |
| Business | 3 | 10,000 | 50,000 | 7 | AI Full |
| Enterprise | 5 | 30,000 | 150,000 | 10 | AI Full |
| Custom | Custom | Unlimited | Custom | Custom | AI Full |
Two terms you should understand before asking for a quote:
MAU (Monthly Active Users) is the number of unique customers who chat with you in a month. One person still counts as one, even if they send 50 messages.
AI Simple vs AI Full. AI Simple answers from a knowledge base. AI Full adds lead qualification, follow-ups, and next-step actions inside the chat. That means the Pro plan doesn't get an AI that can follow up. The flow builder, automatic follow-ups, and ticketing also only start from the Business plan.
Since prices aren't public, the safest move is to ask for a written quote and ask two things: what's the monthly price after PPN, and are Meta's WhatsApp API conversation fees billed separately?
Cekat compared with its alternatives
All figures in this table come from each vendor's official pricing page on October 20, 2026. Prices can change, so check again before you decide.
| Platform | Starting price | Public pricing? | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cekat.ai | Through the sales team, excluding PPN | No | AI agent + WABA, TikTok and email, ROAS dashboard, account manager |
| cshub | Free-forever Trial, Starter Rp 300,000/month | Yes | Chat + products, stock, shipping costs, checkout, booking, WhatsApp via QR scan or official API |
| Mekari Qontak | Service Suite or Sales Suite Plus from Rp 2,000,000/month, starting at 5 users | Partly ("starting from" prices) | Full sales CRM, call center, part of the Mekari product family |
| SleekFlow | Pro from Rp 1,800,000/month (Rp 21,600,000 billed annually) | Yes | Many channels including TikTok, LINE, WeChat, email |
| respond.io | Starter US$79/month billed annually, US$99 billed monthly | Yes | Multichannel inbox, workflows, a good fit for teams across countries |
One thing people often miss: with Qontak, SleekFlow, and respond.io, Meta's WhatsApp Business API message fees are charged separately from the subscription. Qontak writes that its plan prices include the WhatsApp API platform but are "excluding per-message fees". SleekFlow and respond.io also say WhatsApp fees aren't included. So the numbers in the table are software costs, not the cost of sending messages.
Mekari Qontak
According to the Qontak pricing page, there are four solutions: Qontak Broadcast, Service Suite, Sales Suite, and Qontak 360. Service Suite and Sales Suite Plus start at Rp 2,000,000/month, the Ultimate tier starts at Rp 3,000,000/month, and Qontak 360 starts at Rp 3,500,000/month. Every plan starts at 5 users. It's a good fit if your sales team already has a structure and needs a pipeline, lead distribution, and SLA monitoring. If you already use Mekari Jurnal, the integration is a bonus.
SleekFlow
On the SleekFlow Indonesia pricing page, the Pro plan is listed at Rp 1,800,000/month billed annually at Rp 21,600,000, and the Premium plan at Rp 5,400,000/month. Pro includes 3 user accounts. SleekFlow says every plan includes all messaging channels, email, and calls, from WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok to WeChat, LINE, and Viber. There's a free trial with no credit card.
respond.io
On the respond.io pricing page, Starter is US$79/month if you pay annually, with 5 users and from 1,000 monthly active contacts. If you pay monthly, it's listed at US$99. There's a 7-day free trial. Prices are in dollars, so your monthly bill moves with the exchange rate. It suits businesses that serve customers in several countries.
When is Cekat the better fit, and when is an alternative?
Use this simple question: after a customer says "yes, I want it", what happens next?
If a salesperson calls next, sends a proposal, or another team takes over (property, B2B, courses, financial services), Cekat or Qontak fits. Their focus is chat, qualification, and the sales pipeline.
If an admin has to check stock, work out shipping, make an invoice, then wait for a bank transfer (online stores, skincare, fashion, frozen food), you need a system that knows your products and orders. This is where cshub fits better.
If an admin has to check the schedule (car rental, padel courts, clinics, salons), you need a calendar and unit capacity. Check whether the tool you pick has a booking feature, because many chat platforms don't.
If your customers are spread across several countries and use LINE or WeChat, SleekFlow or respond.io makes more sense.
Budget matters too. Here's an example: a small shop with 2 admins and 600 chats a month may balk at a plan that starts at Rp 2,000,000 for 5 users, because 3 seats sit unused. A business with 10 salespeople and an ad budget of Rp 50 million a month will see that number differently.
How does cshub work as a Cekat alternative?
cshub was built in Sukabumi for businesses whose customers arrive through chat and whose sales also close in chat. Here's what you can expect:
One inbox for every channel. Regular WhatsApp via QR scan, the official WhatsApp Business API, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and website live chat. You can start with the WhatsApp number you already have, without signing up for the API first.
AI that can sell. The cshub AI agent answers from a knowledge base (persona, Q&A, PDF), then can check stock, check shipping costs through Biteship, add items to the cart, and create orders right from the chat.
Booking with unit capacity. For rentals and services, there's a booking mode by day or by hour. Have 3 Avanzas? Set the quantity to 3, and remaining units are calculated from overlapping bookings.
Payments and deposits. Midtrans and manual bank transfer. Transactions can be paid in part, and the remaining balance is recorded.
Team and control. Auto-assign chats to agents, escalation when a chat goes unanswered for a set number of minutes, AI lead qualification into the pipeline, and a daily chat report sent to WhatsApp.
Pricing is public on the pricing page: a free-forever Trial (5 products, 10 transactions), Starter at Rp 300,000/month, Migration at Rp 500,000/month (the cshub team helps migrate your data and set things up), and Bisnis at Rp 2,500,000/month for multiple teams.
What cshub doesn't have yet compared with Cekat: no TikTok or email channel, and no ROAS dashboard or CAPI integration for ad attribution. If those two things are at the core of what you need, Cekat is the better fit.
One note about WhatsApp via QR scan: this uses regular WhatsApp, not the official API. If you broadcast to thousands of contacts, the risk of your number being banned is higher. For high volume, use the WhatsApp Business API.
How to choose without regrets
Write out your longest chat flow. From "hi, is this in stock?" until the item ships or the slot is locked in. Count how many steps your admin does by hand right now.
Measure your real usage. How many unique customers a month, how many admins, how many WhatsApp numbers. Match that against each platform's MAU or active contact quota.
Ask for the total price. Software + PPN + WhatsApp API message fees. Compare the monthly cost in Rupiah.
Test with 20 real chats. Take the questions you got most often this week, ask the AI during the trial, and see which ones it answers correctly.
If you want to try cshub with your own sales or booking flow, sign up for the Trial plan, which has no time limit. You can read another comparison in cshub vs Kommo.
FAQ
Does Cekat.ai have a free plan?
As of October 20, 2026, the Cekat website offers a 14-day free trial, not a permanent free plan. After that, you need to subscribe through a quote from the sales team.
Why isn't Cekat.ai's pricing on its website?
Cekat's pricing page only shows the quota for each plan and points you to the sales team on WhatsApp. Quotes are given before you subscribe and don't include PPN.
What's the cheapest Cekat.ai alternative?
Of the platforms we checked, cshub has the cheapest paid plan, Starter at Rp 300,000/month, plus a free-forever Trial plan. But compare the quotas and features against your needs, not only the price.
Are WhatsApp API fees included in the subscription price?
Usually not. Qontak, SleekFlow, and respond.io say Meta's WhatsApp message fees are charged separately. Ask any vendor about this before you sign.
Can I move from Cekat to cshub without losing my contact data?
Yes, as long as you can export your contact data from the old platform. On the Migration plan, the cshub team helps with data migration and setup.
