OpenAI Assistants
On WhatsApp & SMS
Deploy to real messaging channels — WhatsApp, SMS, Email — not just chat widgets. AI agents with actual delivery infrastructure.
No credit card required. Deploy to WhatsApp in under 5 minutes.
The Problem with OpenAI Assistants
OpenAI Assistants are powerful, but they only work through the API or Playground.
To reach customers on WhatsApp, you need to build:
- WhatsApp Business API integration (Meta approval, webhooks)
- Webhook handlers for incoming messages
- Thread/session management per conversation
- Message formatting (WhatsApp has different limits than API)
- Rate limiting and retry logic
- Infrastructure hosting and monitoring
That's 500+ lines of glue code and $200+/month in infrastructure before you send a single AI message.
See the Difference
OpenAI Assistants + DIY WhatsApp vs Zavu
// 1. Set up WhatsApp Business API
// 2. Create webhook endpoint
// 3. Handle verification challenge
// 4. Parse incoming messages
// 5. Map to OpenAI thread IDs
// 6. Call Assistants API
// 7. Format response for WhatsApp
// 8. Handle rate limits
// 9. Manage thread lifecycle
// 10. Deploy and monitor
// = 500+ lines of glue code
// = $200+/month infrastructure
// = 2-4 weeks to productionimport Zavu from '@zavudev/sdk';
const zavu = new Zavu('YOUR_API_KEY');
// Create an AI agent on WhatsApp
await zavu.senders.createAgent({
senderId: 'sender_abc123',
provider: 'openai',
model: 'gpt-4o-mini',
systemPrompt: 'You are a helpful assistant.'
});
// Done. Agent responds on WhatsApp automatically.
// Add knowledge base, tools, flows as needed.Feature Comparison
OpenAI gives you the AI brain but no messaging delivery. Zavu gives you delivery infrastructure with AI built in.
| Feature | Zavu | OpenAI Assistants |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-4, GPT-4o models | ||
| Knowledge Base (RAG) | ||
| Function calling / Tools | ||
| Thread/session management | ||
| WhatsApp native | ||
| SMS native | ||
| Email native | ||
| Multi-provider (Anthropic, Google) | ||
| No extra infrastructure | ||
| Visual flow builder |
Pricing Comparison
Same OpenAI costs, no infrastructure overhead.
| Item | Zavu | OpenAI + DIY |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o-mini input | $0.15/1M tokens (pass-through) | $0.15/1M tokens |
| GPT-4o-mini output | $0.60/1M tokens (pass-through) | $0.60/1M tokens |
| WhatsApp integration | From $0/mo | DIY: $200+/month infra |
| SMS integration | Plan + carrier cost | DIY: Twilio + glue code |
| Knowledge base hosting | Included | $0.20/GB/day |
Total cost: OpenAI + Twilio vs Zavu
Building your own AI agent means paying for OpenAI API calls AND a messaging provider. Zavu includes both in one plan.
Save 83% with Zavu ($601/mo)
Cost breakdown by channel
| Channel | Volume | Zavu | OpenAI + Twilio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60,000 | Included | $420 | |
| SMS | 20,000 | $88 | $260 |
| 20,000 | $6 | $40 | |
| Zavu Hobby subscription | $25 | — | |
OpenAI costs estimated at ~$0.002/conversation (GPT-4o-mini). Twilio SMS at $0.011/msg, WhatsApp at $0.005/msg. Zavu SMS from $0.0044/msg. WhatsApp messages and AI agents included in Zavu plan.
Why Builders Choose Zavu
Real Delivery, Not Just AI
OpenAI gives you the brain. Zavu gives you the brain AND the delivery. Send to WhatsApp, SMS, Email — not just a chat widget.
No Infrastructure to Manage
No servers, no queues, no vector databases to maintain. Deploy an AI agent to real channels in 5 minutes.
Multi-Channel from Day One
Your AI agent works on WhatsApp, SMS, Email, and Telegram. Same conversation context across all channels.
Start Free, Ship Fast
Free tier with 2K messages. Your first US number is free. No credit card, no sales calls.
Bring Your Own Model
Use OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or Mistral. Switch models without changing your integration.
Built for Products, Not Demos
Production-ready from day one. Webhooks, SDKs, knowledge base, conversation history — everything you need to ship.
Use Cases
Customer Support on WhatsApp
Deploy GPT-4 powered support agents that handle FAQs, troubleshooting, and escalations on WhatsApp.
Order Status via SMS
Let customers check their order status by texting. AI parses the request and calls your order API.
Lead Qualification
AI agents that qualify leads across WhatsApp, SMS, and Email - all from a single configuration.
Appointment Scheduling
Natural language booking on any channel. AI handles the conversation, webhooks update your calendar.
Trusted by growing teams
Real results from real customers
“With Zavu's WhatsApp API we now reach 90% of our customers on the first attempt. Before, half our messages were lost to undelivered SMS.”
Alberto Valladares
CEO, Renee.cl
“We consolidated SMS, WhatsApp, and Email into one API. AI routing saved us 60% vs our previous provider stack.”
Nelyoly Alizo
CMO, Nely.ai
“Zavu unified WhatsApp, SMS, and AI agents into a single workflow. Response time dropped from hours to seconds.”
Ariel Vaisman
CEO, RendaloMAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Deploy AI Agents to Real Channels
Start sending AI-powered messages via WhatsApp, SMS, and Email in minutes.