Hellotext vs Recart (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hellotext grades higher than Recart: 2.2 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hellotext grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hellotext
Online-store messaging on WhatsApp, SMS and Instagram, with AI agents
Which one is for you
Pick Hellotext if
- Fits if you run an online store and want cart recovery by WhatsApp
- Works for stores that would rather pay a share of sales than a fee
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have a team: collaborators start on the Small plan
- Pricey if you grow: $269 and $629 a month on yearly billing
- Watch out: Meta's WhatsApp fees are billed to you, and SMS is $0.01 each after the allowance
- Watch out: prices and SMS rates vary by country
Pick Recart if
- Fits if you run a Shopify store and want to grow a text list
- Works for stores that want a team to manage campaigns
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are small: $200 a month on a quarterly commitment
- Watch out: the tier basis isn't shown, so your price is unclear
- Watch out: carrier fees and $0.02 per verification are extra
- Not for you if you are off Shopify, as the page markets only for it
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAHellotextFair | 1.4GPARecartWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$67 a month on yearly billing is above the middle of the category's $36; the free plan takes 5% of sales. | D$200 a month at the lowest tier, with managed SMS from $500, against $36 in the middle of the category. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free Starter plan with no monthly fee, but it has one user, one WhatsApp line and 2 months of history. | FNo free plan or trial is shown on the pricing page. |
| Features | CPlaybooks, an inbox and AI agents over several channels, with email and push only on Pro. | COpt-in popups, cart and browse abandonment, automations and a managed service, with SMS sold only as a higher tier. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and a store connection and playbooks need setting up. | CNo store rating on record, and a store has to be connected. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb service connecting to store platforms and WhatsApp, SMS and Instagram. | CWeb only, marketed for Shopify stores, with no apps listed. |
| Best for | WhatsApp and SMS playbooks for online stores | one-click SMS sign-ups for Shopify |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Hellotext and Recart. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hellotext starts at $67 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Recart starts at $200 a month and scores 2.0.
Hellotext scores higher and starts $133 a month lower. Of the other SMS and chat marketing tools on the chart, 6 score higher than Hellotext for less, and 39 score higher than Recart for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Hellotext also covers shared inbox, whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
- Recart also covers online store.
At a glance
| Hellotext | Recart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $67 per month, billed yearly ($74 billed monthly) | $200 per month for List Growth, quarterly commitment |
| Free plan | Starter: no monthly fee, 5% of attributed sales, 1 WhatsApp line, 1 Instagram account, single-user workspace and 2 months of history. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Hellotext | Recart |
| Price read from | hellotext.com | recart.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hellotext
- Starter is limited to a single-user workspace; collaborators start on the Small plan.
- WhatsApp conversation fees are Meta's and are billed to you; SMS is billed at $0.01 each in the US once the included amount is used.
- Messages beyond the plan allowance on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and webchat are billed at $2 per 1,000.
- Prices and SMS rates vary by country; the US page was read. Email and push are only on Pro.
Recart
- No free plan or trial is shown, and the lowest tier is $200 a month with a quarterly commitment.
- The pricing calculator does not say what sets a tier, so the step that applies to a given store is not shown.
- Carrier fees are added on top of the SMS rates; the page puts the US average at 0.45¢ per SMS and 1.1¢ per MMS.
- Each OneClick verification costs $0.02, and the page markets the product for Shopify.
Key features
Hellotext
- Playbooks
- Prebuilt automations for cart saving, price-drop alerts, back-in-stock notices, order tracking and win-back; 38 in total, with the count rising by plan.
- Multiple channels
- Reach shoppers on WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Messenger, webchat and SMS, with email and push on the Pro plan.
- AI agents
- Custom AI agents answer customer questions and recommend products; Grow allows 2, and Pro unlimited with external API access.
- Subscriber capture
- Webchat and WhatsApp widgets, popups, forms and QR codes collect SMS and WhatsApp subscribers.
- Shared inbox
- A team inbox for selling and support, with AI assignment and reporting on Grow and above.
- Attributed-revenue reporting
- Reports show orders credited to Hellotext using stated attribution windows of 7 days from a click and 24 hours from a delivery.
Recart
- OneClick opt-in
- A popup that lets shoppers join the SMS list with one click instead of typing a number, which the vendor calls a typeless popup.
- List growth for email and SMS
- Popup tooling aimed at growing both the email and SMS lists, with unlimited subscribers on every priced plan.
- Cart and browse abandonment
- Automated recovery flows for shoppers who leave a cart or browse without buying.
- Automations and campaign library
- Automated flows plus a library of SMS and email campaigns from other brands to use as references.
- Managed service
- The priced plans include onboarding and, on the higher tiers, a success manager, managed A/B tests and a shared Slack channel.
Plans
Hellotext
Starter$0
No monthly fee; pays 5% of sales Hellotext is credited with. Single-user workspace, 1 WhatsApp line, basic reporting.
Small$67
per month, billed yearly ($74 billed monthly)
Or 4% of attributed sales above $2K. Unlimited collaborators, 8 playbooks, 37K messages, up to 7K US SMS.
Grow$269
per month, billed yearly ($299 billed monthly)
Or 3% of attributed sales above $10K. 25 playbooks, 150K AI messages, 2 custom AI agents, 2 WhatsApp lines.
Pro$629
per month, billed yearly ($699 billed monthly)
Or 2.5% of attributed sales above $30K. All 38 playbooks, 350K AI messages, email and push, unlimited AI agents.
Recart
List Growth$200
per month, quarterly commitment; tier basis not shown
OneClick opt-in popups with unlimited subscribers. Later steps shown: $300, $500, $800, then $1,500 to $3,000 on annual commitment.
List Growth + SMS$500
per month, quarterly commitment; tier basis not shown
Adds managed SMS: 0.85¢ plus carrier fees per US SMS. Steps shown at $1,000, $2,250 and $4,250 a month, with lower per-text rates.
Ways to pay less
Hellotext
- Annual discount
Save 10% when paid yearly
Hellotext's pricing page has a Paid yearly option marked 'Save 10%'.
Recart
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hellotext or Recart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hellotext is cheaper to start with: $67 a month, against $200 a month for Recart. Hellotext starts at $67 per month, billed yearly ($74 billed monthly), and Recart starts at $200 per month for List Growth, quarterly commitment.
Which has a free plan, Hellotext or Recart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Hellotext has a free plan. Recart does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.