SonarSonar vs 360dialog
Both send WhatsApp messages through Meta's official API. Here is what each costs a South African business, from 360dialog's published prices and Meta's 1 October 2026 rate card.
Prices checked 17 October 2026. Dollar prices converted at today's rate of R16.43 to the dollar*.
At a glance
| Sonar | 360dialog | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan that sends broadcasts | Starter, R349 a month | Premium, $119 a month (≈ R1,956*) |
| Billed in | Rand | US dollars |
| Added to Meta's rate per marketing message | Nothing within your plan's messages | Nothing |
| Added per update or login-code message | Nothing within your plan's messages | Nothing |
| Added per reply after the free 1,000 | Nothing within your plan's messages | Nothing |
| Team members included | Unlimited | Unlimited users in the shared inbox |
| Discount for paying yearly | None | None listed |
| Free option | Free trial: 50 contacts and 250 messages, with replies you type free | None listed |
| How the plan is priced | Per account, with 2 to 100 numbers included | Per number: $119 a month each on Premium |
| API only, no broadcast screens | The API is included on every plan | Regular plan, $59 per number a month |
Meta's own per-message charge is the same on both, and is not included above. In South Africa it is about R0.62 per marketing message and R0.16 per update or login-code message. See WhatsApp pricing in South Africa.
What a month costs
Each total is the cheapest plan that covers the month on each platform, plus Meta's charges, for messages to South African numbers. Monthly billing on both.
| Example month | Meta's charges | Sonar total | 360dialog total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small club or shop1,000 marketing and 200 update messages to 500 people | R654 | R1,003Starter | ≈ R2,610*Premium |
| Growing retailer4,000 marketing and 1,000 update messages to 2,000 people | R2,647 | R2,996Starter | ≈ R4,603*Premium |
| Busy online store10,000 marketing and 3,000 update messages to 5,000 people | R6,697 | R8,196Plus | ≈ R8,652*Premium |
| High volume20,000 marketing and 5,000 update messages to 10,000 people | R13,237 | R14,736Plus | ≈ R15,193*Premium |
Sonar costs less in all 4 examples.
Sonar's Starter plan covers up to 10,000 messages a month; above that you need Plus at R1,499 a month.
Where 360dialog is the better choice
- Nothing added to Meta's per-message rates: Meta's fees are passed on with 0% markup.
- 24/7 support with a first response in under 30 minutes on Premium.
- High throughput on Scale (up to 1,000 messages a second) and a marketplace of partner tools.
Where Sonar is the better choice
- Sonar's plan is billed in rand, so that part of your bill doesn't move with the dollar.
- Unlimited team members on every plan.
- POPIA consent tools on every plan: opt-in and opt-out keywords are handled for you, each contact has a consent record, and messages to anyone without consent are blocked.
- Scheduled broadcasts, templates and the team inbox from R349 a month.
Switching from 360dialog? We'll move your contacts and templates to Sonar for you, free. How switching works
More comparisons
More guides
- WhatsApp pricing in South Africa
- POPIA and WhatsApp marketing
- Event invites with one-tap RSVPs
- AI Agent and Copilot: a WhatsApp chatbot in your voice
- Use Sonar with the WhatsApp Business app
- Import your contacts
- Order and booking updates from your other systems
- Connect a client's WhatsApp number
- WhatsApp API providers in South Africa, compared
- Switching to Sonar
- WhatsApp RSVPs for events
- Competitions and prize draws
Sources
* 360dialog's prices are in US dollars, so rand figures are estimates at today's exchange rate. Prices change, so check 360dialog's own pricing page before you decide. Spotted something out of date? Email support@whats-hub.co.za and we'll fix it.