Kanesh and Attentive
Attentive for SMS and email. Kanesh for WhatsApp.
Attentive runs SMS, email, RCS and push marketing. Kanesh has no SMS: it runs WhatsApp conversations. Many brands use both.
Checked on 30 September 2026 ·Sources
The short version
Use Attentive for
- SMS and MMS marketing
- Email campaigns and journeys
- RCS and push notifications
- Growing your SMS and email lists
Use Kanesh for
- WhatsApp conversations where support and sales happen
- An AI that answers with Shopify order data and hands off with context
- WhatsApp campaigns measured in orders
- A sales pipeline and follow-ups tied to each conversation
What Attentive does well.
Attentive is built for text and email marketing at scale. Each point links to Attentive's own pages.
Several marketing channels
SMS, MMS, RCS, email and push from one platform, with cross-channel journeys.[1]
AI for marketers
AI tools for copy, segmentation and send time, AI-powered sign-up experiences and personalized triggered journeys.[1]
List growth and compliance
Two-tap sign-up units, and built-in TCPA and compliance tools.[1]
Shopify data
Transactional order and subscription journeys, Shopify segments, replenished discount codes and two-way SMS subscriber sync.[2]
Replies to a helpdesk
Customer SMS replies can be routed to a support queue, for example in Gorgias.[3]
International sending
Messages to customers in 20+ countries.[1]
Conversation first, on WhatsApp.
What Kanesh does today, in production. It isn't an SMS marketing tool.
WhatsApp, officially
Official WhatsApp Business Platform: inbox, templates and campaigns, with Coexistence where Meta allows it.
A shared inbox for the replies
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, email and web chat in one inbox, with assignment, teams and internal notes.
AI with live order data
Answers 'where is my order?' with live Shopify data after verifying the customer, and hands off with the reason and context.
Campaigns measured in orders
See which Shopify orders came after a campaign click, labelled attributed or estimated, with the method shown.
Sales in the same thread
A sales pipeline tied to each conversation, and automatic follow-ups when a customer goes quiet.
Consent with evidence
Every opt-in is stored with the exact text the person accepted and how they gave it.
Who does what
Short answers, with a source for every Attentive cell.
- Yes
- Partly
- No
- How it works
Marketing channels
SMS and MMS
- Kanesh
- No: Not available
- Attentive
- Yes: SMS and MMS marketing[1]
Email campaigns
- Kanesh
- Partly: Email campaigns with a block editor, only to people who opted in, within your plan's monthly allowance
- Attentive
- Yes: Triggered emails and full email campaigns[1]
RCS and push
- Kanesh
- No: Not available
- Attentive
- Yes: RCS for Business and push notifications[1]
WhatsApp
- Kanesh
- Yes: Inbox, templates with media and campaigns to opted-in audiences
- Attentive
- No: Not among the channels listed on its pricing page[1]
Conversations
Where customer replies are answered
- Kanesh
- Yes: In the Kanesh shared inbox, by your team and the AI
- Attentive
- How it works: SMS replies can be routed to a helpdesk such as Gorgias[3]
Shopify data
- Kanesh
- Yes: Native connection: orders, products, customers, fulfilments and returns
- Attentive
- Yes: Order journeys, Shopify segments and subscriber sync[2]
Billing
Billing unit
- Kanesh
- How it works: A fixed monthly fee for a set number of conversations, with the AI and unlimited contacts and users
- Attentive
- How it works: Usage-based: message volume, list size, channels and AI products[1]
Messages sent, or a fee by conversations.
Attentive prices your sending. Kanesh charges a monthly fee for a set number of conversations, and campaigns nobody replies to don't count.
Attentive
- Usage-based pricing set by message volume, subscriber list size, number of channels and the AI products you choose.[1]
- Channel packages are priced on list size and messages sent; an enterprise package is priced on volume and needs.[1]
- AI Essentials is included; AI Pro and AI Grow are a flat monthly fee; AI Journeys is pay per click.[1]
- Discounts for bundling channels or AI products, and free trials on request.[1]
Kanesh
- No surprise charges. We notify you at 80% and 100% of your included conversations; beyond a free buffer you choose a pack or a bigger plan, and nothing is ever charged or changed without your consent
- Every plan includes every feature and channel and the AI; plans differ in the conversations and marketing emails included
- Unlimited contacts and users on every plan: no per-profile or per-seat pricing
- You pay Meta's WhatsApp fees directly to Meta (or to your WhatsApp provider, if you use one), at Meta's rates: never through Kanesh, with no markup
How Kanesh sits next to Attentive.
You don't need to move anything off Attentive to start with Kanesh.
Keep your SMS and email programme
Attentive keeps running your SMS and email marketing. Kanesh has no SMS, and you don't need to move your email.
Add WhatsApp conversations
Connect your WhatsApp number to Kanesh and answer it in one inbox with Instagram, Messenger, email and web chat.
Shopify for both
Kanesh connects natively to Shopify, so the AI answers with live order data after verifying the customer.
Consent per channel
WhatsApp opt-ins in Kanesh are stored with the exact text accepted. Kanesh has no connection to Attentive, so each tool keeps its own consent.
Questions about Kanesh and Attentive
Does Kanesh replace Attentive?
Does Attentive offer WhatsApp?
Does Kanesh integrate with Attentive?
How does Attentive price its platform?
How recent is this comparison?
Sources
Attentive's public pages and help center, checked on 30 September 2026.
- [1]Attentive, Pricing. https://www.attentive.com/pricing
- [2]Attentive Help Center, Shopify. https://help.attentive.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041854231-Shopify
- [3]Attentive Help Center, Gorgias. https://help.attentive.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041419212-Gorgias
Kanesh is not affiliated with Attentive. Attentive is a trademark of its owner. This page compares public information that may change after the date above. If something is out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.
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