Yes. Balsio has a free plan, no credit card needed.

Work chat app alternative

Balsio is interoperable with WhatsApp in Europe.

Q: Is there a WhatsApp work alternative that still works with WhatsApp?

Yes, in Europe. Balsio is interoperable with WhatsApp as part of the EU’s Digital Markets Act, so you can message WhatsApp users who have turned on third-party chats, one-to-one.

Q: Do my contacts need to install Balsio?

No. People on WhatsApp keep using WhatsApp. They turn on Third-party chats once in WhatsApp settings, and your messages arrive there.

Q: Does it work with UK or Swiss numbers?

WhatsApp chats in Balsio work with phone numbers in the European Economic Area only, so UK and Swiss numbers are not covered yet.

Q: Can I use Balsio on my computer?

Yes, on Mac, Windows and the web, as well as iPhone, iPad and Android. WhatsApp chats work on iPhone, iPad and Android today.

Q: Can I add WhatsApp users to group chats?

Not yet. WhatsApp chats are one-to-one today; group chats are coming soon.

Q: Where is Balsio based?

Balsio is a European company based in Latvia. It is built and hosted in the EU.

Balsio is a European work chat that keeps your team’s projects out of your personal chats. It has been called WhatsApp alternative by IT Daily and Slack and Microsoft Teams alternative by Bright.nl. Stay in touch with WhatsApp users in Europe in 1:1 chats, as part of the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

Get Balsio

How it reaches WhatsApp

Free plan

Built and hosted in the EU

Interoperable with WhatsApp

Balsio

Elise Baus10:02

Hi Hanna. Is the house free for our team on 12 June?

Hanna Weiss10:03

Yes, it is free that week.

Elise Baus10:03

Great. We are eight people. Can we stay three nights?

elise@balsio.comHi Hanna. Is the house free for our team on 12 June?10:02

Yes, it is free that week.10:03

elise@balsio.comGreat. We are eight people. Can we stay three nights?10:03

Why teams move work out of their personal chats.

Clients, colleagues and family, all in one chat list. It’s also a known risk: the UK’s data protection regulator has warned that work done in private messaging apps can put important information at risk. That’s when teams start looking for a WhatsApp alternative for work.

Your personal number, on every client’s phone. Everyone you work with sees your private number, long after the project ends.

Conversations leave with people: when someone changes jobs, the client history stays on their phone, not with the company.

Built for friends, not teams: no workspaces, no channels per project, no way to hand a client over to a colleague.

Source: UK Information Commissioner’s Office, Behind the screens, July 2022.

Switching is the easy part.

Your team moves to Balsio, and nobody else has to. Balsio is interoperable with WhatsApp, so you keep messaging professional contacts on WhatsApp once they’ve turned on third-party chats. No new app for them, and one setting is all it takes.

How the alternatives compare.

Signal, Threema, Telegram and Wire are good apps. Only Balsio reaches professional contacts who stay on WhatsApp.

	Balsio	Signal	Threema	Telegram	Wire
Message people on WhatsApp	Yes, 1:1 chats in the EEA	No	No	No	No
Made for teams at work	Yes, workspaces, API/MCP, internal & external chats	No, personal use	Threema Work, paid	Groups, no workspaces	Yes, paid plans
Is it free?	Yes	Yes	No, one-time purchase	Yes	Personal plan
Company based in	Europe (🇱🇻)	United States	Europe (🇨🇭)	United Arab Emirates	Europe (🇨🇭)

	Balsio	Signal	Threema	Telegram	Wire
Message people on WhatsApp	Yes, 1:1 chats in the EEA	No	No	No	No
Made for teams at work	Yes: workspaces and channels	No, personal use	Threema Work, paid	Groups, no workspaces	Yes, paid plans
Free to start	Yes	Yes	No, one-time purchase	Yes	Personal plan
Company based in	Europe (🇱🇻)	United States	Europe (🇨🇭)	United Arab Emirates	Europe (🇨🇭)

	Balsio	Signal	Threema	Telegram	Wire
Message people on WhatsApp	Yes, 1:1 chats in the EEA	No	No	No	No
Made for teams at work	Yes, workspaces, API/MCP, internal & external chats	No, personal use	Threema Work, paid	Groups, no workspaces	Yes, paid plans
Free to start	Yes	Yes	No, one-time purchase	Yes	Personal plan
Company based in	Europe (🇱🇻)	United States	Europe (🇨🇭)	United Arab Emirates	Europe (🇨🇭)

From each app’s public website. WhatsApp chats in Balsio work on iPhone, iPad and Android with EEA phone numbers.

What the press says.

ITdaily · October 2026

“Belgium and the Netherlands favor business WhatsApp alternative the most.”

Headline, “BirdyChat becomes Balsio”

Read on ITdaily →

IO+ · January 2026

“The app focuses on the business market and allows professionals to chat with customers on WhatsApp from a secure environment.”

From “5 European alternatives to WhatsApp”, on Balsio (then BirdyChat)

Read on IO+ →

Bright · August 2026

“This European alternative to Slack and Teams can now be used in Dutch.”

Headline, translated from Dutch, on Balsio (then BirdyChat)

Read on Bright →

Everything work needs, in one chat.

Workspaces for teams.

One place per company, with your colleagues and your channels.

WhatsApp chats.

Message any WhatsApp number in the EEA from Balsio. They reply in WhatsApp.

Integrate with AI.

Connect AI agents and tools through Balsio’s MCP server and API. They can send messages to Balsio users, free of charge.

On every device.

iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows and the web.

Nine languages.

The app speaks nine languages, so the whole team can use it in their own.

Your work identity.

WhatsApp contacts see your work email, not your personal number.

How to get started with WhatsApp chats.

Sign up with your work email.

Balsio uses your work email as your identity, so your personal number stays private. Invite colleagues to your company workspace.

Turn on WhatsApp chats.

In Balsio: New Chat, then New WhatsApp Chat, then Enable WhatsApp Messaging.

Message WhatsApp users.

Start a chat with their WhatsApp number. They turn on third-party chats once, and Balsio can send them the steps.

Step-by-step WhatsApp setup guide with video

Get Balsio

Questions

Is there a WhatsApp work alternative that still works with WhatsApp?

Do my contacts need to install Balsio?

Is Balsio free?

Does it work with UK or Swiss numbers?

Can I use Balsio on my computer?

Can I add WhatsApp users to group chats?

Where is Balsio based?

Move work out of your personal chats. Keep your clients.

Free to start. Built and hosted in the EU.

Get Balsio

hello@balsio.com

🇪🇺 Built and hosted in the EU

Balsio is interoperable with WhatsApp in Europe.

Balsio is interoperable with WhatsApp in Europe.

Balsio is interoperable with WhatsApp in Europe.

Why teams move work out of their personal chats.

Switching is the easy part.

Switching is the easy part.

Switching is the easy part.

How the alternatives compare.

How the alternatives compare.

How the alternatives compare.

What the press says.

What the press says.

What the press says.

Everything work needs, in one chat.

Everything work needs, in one chat.

Everything work needs, in one chat.

Workspaces for teams.

WhatsApp chats.

Integrate with AI.

On every device.

Nine languages.

Your work identity.

How to get started with WhatsApp chats.

Sign up with your work email.

Turn on WhatsApp chats.

Message WhatsApp users.

Questions

Questions

Questions

Move work out of your personal chats. Keep your clients.

Product

Company

Legal