Shared inbox
One WhatsApp number, everyone on it. Assign chats, leave private notes, and never reply twice to the same customer.
Free & open source Turn every WhatsApp chat into a sale
Sell on WhatsApp without losing the thread.
Almanac gives small businesses and one-person companies one calm place for every WhatsApp chat, customer, deal and follow-up. It runs on your own server, on the official WhatsApp API, and it never charges per seat.
curl -fsSL https://almanac.bar/install.sh | bash
Free & MIT licensedSelf-hosted₹0 per seat
Everything in one place
All a small business needs. Nothing it doesn't.
Your customers already message you on WhatsApp. Almanac is where those messages become orders, and where nobody gets forgotten.
Contacts that remember
Tags, custom fields and CSV import. Every past order and conversation is one tap away.
Sales pipelines
Drag deals from first enquiry to paid. See at a glance what's stuck waiting for payment.
Broadcasts
Send approved templates to a tag or a list, personalised with each name, and see who received and read them.
No-code automations
Welcome new customers, reply after hours, answer price questions and nudge the quiet ones. No code.
Chatbot flows
Button menus for FAQs, order status and catalogues, with a clean handoff to you when it matters.
AI replies on your key
One-click drafted replies, or an auto-reply that answers from your own FAQs. Bring an OpenAI or Anthropic key. No AI markup.
Solo today, team tomorrow
Works for one person out of the box. Invite staff by link when you grow, as owners, admins, agents or viewers.
API and MCP
A REST API with scoped keys, signed webhooks, and an MCP server so Claude or Cursor can work your inbox.
Made for India
Built for how India actually sells.
- Rupees first₹1,23,456, not 123,456. Dashboards count in lakh and crore. Any other currency is one setting away.
- A pipeline that knows about UPINew enquiry, Interested, Quote sent, Payment pending, Won. Rename them any time.
- Understands “kitna?”The price-enquiry automation listens for price, rate and kitna, then asks what they want and how many.
- Numbers that go to the right placeEvery phone number needs its country code, so a broadcast to +91 never lands in the wrong country.
A day with Almanac
Less scrolling. More selling.
What a normal Tuesday looks like for a small shop once Almanac is set up.
- Open the inbox, not your phone.Overnight enquiries are waiting in one list, already greeted and tagged by your welcome automation.
- “Kitna hai?” answers itself.The price automation asks what they want and how many. You send the quote and drag the deal to Quote sent.
- New stock goes out to the right people.One broadcast to everyone tagged Repeat buyer, each message with their own name, with read receipts coming back.
- Payments don't slip.Two days in Payment pending? A reminder with your UPI details goes out on its own.
- Close the shop, not the conversation.After-hours replies tell customers when you'll be back, and the AI drafts answers for the morning.
AI, on your own key
Replies that nearly write themselves. Your key, your bill.
Bring your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key (BYOK). Almanac uses it to draft replies and answer simple questions from your own price list and policies. You pay the provider directly, at their price, with no per-seat AI fee and no markup.
Draft with AI
Tap ✨ in any chat for a reply written from the conversation and your knowledge base. Edit it, then send. Nothing goes out without you.
Auto-reply, with a handoff
Let it answer new messages when you're busy. It stops after a few replies, or whenever it's unsure, and hands the chat to you with a note.
Knows your business
Add your price list, timings, delivery and returns as plain text. It answers from your facts, in Hindi or English, and never invents a discount.
Why your own key?Conversations go from your server straight to the AI provider, never through us. You set the monthly spending limit, and you can switch providers or remove the key any time.
Set up AI in 5 minutes
Outgrown the app?
The WhatsApp Business app, grown up.
The free app is great for one phone. Almanac is for when your WhatsApp has become your shop counter.
| Feature | WhatsApp Business app | Almanac |
|---|---|---|
| Who can reply | Your phone and a few linked devices | Your whole team, from any browser, with chats assigned so nobody replies twice |
| Customer history | Scroll back through the chat | Contacts with tags, notes, custom fields, past deals and every conversation |
| Sales tracking | Coloured labels | A deal board with stages and rupee values |
| Broadcasts | Only reach people who saved your number | Approved templates to any opted-in customer, with delivery and read tracking |
| Automation | Greeting and away messages | Keyword replies, reminders, follow-ups, chatbot menus and AI drafts |
| Your data | On your phone | In your own database: searchable, exportable, backed up how you like |
| Cost | Free | Free software. You pay WhatsApp's message fees and your hosting |
Who it's for
If your business lives on WhatsApp, this is for you.
One
One-person companies
A baker, a tutor, a boutique, a consultant. You answer every message yourself and you're tired of scrolling to find who asked what.
Few
Small teams
Three people behind a counter, a clinic front desk, a small agency. Several people on one number, and nobody replying twice.
More
Growing businesses
You tried spreadsheets and WhatsApp Business labels and outgrew both, but a per-seat CRM bill doesn't add up.
Self-hosted
Yours to keep, not to rent.
Almanac is software you own, not a subscription. Run it on your own server and keep every conversation in your own database.
Your data stays yours
Conversations live in your own Postgres database on Supabase, not in a vendor's cloud. Export it, back it up, move it.
No per-seat pricing
You pay WhatsApp's own message fees and your hosting. Almanac adds nothing on top, however many people you add.
The official WhatsApp API
Built on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. No phone to keep switched on, and automations stay within the rules.
Secure by default
Encrypted WhatsApp tokens, row-level security on every table, and signature checks on every webhook.
Get started
One line to install.
- Create a free Supabase project and a Meta appSupabase holds your data. The Meta app is your WhatsApp connection.
- Paste the one-line commandIt downloads Almanac, asks for your keys, sets up the database and starts it.
- Connect your numberPaste your WhatsApp IDs and token into Almanac's settings.
- Say hiMessage your number and watch it land in the inbox.
macOS or Linux · Terminal
curl -fsSL https://almanac.bar/install.sh | bash
Windows · Command Prompt or PowerShell
powershell -c "irm https://almanac.bar/install.ps1 | iex"
Then answer a few questions. It writes your config, creates the database and starts Almanac on localhost:3000.
Questions
Good questions.
Is it really free?
Yes. Almanac is open source under the MIT license, so you can use, change and even resell it. Your only costs are hosting (Supabase and Vercel both have free tiers to start) and WhatsApp's own message fees.
What does WhatsApp charge?
Meta charges for template messages you send first, like broadcasts and reminders, at a rate that depends on the message type and country. Replies to a customer within 24 hours of their message are free. Almanac adds nothing on top. See Meta's pricing page for current rates.
Is this the WhatsApp Business app?
No. Almanac uses the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta's official API. That's what lets several people share one number, run automations and send broadcasts from a browser.
Do I need a developer?
No. Paste one command into your terminal and answer a few questions; the installer does the rest. The only setup outside it is creating a free Supabase project and a Meta app, which the guide walks through step by step.
Can I use it on my own?
Yes, that's the default. A single sign-up gets a full account with no team setup. When you hire, invite people by link and choose what each of them can do.
Can the AI reply to customers for me?
Yes, with your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key. It can draft replies for you to send, or answer simple questions by itself and hand over to you when it's unsure. You pay the AI provider directly. The AI guide takes about five minutes.
How do I get updates?
Open Settings → Updates in Almanac and click Update now, or type almanac update in a terminal. On Vercel, click Sync fork on GitHub. Your data and settings are always kept.
Where do I get help?
Start with the guide. If you're still stuck, email tuhin@almanac.bar.
Where is my data stored?
In the Supabase project you create, in the region you pick. Choose Mumbai to keep it in India. Nobody else, including us, has access to it.
Open source. MIT licensed. Yours.
Grab the code, run it for your business, change whatever you like. If Almanac helps, a star on GitHub helps other small businesses find it.