Direct answer: for selling within Kenya, a WhatsApp store builder needs three things — a shareable catalog link, structured orders back to WhatsApp, and Kenyan specifics (counties, M-PESA, towns). WhatsApp's built-in Catalog is free but can't take orders to checkout; global tools like Take App and Store.link are solid but generic; Shops in Kenya is built exactly for this — free to start, county delivery zones and M-PESA checkout included.
Option 1: WhatsApp Business Catalog (built-in, free)
- What it is: a photo-price list inside the WhatsApp Business app.
- Strengths: 100% free, zero setup, customers never leave WhatsApp.
- Limits: no real checkout — buyers still DM to order; no delivery county picker; no order records; invisible to Google; can't share one product's link outside WhatsApp.
- Verdict: keep it, but it's the appetizer — not the shop.
Option 2: Take App
- What it is: a lightweight storefront for social sellers — catalog link, order via WhatsApp.
- Strengths: clean UI, quick setup, decent free tier for small catalogs.
- Limits: built for a global audience — no Kenyan county picker, no native M-PESA, payments via generic gateways; advanced limits on the free plan.
- Verdict: a fine generic tool — you'll still bolt on Kenyan delivery and payments yourself.
Option 3: Store.link
- What it is: a Google-Sheets-powered storefront — your inventory lives in a spreadsheet.
- Strengths: extremely simple, generous free tier, WhatsApp order button.
- Limits: your shop is only as good as your sheet; generic checkout fields; no Kenya-specific delivery or M-PESA logic.
- Verdict: clever for spreadsheet people; thin for a real Kenyan shop.
Option 4: Shops in Kenya (shops.co.ke)
- What it is: a Kenyan shop builder — catalog link + real checkout that still lands in your WhatsApp.
- Kenyan-first: delivery zones priced per county and town, M-PESA STK push on paid plans, Till/PayBill instructions on the free plan, towns/counties built in.
- Free plan: 30 products, WhatsApp ordering, manual payments — KSh 0, no card.
- Bonus: your shop can be listed in the Shops in Kenya directory (29,000+ businesses) — customers find you on Google, not just from your status.
- Verdict: built for exactly the problem you're solving — the catalog, the county picker and the payment all speak Kenyan.
The honest bottom line
Use the built-in WhatsApp Catalog for regulars who already chat with you. Use a real storefront link for everyone else. If you sell in Kenya and want county delivery + M-PESA without duct-taping global tools, [create your free shop](/signup) — if you're spreadsheet-obsessed, Store.link exists. Either way, stop replying 'how much' manually.