Two tools currently connect WhatsApp to ServiceM8: TimelinesAI, which logs messages as notes on jobs, and ServiceHQ Chat, which puts WhatsApp conversations into a dedicated inbox inside ServiceM8. Both work; they suit different businesses.
(Prices for TimelinesAI are from timelines.ai/pricing, checked October 2026. Their help article on the ServiceM8 integration, help.timelines.ai/en/articles/16019576, was last updated 2 October 2026.)
What each one does
TimelinesAI
TimelinesAI is a general-purpose WhatsApp CRM connector. It works with HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho, monday.com and around a dozen other platforms; the ServiceM8 connection is one of those integrations. Available in the ServiceM8 add-on store, it does the following:
- Logs each incoming and outgoing WhatsApp message as a note on the client’s most recent open job, or on the client card if no job is open.
- Lets you send a WhatsApp message from a ServiceM8 client or job card.
- Creates a new client card if the sender’s number does not match an existing one.
Messages appear as notes, not as a conversation view. There is no separate WhatsApp inbox within ServiceM8. Historical messages are not imported when you first connect: logging starts the moment the integration is switched on.
ServiceHQ Chat
ServiceHQ Chat is built for trade businesses running on ServiceM8. It gives WhatsApp its own space inside ServiceM8:
- Incoming messages from new customers appear in the ServiceM8 Inbox, ready to convert to a job.
- Each conversation thread stays with the job, visible to anyone on the account.
- Staff reply from the job, from within ServiceM8.
- The optional Chat Assistant drafts a reply from the job details and the conversation so far. A person reads it, changes it if needed, and decides whether to send. Nothing goes out automatically.
- Two connection options: coexistence keeps the WhatsApp Business app on your phone working; Cloud API runs everything through ServiceM8.
What each one costs
| 1-van firm | 5-van firm | |
|---|---|---|
| ServiceHQ Chat | £29.99 per month | £29.99 per month |
| Chat Assistant (optional) | +£19.99 per month | +£19.99 per month |
| TimelinesAI Starter | $35 per month (1 seat) | $175 per month (5 seats) |
ServiceHQ Chat is priced per business account, not per person. A 5-van firm pays the same £29.99 as a 1-van firm, regardless of how many people use it. TimelinesAI charges per seat: each person who needs WhatsApp access in ServiceM8 needs their own seat at $35 a month on the Starter plan, billed in US dollars.
Both tools have a 7-day free trial.
Meta charges separately for WhatsApp Business Platform messages, at its own published rates, directly to your WhatsApp Business account. These charges do not go through either supplier. The first 1,000 replies a month are free per number.
Where each one fits
TimelinesAI fits better if:
- You already use TimelinesAI with another CRM and want to add ServiceM8 to the same workspace.
- Your main need is a record of messages for reference or compliance, and your team will not be managing WhatsApp from within ServiceM8 day-to-day.
- You have one or two people who need access (the per-seat price is manageable at that scale).
ServiceHQ Chat fits better if:
- ServiceM8 is where your team works, and you want WhatsApp to live inside it rather than alongside it.
- More than two or three people deal with customer messages (the per-account price stays flat as you grow).
- You want the Chat Assistant to draft replies that a person approves before anything is sent.
- You want to keep using the WhatsApp Business app on your phone while messages also come into ServiceM8 (the coexistence option).
- You want software designed for trade businesses, not a general connector that happens to support ServiceM8 alongside a dozen other platforms.
A note on the “most recent open job” behaviour
TimelinesAI logs messages to the most recent open job for a client. Trade businesses often have several jobs open at once for the same customer: a service contract and a quote might both be open at the same time. A message will land on whichever job was opened last, which may not be the one it belongs to.
ServiceHQ Chat lets the person handling the message decide which job to file it against.
Install ServiceHQ Chat with a 7-day free trial, or read TimelinesAI’s ServiceM8 help article if you want to check their own description of the integration.