Meta Business Agent on WhatsApp: Availability, Pricing and Alternatives
What Meta Business Agent does, why it isn't in your Tools tab, its app and API pricing, what changes when you turn it on, and the alternatives.
Meta Business Agent is Meta's AI that answers customers for a business inside WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. Meta announced it on June 3, 2026. On WhatsApp it runs in the WhatsApp Business app, where it is free to start, and on the WhatsApp Business Platform (API), where Meta bills it by usage. WhatsApp's help center says it is currently available only in limited countries to select businesses, so many businesses don't see it yet.
Last verified: October 9, 2026, against Meta's and WhatsApp's own pages, linked in each section. WhatsApp AI Pro is an independent product and an alternative to Meta Business Agent; it is not made by Meta or WhatsApp.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Where does it run? | WhatsApp Business app, Messenger and Instagram; a separate Meta Business Agent Platform for businesses on the API |
| Can I get it? | Only eligible businesses in select markets so far; others can join a waitlist with no set date |
| What does it cost in the app? | Free to start; Meta One business bundles, from $14.99/month, include more Business Agent usage |
| What does it cost on the API? | $2.00 per million tokens, about 4–5¢ per message by Meta's estimate |
| Does it work on a personal account? | No. The app version needs the WhatsApp Business app, and the API version needs a number on the WhatsApp Business Platform |
| What do I give up when I turn it on? | Greeting and away messages stop, broadcast lists and disappearing messages may be limited, and linked devices are disconnected |
What Meta Business Agent Does
According to WhatsApp's help center, a connected Business Agent can answer questions for your customers about:
- Basic business information, such as hours or location.
- Specific products or services.
- Product or service recommendations.
- Prices, discounts, payment and shipping.
Meta's product page adds that it asks customers questions on your behalf, requests the details needed to process a request, and alerts you when a conversation needs you. The launch announcement also describes a morning briefing on chats you missed overnight, appointment booking and lead qualification.
It learns from what you give it during setup: your past WhatsApp chats from the last six months, a WhatsApp or Commerce Manager catalog, uploaded documents or photos such as price lists, and your website. Meta's product page says it also learns from your Facebook Page.
Why Meta Business Agent Isn't Showing
If there is no AI agent option in the Tools tab of the WhatsApp Business app, Business Agent isn't available for your business yet. WhatsApp's setup guide says it "is being made available gradually":
- It is "currently only available in limited countries to select businesses."
- You can ask to join the waitlist from the link in that guide. Being on the waitlist doesn't guarantee access, there is no set date, and you won't be notified in the app.
- Not all languages are supported. The language the agent uses is set by your business's phone number.
- Some features may not yet be available to every eligible business.
Meta's launch post says it is expanding to businesses of all sizes globally, and the product page says it is available "to eligible businesses in select markets, with additional markets launching soon." Both are true at once: the rollout is global in intent and gradual in practice.
How Much Meta Business Agent Costs
There are two versions with different pricing.
In the WhatsApp Business app. Setup is free. In September 2026 Meta launched Meta One, a subscription available globally. Its business bundles start at $14.99/month (Essential), which includes "more access to Meta Business Agent on WhatsApp," plus a verified badge once your business passes verification; Advanced starts at $49.99/month. Meta describes the extra agent usage, not a fixed message count, so check the plan in your own app.
On the WhatsApp Business Platform (API). Businesses on the API use the Meta Business Agent Platform, and Meta bills its messages by token from August 1, 2026:
| Item | Meta's published figure |
|---|---|
| Rate | $2.00 per 1 million tokens, flat worldwide, input and output tokens only |
| Typical message | 20,000–25,000 tokens, about 4–5¢ |
| Simple exchange (4 messages) | About 16–20¢ |
| Complex exchange (10 messages) | About 40–50¢ |
| Free entry point windows | Not free for Business Agent messages |
On the API you usually also pay your solution provider. From October 1, 2026, Meta charges per message for service messages and for utility messages sent inside the 24-hour customer service window as well, so a conversation that mixes the agent, a human and an order confirmation can be billed several times. Meta's pricing page has the current rates by market.
How to Set Up Meta Business Agent in the WhatsApp Business App
These are the steps from WhatsApp's setup guide:
- In the WhatsApp Business app, open Tools and tap AI agent, then Continue and Accept. You may be asked to confirm with your fingerprint or face.
- Choose Use past chats to teach it from the last six months of chats, or Ignore past chats.
- Choose a catalog: your WhatsApp catalog or a Commerce Manager catalog.
- Add documents or photos, such as product sheets or price lists, and your website.
- Tap Done. It can take several minutes before it becomes active in chats.
If it doesn't have enough information, it starts in learning mode: it collects data from new chats and may take longer to begin replying.
Then choose where it replies, under Tools › Your AI agent › AI replies:
| Setting | Where it replies |
|---|---|
| All new 1-1 chats | Every new chat with one person |
| 1-1 chats except with contacts | Every new chat unless the person is a saved contact |
| 1-1 chats from ads | Chats that start from your Facebook or Instagram ads |
| Paused for new chats but learning | Nowhere; it keeps learning from new chats |
Two details matter in practice. If you turn it on in a chat where you're already talking to the customer, it won't reply until that chat has been inactive for seven days, unless you tap Restart AI replies in this chat. And when you reply to a customer yourself, it stops replying in that chat until you unmute it.
Chats that need you appear in an AI handoff list in the Chats tab. A chat leaves the list right after you reply (or 24 hours later, if you change the setting) and after seven days without activity.
What Changes When You Turn It On
Read this before connecting it. WhatsApp's help center lists these effects:
- Greeting and away messages stop. They are disabled automatically while Business Agent is connected. To use them again, you have to delete Business Agent, not just pause it.
- Broadcast lists and disappearing messages may be limited. Turning it on "may impede" them; deleting the agent restores them.
- Linked devices are disconnected. WhatsApp Web sessions and other linked devices are signed out. Most can be linked again after setup, but not WhatsApp for Windows, WhatsApp on Android tablets or WhatsApp for Wear OS.
- Meta uses those chats to improve its AI. Messages in chats where the agent is connected are collected "to improve AI at Meta," even while it is muted. This stops only when you delete it.
- Customers are told. The first time a customer chats with a business that has AI connected, WhatsApp shows them a notice that AI from Meta receives the chat.
- It needs the WhatsApp Business app. A personal account has to move to the Business app first. WhatsApp keeps the number and offers to bring over your chat history.
The source for the last four points is WhatsApp's article About using Meta Business Agent to chat with customers. It also warns that AI-generated messages may not be accurate or appropriate.
How to Turn Off Meta Business Agent
From WhatsApp's guide to pausing or deleting it:
- Pause: Tools › Meta Business Agent › Response settings › Disconnect AI › Pause AI replies. It stops replying in new chats.
- Delete: Tools › Meta Business Agent › Response settings › Disconnect AI › Disconnect and delete my AI, then submit the short survey. Turning it on again later means setting it up from scratch.
- In one chat: open the chat and tap Respond manually.
Deleting is the step that brings back greeting and away messages and stops Meta collecting those chats to improve its AI.
Meta Business Agent Alternatives
Which option fits depends on your number, your volume and how much control you want over each reply.
| Option | Fits when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Business Agent | You're eligible, already use the WhatsApp Business app, and want free AI answers from your catalog and website | Limited availability; greeting and away messages off; linked devices disconnected; chats used to improve AI at Meta |
| Away and greeting messages | An acknowledgment such as "we'll reply in the morning" is enough | Fixed text only; switched off while Business Agent is connected |
| A Business API provider with AI | A team needs a shared inbox, chatbot flows or high volume | Provider subscription plus Meta's message and AI charges; the number is used through the provider |
| A desktop AI assistant on your existing number, such as WhatsApp AI Pro | You want AI drafts on the personal or business account you already use, with approval before sending | The computer must stay on; it is an unofficial tool that works through WhatsApp Web |
The free options are covered step by step in our WhatsApp auto reply guide, and API platforms are compared in our WhatsApp AI chatbot comparison.
WhatsApp AI Pro is a desktop app for macOS and Windows that connects to your current WhatsApp account by QR code, the way WhatsApp Web does, so it works whether the account is personal or business and whether your phone is an iPhone or an Android. It drafts replies from the company information you give it; you can approve each draft or let routine replies go automatically. It also keeps customer records and follow-ups. Chat history, contacts and CRM records are stored on your computer, while AI requests go through our servers to AI providers, including OpenAI. We keep logs of AI-drafted replies for 90 days, and the optional Enterprise Inbox copies chats, contacts and CRM details to our servers so a team can work from them; security and data handling lists what is sent and what we keep. Pro is $49/month or $499/year after a 14-day trial.
Two cautions if you are weighing both. Turning on Meta Business Agent disconnects linked devices, and WhatsApp AI Pro is linked the same way WhatsApp Web is, so it would need to be linked again. And two AI tools set to answer the same chats can both reply to one customer, so use one of them per number. No unofficial tool can guarantee account safety; reviewing drafts before they send reduces mistakes but is not a guarantee against restrictions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Meta Business Agent free?
In the WhatsApp Business app, getting started is free. Meta One business bundles from $14.99/month add more Business Agent usage. On the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta charges $2.00 per million tokens, which Meta estimates at about 4–5¢ per message.
Why don't I see Meta Business Agent in WhatsApp Business?
It is available only in limited countries to select businesses for now. If AI agent isn't in the Tools tab, you can join the waitlist from WhatsApp's setup guide; there is no set date for access.
Can I use Meta Business Agent on a personal WhatsApp account?
No. The app version runs in the WhatsApp Business app, so a personal account has to move there first, and the API version needs a number registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform. If you want AI replies without moving, an assistant that links to your existing account, such as WhatsApp AI Pro, is the alternative.
Can I keep my away message with Meta Business Agent?
No. Greeting and away messages are disabled while Business Agent is connected. You have to delete it, not just pause it, to use them again.
Does Meta use my chats to train its AI?
WhatsApp says messages in chats where Business Agent is connected are collected to improve AI at Meta, including while it is muted, and that this stops when you delete it. Customers see a notice that AI from Meta receives the chat.
Does Meta Business Agent work on iPhone?
Yes, the WhatsApp Business app and its setup steps are available on iPhone and Android, subject to the same country and business eligibility.
What is the Meta Business Agent Platform?
It is the version for larger businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform (API), with connections to systems such as Shopify and Zendesk, and enterprise controls. Its messages are billed by token, as described above.
Want AI replies on the WhatsApp number you already use? Download WhatsApp AI Pro, connect your account by QR code, add your product information and start in draft mode, so you review each reply before it is sent.