What changes with an agent
AI agent for WhatsApp: what it is, how much it costs and when Meta's is enough
Quick answer
What is an AI agent for WhatsApp?
An AI agent for WhatsApp is a program that talks to the customer and gets things done, instead of telling them to press 1, 2 or 3. At CertuAI, it reads text and listens to audio, and answers with what is in the Brain, where the company's information lives. It books appointments, calls back people who went quiet and keeps every conversation in a customer record.
About CertuAI: CertuAI is the AI that answers a small business's WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger 24/7, with a built-in CRM, and is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Paid plans start at US$ 75 a month, with no lock-in. Create my agent
An AI agent is not the menu bot you have seen fail. It reads what the customer wrote, decides what to do and does it: answers, books, follows up and logs. CertuAI builds that agent with your business's information and connects it to the number you already use. Below you will also find Meta's own agent: whether it is free, how it turns on and what changes when it comes in.
Create my agentNo lock-in contract and no setup fee. You connect the number you already use.
Summary in 7 facts
- An AI agent is not the menu bot you have seen fail.
- It reads what the customer wrote, decides what to do and does it: answers, books, follows up and logs.
- CertuAI builds that agent with your business's information and connects it to the number you already use.
- The difference is not the tone of the answer, it is what happens when the customer writes something nobody anticipated.
- No step requires technical knowledge and none of them is building a flow.
- The real work is gathering the information that already exists in your head.
- The two are often sold under the same name, and the middle column is where customers give up.
By the numbers
| Number | What it means |
|---|---|
| R$ 49,90 | An AI agent connected to your number, with a CRM, costs from R$ 49.90 to R$ 997 per month in Brazil, going by what each company published on October 9, 2026. |
| 12x | At CertuAI, Start costs US$ 75 per month, with 1,600 AI replies. |
| R$ 997 per month | An agent connected to your number, with a CRM, costs from R$ 49.90 to R$ 997 per month in Brazil, going by what each company published on October 9, 2026. |
| US$ 75 per month | At CertuAI it starts at US$ 75 per month, on Start, with 1,600 AI replies. |
What separates an agent from a menu chatbot
The difference is not the tone of the answer, it is what happens when the customer writes something nobody anticipated. One gets stuck, the other solves it.
Understands free text and audio
There is no option to pick. The person writes or sends audio the way they would talk to a human, and the agent understands the intent behind it.
Answers from the business, not from the world
The Brain is what separates a useful agent from a generic model. It answers with your prices and your rules, not an average of the internet.
Takes action, not just chat
Books on the calendar, confirms the day before, triggers the follow-up and creates the record. A conversation that doesn't turn into action is just a prettier chat.
Knows when to call you
When the topic goes beyond what it learned, it hands the conversation to a person with the summary ready, instead of confidently answering anything.
How it works in practice, from zero to answering
No step requires technical knowledge and none of them is building a flow. The real work is gathering the information that already exists in your head.
Teach the business to the Brain
Services, prices, hours, rules and what you would rather nobody answer. The Brain is the knowledge base that makes the agent answer like your company, and not like a generic robot.
Connect the number you already use
By QR code or through Meta's official signup. CertuAI is a Tech Provider of the Meta WhatsApp Business Platform, and the number stays yours: the plan gives you the connection slot, not a new number.
Follow along in the CRM and take over whenever you want
Each conversation shows up in the dashboard with a contact, a deal and a task. You step into the same conversation at any time, and the agent hands the topic back to you when it falls outside what it learned.
AI agent and flow chatbot, side by side
The two are often sold under the same name, and the middle column is where customers give up.
| When the customer... | Flow chatbot | CertuAI AI agent |
|---|---|---|
| Writes outside the options | Repeats the menu or doesn't understand | Understands and answers what was asked |
| Sends audio | Doesn't handle it | Transcribes and answers normally |
| Asks two things in the same sentence | Handles one and ignores the other | Answers both |
| Asks something nobody anticipated | Falls back to a generic reply or gets stuck | Passes it to a person, with a summary |
| Wants to book a time | Sends a link and steps away | Shows the open times and books |
| Comes back after a week | Starts from zero | Has the history in the CRM and continues where it left off |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
The Brain is the part nobody copies
The language model has become a commodity: many companies use similar models, and the text comes out well written in all of them. What changes the result is what the agent knows about your business, and that does not come ready-made.
At CertuAI this layer is called the Brain. It is where your services, prices, scheduling rules, what you don't handle and what you prefer nobody answer by message live. Teaching the Brain is a conversation, not a configuration form, and it is what makes the agent answer like your company instead of like a generic assistant.
It is also what makes the agent improve over time, because each new question that comes up becomes information it starts answering on its own. See the agent built for your business type, compare it with the WhatsApp chatbot with AI or understand the technical side in WhatsApp Business API.
The AI agent inside WhatsApp Business itself
Meta has an AI agent inside the WhatsApp Business app, called Meta Business Agent. It answers your customers in your place, based on the catalog, profile, website and business description, according to the WhatsApp Help Center, read on October 9, 2026. According to the same page, it answers about:
- Address and business hours.
- Products and services, with recommendations.
- Price and discounts.
- Payment methods and shipping.
Who already has Meta's agent
Not everyone. The Help Center says it is available only to selected businesses in some countries, with a waitlist, and that the language it answers in is decided by the phone number. If the item doesn't show up in your Tools tab, that is why.
Is Meta's AI agent free?
To start, yes. When it announced the agent on June 3, 2026, Meta said you can start using it for free and that, in the coming months, access will be by paid subscription.
Today, the Help Center, read on October 1, 2026, says usage has a free limit. Once you pass the limit, you can subscribe to a Meta One plan or wait for the limit to renew. Meta One is still in testing and has not reached everywhere; to see whether you can subscribe, go to Settings › Subscriptions.
Meta does not publish how many replies fit in the free limit or how much Meta One costs in Brazil. Anyone who gives you a number is guessing.
How to turn on Meta's agent, and what changes in your WhatsApp
It turns on from the phone, in Tools › AI agent › Continue › Accept, with face or fingerprint confirmation, according to the Help Center (read on October 1, 2026). Before turning it on, know what changes, from the agent page, read on October 9, 2026:
- Broadcast lists, disappearing messages, the greeting message and the away message are affected while it is on.
- Devices linked to the account are disconnected. Most reconnect, except WhatsApp for Windows, WhatsApp for Android tablets and WhatsApp for watches with WearOS.
- When you answer a customer by hand, it stops replying in that conversation.
- Meta uses the messages from conversations where it is on to improve its own AI, even with the agent muted. If you delete the agent, that stops.
- The customer sees a notice that the messages are generated by Meta's AI.
Meta's agent or an agent connected to your business: when each one fits
Both answer on their own. The difference is in what each one knows, what gets recorded and who decides what happens with the conversations.
| What to compare | Meta AI agent | CertuAI AI agent |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | In the WhatsApp Business app, turned on from the Tools tab | On the number you already use, connected by QR code or through Meta's official API |
| Where it gets its answers | Catalog, profile, website and business description | The Brain: your prices, rules, hours and what you don't handle |
| Who answers alongside it | You; when you answer by hand, it stops in that conversation | You and your team: 5 people on Start, 10 on Pro and 25 on Max |
| Records and scheduling | The Help Center doesn't mention a CRM or scheduling | Each conversation becomes a contact, deal and task in the CRM; books and confirms times |
| The conversations | Meta uses the messages to improve its own AI | They stay in your account, in your company's CRM |
| Price | Free up to a limit; after that, Meta One | From US$ 75 per month |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
Meta column: WhatsApp Help Center, read on October 9, 2026, and free limit page, read on October 1, 2026.
How much an AI agent for WhatsApp costs
Meta's starts free, up to a limit it does not publish, and only for the businesses where it has already been released.
An AI agent connected to your number, with a CRM, costs from R$ 49.90 to R$ 997 per month in Brazil, going by what each company published on October 9, 2026. If the number is on the official API, Meta charges separately for replies above the free ones. The full bill, with Meta's table, is in how much a WhatsApp chatbot costs.
At CertuAI, Start costs US$ 75 per month, with 1,600 AI replies. If you don't like it within 30 days, we refund 100% of your money. See the plans.
If you turned on Meta's agent and didn't like it
To make it stop answering and stop using your conversations, the way is to delete it, from the app on your phone. Pausing is not enough: while paused, it stops answering new conversations but keeps learning from them. The steps come from the WhatsApp Help Center; the step-by-step on Android and iPhone, and what comes back when you delete it, is in how to turn off the AI in WhatsApp Business.
- Open the Tools tab and tap Meta Business Agent.
- Tap Reply settings, then Disconnect AI (on iPhone, Delete your AI agent).
- Tap Disconnect and delete AI.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an AI agent and a chatbot?
A chatbot follows a script someone designed and depends on the customer choosing an option it expected. An AI agent interprets what the person wrote, decides what to do and carries out the task, including booking a time and creating a record. In practice, the difference shows up when the customer writes something outside the script.
What AI model does the agent use?
The plans use a fast model by default. In practice, what changes answer quality most is not the model, it is how much the Brain knows about your business.
Can the agent make up a price or promise something that doesn't exist?
It answers what is written in the Brain, and what isn't there it passes along instead of answering. The thing to watch for is not leaving the same price written in two different places, because then it quotes the first one it finds.
Do I need the official WhatsApp API to use it?
It is not required to start. You can connect by QR code or through Meta's official signup. CertuAI is a Tech Provider for Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, so the official path is available when your volume calls for it.
How long does it take for the agent to be answering?
Connecting takes minutes. The real work is gathering what already exists in the business: prices, hours and rules. With that written down, teaching the Brain is a conversation and connecting is scanning a QR code.
How much does an AI agent for WhatsApp cost?
Meta's agent starts free, up to a limit it does not publish. An agent connected to your number, with a CRM, costs from R$ 49.90 to R$ 997 per month in Brazil, going by what each company published on October 9, 2026. At CertuAI it starts at US$ 75 per month, on Start, with 1,600 AI replies. If you don't like it within 30 days, we refund 100% of your money.
Is the WhatsApp Business AI agent paid?
It starts free. According to the WhatsApp Help Center, read on October 1, 2026, usage has a free limit; once you pass it, you can subscribe to Meta One or wait for the limit to renew. Meta does not publish the limit or the Meta One price in Brazil.
How do I turn on the AI agent in WhatsApp Business?
In the phone app, go to Tools › AI agent › Continue › Accept, with face or fingerprint confirmation. Before that, know that the greeting message, away message, broadcast lists and disappearing messages are affected, and that linked devices are disconnected.
Why doesn't the AI agent show up in my WhatsApp Business?
Because Meta has released it only to selected businesses in some countries, with a waitlist, according to the WhatsApp Help Center, read on October 9, 2026.
Does Meta read my conversations when the agent is on?
Meta uses the messages from conversations where the agent is on to improve its own AI, even with the agent muted, according to the WhatsApp Help Center. If you delete the agent, that stops.
Where to go next?
Want to see the agent answering with your business's information?
Paste your website address and the agent is born already knowing what you sell. You adjust what is missing and connect the number whenever you want.
Plans from US$ 75 per month. If you don't like it within 30 days, we refund 100% of your money.
Create my agentIn short
What is an AI agent for WhatsApp? An AI agent for WhatsApp is a program that talks to the customer and gets things done, instead of telling them to press 1, 2 or 3. At CertuAI, it reads text and listens to audio, and answers with what is in the Brain, where the company's information lives. It books appointments, calls back people who went quiet and keeps every conversation in a customer record.
About CertuAI: CertuAI is the AI that answers a small business's WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger 24/7, with a built-in CRM, and is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Paid plans start at US$ 75 a month, with no lock-in. Create my agent