AI agent on WhatsApp

AI WhatsApp chatbot for a business in Brazil that answers on its own

Quick answer

A WhatsApp chatbot is a program that answers a company's customers on WhatsApp without anyone having to type. An AI chatbot reads the sentence the customer wrote, in their own words, and answers with the business's information, with no "type 1" menu. At CertuAI, it runs on the number the company already uses, schedules, follows up, and costs from US$ 75 per month.

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 WhatsApp chatbot for a business in Brazil is a program that answers customers without anyone having to type. With AI, it works like a virtual assistant: it understands the question written in the customer's own words and answers with your business's information, at any hour. At CertuAI, it also schedules and follows up, which means getting back in touch with people who stopped replying, with no "type 1" menu and without changing your number.

Start plan, US$ 75 per month

No lock-in contract and no setup fee.

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Next, you teach the business in a conversation and connect WhatsApp, by QR code or through Meta's official signup, on the number your customers already know.

Updated September 24, 2026 · Written by , CEO of CertuAI · Florianópolis (SC) · We serve all of Brazil

Summary in 7 facts

By the numbers

NumberWhat it means
US$ 75 per monthAt CertuAI, it runs on the number the company already uses, schedules, follows up and costs from US$ 75 per month.
24 hoursThe answer the chatbot gives in the 24 hours after the customer wrote is not charged until September 30, 2026.
1,600 repliesUp to 1,600 AI replies and 222 thousand credits per month, one WhatsApp connection slot and 5 people on the team.
US$ 120 per monthProUS$ 120 per month Everything in Start, with a published sales page, wallet and 10 people on the team.
5,000 repliesUp to 5,000 AI replies and 705 thousand credits per month.
US$ 249 per monthMaxUS$ 249 per month 3 connection slots, outreach to new customers, metrics and permissions, and 25 people on the team.
10,000 repliesUp to 10,000 AI replies and 2.7 million credits per month.

What is a WhatsApp chatbot?

The difference from the old chatbot is in how it reads. The menu kind only recognizes numbered options, so any sentence outside the script stalls the conversation. The AI agent interprets the customer's text and answers with what you taught it.

At CertuAI, that knowledge lives in the Brain, your business's knowledge base: services, prices, hours, payment methods and whatever rules you want. The Brain is what makes the agent answer like your company, not in a generic way.

How does a WhatsApp chatbot work?

The chatbot is linked to the company's number and reads every message that comes in. If it is a menu chatbot, it looks for a number or an agreed keyword and sends the ready-made answer for that option. If it is an AI chatbot, it understands the meaning of the sentence, looks for the answer in what you taught it and writes it on the spot.

  1. The customer writes

    In their own words, at any hour: "are you open Saturday?", "how much is it?", "do you have a slot tomorrow morning?".

  2. The chatbot understands and looks for the answer

    The AI reads the whole question and pulls the information from the Brain, the knowledge base with your business's data.

  3. Answers, books or hands off to you

    It answers, books the time when that applies, or hands the conversation to a person when the topic calls for it. Everything is noted in the CRM, the organized list of your customers and deals.

That is why the chatbot that answers questions is the AI one. The menu kind only works while the customer picks options from the list.

How do you make WhatsApp answer on its own?

There are two ways: the automatic messages in the WhatsApp Business app, which are free, or a chatbot connected to your number. The first always sends the same text; the second answers each question.

WhatsApp Business automatic messages

The app is free and has the greeting message, which welcomes people when they start a conversation, and the away message, for when you cannot reply. It is the same text for everyone, and it does not answer the question the customer asked.

AI chatbot on your number

Reads the message, answers with your business's information, books appointments and goes back to people who went quiet. It keeps answering at 10 p.m., on Sunday and during lunch hour.

What is the difference between a menu chatbot and an AI agent?

A menu chatbot makes the customer pick numbered options, and an AI agent understands the sentence the customer wrote. The table compares the two by what the customer asks for inside the conversation.

Comparison of a menu chatbot, human-only customer service and the CertuAI AI agent
What the customer needs Menu chatbot Human agent only CertuAI AI agent
To be understood writing in their own wordsNo, only numbered optionsYesYes
An answer at 11 p.m., on Sunday or at lunchYes, but a fixed answerNoYes, with your business's information
Booking and confirming appointments in the conversationDepends on an integrationYes, if someone types itYes, on its own
Getting a follow-up when they go quietNoOnly if someone remembersYes, automatic follow-up
Talking to a person when the topic calls for itIt gets stuckYesYes, hands off in the same conversation
Being logged without anyone typing anythingRarelyManualYes, in the included CRM

Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.

What does the chatbot do in the business's day-to-day?

It takes over the repetitive customer service: answers questions, books appointments, finds out what each prospect is looking for and follows up with people who stopped replying. It gives back the hours that now go to answering the same thing on your phone.

Answers right away

Prices, hours, services, payment methods and address, the way you taught it, including at 10 p.m. and on Sunday.

Books and confirms

Shows the open slots, books them on your calendar and confirms the day before, with no back-and-forth of messages.

Qualifies and logs

Asks the right questions and turns each conversation into a contact, a deal and a task inside the included CRM.

Follows up on its own

Whoever asked for a quote and went quiet gets a follow-up at the right time, without you having to remember.

When the topic calls for a person, the agent hands off in the same conversation and alerts you. You step in and take over whenever you want, from your phone or the dashboard.

On Start, Pro and Max, the same agent also answers on Instagram Direct and Messenger, in the same dashboard as WhatsApp.

What does a WhatsApp chatbot not do?

Knowing the limit avoids surprises. Three things are left out, and for all three the way out is a person on the team.

It does not answer what you did not teach it

The agent answers from the Brain. What falls outside it, it passes to you instead of making up an answer.

It does not decide in place of a person

A serious complaint, a negotiation outside the price list and a sensitive case call for people. The agent hands off in the same conversation and alerts you.

It is not for mass messaging

The chatbot answers people who wrote to the company. Sending the same text to a list of people who never talked to you goes against what the WhatsApp Help Center asks for, and a number that receives many reports can be banned.

How do you create and set up a chatbot on WhatsApp?

To create an AI WhatsApp chatbot and put it on your number, there are three steps, and none of them requires programming: teach the business, connect WhatsApp and turn on the agent. It takes minutes and does not change your number.

  1. Teach your business

    In one conversation, you explain services, prices, hours and rules, the way you would explain them to a new employee. That becomes the agent's Brain.

  2. Connect WhatsApp

    Use the number your customers already know, by one of two paths: Meta's official signup, which is the official API, or the QR code, read with your phone's camera as on WhatsApp Web. CertuAI is a Tech Provider of the Meta WhatsApp Business Platform and handles the technical side.

  3. Turn on the agent

    It starts answering, booking and logging every contact in the CRM. You follow everything and take over the conversation whenever you want.

To compare this path with building a menu flow, and to see common mistakes, read how to create a WhatsApp chatbot.

How much does a WhatsApp chatbot cost?

At CertuAI, the Start plan costs US$ 75 per month and includes the WhatsApp agent, the Brain, the CRM and automatic follow-up.

There is also what Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, charges on the official API. It charges per template message, which is the approved text a company sends first, like a promotion or a reminder. The answer the chatbot gives in the 24 hours after the customer wrote is not charged until September 30, 2026. From October 1, each number has 1,000 of these answers free per month, and the ones beyond that are charged. And whoever connects by QR code does not go through the official platform, so does not have this Meta charge.

To see what other platforms publish, the comparison is at cheap WhatsApp chatbot: prices side by side.

StartUS$ 75 per month

WhatsApp agent, Brain, CRM and automatic follow-up. Up to 1,600 AI replies and 222 thousand credits per month, one WhatsApp connection slot and 5 people on the team.

ProUS$ 120 per month

Everything in Start, with a published sales page, wallet and 10 people on the team. Up to 5,000 AI replies and 705 thousand credits per month.

MaxUS$ 249 per month

3 connection slots, outreach to new customers, metrics and permissions, and 25 people on the team. Up to 10,000 AI replies and 2.7 million credits per month.

Max +Custom pricing

For larger operations: 10 connection slots and 5.82 million credits per month. Closed by conversation on WhatsApp +55 48 99218-4265.

The annual plan comes with about 17% off. Your WhatsApp number stays yours: the plan gives you the connection slot, and you connect the number you already use.

Frequently asked questions about WhatsApp chatbots

Are bot, robot and WhatsApp chatbot the same thing?

Yes. Bot, robot, chat bot and chatbot are names for the same kind of program, one that answers messages in place of a person. What changes from one to another is how it answers: by a menu of options or with AI that understands the customer's sentence.

What is the difference between chat and chatbot?

Chat is a conversation by written message, like the one on WhatsApp. A chatbot is the program that answers in that conversation in place of a person. In a regular chat, someone at the company reads and types every answer; with a chatbot, the answer goes out on its own and the person only steps in when needed.

Which WhatsApp chatbot answers questions?

The AI chatbot. A menu chatbot only understands the numbered options it shows itself, so a question written in the customer's own words goes unanswered. An AI chatbot understands the question and answers with what you taught it about your business.

Is there a free WhatsApp chatbot?

Yes, with limits. The WhatsApp Business app is free and automatically sends a greeting message and an away message, but the text is always the same and it does not answer questions. Some chatbot platforms have a free plan: before choosing, check each one's website to see whether WhatsApp is included in the free plan and how many conversations it covers.

How do I turn on the chatbot on WhatsApp?

You connect your number to a chatbot platform. At CertuAI there are three steps: teach the business in a conversation, connect the number and turn on the agent. From then on it answers the messages that come in.

How do I integrate a chatbot into WhatsApp?

There are two paths. With Meta's official signup, the number is registered on WhatsApp's official platform for businesses, called the official API. With a QR code, you point your phone's camera at a code on the screen, as you do to open WhatsApp Web. At CertuAI, the number you already use connects through either one.

Do I need to know how to code to create a WhatsApp chatbot?

No. At CertuAI you teach the business in a conversation and connect WhatsApp by QR code or through Meta's official signup. There is no flow to build and no code to write.

Does the chatbot use my current number?

Yes. You connect the number your customers already know. The number stays yours, and the plan gives you the connection slot, not a new number.

How long does it take to put the chatbot live?

Minutes. The time it takes to teach the business in a conversation and connect the number.

What if the customer wants to talk to a person?

Just ask. The agent hands off in the same conversation, alerts you right away and you take over from there.

Can the agent make mistakes?

It can, like any new employee. That is why it answers from what you taught it in the Brain, passes to you whatever falls outside that, and leaves every conversation logged in the CRM for you to check.

Does it work for my industry?

The agent learns the business you teach it, from clinic to auto shop, from real estate agency to gym. There are examples by industry at certu.com.br/agente-para.

Is it the official WhatsApp API?

It can be. CertuAI is a Tech Provider of the Meta WhatsApp Business Platform, and the number can connect through Meta's official signup, which is the official API: it comes with Pro, Max and Max +, and on Start it is an add-on at R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month. You can also connect by code or QR code, which links the number the same way WhatsApp Web does, outside the official platform.

How much does a WhatsApp chatbot cost?

At CertuAI, the Start plan costs US$ 75 per month, Pro US$ 120 and Max US$ 249. Meta's official API comes with Pro and Max; on Start, it is an add-on at R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month. On it, Meta charges separately for the template messages the business sends, and, since October 1, 2026, also for replies within the 24 hours after the customer writes that exceed 1,000 per month on each number.

Ready for your WhatsApp to answer on its own?

In short

A WhatsApp chatbot is a program that answers a company's customers on WhatsApp without anyone having to type. An AI chatbot reads the sentence the customer wrote, in their own words, and answers with the business's information, with no "type 1" menu. At CertuAI, it runs on the number the company already uses, schedules, follows up, and costs from US$ 75 per month.

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