How much the official WhatsApp Business API costs in 2026
Meta charges per message delivered. In Brazil it is R$ 0.3217 per promotion and R$ 0.035 per notification. Starting October 1, 2026, the reply to the customer also costs R$ 0.035, after 1,000 free per month on each number. CertuAI's software, which answers for you, has the official API included in Pro, at US$ 120 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
Updated October 1, 2026 · Written by Bernardo Villela, CEO of CertuAI · Florianópolis (SC), for businesses across Brazil.
Summary in 7 facts
- CertuAI's software, which answers for you, has the official API included in Pro, at US$ 120 per month.
- The calculation uses Meta's table in reais, read on September 25, 2026.
- Replying to someone who wrote first is no longer always free.
- Each number has 1,000 free replies per month.
- A credit is CertuAI's unit of consumption, and it is a single pool: images, ad campaigns, sites, automation and assistants come out of the same monthly balance.
- You pay for use, without buying each feature separately.
By the numbers
| Number | What it means |
|---|---|
| US$ 120 per month | CertuAI's software, which answers for you, has the official API included in Pro, at US$ 120 per month. |
| R$ 87.50 per month | From October 1 R$ 87.50 per month Until September 30: R$ 17.50 per month. |
| 24 hours | Whoever answers these conversations can be an AI agent, 24 hours a day, with your business's information. |
| 12x | There are four paid plans: Start at US$ 75 per month, Pro at US$ 120 per month, Max at US$ 249 per month and Max + custom pricing. |
| 17% | On the annual plan the discount is about 17% off the sum of the months. |
| US$ 75 per month | Start US$ 75 per month 222 thousand credits per month WhatsApp answered 24 hours a day, Brain trained on your business, Certu CRM and automatic follow-up with people who went quiet. |
Calculator: how much Meta will charge for your WhatsApp
Enter the volume of a normal month. The calculation uses Meta's table in reais, read on September 25, 2026. The example below is already filled in.
From October 1 R$ 87.50 per month
Until September 30: R$ 17.50 per month.
- Replies above the free ones: 2,000 × R$ 0.035 = R$ 70.00
- Notices and reminders: R$ 17.50
- Promotions to a list: R$ 0.00
With no payment method registered with Meta, 2,000 of these replies do not reach the customer. Meta delivers only the free ones.
Whoever answers these conversations can be an AI agent, 24 hours a day, with your business's information. Build your agent, no signup.
Meta's full price table for a customer number in Brazil, before tax. What Meta charges goes on the card of your business's WhatsApp Business account, not on the CertuAI bill. On a QR Code connection Meta does not charge per message.
What changes in Meta's billing on October 1, 2026?
- Replying to someone who wrote first is no longer always free. Each number has 1,000 free replies per month. From reply 1,001 onward, Meta charges R$ 0.035 each. The free ones do not carry over to the next month.
- A notice sent within the 24 hours is also charged now. A utility template, like an order confirmation, costs R$ 0.035 even when the customer has just written.
- Promotions do not change. It stays at R$ 0.3217 per message delivered in Brazil.
- With no card at Meta, the reply stops arriving. Meta delivers the 1,000 free ones and does not deliver the ones beyond that. Check the payment method in the account's Billing Center before the 1st.
What it comes to with replies only, on one number, on Meta's full table:
| Replies per month | Until September 30 | From October 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | R$ 0,00 | R$ 0,00 |
| 1.000 | R$ 0,00 | R$ 0,00 |
| 3.000 | R$ 0,00 | R$ 70,00 |
| 5.000 | R$ 0,00 | R$ 140,00 |
| 10.000 | R$ 0,00 | R$ 315,00 |
| 50.000 | R$ 0,00 | R$ 1.715,00 |
Source: WhatsApp Business Platform pricing page, section "From October 1, 2026" and table in reais, read on September 25, 2026.
How much does each CertuAI plan cost?
CertuAI plans start at US$ 75 per month. There are four paid plans: Start at US$ 75 per month, Pro at US$ 120 per month, Max at US$ 249 per month and Max + custom pricing.
On the annual plan the discount is about 17% off the sum of the months. There is no standard setup fee and no lock-in.
- R$ 0
-
Start
R$ 299 per month 222 thousand credits per monthWhatsApp answered 24 hours a day, Brain trained on your business, Certu CRM and automatic follow-up with people who went quiet. One WhatsApp connection slot and 5 people on the team.
-
Pro
R$ 599 per month 705 thousand credits per monthEverything in Start, with 5,000 AI replies per month instead of 1,600, 3 connection slots and 10 people on the team. The AI assistants and Google ranking already come with Start.
-
Max
R$ 999 per month 2.7 million credits per monthEverything in Pro, with 10,000 AI replies per month, outbound outreach, metrics and permissions and 25 people on the team.
-
Max +
Custom pricing 5.82 million credits per monthClosed by conversation on WhatsApp, without going through checkout. It has 10 connection slots.
How do CertuAI credits work?
A credit is CertuAI's unit of consumption, and it is a single pool: images, ad campaigns, sites, automation and assistants come out of the same monthly balance. You pay for use, without buying each feature separately.
The monthly quota changes by plan: 222 thousand credits on Start, 705 thousand on Pro, 2.7 million on Max and 5.82 million on Max +.
| Plan | Plan | Credits per month | WhatsApp slots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | R$ 299 | 222 thousand | 1 |
| Pro | R$ 599 | 705 thousand | 3 |
| Max | R$ 999 | 2.7 million | 3 |
| Max + | Custom pricing | 5.82 million | 10 |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
An extra connection slot costs R$ 200 (Brazilian reais) per month.
On the quarterly plan, paid every three months, the monthly price comes to R$ 269 (Brazilian reais) on Start, R$ 539 on Pro and R$ 899 on Max.
If you don't like it within 30 days, we refund 100% of your money. It applies to Start, Pro and Max purchased on the site.
The connection slot is not a number: the number stays yours. You connect the one your customers already know, by QR Code or through Meta's official signup.
What does Meta charge and what does CertuAI charge?
They are two accounts, from two companies. CertuAI charges for the software plan: the agent, the Brain, Certu CRM, the dashboard and support. Meta charges for use of the WhatsApp Business Platform, and that amount is the same with any provider.
CertuAI is a Tech Provider of the Meta WhatsApp Business Platform. Under that model Meta charges the business directly, on its own payment method, so the message is not resold with a markup on top. That is why the two accounts stay separate and visible.
What does Meta charge and what does it not charge?
Meta charges per message delivered, and the amount changes with the message type. In Brazil, promotion (marketing) costs R$ 0.3217 per message; notice (utility) and access code (authentication) cost R$ 0.035. The reply to someone who wrote first is free until September 30, 2026.
| Message type | What Meta charges in Brazil, per message delivered | Where we read it, and when |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing: offer, promotion, campaign to a list | R$ 0,3217 | Meta's table in reais, in effect since July 1, 2026, at developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing, read on September 23, 2026. The same amount at faq.whatsapp.com/1356785542323967, read on September 16, 2026 |
| Utility: order confirmation, delivery notice, appointment reminder, when the customer has not written in the last 24 hours | R$ 0,035 | Same table, at developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing, read on September 23, 2026 |
| Authentication: access code | R$ 0,035 | Same table, at developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing, read on September 23, 2026 |
| Reply within the 24 hours the customer opened (Meta calls it service) | Free until September 30, 2026. From October 1, 2026, 1,000 free per month on each number and then R$ 0.035 | Table in reais that applies from October 1, 2026 and the "Service fees" section, at developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing, read on September 23, 2026 |
| Utility within the 24 hours the customer opened | Free until September 30, 2026. From October 1, 2026, R$ 0.035 | Section "Utility rates, in effect from October 1, 2026", at developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing, read on September 23, 2026 |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
Amounts from Meta's full table, for a customer number in Brazil. Utility and authentication can come cheaper at high volume. Meta revises this table every three months, so check the current amount in Meta's official table.
That money is Meta's, not CertuAI's. Meta charges to the payment method registered on the business's own WhatsApp Business account. CertuAI does not charge for these messages and adds nothing on top. On a QR Code connection Meta does not charge per message, because it does not go through the paid platform.
Other Meta rules that still apply: someone who arrives through a click-to-WhatsApp ad opens a free window, and Meta says that window "can stay open up to 7 days" (Meta's pricing page, read on October 9, 2026). And since July 1, 2026 new accounts can be created in reais, billed by Meta's company in Brazil; the switch to reais runs until June 30, 2027.
What is my business's cost profile?
The same API leads to very different bills, and what decides it is who starts the conversation. It is worth recognizing yourself in one of the three profiles before comparing provider prices.
- Only replies. The customer always contacts you first, asks the price, asks for the product, clears up a doubt. Until September 30, 2026 Meta charged nothing for those replies. Since October 1, 2026, the first 1,000 of the month on each number stay free, and each one after that costs R$ 0.035.
- Replies and confirms. Besides answering, the business sends order confirmations, delivery notices and appointment reminders. Those are utility messages: R$ 0.035 each in Brazil when the customer has not written in the last 24 hours.
- Sends to a list. The business starts a conversation with people who did not write before, in a campaign. Then each marketing template sent is charged, and volume drives the bill.
On the free app, without an API, mass messaging also has a price: the WhatsApp Business broadcast list is now paid when it becomes a commercial broadcast.
The annual plan comes with about 17% off, and Max + is closed by conversation on WhatsApp.
Do I need the official API or can I connect by QR Code?
CertuAI connects both ways: by code or QR Code, or through Meta's official signup. In both cases the number is yours and stays yours, and the plan gives you the connection slot.
The official API is the path Meta provides for automated commercial use, and the connection does not depend on your phone being on. CertuAI is a Tech Provider of the platform: the official API comes included in Pro, Max and Max +, and on Start it is an add-on at R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month.
How do I put the agent live?
- Build the business's Brain. Paste your company's website address. CertuAI builds the Brain from its information: services, prices, hours and rules.
- Chat with the agent first. Test the agent answering about your business, before any customer talks to it. Whatever is off-tone you fix on the spot.
- Connect your number. The connection goes through Meta's path or by QR Code. The number stays yours, and the plan gives you the connection slot.
- Follow along in the CRM. Each conversation becomes a contact, a deal and a task on its own in Certu CRM, so you see how much the customer service is earning.
Also read how the WhatsApp Business API works and what changes between a menu chatbot and an AI agent.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does the official WhatsApp Business API cost at CertuAI?
- The official API comes included in Pro, at US$ 120 per month, in Max, at US$ 249, and in Max +, on request. On Start, at US$ 75 per month, the number connects by code or QR code, and the official API is an add-on at R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month. Use of the WhatsApp Business Platform is charged by Meta separately, on the business's own account.
- Do I have to pay Meta separately from CertuAI?
- Yes, they are two accounts with two different companies. CertuAI is a Tech Provider of the Meta WhatsApp Business Platform, so Meta charges the business directly and CertuAI charges only for the software.
- If my customers always contact me first, how much will I spend on the platform?
- Little. Until September 30, 2026, the reply to someone who wrote first is not charged by Meta. Starting October 1, 2026, each number has 1,000 free replies per month, and after that Meta charges R$ 0.035 per reply delivered in Brazil (Meta's table, read on September 23, 2026). The ones who pay more are those who send promotions to a list: R$ 0.3217 per message delivered.
- What are CertuAI credits and what are they for?
- A credit is CertuAI's unit of consumption, in a single pool for the agent's replies on WhatsApp, images, campaigns, sites, automation and assistants. It is 222 thousand credits per month on Start, 705 thousand on Pro, 2.7 million on Max and 5.82 million on Max +.
- How much does the annual plan cost?
- The annual plan costs about 17% less than the sum of the months. Whoever picks the annual plan starts with the plan already active.
- Is there a setup fee or lock-in?
- There is no standard setup fee and no lock-in. You can cancel whenever you want, right in the dashboard.
- Do I have to change numbers to use the official API?
- No. The number is yours and stays yours. The plan gives you the connection slot, and you connect to it the number your customers already know.
- Do I need to understand APIs to go live?
- No. CertuAI handles the technical layer. You build the Brain with the business's information, chat with the agent to check the answers and go live when you are satisfied.