Official WhatsApp Business API: how to use it with AI on your number
Quick answer
What is the WhatsApp Business API?
The WhatsApp Business API is Meta's official layer that lets a company connect software and artificial intelligence to its WhatsApp. It is infrastructure: it has no screen and, on its own, answers nothing. The agent that runs on top of it does the answering. CertuAI handles that layer and delivers a ready agent on the number the business already uses.
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
The official API is the plumbing: it carries messages between your number and a piece of software. What serves the customer is the agent that runs on top of it. CertuAI builds that agent with your business's Brain, connects the number and takes care of the technical side.
Updated October 1, 2026. Written by Bernardo Villela, CEO of CertuAI. Florianópolis (SC). CertuAI serves all of Brazil.
Summary in 7 facts
- The official API is the plumbing: it carries messages between your number and a piece of software.
- What serves the customer is the agent that runs on top of it.
- CertuAI builds that agent with your business's Brain, connects the number and takes care of the technical side.
- The official API, also called the Cloud API, is the interface Meta publishes so a company can send and receive WhatsApp messages through software, instead of someone typing on a phone.
- The app is for answering by hand, the API is for answering through software.
- The table compares the three paths from the point of view of whoever will run it.
- It adds what the API lacks: knowledge of the business, memory of the customer and initiative.
By the numbers
| Number | What it means |
|---|---|
| R$ 200 (Brazilian reais) per month | An extra WhatsApp slot costs R$ 200 (Brazilian reais) per month. |
| R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month | The official API is included in Pro, Max and Max +; on Start it is an add-on at R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month. |
| US$ 120 per month | With the official API included, from US$ 120 per month on Pro, or US$ 75 per month on Start plus the R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month add-on. |
| 1 number | Start connects 1 number, Pro and Max connect 3, and Max + connects 10. |
| US$ 75 per month | CertuAI plans start at US$ 75 per month (Start), connecting by code or QR code. |
| R$ 999 | The official API is included in Pro (US$ 120), Max (US$ 249) and Max + (contact sales); on Start it is an add-on at R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month. |
What exactly does the WhatsApp Business API do?
It carries messages. The official API, also called the Cloud API, is the interface Meta publishes so a company can send and receive WhatsApp messages through software, instead of someone typing on a phone.
It is an infrastructure layer, not a customer service product. It has no screen, no inbox, no customer history and does not decide what to answer. Two of its rules apply to any provider: when the customer writes first, a 24-hour window opens in which the business replies with free text, without an approved template; to start a conversation outside that window, you need a message template approved by Meta beforehand. Free text does not mean free of charge: since October 1, 2026, Meta charges for those replies after the first 1,000 free per month for each number, according to Meta's pricing page, read on October 1, 2026.
That is why the right question when choosing is not which company has the API, because the API is the same for everyone. It is what each one builds on top of it.
What is the difference between the WhatsApp Business app and the API?
The app is for answering by hand, the API is for answering through software. The table compares the three paths from the point of view of whoever will run it.
| What you need | WhatsApp Business app | Official API, on its own | CertuAI on top of the API |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is built for | Answering manually, on a phone | Integrating systems with WhatsApp | Ready-made customer service with AI |
| A screen to work in | The app itself | None, the API has no interface | CertuAI dashboard and CRM |
| Answering in natural language | Only saved quick replies | Only if someone programs it | Yes, with the business's Brain |
| Programming required | None | Yes, on your side | None |
| Who handles the connection to Meta | You | You or a partner | CertuAI |
| Record of what was discussed | Labels in the app | Whatever you build | Contact, deal and task in the CRM |
| Follow-up with people who stopped replying | If someone remembers | Whatever you build | Automatic follow-up |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
The WhatsApp Business app also got an AI from Meta itself, the Meta Business Agent, which you turn on and off inside the app. If it is on for your number and you want to remove it, see how to turn off the AI in WhatsApp Business.
What does CertuAI add on top of the API?
It adds what the API lacks: knowledge of the business, memory of the customer and initiative. CertuAI is a Tech Provider for Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, so the number is connected through the official path and CertuAI handles the technical side.
Brain
Your business's knowledge base: services, prices, hours, rules and ready answers. It is the Brain that makes the agent answer like your company, instead of answering generically.
CRM included
Each conversation becomes a contact, a deal and a task automatically. You see the customer's whole history and take over the conversation whenever you want, in the same dashboard.
Automatic follow-up
Anyone who asked for a quote and disappeared gets a follow-up at the right time, with nobody having to remember. This is the part that tends to get lost when the owner answers WhatsApp at 10 p.m.
Instagram and Messenger
On every paid plan, the same AI also answers Instagram Direct and Messenger, with the same Brain and the same CRM.
How many numbers does the plan connect?
It depends on the plan. The WhatsApp instance is the connection slot for the number that is already yours.
| Plan | Plan | WhatsApp instances (the number is yours) |
|---|---|---|
| Start | US$ 75/month | 1 |
| Pro | US$ 120/month | 3 |
| Max | US$ 249/month | 3 |
| Max + | Custom pricing | 10 |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
An extra WhatsApp slot costs R$ 200 (Brazilian reais) per month. No plan replaces your number: the connection is to the number your customers already know, by code, QR code or through Meta's official signup. The official API is included in Pro, Max and Max +; on Start it is an add-on at R$ 50 per month.
How much does it cost to use the official API?
The bill has two parts, from different companies. Meta charges for platform usage, and that amount is the same with any provider. CertuAI charges for the software: agent, Brain, CRM and dashboard. With the official API included, from US$ 120 per month on Pro, or US$ 75 per month on Start plus the R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month add-on.
In Brazil, Meta charges R$ 0.3217 per marketing message delivered, according to Meta's official rate table, read on September 23, 2026. That money goes to Meta: CertuAI does not charge for those messages and adds nothing on top. The table with every message type, and what changes on October 1, 2026, is in how much the official WhatsApp Business API costs, and the full grid is in CertuAI plans and prices.
There is no lock-in contract and no setup fee on any plan.
How do you put the agent live on your number?
In four steps, without writing code and without changing numbers.
Build the business's Brain
Paste your company's website address and fill in what is missing: services, prices, hours and rules. This becomes the Brain, the knowledge base that makes the agent answer like your business.
Chat with the agent first
Test the agent answering about your business before any customer talks to it. Whatever comes out wrong, you fix in the Brain.
Connect your number
The connection goes through Meta's official path and CertuAI handles the technical side. The number is yours and stays yours.
Follow along in the CRM
Each conversation becomes a contact, a deal and a task automatically, and you can take over the conversation whenever you want.
Frequently asked questions about the WhatsApp Business API
Do I need to sign up for the WhatsApp Business API separately?
No. CertuAI already handles that technical layer: you connect your business number through Meta's official path and teach the agent. There is no integration for you to develop.
Is the API the same thing as the WhatsApp Business app?
No. The app is built for one person to answer by hand, on a phone. The API is the official layer for software and artificial intelligence, and it has no screen of its own: the screen belongs to whichever provider you choose.
Can I keep using my current number?
Yes. The number is yours and stays yours. What the plan gives you is the connection slot, called a WhatsApp instance, not a new number.
How many WhatsApp numbers does my plan connect?
Start connects 1 number, Pro and Max connect 3, and Max + connects 10. Each extra connection slot costs R$ 200 (Brazilian reais) per month.
Is a phone line the same thing as a WhatsApp number?
No. The WhatsApp number is yours, connected to CertuAI. CertuAI does not currently sell phone call answering. What is for sale is customer service on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, with a CRM.
Do I need to know how to code to use the API with CertuAI?
No. You teach the business in a conversation, connect the number and follow the conversations in the CRM. The API, message templates and webhooks are handled by CertuAI.
How much does it cost?
CertuAI plans start at US$ 75 per month (Start), connecting by code or QR code. The official API is included in Pro (US$ 120), Max (US$ 249) and Max + (contact sales); on Start it is an add-on at R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month. The platform usage that Meta charges is a separate bill, explained at certu.com.br/preco-api-whatsapp.
Can it integrate with the system I already use?
The agent already comes with a CRM and scheduling included, so most businesses don't need anything else. Integrations beyond that are evaluated case by case on WhatsApp +55 48 99218-4265.
Where to keep reading?
- The official WhatsApp API: what it is and how to get yours
- WhatsApp Cloud API: what it is and who charges
- Official WhatsApp Business API on your number, no coding
- How much the official WhatsApp Business API costs
- How much it costs to put AI in your business
- AI agent for WhatsApp: what it is and what it does
- WhatsApp will charge per message in October 2026
- Can WhatsApp ban you for automation? The rules
- Automatic WhatsApp message outside business hours
- AI chatbot on WhatsApp that serves customers on its own
- WhatsApp customer service automation
- AI agents by business type
- Free manual: build an AI agent on the official API
- Chatbot platform comparison
- WhatsApp AI guides, step by step
- CertuAI plans and prices
In short
What is the WhatsApp Business API? The WhatsApp Business API is Meta's official layer that lets a company connect software and artificial intelligence to its WhatsApp. It is infrastructure: it has no screen and, on its own, answers nothing. The agent that runs on top of it does the answering. CertuAI handles that layer and delivers a ready agent on the number the business already uses.
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