Buying guide
WhatsApp CRM: the 3 types and how to choose the one for your business
Quick answer
What is a WhatsApp CRM and which one should you choose?
A WhatsApp CRM is the system that keeps track of who talked to the business and what is left to do, connected to the number you use for customer service. There are three types: the extension that runs on top of WhatsApp Web, the inbox the team shares and the one that records on its own from the conversation. Choose by the work that is left after each conversation.
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
Every WhatsApp CRM promises to organize your conversations. What changes from one to another is who does the work after the customer writes. See the three types, what each one leaves for you and how to choose.
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Summary in 7 facts
- Every WhatsApp CRM promises to organize your conversations.
- What changes from one to another is who does the work after the customer writes.
- A WhatsApp CRM is the system that keeps track of who talked to the business and what is left to do, connected to the number you use for customer service.
- They tell the three types apart faster than any list of features.
- It takes an afternoon and saves you from switching systems three months from now.
- Count the conversations and the people Write down how many conversations arrive on a normal day and how many people answer on the same number.
- The last column is the one that decides: what stays in your hands after the customer has written.
By the numbers
| Number | What it means |
|---|---|
| 5 people | The Start plan includes 5 people, Pro includes 10 and Max includes 25, counting the owner. |
| 10 options | To compare with other tools, with the price each one publishes, see WhatsApp CRM: 10 options with pricing. |
| 67 businesses | The CertuAI team measured the time customer messages arrive across 67 businesses that answer with CertuAI's AI: 34.6% of conversations started outside Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| 122,720 messages | CertuAI customer service data: 67 businesses of various kinds, 122,720 customer messages, from Jul 30 to Sep 30, 2026, measured on Oct 9, 2026. |
Three questions to ask before choosing
They tell the three types apart faster than any list of features.
After a conversation, who types?
If the answer is a person, the record depends on someone remembering. In a busy week nobody does, and the pipeline goes out of date.
How many people answer on the same number?
One person can get by with labels. Two or more need to see who has already answered whom, so the customer doesn't get two replies.
What happens when nobody is looking?
At night and on weekends messages arrive just the same. Check whether the system only stores the message or whether someone answers.
See how it looks in your industry
Each industry gets different questions on WhatsApp. Pick yours to see how CertuAI's AI serves that kind of customer.
How to choose a WhatsApp CRM in 4 steps
It takes an afternoon and saves you from switching systems three months from now.
Count the conversations and the people
Write down how many conversations arrive on a normal day and how many people answer on the same number. That tells you whether labels are enough or whether you need a screen for the team.
List what you need to remember about each customer
Name, what the person wants, what was agreed and when to talk again. If the system asks for more than that, someone will leave fields blank.
Test with a real conversation
Write to the number as if you were a customer, then open the record. What showed up there without anyone typing is what the system does on its own.
Check what happens to your number
See whether the number is still yours and whether customers still talk to the same contact they already have saved.
The three types of WhatsApp CRM, side by side
The last column is the one that decides: what stays in your hands after the customer has written.
| Type | How it works | The work that is left for you |
|---|---|---|
| Extension on top of WhatsApp Web | A program installed in the browser adds labels, a pipeline and reminders to the WhatsApp Web screen | Answering each customer and filling in the record, the stage and the task |
| Team inbox | The number's conversations appear on a screen that several people open at the same time | Answering each customer and, usually, marking the stage and creating the task |
| Automatic recording from the conversation | An AI answers on the number and the conversation becomes a contact, a deal and a task | Teaching the business once and taking over the conversations that need a person |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
Where the CertuAI CRM fits among the three types
The CertuAI CRM is the third type. The AI answers on the number the business already uses, and every conversation becomes a contact, a card in the pipeline and the follow-up task, with nobody typing. The card is created with the customer's first message and moves to a new stage as the conversation advances.
It also does the job of the second type: the team opens the same screen, sees what has already been discussed and taps Take over conversation when the topic needs a person. The Start plan includes 5 people, Pro includes 10 and Max includes 25, counting the owner. On paid plans, Instagram and Messenger messages arrive in the same inbox.
What the product records and how the pipeline works is in WhatsApp CRM that fills itself in. To compare with other tools, with the price each one publishes, see WhatsApp CRM: 10 options with pricing.
Type 1: the extension that runs on top of WhatsApp Web
It is a program you install in your computer's browser. It draws labels, pipeline columns and reminders right on the WhatsApp Web screen. The person answering is still you, typing every reply.
It suits people who handle customers alone, from a computer, and just want to stop losing conversations. The limit shows up when a second person joins or when you leave the computer: the extension lives in the browser where it was installed, and the record only exists if someone fills it in.
Type 2: the inbox the team shares
Here the business number is connected to a system, and the conversations appear on a screen that several people open at the same time. You can see who is answering whom, hand a conversation to a colleague and read the history.
It fixes the mess of three people on the same phone. What usually stays manual is the recording: someone marks that the conversation became a deal, changes the stage and writes the task. When nobody marks it, the screen shows the conversations and the pipeline shows something else.
Type 3: the one that records on its own from the conversation
In this type, whatever reads the conversation is the same system that fills in the record. An AI answers the customer with the business's information, and the contact, the deal and the task come out of what was discussed.
The work moves: instead of typing after every conversation, you teach the business once and correct the AI when it gets something wrong. It suits people who get a lot of repeated messages. It needs more care at the start, because the AI answers what you taught it, and what you didn't teach it has to hand off to a person.
When a WhatsApp CRM is not what you need
Four cases where it is worth stopping before you sign up for any of the three.
- You get few conversations a week: a spreadsheet or the labels in WhatsApp Business itself will do.
- The sale doesn't happen by message: if the customer closes at the counter or by email, the record won't come from WhatsApp.
- Nobody will open the screen: a system nobody looks at becomes one more monthly bill. Decide beforehand who opens the pipeline every day.
- You want to blast messages to a purchased list: that is not a CRM's job and can get the number banned.
How many conversations start while the business is closed: CertuAI data
The third question in this guide has a number. The CertuAI team measured the time customer messages arrive across 67 businesses that answer with CertuAI's AI: 34.6% of conversations started outside Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m..
In a CRM where a person has to record the conversation, those are the ones that wait until the next day to enter the pipeline. The number is the arrival time of the messages; the type of CRM each business used before was not measured.
| What was measured | Result |
|---|---|
| Conversations whose first message arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 34,6% |
| Customer messages that arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 32,5% |
| Messages that arrived at night on a weekday, 6pm to midnight | 12,7% |
| Messages that arrived on Saturday or Sunday | 15,8% |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
Source: CertuAI WhatsApp Customer Service Index, Q3 2026. CertuAI customer service data: 67 businesses of various kinds, 122,720 customer messages, from Jul 30 to Sep 30, 2026, measured on Oct 9, 2026. Business hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., in each account's time zone. Test accounts, test contacts and imported history are left out. Redone every quarter.
Frequently asked questions
What is a WhatsApp CRM?
It is the system that keeps track of who talked to the business on WhatsApp, what each person wants and what is left to do, so the conversation and the record stay in the same place.
What is the best WhatsApp CRM?
The one that leaves you the least work after each conversation. If you handle customers alone, you can start with an extension. A team needs a shared inbox. If you get a lot of repeated messages, automatic recording pays off more.
Is WhatsApp Business already a CRM?
No. The app has labels to mark conversations, but it has no pipeline, tasks or history per deal. For a small number of conversations, labels may be enough.
Does a WhatsApp CRM use my number?
It depends on the system, and it is worth asking first. On CertuAI, you connect the number the business already uses and it stays yours.
Do I need a CRM if I handle customers alone?
Only if you are already losing conversations or forgetting follow-ups. As long as it fits in your head and in labels, you don't need one.
How much does a WhatsApp CRM cost?
It varies by type and by number of people. The comparison with the price each company publishes is in the list of 10 WhatsApp CRM options.
See the record appear from a conversation
On CertuAI, the AI answers on your business number and every conversation becomes a contact, a deal and a task, with nobody typing. When the topic needs a person, you take over the conversation on the same screen.
From US$ 75 per month.
Create my agentIn short
What is a WhatsApp CRM and which one should you choose? A WhatsApp CRM is the system that keeps track of who talked to the business and what is left to do, connected to the number you use for customer service. There are three types: the extension that runs on top of WhatsApp Web, the inbox the team shares and the one that records on its own from the conversation. Choose by the work that is left after each conversation.
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