Meta Business Agent vs your own AI chatbot on WhatsApp: cost, control and who can use it
Meta Business Agent is Meta's own AI agent for WhatsApp, billed at USD 2 per million tokens, which Meta estimates at 4 to 5 US cents per message. Your own AI chatbot is billed by Meta as service messages, INR 0.115 each in India after 1,000 free per number a month, plus your AI provider's token charges. Health, finance and some other sectors cannot use Meta's agent.
Prices as on 22 October 2026. Figures were checked against the provider's official pages on that date. Providers change prices and rules without notice, so confirm on the official page before you budget. Convo360 adds no markup: you pay the provider directly with your own account. Convo360 is not affiliated with Meta or WhatsApp. Figures are Meta's published rates and estimates on the date shown; Meta's own pages prevail.
- Meta Business Agent launched on 1 July 2026 and has been charged per token since 1 August 2026.
- A third-party AI reply is a service message: INR 0.115 in India from 1 October 2026, after 1,000 free per number each month.
- Meta Business Agent messages stay charged even inside the free window after a Click to WhatsApp ad; service messages there are free.
- Finance, health, government, alcohol, gambling, over-the-counter drugs and matrimony businesses are not eligible for Meta Business Agent.
- Your own agent lets you choose the AI model and reuse it on Instagram, website chat and voice calls.
Two ways to put AI on your WhatsApp number
Since 1 July 2026 Meta has offered Meta Business Agent, an AI agent it runs for you on the WhatsApp Business Platform. According to Meta's overview you add knowledge (business details, FAQs, websites, files), write instructions for tone and priorities, connect your own APIs and webhooks so it can take actions, hand conversations over to your app, and test before going live.
The other way is the one most Indian businesses already use: an AI chatbot you build on a platform such as Convo360, using your own OpenAI, Anthropic Claude or Google Gemini key. Meta calls these third-party AI replies service messages.
Both are allowed. Meta's January 2026 restriction on AI Providers is about general-purpose assistants offered by AI companies, not about either of these; see what Meta allows for business AI.
How each option is billed
Meta's pricing pages, checked on 22 October 2026, describe two different meters.
| Meta Business Agent | Your own AI chatbot | |
|---|---|---|
| Meta's charge | USD 2 per million tokens, one charge covering AI and delivery | Service message rate, INR 0.115 per delivered reply in India |
| Charged since | 1 August 2026 | 1 October 2026 |
| Free allowance | None listed | 1,000 service messages per number per month, no roll-over |
| In the free entry point window after a Click to WhatsApp ad | Still charged | Free |
| AI model cost | Included in Meta's token charge | Paid separately to your AI provider |
| Currency for India | INR, at the USD rate converted at the daily exchange rate | INR rate card |
Meta estimates a typical Meta Business Agent message at 20,000 to 25,000 tokens, or about 4 to 5 US cents, which is a few rupees per message at recent exchange rates. Its own examples put a simple four-message enquiry at about 16 to 20 cents and a ten-message support conversation at about 40 to 50 cents. Meta only counts input and output tokens, not cached tokens.
Working out your own chatbot's cost
For a third-party AI chatbot the bill has two parts, and you control both:
- Meta's part. Replies beyond the first 1,000 a month on each number cost INR 0.115 each. A Jaipur boutique sending 4,000 AI replies a month would pay Meta for 3,000 of them, about INR 345 before any tax.
- The AI part. Your OpenAI, Claude or Gemini bill depends on the model and the length of conversations. A small, fast model costs far less per reply than a large reasoning model.
Meta itself warns that comparing the two meters is not like for like, because a third-party bot also has AI and platform costs. Its own worked comparison, for Brazil, put lower-complexity third-party AI at about 2 to 3 US cents per message and higher-complexity at about 9 to 10 cents, against 4 to 5 cents for Meta Business Agent. Use the cost calculator and our token cost estimate to run your own numbers.
Who can use Meta Business Agent
Meta lists eligibility conditions for each phone number's WhatsApp Business account:
- It must be in a supported vertical. All are supported except finance, government, health, alcohol, gambling, over-the-counter drugs and matrimony services, and a valid business category must be set.
- The number must be on the WhatsApp Business Platform, not the consumer WhatsApp Business app.
- The account and its business must be in good standing, based in an eligible country, and meet Meta's trust and verification requirements.
- The number must not already be running another authorised AI agent integration.
Payment is also required: a credit line with Meta for eligible businesses, or Visa or Mastercard cards since 8 September 2026. If your account qualifies, a Meta Business Agent tab appears in WhatsApp Manager. For many Indian SMBs the vertical rule decides the matter: clinics, hospitals, NBFCs, insurance agents and matrimony bureaus are excluded, so their AI has to be a third-party agent.
Control, channels and model choice
| Question | Meta Business Agent | Your own AI chatbot on Convo360 |
|---|---|---|
| Which AI model? | Meta's | OpenAI, Claude or Gemini, chosen per agent |
| Channels | WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, website chat, Telegram and AI voice calls | |
| Non-AI steps | Through your own APIs and handoff | Visual Flow Builder with buttons, forms, payments and CRM |
| Who bills the AI | Meta | Your AI provider, directly |
The practical question is not only price. If you also want the same assistant on your website, on Instagram DMs and on phone calls in Hindi or Tamil, a single agent you control saves you from maintaining two brains.
Running your own AI agent on Convo360
- Connect your WhatsApp number through Meta's embedded signup and add a payment method in Meta Billing Hub, which is needed for service messages beyond the free tier.
- Create an AI agent, add your own model key, a system prompt and a knowledge base from your documents or website. See the AI agents documentation.
- In the Flow Builder, use the AI Reply block for open questions and Buttons or List Menu blocks for common choices, which often settle a query in fewer messages.
- Turn on live-chat handover so your team can take over; the bot pauses when a person replies.
- Test with Preview before going live.
Convo360 adds no markup on Meta messages or AI tokens; plans start at INR 999 a month plus GST, with a 14-day free trial.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Meta Business Agent on WhatsApp?
It is Meta's own AI agent for business conversations on the WhatsApp Business Platform, launched on 1 July 2026. Businesses add knowledge, instructions and API connections, and Meta's AI answers customers within the 24-hour customer service window.
How much does Meta Business Agent cost?
Meta charges a global rate of USD 2 per million input and output tokens, covering both AI and delivery, since 1 August 2026. Meta estimates about 4 to 5 US cents per message. Indian accounts are billed in INR at the daily exchange rate.
Is my own AI chatbot cheaper than Meta Business Agent?
It depends on your AI model and volumes. Your own bot pays Meta INR 0.115 per reply in India after 1,000 free per number each month, plus your AI provider's token charges. A small, efficient model usually keeps the total low.
Can clinics or NBFCs use Meta Business Agent?
No. Meta lists finance, health, government, alcohol, gambling, over-the-counter drugs and matrimony services as unsupported verticals for Meta Business Agent. Businesses in those sectors can still run a third-party AI chatbot on their WhatsApp number.
Are AI replies free after a Click to WhatsApp ad?
Replies from your own chatbot are service messages, which Meta does not charge inside the free entry point window after a Click to WhatsApp ad. Meta Business Agent messages are still charged for tokens inside that window.
Official sources
- Meta: Upcoming pricing updates for Meta Business Agent, service and utility messages
- Meta: Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform
- Meta: Meta Business Agent overview and eligibility
- Meta: Meta Business Agent end-to-end setup
Related reading
Available across India — see WhatsApp & AI calling automation by state and city.