WhatsApp automation: what you can automate, and with what
The free Business app automates greetings, away messages and quick replies. Everything triggered by an event, such as orders, bookings, reminders and follow-ups, runs on the WhatsApp Business Platform through software.
Three levels of automation
Level
What it does
What you need
Cost
1. Canned
Greeting, away message, quick replies, labels
WhatsApp Business app
Free
2. Triggered
Order confirmations, reminders, abandoned-cart nudges, review requests, routing to the right agent
Business Platform plus an inbox or automation tool
Subscription plus template fees
3. Conversational
A chatbot that answers questions, qualifies leads and hands over to a person
Business Platform plus a bot builder
Subscription plus template fees
Free: what the Business app automates
Greeting message: sent automatically when someone writes to you for the first time, or after 14 days of silence.
Away message: sent outside your business hours or whenever you switch it on.
Quick replies: saved answers you insert by typing /, on the phone and on WhatsApp Web.
Labels: a manual but fast way to keep track of where each customer stands.
You set these up in the Tools tab of the WhatsApp Business app; the app stores up to 50 quick replies. The auto-reply menu generator writes a complete set for your kind of business. They cover a one-person business surprisingly well. They cannot react to anything that happens outside WhatsApp, and they cannot answer a menu choice by themselves.
Event-driven messages need the Business Platform
"When an order ships, send the tracking link" means software has to send a WhatsApp message by itself. The apps do not allow that; the WhatsApp Business Platform exists for it. In practice you connect your number to a tool, connect the tool to your shop, calendar or CRM, and define the rules.
Messages your business sends first must be approved templates, and Meta charges a fee for each one delivered. Replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message are free-form; from 1 October 2026 the first 1,000 a month per number are free and further ones cost the utility rate. The details are in the pricing section of the API guide.
What businesses actually automate
Shops: order and shipping updates, back-in-stock alerts, abandoned-cart reminders, review requests.
Clinics, salons, garages: appointment confirmations and reminders with a reschedule button.
Sales teams: instant reply to a new lead with two or three qualifying questions, then assignment to a salesperson.
Support: answering the top ten questions, collecting order numbers before a person takes over, surveys after a chat closes.
Logins: one-time passcodes as authentication templates.
What gets accounts banned
Tools that drive WhatsApp Web with a browser extension or a script, "bulk sender" programs and modified WhatsApp apps all automate the consumer app, which WhatsApp forbids. It says so plainly: linking your account to an unofficial app or website can lead to a temporary or permanent ban, and it acts against automated and bulk messaging. This site does not list such tools. If a product asks you to scan a QR code so that it can send messages as you, it is in this category.
Tools for WhatsApp automation
All of these work through the official Business Platform.
respond.io
Best for: A shared team inbox with CRM-style contact records
A team inbox that pulls WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, email and web chat into one place, with contact records, assignment rules, workflows and AI agents. It states plainly that it adds nothing to Meta's message fees.
Starts at
Starter $79 a month, billed yearly; 5 users included
Free trial
7 days, no credit card
Message fees
Meta's fees, passed on without a markup (vendor's statement)
Meta status
States it is an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, and supports coexistence with the Business app
Good at
Assignment, internal notes and reporting per agent
Workflows and AI agents from the Growth plan
Users are included in the plan price rather than charged per seat
Check before you pay
The Starter plan has no broadcasts, workflows or AI agents; those start at Growth ($159 a month, billed yearly)
Growth and Advanced are priced on monthly active contacts, with overage per 100 contacts
Prices read on respond.io's own pricing page on 18 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; the vendor's page is the one that counts.
WATI
Best for: Small teams that want inbox, broadcasts and a bot in one WhatsApp-first tool
One of the best-known WhatsApp-first platforms: shared inbox, broadcast campaigns, a no-code chatbot builder and shop integrations, sold as flat plans with users included.
Starts at
Growth $59 a month billed annually, or $69 monthly; 3 users included
Free trial
7 days
Message fees
Extra and prepaid, from WATI's own rate card; WATI does not publish how it compares with Meta's
Meta status
Shows Meta partner badges and offers the official WhatsApp API
Good at
Quick to set up for a first WhatsApp API number
Broadcasts and automation triggers included from the entry plan
Flat plan pricing with several users included
Check before you pay
Ask for the message rate card before you commit; it is only shown after login
The Growth plan has no webhooks and caps broadcasts and automation triggers per month
Prices read on WATI's own pricing page on 18 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; the vendor's page is the one that counts.
ManyChat
Best for: Chatbots and marketing flows across WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger
A chat-marketing platform with a visual flow builder, popular with creators and small online businesses. WhatsApp is available from the Pro plan, which is priced on the number of active contacts.
Starts at
Pro $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly; up to 2,500 active contacts
Free trial
14 days on Pro
Message fees
Extra, from a prepaid wallet; ManyChat's published rates were about 15% above Meta's list rates when we compared the two rate cards
Good at
The most approachable flow builder in this list
One bot logic across WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger
Low entry price for small contact lists
Check before you pay
The Free and Essential plans do not include WhatsApp
Price rises with active contacts, and extra inbox seats are charged
Built for flows and campaigns; the team inbox is basic
Partly. The free WhatsApp Business app sends a greeting message to new contacts and an away message outside your hours, and quick replies save typing. Anything triggered by an event, such as an order or a booking, needs the WhatsApp Business Platform and software on top of it.
Is it allowed to automate WhatsApp with a browser extension or bot on WhatsApp Web?
No. WhatsApp's terms prohibit automated or bulk messaging through the apps and WhatsApp Web, and accounts that do it get banned, often permanently and with the number. The permitted route for automation is the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Can I schedule WhatsApp messages?
The WhatsApp apps have no send-later for ordinary messages. On the Business Platform, scheduling is a standard feature of most software: campaigns, reminders and follow-ups go out at a set time as approved templates.
Will customers know they are getting an automated message?
They see a normal WhatsApp message from your business name. Good practice, and WhatsApp's policy, is to make it clear when a bot is answering and to offer a way to reach a person.
What does WhatsApp automation cost?
Two parts: the software subscription, and Meta's per-message fees. Templates you send first are always charged. Replies inside the 24-hour window are free up to 1,000 a month per number from 1 October 2026 (before that date all of them were free), so a business that mostly answers incoming questions pays little in message fees.