Meta’s 2026 rules restrict AI providers whose main product is the AI itself, such as a general-purpose assistant. Section 4.7 does not describe a business serving its own customers with a chatbot. A chatbot that answers for your hotel, real estate firm or store is a different case. Running one costs what Meta charges per message plus the cost of the AI. With Manoflow, conversations start at US$0.19.
What section 4.7 restricts
The WhatsApp Business Solution Terms (last updated 23 September 2026) have a section 4.7 called “AI Providers”. In essence, it says that companies that develop or provide AI and machine learning technology may not use the platform, directly or indirectly, when offering that technology is their primary functionality rather than something incidental or ancillary. The examples include large language models, generative AI platforms and general-purpose AI assistants. Meta decides at its discretion who falls into that group.
The phrase that matters is “primary functionality”. A general-purpose assistant, where you ask anything, is an AI product. A chatbot that answers questions about a hotel’s rooms or a builder’s projects is a customer service tool that uses AI inside.
Two more points from the same section:
- A business may hire an AI provider as its solution provider.
- What it may not do is let platform data be used to create, train or improve any AI model, even anonymised. The exception is fine-tuning a model for that business’s exclusive use.
Meta also publishes a separate pricing page for AI providers. Since 15 January 2026 those providers may offer general-purpose assistants only in markets where Meta is legally required to allow it.
The 24-hour window
When a customer messages or calls you, a 24-hour customer service window starts. If they write again before it ends, the clock resets.
Window open
Your chatbot replies freely
Text, images, documents, location, buttons and lists, with no prior approval.
Window closed
Approved templates only
To write first, or to pick a conversation back up after 24 hours, the message must be a template. The customer must have opted in.
An AI chatbot lives inside the window most of the time: the customer asks and it answers. Reminders, confirmations and follow-ups outside the window need templates. How they are created and approved is covered in the WhatsApp message templates guide.
What Meta charges for replies
Meta charges per delivered message, by category and by the customer’s country. Messages from the customer to your business are free. Until 30 September 2026, replies inside the window were free. Since 1 October 2026 they are charged, with a free allowance: each business phone number gets 1,000 service messages a month. Unused messages do not roll over, and charging starts at message 1,001.
Rates per message, in USD, after the first 1,000 free, from Meta’s rate card valid since 1 October 2026 (checked 30 September 2026):
| Customer’s country | Service | Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 0.0008 | 0.0125 |
| Mexico | 0.0085 | 0.0397 |
| Argentina | 0.026 | 0.0618 |
| Chile | 0.02 | 0.0889 |
| Peru | 0.03 | 0.0703 |
| Brazil | 0.0068 | 0.0625 |
Without a payment method on file, service messages are delivered within the free allowance and stop being delivered once it is used. If you reply to a customer who came from a Click to WhatsApp ad, that reply is not charged and opens a free window of up to 7 days, on the Android and iOS apps only.
To estimate your month for your country and volume, use the WhatsApp API cost calculator.
What the AI costs
Meta’s fee is the cost of the channel. On top comes the cost of the AI and of the platform that runs it. Manoflow charges per conversation, from US$0.19, with the AI included, and Meta’s fees are passed through at cost. An example with 1,000 conversations a month:
- Conversations: 1,000 × US$0.19
- US$190
- AI
- included
- Meta fees
- at cost
- Monthly operation
- from US$190
Plus Meta's fees: service messages after the first 1,000 free per number, and the templates your business sends. Setup (from US$4,000) is paid once.
The full breakdown, with a yearly example, is in the Spanish guide on how much a WhatsApp AI chatbot costs.
Good practices with an AI chatbot
Apart from consent and opt-outs, which come from Meta’s policy, this is operating advice that reduces complaints and blocks.
- Offer a handoff to a person. If the customer asks, or the issue is sensitive, the chatbot should pass the conversation to your team. With Manoflow your team answers from a dashboard inbox.
- Say it is an assistant. One line in the welcome message is enough. The customer knows what to expect and forgives an imperfect answer more easily.
- Respect consent. The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy requires that customers gave you their number and opted in, per message category. Writing first to someone without that consent breaks the policy and draws blocks and reports.
- Honour blocks and opt-outs. If someone asks you to stop, stop. Meta may limit your messaging based on user feedback.
- Do not let your conversation data train AI models. Section 4.7 forbids it, except fine-tuning a model for your business’s exclusive use.
Each industry lives this differently: in hospitality the assistant answers before arrival, in real estate it qualifies leads, and in e-commerce it handles stock and shipping questions.
Frequently asked questions
Does Meta ban AI chatbots on WhatsApp?
Not in general. Section 4.7 limits AI providers whose primary functionality is the AI. It says nothing against a business using an assistant to serve its customers.
Can I put a general-purpose AI assistant on my number?
A general-purpose assistant offered as a product is exactly what section 4.7 restricts its providers from doing. A chatbot that answers with your business information, connected to your systems, is something else.
How much does each chatbot reply cost?
The first 1,000 service messages of the month are free per number. After that, from US$0.0008 in Colombia to US$0.03 in Peru, depending on the customer’s country.
How Manoflow helps
Manoflow connects your WhatsApp number, answers with AI using your business information and hands the conversation to your team when needed. To review your case and your volume, book a call.