Meta Business Agent: What It Does, What It Costs, What It Needs
Meta Business Agent is Meta’s own AI agent for business messaging. Meta announced it on 3 June 2026 for WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, and opened it to partners from 1 July 2026. Meta’s developer documentation describes it on WhatsApp. This page sets out what Meta documents about it: what it does, how it is charged, who cannot use it and what it needs from your side. If you are researching Meta AI for business or WhatsApp Business AI, these are the facts to check before you decide.
What it is
Meta Business Agent is an AI agent that replies to customers on behalf of a business. It is built by Meta and runs inside Meta’s own messaging platform. On WhatsApp its replies form their own message category, separate from service replies and templates, and they are sent inside the 24-hour customer service window that opens with the customer’s last message.
What it can do
According to Meta’s developer overview, the agent:
- Answers customers from the business information, FAQs, websites and files the business gives it.
- Follows the tone instructions the business sets.
- Takes actions, such as looking up or changing something, only through the business’s own APIs and webhooks.
- Hands a conversation over to the business’s own app when it needs to.
What it costs
From 1 August 2026, Meta charges for Meta Business Agent per token, at US$2.00 per million tokens. Meta says a typical message uses 20,000 to 25,000 tokens, which comes to about 4 to 5 US cents a message.
This charge comes on top of WhatsApp’s other message fees. It also applies inside the free window that opens after a click-to-WhatsApp ad, where marketing, utility, authentication and service messages are free but Meta Business Agent messages are still charged. Since 1 October 2026, ordinary service replies are free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number and then charged per message. Rates for other message categories vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards.
Who cannot use it
Meta lists these limits:
- Businesses in finance, government, health, alcohol, gambling, over-the-counter drugs or matrimony.
- Numbers on the consumer WhatsApp Business app. It needs a number on the WhatsApp Business Platform.
- A number that already runs another AI agent.
What it needs to connect to your systems
Answering from FAQs and documents works from what you upload. Anything beyond answering needs your own systems connected. Meta Business Agent takes actions only through APIs and webhooks that the business builds and hosts. Checking an order, booking an appointment or updating a CRM record means a developer builds that endpoint first and keeps it running.
Handover goes to your app. Meta’s overview does not describe a shared inbox where your team picks up conversations, so the place your staff reply from is something you provide.
Where AeroChat fits
AeroChat is chat infrastructure that runs your customer service and sales workflows across channels. It connects to the business systems you already use and runs the steps of a conversation end to end, from answering to looking up, acting, updating the record and handing over. The table compares the two using only what each documents.
| Meta Business Agent | AeroChat | |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | Announced for WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. Developer docs describe WhatsApp. | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, web chat and email in one product. |
| Connecting your systems | Through APIs and webhooks the business builds. | Connects to 100+ business systems with no developer. Describe the workflow and paste in a key. |
| Team takeover | Handover goes to the business’s own app. | Your team takes over any conversation in the inbox or the mobile app. Agent seats come with every plan. |
| Health businesses | Not available. | Works for clinics and other health businesses. |
| How AI responses are billed | Per token, about 4 to 5 US cents a typical message, on top of message fees. | AI responses come with the plan. AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp message fees through at cost. |
For a business that wants an agent from Meta itself and has developers to build the connections, Meta Business Agent is an option to look at. For a business that wants several channels, its existing systems connected without a build, and its team able to step in, AeroChat covers that in one place. A number already running another AI agent cannot also use Meta Business Agent, so pick one per number.
See what AeroChat runs on WhatsApp:
- WhatsApp customer service that answers from your knowledge base and your systems.
- WhatsApp order tracking that answers from your store data.
- WhatsApp appointment booking connected to your calendar.
- WhatsApp human handover to your team in the inbox or mobile app.
- Click-to-WhatsApp ad conversations inside Meta’s free window.
- WhatsApp and your CRM: every CRM workflow in one place.
Questions
What is Meta Business Agent?
It is Meta’s own AI agent for business messaging. It answers customers from the information, FAQs, websites and files a business provides, follows the business’s tone instructions, and takes actions through the business’s own APIs and webhooks.
How much does Meta Business Agent cost?
Meta charges US$2.00 per million tokens from 1 August 2026. Meta says a typical message is 20,000 to 25,000 tokens, about 4 to 5 US cents. This is charged on top of WhatsApp’s other message fees and is still charged inside the click-to-WhatsApp free window.
Can a clinic or a bank use Meta Business Agent?
No. Meta does not make it available to businesses in finance, government, health, alcohol, gambling, over-the-counter drugs or matrimony. AeroChat works for clinics and other health businesses.
Can I use Meta Business Agent with the WhatsApp Business app?
No. Numbers on the consumer WhatsApp Business app cannot use it. It needs a number on the WhatsApp Business Platform, and that number must not already be running another AI agent.
Which AeroChat plans include AI responses?
Every plan. Workflows via Skills are on every plan, Free included. Starter includes 500 AI responses and 3 seats, Growth 2,000 and 10 seats with payment links and broadcasts, and Advanced 5,000 and 25 seats.
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Related: WhatsApp customer service and human handover.