Meta Business Agent
Meta’s own AI agent for businesses on WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, which answers questions, recommends products, books appointments, qualifies leads and hands off to a person.
Last updated: 2026-10-04
Definition
Meta Business Agent is the AI agent Meta announced on 3 June 2026 for businesses on WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. Drawing on a business’s catalogue and documents, it answers customer questions, recommends products, books appointments, qualifies leads and hands conversations to a person. In the WhatsApp Business app the small-business version is called Business AI; on the WhatsApp Business Platform Meta bills Business Agent per token from 1 August 2026, at $2 per million tokens, which Meta puts at about 4–5 US cents a message. Meta also announced an enterprise Business Agent Platform that connects to systems such as Shopify and Zendesk.
How it applies in India
Meta launched Business AI for eligible small businesses in India on 14 May 2026, answering from the business’s catalogue in Indian languages, and said UPI payments inside the chat were starting soon. Businesses that need orders, GST invoices, their own CRM fields, approval rules per action and one inbox across channels use a platform such as WatEase alongside it or instead of it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Meta Business Agent free?
Business AI in the WhatsApp Business app is free to activate for eligible businesses. On the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta bills Business Agent per token from 1 August 2026, at $2 per million tokens, about 4–5 US cents a message by Meta’s own estimate.
How is it different from a WhatsApp agent platform?
Meta’s agent answers, recommends, books and qualifies leads inside Meta’s apps. A platform such as WatEase adds the business side of the conversation: orders and UPI payment links, GST invoices, your own CRM fields and pipeline, approval rules for each kind of action, and one shared inbox across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and website chat.
Related terms
- WhatsApp AI AgentAI software on a business’s WhatsApp number that talks to customers and also acts: it uses tools to take an order, book a slot, update a record or hand the chat to a person.
- WhatsApp Business AppThe free mobile app from Meta for small businesses to manage customer conversations, with built-in catalog, labels, and quick replies — but no API or broadcast scale.
- WhatsApp Business APIA programmatic interface from Meta that lets businesses send and receive WhatsApp messages at scale through a third-party platform.
- WhatsApp ChatbotAn automated agent that responds to customers inside WhatsApp — from keyword menus to AI assistants — handling FAQs, catalog browsing, order taking, and support without a human.
- WhatsApp Pay (India)WhatsApp's in-chat payments feature in India, built on UPI, letting users send money and pay businesses without leaving the conversation.
Try WatEase
Run your WhatsApp commerce on the platform built for India — Cloud API, GST invoices, UPI checkout, opt-in tracking, and 0% markup on WhatsApp messages (competitors add 20–25%). Pricing is on request — quoted by the WatEase team.
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