WhatsApp AI agent · Updated 25 September 2026

A WhatsApp AI agent for your business

Describe the job in plain words. Altrnative turns it into an agent that replies on your WhatsApp Business number day and night, in your customer's language, and hands over to you when it should.

What a WhatsApp AI agent does

A WhatsApp AI agent is software that reads each message a customer sends to your business number and writes the reply, the way a trained team member would. Unlike a chatbot built from menus and buttons, it understands free text — "is the 3BHK still there, can I see it Saturday?" — and holds the whole conversation until it reaches an outcome.

On Altrnative, an agent:

How you build one

  1. Describe it the way you'd brief a new colleague: who it talks to, what a good conversation ends with, what to find out, when to stop.
  2. Test it in a chat. Altrnative plays the customer — interested, just browsing, Hinglish, difficult — and your agent answers. Nothing is sent to anyone.
  3. Put it to work on a campaign that messages a list, or on single chats your own system starts through the API.

There is no flow builder and no code. Change the agent in plain words ("be more formal", "ask for the budget first") and every campaign using it follows the change on the next reply.

Where it runs
Your number Your own WhatsApp Business number on Meta's Cloud API. Your brand, your display name.
Campaigns Send an approved template to a list; the agent answers everyone who replies.
API POST /api/v1/chats starts a chat from your CRM, checkout or app; the agent takes it from there.

In production today

Altrnative runs 12+ live agents, handling around 120,000 messages a month at 99.9% uptime, across real estate, retail, food and logistics.

What it costs

Pay per conversation, not per seat: Meta's own template rate at cost, plus ₹0.30 per conversation when an agent answers — one person, one number, 24 hours from the agent's first reply, however many messages, AI included. No subscription, no platform fee. See pricing.

Questions

What is the difference between a WhatsApp chatbot and a WhatsApp AI agent?

A chatbot follows a menu or flow someone drew: it works while customers pick the buttons and breaks when they type something else. An AI agent reads free text, keeps the whole conversation in mind, and works toward an outcome — a booking, a payment, an answer — while following your rules.

Can I use my own WhatsApp number?

Yes. The agent runs on your own WhatsApp Business number through Meta's Cloud API, under your business name. You connect it once in WhatsApp Manager; Altrnative checks the connection with Meta before saving anything.

Does it reply in Hindi and Hinglish?

Yes. By default the agent replies in the language and script the customer writes in, and switches when they do. You can set it to English only.

What happens when the agent can't handle something?

You list the situations where a person should take over. When one comes up, the agent tells the customer someone will follow up and stops. You see the conversation in Conversations and can reply while WhatsApp's 24-hour window is open.

Is it allowed by WhatsApp?

Yes. It runs on Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API. First messages use templates Meta has approved, opt-outs are honoured automatically, and the agent replies inside WhatsApp's 24-hour customer service window.

How much does a WhatsApp AI agent cost?

On Altrnative, Meta's template rate at cost plus ₹0.30 per 24-hour conversation the agent handles. There is no monthly fee and AI is not billed by the token. You start with $5 free.

Try it on your own number

Describe your agent in plain words, test it in a chat, and put it on your WhatsApp. $5 free to start, no subscription.

Start free   Book a demo

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