How to connect Manychat to WhatsApp

To connect Manychat to WhatsApp you need a Pro plan or higher, administrator access to a Meta business portfolio and a phone number that can receive a verification code. You connect in Settings, WhatsApp, Connect, with a number you already have or a number bought from Manychat. The messages you send are paid separately, per delivered message.

What do you need before you start?

• Pro, Business or Advanced plan. Free and Essential plans do not include WhatsApp. See the amounts in the how much does Manychat cost guide.
• Meta Business Manager account with full-access administrator permissions on the portfolio that will own the number.
• A phone number. It can be the number you use in the WhatsApp Business app, a number connected to another provider (BSP), a number without a WhatsApp account or a new number bought from Manychat.
• Your phone at hand to receive the code by SMS or call. Turn off call or SMS blockers.
• An account without restrictions and activity that complies with the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy and the WhatsApp Commerce Policy.

How should your WhatsApp Business account (WABA) look?

Manychat lists these conditions on the account before you connect:

• Account status: approved.
• Currency: USD or none. After connecting it changes to USD.
• Payment method: none. After connecting, the credit line moves to Manychat Inc. If another method is attached, you cannot send message templates through Manychat.
• Partners: none assigned.
• Number quality: high or medium.

Conversation history does not transfer to Manychat. Make a backup on your phone before you start.

Is business verification with Meta mandatory?

It is not mandatory to connect, but without verification you can only send business-initiated messages to 250 different people per 24 hours. Verification also unlocks more features.

To verify:

1. Open Meta Business Manager and go to Settings.
2. Select WhatsApp accounts and open your account.
3. Under Business verification, click Start verification.
4. Fill in the business details and upload documents that prove the legal status of your activity.

Use an email with the same domain as your website. If you use a trade name different from the legal name, show the link between the two on the website, for example in the footer. Also confirm in WhatsApp Manager, Profile tab, that the number's display name has the Approved label.

How to connect a number you already have?

1. In Manychat, click Settings in the sidebar.
2. Choose WhatsApp in the channel list and click Connect.
3. Select Existing number and then Connect through Meta.
4. Click Continue and choose the business portfolio and the WABA account.
5. Enter the number and choose how you identify yourself: with the display name only or with the registered number.
6. Click Next, review the permissions and click Confirm.
7. When the connection finishes, click Done.

If the number is connected to another provider, you must disconnect it first. Meta does not allow the same number to be used in several integrations at the same time, including the Facebook Inbox and the personal WhatsApp app.

Can you keep using the WhatsApp Business app?

Yes, with the Coexistence connection. In the steps above, after choosing the portfolio, select the option to connect a WhatsApp Business app, enter the number, review the permissions and confirm. With Coexistence, you keep replying from the app at any time. The 24-hour window limit applies only to messages sent through the API, that is, through Manychat.

How to connect a new number bought from Manychat?

1. In Settings, WhatsApp, click Connect and choose New number.
2. Choose the number's country and click Confirm purchase. The country does not limit where the number works.
3. Copy the number and click Open registration on Meta. Do not close or reload the Manychat tab: the verification code appears there.
4. Log in with the Facebook account linked to Manychat and choose or create the business portfolio and the WABA account.
5. Fill in the display name, category, country, website (or Instagram or Facebook page) and time zone.
6. Paste the number, choose SMS or call, copy the code that appears in the Manychat tab and paste it in the Meta window.
7. Review the permissions, confirm and return to Manychat to finish.

What limits do you have after connecting?

Meta limits how many different people you can contact with message templates in a 24-hour period. This limit is shared by all numbers in the same portfolio and applies only to conversations you start. When the customer writes first, it does not count toward the limit.

Meta raises a tier within 6 hours when your messages have high quality and you used at least half of the limit in the last 7 days. You see the current limit in WhatsApp Manager, Messaging limits tab.

Besides this limit, there is the 24-hour window: after 24 hours without a reply from the customer, you can only write to them again with a template approved by Meta. WhatsApp does not have the extra 7-day window that exists on Instagram and Messenger. Read the guide on the WhatsApp 24-hour window and the Meta rules for WhatsApp chatbots.

How much do WhatsApp messages cost in Manychat?

The Manychat plan does not include messages. When you connect WhatsApp and share the credit line with Manychat, each paid message is deducted from the Manychat Wallet balance right after delivery. The price depends on the message category and the country code of the destination number.

• Messages that customers send you are free.
• Marketing templates are charged, except in the free ads window described below.
• Utility templates sent within the 24-hour window are free.
• Since October 1, 2026, service messages (normal replies within the 24-hour window) are charged after the first 1,000 free ones each month.
• Conversations that start from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad open a 72-hour window in which messages are free.

In the Manychat table, with amounts in force since October 1, 2026, Portugal is in the "Rest of Western Europe" group:

Prices checked in October 2026. The marketing and utility amounts in this table are higher than the Meta base rates that I publish in the WhatsApp cost calculator. The amount deducted from the Wallet follows the Manychat table. To compare countries and categories, read the WhatsApp Business API pricing guide.

Common errors when connecting WhatsApp

• Number still connected to another integration. Delete the number in the old WABA account or, with Coexistence, remove the previous partner in the Partners tab and in the app (Settings, Account, Business platform). The update can take a few hours.
• Payment method already attached to the WABA. It blocks sending templates through Manychat. Remove it before connecting.
• Wrong portfolio. If you connect a client's number, use the client's portfolio. An agency portfolio can lead Meta to reject the request.
• Display name rejected. Edit the name in WhatsApp Manager following Meta's rules and resubmit. The rejection does not block your Business Manager.
• Manychat tab closed during new number registration. The process restarts and you have to begin again.

Prefer to have the connection done for you?

I connect the number to Manychat through the official API, submit the templates and test the flows on your accounts. The Manychat and WhatsApp API setup page describes what gets set up and how the quote works.