# Every way to give an AI agent your WhatsApp, side by side > Open-source servers, hosted connectors, developer gateways, team inboxes, the official Business API, Meta AI and plain chat export. What each one does with a personal number, what it costs, and when it is the better choice than Circles. **Circles is the hosted WhatsApp MCP for your personal number:** one address and an approval to connect Claude, ChatGPT or Codex, one tap and a send for Instinct, per-chat permissions, voice notes transcribed in Hebrew and English, on Free, Starter $9.90 or Pro $29 a month. As of October 2026, the alternatives fall into five groups: free self-hosted servers, other hosted MCPs, developer gateways and team inboxes, the official Business API (which cannot read a personal number), and built-in or manual options like Meta AI and chat export. Source: https://usecircles.app/en/compare · Updated 2026-10-27 ## All the alternatives at a glance As of October 2026, from each vendor's own pages (see Sources). "Personal number" means the WhatsApp number you already use. "Remote MCP with OAuth" means a hosted address that Claude or ChatGPT on the web and phone can add and you approve, with no key to paste. | Option | Personal number | Hosted | Remote MCP with OAuth | Per-chat permissions | Voice transcription | Price (Oct 2026) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Circles** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Hidden, read, or read and send | Automatic, Hebrew and English | Free, Starter $9.90, Pro $29 | | [lharries/whatsapp-mcp](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/self-hosted-whatsapp-mcp) | Yes | No, runs on your computer | No, local stdio | No | No | Free (MIT) | | [verygoodplugins fork](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/self-hosted-whatsapp-mcp) | Yes | No | Optional HTTP, no built-in auth | Proposed, not shipped | On demand, you host it | Free | | [WhatsApp Business Platform](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/whatsapp-business-api) | No, business numbers only | Yes, by Meta | Business Tools MCP (beta), for managing the account | Not applicable | Not applicable | Per message since 1 July 2025 | | [Blueticks](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/blueticks) | Yes | Always on with Pro; lower tiers use the Chrome extension | Yes, or an API key | Not described | Not stated | From $7 per user (annual); free plan | | [WhatSync](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/whatsync) | Yes (Business API on the top tier) | Yes | Yes | Choose chats; groups off until selected | From Pro, 120 minutes a day | $15 to $63 a month (annual billing) | | CoraPilot | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | $4 a month or $39 a year | | [Green-API](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/green-api) | Yes | Yes | Hosted MCP, instance ID and token | Method-level only | No | Free developer plan (3 chats); Business per instance | | [Wassenger](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/wassenger) | Yes, or a Business number | Yes | API key only (MCP in beta) | No | No | $39.90 to $99.90 a month | | Whapi.Cloud | Yes | Gateway yes, MCP adapter runs locally | No | No | No | $29 a month per number; free sandbox | | Maytapi | Yes | Yes | Unclear | No | No | $29 a month per number ($24 annual) | | UltraMsg | Yes | Yes | No MCP found | No | No | $39 a month | | WAHA | Yes | You self-host it | MCP app with scoped keys | Scoped keys | No | Free; $5 supporter tier | | Evolution API | Yes | You self-host it | No MCP | No | OpenAI audio-to-text integration | Free (Apache 2.0) | | Unipile | Yes | Yes | MCP aimed at coding agents | No | No | From €49 a month (10 accounts) | | Periskope | Yes | Yes | Local MCP with an API key | No | No (AI summaries) | $25 or $35 per user or phone | | [TimelinesAI](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/timelinesai) | Yes, or the official API | Yes | Yes, TimelinesAI sign-in | Team permissions | No | $35 per seat ($28 annual) | | WhatsMCP | Yes (and Business) | Yes | Yes, or an API key | No | No | Free (30 messages a day, 3-day history); $10; $25 | | finereli/whatsapp-mcp | Yes | Free hosted beta, or self-host | Yes | No (read-only) | No | Free beta; about $5 a month self-hosted | | Automata | Yes | Hosted free tier, or self-host | Bearer token, no OAuth | Read, write or none per chat | No | Free | | wa2agent | Yes | Yes, invite-only | MCP | Choose chats (read-only) | No | Invite-only pilot | | Kaption | Yes, with WhatsApp Web open | Relay; the browser or app must be open | Yes, OAuth 2.1 with PKCE | Locked chats hidden | Not stated | Free for 60 days, then tool-call tiers | | Beeper | Yes | No, the desktop app must run | Local only | No | No | Free up to 5 accounts; Plus $9.99 (2025 price) | | [OpenClaw](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/openclaw) | Yes; its docs recommend a separate number | You self-host it | Not an MCP: it is its own agent | Allowlists | Through the agent | Free software plus your model bill | | [Zapier, Make, n8n, Pipedream, Composio](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/automation-platforms) | No (Business API); n8n through a community node | Yes | Yes (Zapier, Pipedream, Composio) | Not applicable | No | Platform pricing plus Meta's fees | | [Meta AI in WhatsApp](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/meta-ai-summaries) | Yes, built in | Built in | No, your agent cannot reach it | Advanced Chat Privacy per chat | No (summaries of unread messages) | Free | | [ChatGPT on WhatsApp](https://usecircles.app/en/guides/chatgpt-whatsapp-alternative) | A bot you message; it reads no other chats | Yes | No | Not applicable | Hears voice you send it | Free; EEA only since 13 July 2026 | | [Chat export and upload](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/export-chat-to-chatgpt) | Yes | No, manual | No | One chat per export | No | Free | "Not stated" means the vendor's pages did not say either way on 27 October 2026. The feature may still exist. A balanced roundup of the MCP servers alone: [the best WhatsApp MCP servers in 2026](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/best-whatsapp-mcp-servers). ## Four questions that decide it 1. **Personal number or business number?** If your agent should read your own chats, groups and history, the official Business API is out: it only works with a business number and cannot see personal chats. Every personal-number option, Circles included, connects as an unofficial linked device. 2. **Do you want to run a server?** If yes, the open-source servers (lharries/whatsapp-mcp and its forks, finereli, Automata, WAHA, Evolution API) are free and give you full control. If not, pick a hosted service. 3. **Where does your agent live?** Claude and ChatGPT on the web and on your phone need a remote MCP address, ideally with OAuth. A local stdio server only reaches desktop clients on the same computer. 4. **What is in your chats?** If people send voice notes, photos and PDFs, check whether the agent gets text and files it can open, or just placeholders. That is where options differ most. ## Side-by-side pages One page per alternative, each with a verdict, a table, where the other option wins, and its sources. - **[WhatSync](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/whatsync)**: Full history and sending for $29 a month, against WhatSync Max billed yearly. Where WhatSync wins, too. - **[Personal WhatsApp AI alternatives](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/whatsapp-ai-alternatives)**: Circles, WhatSync, Blueticks, WhatsMCP and lharries, with a four-question decision guide. - **[Switch from WhatSync](https://usecircles.app/en/guides/switch-from-whatsync)**: Link Circles beside it, check your history, then close the old plan yourself. - **[WhatsApp AI on your phone](https://usecircles.app/en/guides/whatsapp-ai-on-mobile)**: Set up and use AI on your WhatsApp with no computer. - **[Self-hosted WhatsApp MCP](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/self-hosted-whatsapp-mcp)**: lharries/whatsapp-mcp and its forks, the 405 error, and when running your own wins. - **[WhatsApp Business API](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/whatsapp-business-api)**: Official and sanctioned, for business numbers only. Who should use it. - **[Blueticks](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/blueticks)**: Scheduling and campaigns with an MCP, against an agent-ready personal inbox. - **[Green-API](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/green-api)**: A developer gateway with a hosted MCP, against a service built for one person. - **[Wassenger](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/wassenger)**: A business API and team inbox with an MCP in beta. - **[TimelinesAI](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/timelinesai)**: A sales and support inbox with a remote MCP, against personal use. - **[OpenClaw](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/openclaw)**: An agent that lives in WhatsApp, against giving your own agent your chats. - **[Zapier, Make, n8n](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/automation-platforms)**: Why they cannot read a personal WhatsApp, and how n8n can use Circles' API. - **[Meta AI summaries](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/meta-ai-summaries)**: Free and built in. What it summarises, and what your own agent can do with your chats. - **[Export a chat to ChatGPT](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/export-chat-to-chatgpt)**: The free one-off route: how, its limits, and when a live connection is worth it. - **[Best WhatsApp MCP servers](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/best-whatsapp-mcp-servers)**: A dated, balanced roundup, with what each option is best for. - **[ChatGPT left WhatsApp outside the EEA](https://usecircles.app/en/guides/chatgpt-whatsapp-alternative)**: What changed on 15 January 2026, and how to let ChatGPT or Claude read your WhatsApp now. ## One thing every personal-number option shares Circles links your number as an unofficial linked device. So do lharries/whatsapp-mcp, Blueticks, WhatSync, CoraPilot, Green-API, Whapi, Maytapi, Wassenger in linked-device mode, WAHA, Evolution API, finereli, Automata, WhatsMCP and OpenClaw. Each personal-number tool here, Circles included, connects as an unofficial linked device, which WhatsApp's terms do not authorise. Green-API reported in September 2026 that WhatsApp is testing a warning about unofficial linked devices on an Android beta. The only official route is Meta's Business Platform, and it cannot read a personal number. So the honest question is how carefully a tool behaves: Circles reads by default, keeps sending off until you allow it per chat, caps sends per day, never broadcasts, and connects each customer through a dedicated IP address shared with no one else. ## Questions and answers ### What is the best WhatsApp MCP server? It depends on what you need. As of October 2026: a free self-hosted server if you want to run your own, a hosted one like Circles if you want Claude or ChatGPT on the web and phone with one address and an approval. Circles stands out for voice notes as text, files on request and per-chat permissions. [The full roundup](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/best-whatsapp-mcp-servers). ### Is there an official WhatsApp MCP for my personal number? No. Meta's official route, the WhatsApp Business Platform and its Business Tools MCP, works only with business numbers and has no tool for reading message history. Every personal-number option, Circles included, is an unofficial linked device. ### Is there a free hosted WhatsApp MCP? Yes, with limits. As of October 2026, finereli runs a free read-only hosted beta, Automata and WhatsMCP have free tiers, and Blueticks has a free plan of five MCP requests per six hours. Circles has a Free plan too (2 chats, read only), and Pro is $29 a month with 14 days free. ### Can Zapier, Make or n8n read my personal WhatsApp? Not with their native WhatsApp integrations, which use the Business API. n8n can reach a personal number through a community node, or through Circles' HTTP API. [How](https://usecircles.app/en/compare/automation-platforms). ### Why pay for Circles when open-source servers are free? You pay for Circles to run it for you: it is hosted, works in Claude and ChatGPT on the web and phone, transcribes voice notes in Hebrew and English, serves files, and lets you hide chats and cap sends. If you would rather run your own, the free servers are a good choice. ### Which option is safest from a WhatsApp ban? None can promise anything: every personal-number tool, Circles included, is an unofficial linked device. Behaviour is what you control, which is why Circles reads by default, caps sends and never broadcasts. ## Sources Competitor facts as seen on 27 October 2026 unless another date is given. Prices change often in this category: check the vendor's own page before you buy. - [github.com/lharries/whatsapp-mcp](https://github.com/lharries/whatsapp-mcp) - [github.com/verygoodplugins/whatsapp-mcp](https://github.com/verygoodplugins/whatsapp-mcp) - [developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing) - [developers.facebook.com/documentation/mcp/whatsapp-business-tools-mcp](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/mcp/whatsapp-business-tools-mcp) - [blueticks.co/pricing](https://blueticks.co/pricing) - [whatsync.app/pricing](https://whatsync.app/pricing) - [corapilot.com](https://corapilot.com) - [green-api.com/en/docs/integration/mcp/integration-setup/](https://green-api.com/en/docs/integration/mcp/integration-setup/) - [green-api.com/en/docs/about-tariffs/](https://green-api.com/en/docs/about-tariffs/) - [green-api.com/articles/en/whatsapp-says-no-more-unofficial-clients/](https://green-api.com/articles/en/whatsapp-says-no-more-unofficial-clients/) - [wassenger.com/pricing](https://wassenger.com/pricing) - [whapi.cloud/price](https://whapi.cloud/price) - [maytapi.com/](https://maytapi.com/) - [ultramsg.com/](https://ultramsg.com/) - [waha.devlike.pro/](https://waha.devlike.pro/) - [github.com/EvolutionAPI/evolution-api](https://github.com/EvolutionAPI/evolution-api) - [unipile.com/pricing-api/](https://www.unipile.com/pricing-api/) - [periskope.app/pricing](https://periskope.app/pricing) - [timelines.ai/pricing/](https://timelines.ai/pricing/) - [whatsmcp.com/plans](https://whatsmcp.com/plans) - [github.com/finereli/whatsapp-mcp](https://github.com/finereli/whatsapp-mcp) - [getautomata.app/whatsapp-mcp](https://www.getautomata.app/whatsapp-mcp) - [wa2agent.link](https://wa2agent.link) - [kaptionai.com/mcp](https://kaptionai.com/mcp) - [beeper.com/mcp](https://www.beeper.com/mcp) - [docs.openclaw.ai/channels/whatsapp](https://docs.openclaw.ai/channels/whatsapp) - [composio.dev/toolkits/whatsapp](https://composio.dev/toolkits/whatsapp) - [zapier.com/mcp/whatsapp-business](https://zapier.com/mcp/whatsapp-business) - [docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/app-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.whatsapp/](https://docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/app-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.whatsapp/) - [9to5mac.com/2026/04/21/whatsapp-testing-multi-chat-ai-summaries-for-unread-messages/](https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/21/whatsapp-testing-multi-chat-ai-summaries-for-unread-messages/) - [the-decoder.com/chatgpt-returns-to-whatsapp-in-europe-after-eu-forces-meta-to-open-the-door-to-rival-ai-bots/](https://the-decoder.com/chatgpt-returns-to-whatsapp-in-europe-after-eu-forces-meta-to-open-the-door-to-rival-ai-bots/) - [faq.whatsapp.com/1180414079177245/](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1180414079177245/) ## Keep reading - [What Circles is](https://usecircles.app/en/whatsapp-mcp): The hosted WhatsApp MCP for your personal number, in one page. - [Pricing](https://usecircles.app/en/pricing): Free, Starter $9.90, Pro $29. 14 days of Pro free. - [Security and control](https://usecircles.app/en/security): Per-chat permissions, send caps, the activity log, and the honest risk. --- 14 days free. Link your number, pick the chats, then connect Instinct with one tap or Claude, ChatGPT and Codex with one address. Start: https://usecircles.app/start?lang=en