Roundup, October 2026
The best WhatsApp MCP servers in 2026: what each one is best for
In 2025 the answer to "connect WhatsApp to Claude" was one GitHub repo. By October 2026 there are free open-source servers, seven hosted services for a personal number (ours among them), developer gateways with MCPs, team inboxes, and Meta's own Business Tools MCP. We make one of them, so this roundup says plainly where others are the better pick.
As of October 2026, there is no single best WhatsApp MCP server: the maintained lharries fork is best if you want free and local, finereli and Automata if you want free and open source with tight limits, CoraPilot if price is everything, Blueticks for scheduling, Green-API for developers, and the Business Tools MCP for business numbers. Circles (we make it) is the pick for voice notes as text in Hebrew and English, files on request and per-chat permissions, hosted, on Free, Starter $9.90 or Pro $29 a month.
Updated
The options at a glance
As of 27 October 2026, from each project's own pages (see Sources). "Not stated" means the vendor did not say either way.
| Server | Best for | Personal number | Remote MCP and sign-in | Voice notes | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lharries/whatsapp-mcp | The original, if you will maintain it | Yes | Local stdio | No transcription | Free |
| verygoodplugins/whatsapp-mcp | Free and local, actively maintained | Yes | Local; HTTP with no built-in auth | On demand, self-hosted | Free |
| finereli/whatsapp-mcp | Free, read-only, cannot send by construction | Yes | Remote, OAuth | Not transcribed | Free beta; about $5 a month self-hosted |
| Automata | Open source with per-chat read, write or none | Yes | Remote, bearer token | No (text only) | Free |
| CoraPilot | Lowest price | Yes | Remote, OAuth | Not stated | $4 a month or $39 a year |
| WhatSync | ChatGPT app store listing; OCR on higher tiers | Yes (Business API on top tier) | Remote, OAuth | From Pro, 120 minutes a day | $15 to $63 a month (annual billing) |
| Blueticks | Scheduling and campaigns | Yes | Remote, OAuth or API key | Not stated | From $7 per user (annual); free plan |
| WhatsMCP | WhatsApp calls over SIP too | Yes (and Business) | Remote, OAuth or API key | No | Free (30 messages a day); $10; $25 |
| Kaption | Reading and scheduling from WhatsApp Web | Yes, with WhatsApp Web open | Remote relay, OAuth 2.1 | Not stated | Free 60 days, then tool-call tiers |
| wa2agent | Read-only access for Instinct and others (invite-only) | Yes | MCP | No | Invite-only pilot |
| Green-API | Developers and many numbers | Yes | Remote, instance ID and token | No | Free developer plan; Business per instance |
| TimelinesAI | Sales and support teams | Yes, or official API | Remote, TimelinesAI sign-in | No | $35 per seat |
| Beeper | Many networks in one desktop app | Yes | Local, desktop app must run | No | Free up to 5 accounts |
| WhatsApp Business Tools MCP (Meta) | Managing a business account | No | Remote, OAuth (beta) | Not applicable | Business Platform pricing |
| Circles | Voice notes as text, files, per-chat permissions, hosted | Yes | Remote, OAuth 2.1 or token | Automatic, Hebrew and English | Free, Starter $9.90, Pro $29 |
Free and open source
- lharries/whatsapp-mcp: the original (6,742 stars), a Go bridge plus a Python MCP server with 12 tools, local stdio. Last updated 13 July 2025; users report a "Client outdated (405)" connection failure with fixes waiting unmerged. Details.
- verygoodplugins/whatsapp-mcp: the maintained fork, pushed 25 October 2026. Adds on-demand transcription (whisper.cpp or an endpoint you choose), media viewing for clients without file access, webhooks, reactions and backfill. Best free pick if you will run a bridge.
- finereli/whatsapp-mcp: read-only by design, OAuth, on Cloudflare Workers, with a free hosted beta (limited seats). Media shows as labels and nothing is transcribed. Best if you want an agent that simply cannot send.
- Automata: MIT-licensed, per-chat read, write or no access, per-token revocation, with a hosted free tier. Text and captions only; bearer token, no OAuth. The closest open-source match to Circles' permission idea.
Hosted, for a personal number
- Circles (ours): one address and an approval to connect Claude, ChatGPT or Codex, one tap and a send for Instinct; per chat hidden, read, or read and send; voice notes transcribed automatically in Hebrew and English; files on request; full history; sending off by default with a daily cap. It is not the cheapest, and it is neither free nor open source.
- WhatSync: the closest feature set: chosen chats, voice transcription and OCR from its Pro tier, full older history on Max, and a ChatGPT app store listing. Priced $15 to $63 a month billed yearly.
- CoraPilot: the price floor at $4 a month, with OAuth and a self-chat assistant; little else is stated publicly.
- Blueticks: a hosted MCP on top of a scheduling and campaigns product, from $7 a month billed annually, always-on cloud on Pro. Circles vs Blueticks.
- WhatsMCP: hosted MCP plus WhatsApp calls over SIP, with a free plan (30 messages a day, 3-day history).
- Kaption: OAuth 2.1 relay that works while its browser extension or desktop app is open; reads, searches and schedules, with no instant send.
- wa2agent: invite-only, read-only, chosen chats, with guides for Instinct, Claude, Codex and ChatGPT.
Gateways and team inboxes with an MCP
- Green-API: a developer gateway with a hosted MCP and a free developer plan. Circles vs Green-API.
- Wassenger: business API and team inbox, MCP in beta with an API key, from $39.90 a month. Circles vs Wassenger.
- TimelinesAI: sales and support inbox with a remote MCP on every plan, $35 a seat. Circles vs TimelinesAI.
- Whapi.Cloud, Maytapi, Periskope, Unipile: gateways and inboxes whose MCPs are local adapters or aimed at developers building products.
The official one: for business numbers only
Meta's WhatsApp Business Tools MCP (beta) manages business accounts, numbers, templates and webhooks, and can send. It has no tool for reading message history and does not work with a personal number. If you message customers from a business number, it is the right place to start. Circles vs the Business API.
How to choose
- Free, and you will run it: the verygoodplugins fork, or finereli if read-only is a feature.
- Per-chat control in open source: Automata.
- Cheapest hosted: CoraPilot.
- Scheduling or campaigns: Blueticks.
- A team on one number: TimelinesAI or Wassenger.
- A business number: the Business Platform.
- Voice notes, files and per-chat permissions, hosted, in Hebrew or English: Circles.
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. Pick on behaviour: what the agent can see, and how hard it is for it to send.
The community-maintained list is rosroyros/awesome-whatsapp-mcp.
Questions and answers
What is the best WhatsApp MCP server in 2026?
It depends on the job. As of October 2026: the verygoodplugins fork for free and local, Automata for open-source per-chat control, CoraPilot for the lowest price, and Circles for hosted access with voice notes as text, files and per-chat permissions.
Is there a free hosted WhatsApp MCP?
Yes, with limits: finereli's read-only beta, Automata's and WhatsMCP's free tiers, and Blueticks' free plan of five requests per six hours. Circles has a Free plan too (2 chats, read only), and Pro is $29 a month after 14 days free.
Which WhatsApp MCP works with Claude on the web and phone?
Any remote one: Circles, WhatSync, CoraPilot, Blueticks, finereli, Kaption, TimelinesAI and others. Local stdio servers like lharries/whatsapp-mcp reach only desktop clients.
Which WhatsApp MCP transcribes voice notes?
As of October 2026: Circles (automatic, Hebrew and English), WhatSync from its Pro tier, and the verygoodplugins fork on demand. Most others do not, or do not say.
Which WhatsApp MCP lets me hide chats from the agent?
Circles (hidden, read, or read and send per chat), Automata (read, write or none), and WhatSync and wa2agent (choose chats). Most others do not describe per-chat limits.
Is any WhatsApp MCP official?
Only Meta's Business Tools MCP, which is for business numbers and does not read message history. Every personal-number MCP is an unofficial linked device.
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
- github.com/verygoodplugins/whatsapp-mcp
- github.com/finereli/whatsapp-mcp
- news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50145715
- getautomata.app/whatsapp-mcp
- corapilot.com
- whatsync.app/whatsapp-mcp
- whatsync.app/pricing
- blueticks.co/pricing
- whatsmcp.com/plans
- kaptionai.com/mcp
- wa2agent.link
- green-api.com/en/docs/integration/mcp/integration-setup/
- wassenger.com/pricing
- timelines.ai/pricing/
- whapi.cloud/mcp-whatsapp-api
- maytapi.com/
- docs.periskope.app/ai/mcp
- unipile.com/pricing-api/
- beeper.com/mcp
- developers.facebook.com/documentation/mcp/whatsapp-business-tools-mcp
- github.com/rosroyros/awesome-whatsapp-mcp
Connect your WhatsApp to your agent today.
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