Frequently asked questions

MessyChat is an AI receptionist for small businesses. It connects to your Instagram and WhatsApp, understands what each customer wants, and replies instantly to bookings, questions, and support, all handled automatically, 24/7.

Small service businesses whose customers message them directly, such as salons, barbers, spas, gyms, boutiques, caterers, detailers, tutors and removal companies. It is built for teams of one or two people who are too busy serving customers to keep up with their DMs.

For most small businesses: Starter is $24/month (one channel, WhatsApp or Instagram), Growth is $49/month (WhatsApp and Instagram, up to 5,000 AI conversations a month), and Pro is $99/month (up to 10,000 AI conversations a month, multiple staff or locations). Real estate agents have their own plans: Solo Agent $79/month, Team $199/month for up to 5 agents, and Brokerage from $449/month per branch, with lead qualification and lead export included. Businesses in Nigeria see pricing in Naira.

Meta bills WhatsApp messaging fees directly to your own WhatsApp Business account, and MessyChat adds no markup. Each number gets 1,000 free replies a month, then Meta charges per reply (about $0.003 in the US and $0.02 in the UK). Instagram DMs have no Meta fees.

Yes, every plan includes a 14-day free trial, and no credit card is required to start.

WhatsApp and Instagram. Starter includes one of them; Growth and Pro include both, shown together in one inbox.

Click "Connect with WhatsApp" in onboarding or Settings → Channels, choose a 6-digit security PIN, and approve the Facebook popup, that's it. You don't need to type a phone number or find any technical IDs; MessyChat handles the setup on Meta's side automatically.

Yes, this is standard behavior for any WhatsApp Business API integration (not specific to MessyChat), the same as Twilio, Wati, or any other provider. Once a number is registered to power automated messaging, it stops working in the regular WhatsApp Business phone app.

You can, but not without limit. Meta caps how often a phone number can be registered or deregistered: a combined maximum of 10 register/deregister calls per number in any rolling 72-hour window. Go over that and Meta blocks further changes to that number until the window clears. To keep customers well under that ceiling and protect their number from getting temporarily locked, MessyChat limits connecting or disconnecting the same WhatsApp number to once every 12 hours. This is meant for legitimate setup or switching numbers, not for routine on/off testing.

MessyChat releases it back to Meta so it becomes usable again in the native WhatsApp Business app, and stops receiving that number's messages until you reconnect.

Yes. MessyChat answers WhatsApp and Instagram messages the moment they arrive, at any hour, using your own services, prices and opening hours. Every conversation from the night is waiting in your inbox, sorted into bookings, enquiries and complaints.

Yes, at any time from the MessyChat inbox. When you start typing, auto-reply switches off so the AI doesn't answer over you, and you can turn it back on in Settings.

MessyChat recognises complaints, replies calmly, and emails you straight away so you can follow up personally before it turns into a bad review.

You can tell MessyChat in your business notes which topics to always hand to a person, such as medical, legal or design questions. You can read every conversation and take over whenever you want.

MessyChat replies in one language that you choose for your business in Settings. Pick the language most of your customers write in; you can always reply yourself in another language.

Yes. You choose the currency you charge customers in (for example USD, GBP or NGN) in Settings, and your service prices are shown in it.

This is a WhatsApp platform rule, not a MessyChat limitation: free-form replies are only allowed within 24 hours of the customer's last message to you. After that, WhatsApp blocks ordinary replies entirely; the only way to reach them again is a pre-approved "template" message, which requires Meta review in advance and isn't something MessyChat sends automatically yet. In practice, this means a quiet customer needs to message you again before you can reply. MessyChat doesn't yet send automatic follow-ups once that window closes.

This almost always means the video is encoded in HEVC (H.265) instead of H.264, the codec iPhones and a lot of editing software use by default. WhatsApp's platform only supports H.264 video (with AAC audio) in MP4/3GPP files; it silently rejects anything else after accepting the send, so it looks like it went through with no error, but the video just never shows up on the recipient's phone. If this happens, re-export the video with H.264 selected (QuickTime, HandBrake, or most video editors offer this) and send it again. MessyChat will show a ⚠️ failed notice under the message itself once it hears back from WhatsApp that a send failed.

Respond.io and Wati are built for support teams that design their own chatbot flows. MessyChat has no flow builder: you enter your business details, connect WhatsApp and Instagram, and the AI starts answering straight away. It is aimed at one or two-person businesses rather than large support teams.

No. MessyChat answers the messages customers send you. For broadcast campaigns you would use a tool such as Wati or Respond.io, and MessyChat can handle the replies those campaigns bring in.