After Europe, WhatsApp will let rival AI companies offer chatbots in Brazil

Meta Opens WhatsApp to Rival AI Chatbots in Brazil—But There’s a Catch

In a dramatic policy reversal, Meta has announced it will now allow rival AI chatbot providers to operate on WhatsApp in Brazil—but only if they pay a per-message fee through the company’s Business API. The decision, announced just a day after a similar move for European users, comes in direct response to a ruling by Brazil’s antitrust regulator, CADE, which blocked Meta’s attempt to ban third-party chatbots from its platform.

The controversy began in October 2025, when Meta quietly updated its WhatsApp terms of service to prohibit “general-purpose chatbots” from using its platform. The move sparked immediate backlash from developers and antitrust regulators alike, particularly because Meta already offers its own AI assistant, Meta AI, directly within WhatsApp. Critics argued the policy change was a clear attempt to stifle competition and lock users into Meta’s ecosystem.

CADE Steps In

Brazil’s antitrust authority, CADE, took swift action. In early March 2026, the regulator rejected Meta’s appeal to reverse an earlier order suspending the chatbot ban. In its ruling, CADE emphasized the “legal plausibility” of the complaint, noting WhatsApp’s dominant position in Brazil’s instant messaging market and the potential for “competitive harm” if third-party chatbots were excluded.

“Banning third-party AI chatbots on WhatsApp would not be proportionate,” CADE stated, warning that such a move could stifle innovation and limit consumer choice in a market where WhatsApp is effectively synonymous with messaging.

Meta’s Reluctant Concession

Facing regulatory pressure, Meta has now backtracked—but on its own terms. The company says it will allow third-party AI chatbot providers to use its WhatsApp Business API in Brazil and Europe, wherever it is legally required to do so. However, the pricing structure it has introduced has raised eyebrows: developers will be charged $0.0625 per “non-template message” starting March 11.

A Meta spokesperson framed the move as a pragmatic response to legal obligations: “Where we are legally required to provide AI chatbots through the WhatsApp business API, we are introducing pricing for the companies that choose to use our platform to provide those services.”

The High Cost of Compliance

While Meta’s concession is a win for competition on paper, developers are far from celebrating. Industry insiders tell TechCrunch that the new pricing model is prohibitively expensive, potentially making it unsustainable for many chatbot providers to operate on WhatsApp. The per-message fee could quickly add up, especially for services with high user engagement.

Zapia, one of the companies that filed the original complaint with CADE, cautiously welcomed the decision but warned that the fight is far from over. “Competition and preventing powerful companies from limiting how innovation reaches users,” the company said in a statement. “At Zapia, we believe people should be free to choose the AI tools they use, and innovation only thrives when the platforms people rely on every day remain open.”

The company also signaled that it will continue to challenge Meta’s policies in other Latin American markets, and is now watching closely to see how Meta adapts its approach in Brazil to comply with CADE’s ruling.

A Broader Battle for the Future of Messaging

The dispute between Meta and its rivals is part of a larger struggle over the future of AI and digital platforms. As AI chatbots become increasingly central to how people interact with technology, control over the channels through which these services are delivered—like WhatsApp—has become a flashpoint for competition.

Meta’s initial policy change was seen by many as an attempt to leverage its market dominance to lock out competitors. By allowing only its own Meta AI to operate on WhatsApp, the company could have effectively cornered the market for AI-powered messaging in regions where the app is ubiquitous.

CADE’s intervention, and Meta’s subsequent concession, suggest that regulators are increasingly willing to step in when tech giants attempt to use their platforms to stifle competition. However, the high cost of compliance Meta has introduced may still pose a significant barrier to entry for smaller developers.

What’s Next?

The coming weeks will be critical. If developers find the new pricing model unworkable, they may continue to push back—potentially leading to further regulatory scrutiny or even legal challenges. Meanwhile, Meta will be watching closely to see how many third-party chatbots actually take up its offer, and whether the move satisfies regulators in Brazil and beyond.

For now, the door to WhatsApp is open—but the price of entry may be higher than many are willing to pay. As the AI chatbot wars heat up, the battle for control over messaging platforms is only just beginning.

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Meta opens WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots in Brazil—but there’s a catch
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