Meta AI alternatives for WhatsApp in 2026
Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform terms now bar general-purpose AI assistants, and ChatGPT left WhatsApp after 15 January 2026. The alternatives to Meta AI are WhatsApp's own tools, assistants that still work with WhatsApp, such as Cole, Luzia and Poke, and, for groups willing to move, group chats in other apps. Since 9 July 2026, OpenAI no longer lets anyone start or join a ChatGPT group chat. For an assistant inside a WhatsApp group, Cole joins as a participant with its own number.
The short answer
Keep Meta AI for free quick answers inside WhatsApp, if Meta offers it where you live. Add Cole when you want an assistant inside the group that posts reminders later, recaps what the group said and works with your own email and calendar. Luzia and Poke present themselves as personal assistants; we found no page from either that describes adding them to a WhatsApp group. ChatGPT is not on WhatsApp, and OpenAI is retiring group chats in the ChatGPT app.
We make Cole. For every other product we used only its own pages, listed under Sources, and we say so where we found nothing.
Side by side
| Inside a WhatsApp group | What it is for | Price, on its own page | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cole | Yes. You add Cole's number to the group; it answers when tagged, named or replied to. | Reminders posted in the group, recaps, translations on request, tasks with your own email and calendar. Also works in LINE, iMessage, Telegram and Slack. | Free to start with 150 one-time credits, then from $19 a month for 2,000 credits. |
| Meta AI | Yes. Type @Meta AI, or a member adds it as a group member, where available (source). | Quick answers, planning, polls, summaries of long threads and help for admins of large groups, as Meta lists them. | "Free for everyday use"; paid Meta One plans add more AI usage (source). |
| WhatsApp's own tools | Yes, built in. | Polls with an end time and hidden voter names, translation on your phone, and private summaries of unread messages where available. | Free. |
| ChatGPT | No. ChatGPT is no longer available on WhatsApp after 15 January 2026 (source). | No new group chats or joins in the ChatGPT app since 9 July 2026; existing ones are read-only in the UK and can still send elsewhere while messaging is enabled (OpenAI, source). | ChatGPT's own plans, including Free. |
| Luzia | We found no Luzia page that says so. | A personal assistant app. Its site says its LuziClaw agent mode is in beta, "available in the app and on WhatsApp", in select countries (source). | Free, with an upgrade called Luzia+. |
| Poke | We found no Poke page that says so. | A personal assistant you text through Messages, WhatsApp or Telegram, connected to your apps. Its site says Poke is joining Cognition (source). | Free; Pro $19 a month; Ultra $199 a month, billed monthly. |
Each option in a few lines
Cole
Cole joins a WhatsApp group with its own number. In a group that a Pocodot account pays for, it keeps the group's messages as background and replies only when someone tags it, calls it by name or replies to it. It posts reminders at the time you set, sums up what the group said, translates on request and, from your private chat, uses your own Gmail, Google Calendar or Outlook after you approve. It can post a simple WhatsApp poll when asked, but it cannot read the votes. Setup: How to add Cole to a WhatsApp group.
Meta AI
Meta says that, as a group member, Meta AI can answer questions, plan activities and schedule events, create polls, summarize long threads and help admins of large groups share rules and set up alerts. When a member adds it, Meta can read new messages sent in the group, and admins can remove it at any time. Meta AI cannot change group settings, and Meta says it is only available in limited countries. A detailed comparison: Cole vs Meta AI in WhatsApp groups.
WhatsApp's own tools
Some jobs need no assistant. WhatsApp announced in August 2026 that polls can close at an end time and hide voter names. Meta's message translation runs on your device. Message Summaries privately sum up your unread messages, off by default and rolling out in select markets. See polls, translation and summaries.
ChatGPT
OpenAI says ChatGPT is no longer available on WhatsApp after 15 January 2026, because of a policy and terms change from WhatsApp. OpenAI's Help Center also says that since 9 July 2026 no new group chat in ChatGPT can be created or joined. In the UK, existing group chats are read-only; elsewhere, people already in one can keep sending messages while messaging there is still enabled. More: can you add ChatGPT to a WhatsApp group?
Luzia
Luzia is an assistant app. Its home page describes LuziClaw, an agent mode in beta in select countries, available in the app and on WhatsApp, with examples such as reminding you of something you said in a group chat. We did not find a Luzia page that describes adding Luzia to a group as a member.
Poke
Poke describes itself as a contact you text through Messages, WhatsApp or Telegram, connected to apps such as Gmail and Notion, with reminders and automations. Its plans are Free, Pro at $19 a month and Ultra at $199 a month. We did not find a Poke page that describes adding Poke to a WhatsApp group.
- Free quick answers inside the chat, where availableMeta AI
- Reminders and recaps the whole group sees, across chat appsCole
- Just a voteWhatsApp poll
- Reading other languages on your own phoneWhatsApp translation
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Meta, Meta Terms for WhatsApp Business Platform, section 4.7 "AI Providers" (last modified 23 September 2026), read 18 October 2026.
- OpenAI, Continuing your ChatGPT experience beyond WhatsApp (21 October 2025), read 18 October 2026.
- OpenAI Help Center, Retiring group chats in ChatGPT: since 9 July 2026 no new group chats can be created or joined; existing group chats are read-only in the UK, and elsewhere can still send messages while messaging is enabled. Read 30 October 2026.
- OpenAI, Introducing group chats in ChatGPT (13 November 2025, updated 20 November 2025), read 18 October 2026.
- WhatsApp Help Center, About groups with Meta AI as a member, read 18 October 2026.
- WhatsApp Help Center, About Meta AI, read 18 October 2026.
- Meta Newsroom, Introducing Meta One: A Subscription Service With More Features and AI to Create, Connect, and Stand Out (September 2026), read 18 October 2026.
- WhatsApp Blog, Your Group Chats Upgraded: Introducing Better Polls, @all and More (4 August 2026), read 18 October 2026.
- Meta Newsroom, Introducing Message Translations on WhatsApp (September 2025), read 18 October 2026.
- WhatsApp Blog, Catch up on conversations with Private Message Summaries (25 June 2025, last updated 13 October 2025), read 18 October 2026.
- Luzia, luzia.com (home page), read 18 October 2026.
- Poke, poke.com (home page and plans), read 18 October 2026.
- Cole: how Cole works in group chats, what Cole can do and pricing.
- Features, prices and availability change. Check each company's own page for your country before you decide.