Hello everyone!
This is my first time here. I like to know if I can create whatsapp chatbot/AI and then integrate it with my existing website on say hostgator directly.
Do I have to subscribe any other service for it to for?
Hey @Chris_G, while you wait for a response, here are some things that might help:
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@Entrepositive, @Wouter_Nigrini, @darrell_tw - you’ve helped with similar issues before, can you take a look?
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Do you have a Whatsapp business account?
Hi @Chris_G , Whatsapp regular is not supported for this. You have to open a new Whatsapp Business profile. That way you can use META Api, that will allow you to use 1000 messages per month for free.
Remember that the 1st message of the chain must be from the customer. If you want to send the first message, you have to make a template in Meta first, and then send that as a message.
In n8n, you will find Whatsapp Triggers for every action. In Meta, you will have to set the URL where to redirect the message with a webhook, and that will be your AI Agent workflow, listening with the Trigger.
I’m making whatsapp agent I was testing it with mock data but when I replace the test number with actual number it is not working anymore. What could be the problem
Hi Chris, yes — your website can stay on HostGator. It depends on where you want visitors to chat.
For a button that opens WhatsApp, a click-to-chat link handles the website part. The bot runs separately: WhatsApp → n8n → your chosen AI model → WhatsApp. The link itself doesn’t automate replies.
For a chat box that stays on your website, you need a web chat interface connected to your backend. That’s a separate integration from WhatsApp, though both can share the same business logic.
Automated WhatsApp replies need WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) access through Meta, a running n8n instance, and a model if you want AI-generated responses. A third-party WhatsApp provider isn’t mandatory; n8n supports a direct connection.
You may have costs for hosting, model usage and applicable Meta messaging fees. n8n Cloud is optional. Whether your existing HostGator plan can run n8n needs checking; you can also host n8n elsewhere and keep your site as it is.
Is your site WordPress, and should the conversation open in WhatsApp or stay on the page?
Hi @Fatima_Shoaib 
When it works with the test number but not a real one, it’s usually one of these:
- The real number isn’t added or registered in the WhatsApp Business setup in Meta
- The Meta app is still in development mode
- The webhook is still pointing at the test URL, not the production one
Make sure the workflow is published too, since the production URL is different from the test one. This thread is a similar webhook case: WhatsApp Trigger production webhook is not registered
What do you see in Executions when you message the real number?