Help and answers

Straight answers on plans, prices, paying and keeping your number safe. Last updated 21 October 2026. Need a person? Use the chat button on this page or email support@chatrail.dev.

Plans and prices

What plans are there?

Four. Prices are in US dollars, per month.

Need more numbers on a paid plan? Each extra number costs $8 a month: ask us in chat and we add it to your workspace. Full details are on the pricing page.

Is there a free plan?

Yes. Sandbox is free: one number, 500 messages a month, 50 AI replies a month and a 7-day message log. Use it to test before you pay. Media, groups and scheduled messages start on Core, and paid plans keep messages for 90 days.

Do you charge per message?

No. ChatRail never charges per message. Core, Core + AI and Team have no monthly message cap. The only limits are the number-safety rules further down this page, which slow some messages down but never cost extra.

Do I need my own AI key?

No. AI replies run on ChatRail's model and are included: 50 a month on Sandbox and Core to try them, 10,000 on Core + AI and 50,000 on Team. On Core + AI and Team you can add your own OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic key for a different model or unlimited replies.

What happens when the AI replies run out?

You are never billed for going over. Replies move to your own key if you added one, or pause until next month, and you are told. Messages you send yourself keep working.

Is there a launch offer?

Yes. Subscribe to any paid plan before 30 November 2026 and keep that price for 12 months.

Prices by country

Are prices lower in some countries?

Yes, in four countries. These are monthly prices in US dollars.

How do I get the price for my country?

Sign up on the free Sandbox plan and pair a WhatsApp number from that country. The dashboard then shows your price, and checkout applies it for you. You do not need a code.

Visiting the website from one of these countries shows the lower price, but it only unlocks once the paired number is from that country. We also check that the payment comes from the same country, and may get in touch if it does not.

Paying, cancelling and refunds

How can I pay?

Two ways.

• Card, monthly. Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through Creem, our merchant of record. Creem issues your receipts and handles VAT and sales tax.
• Crypto, prepaid. Pay for 3 or 12 months up front in USDT (TRON), USDC (Solana) or Bitcoin, through NOWPayments. 12 months costs the same as 10. It does not renew by itself.

Prices by country apply to both.

Can I pay for a year?

Card payments are monthly. To pay for a year, prepay 12 months in crypto: you pay for 10 months and get 12.

Can I cancel any time?

Yes. There is no fee and no notice period. Your plan keeps working until the end of the period you already paid for, with your numbers and message history.

Can I get a refund?

Yes, on your first payment. Ask within 14 days and we refund it in full, no reason needed. This is once per workspace.

Renewals are not usually refunded, but we refund charges that were clearly a mistake: a duplicate charge, a charge after you cancelled, or a billing error on our side. A number blocked by WhatsApp is not by itself a reason for a refund, but we will help you find out what happened. Read the refund policy.

Marketing and bulk messages

How much do marketing messages cost?

Nothing extra. ChatRail does not charge per message, marketing or otherwise. Core is $15 a month for one number, and Sandbox is free to test.

The rule that matters is who you message. Send to people who agreed to hear from you: your customers, people who messaged you first, or people who signed up to your list. ChatRail is not for cold lists or bought numbers. Sending to strangers is how WhatsApp numbers get blocked, and our acceptable use policy does not allow it.

How fast can I message people for the first time?

First messages to people your number has never talked to are spaced out, because WhatsApp blocks new numbers that message many strangers quickly.

Nothing is refused. Extra first messages wait in the queue and go out as soon as there is room. For example, 300 new people take about 10 hours on an established number.

Replies to people who messaged you, and later messages to people you already reached, are never slowed down. Group messages are not counted either.

Is there a limit per person?

Yes. At most 10 messages to the same person in 5 minutes. This stops a bug or a loop from flooding a customer, which is a fast way to get reported.

What if a number is not on WhatsApp?

Before a first message, ChatRail checks that the number is on WhatsApp. If it is not, the message is not sent and is marked failed, so you do not message a number that cannot receive it.

What if someone replies STOP?

ChatRail stops messaging them. A reply that is only a stop phrase, such as "stop", "unsubscribe", "opt out" or "remove me", adds the person to your opt-out list, and later messages to them are refused. Words like "cancel" are not treated as stop, because people use them to cancel an order or booking. Only English phrases are recognised; you can add anyone to the opt-out list yourself.

What if WhatsApp never confirms a message?

If WhatsApp has not confirmed a message within 24 hours, ChatRail marks it failed as "not confirmed" and tells your webhook. If the confirmation arrives later, the status is corrected.

What about large campaigns?

For thousands of first messages a day, use Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform. It is built for large sends, needs Meta's approval and charges for each message. In the UAE, for example, Meta charges $0.0576 for each marketing message and $0.0157 for each utility message, from its rate card effective 1 October 2026.

See the UAE price breakdown, what Meta charges in Pakistan, India and Nigeria, and the official API compared with linked devices.

Your number and safety

Is ChatRail the official WhatsApp API?

No. ChatRail connects to your WhatsApp account as a linked device, the same way WhatsApp Web does. That is why there are no message templates, no Meta approval and no per-message fees. It also means your account still follows WhatsApp's own rules. ChatRail is not connected to WhatsApp or Meta.

Will my number get blocked?

Numbers get blocked for behaviour: unwanted bulk messages and people reporting you. Message people who expect to hear from you and your number behaves like any busy WhatsApp account. The pacing and per-person limits above help, but no provider can make cold messaging safe.

Can I use my existing number?

Yes. Pair the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app number you already use, and keep using WhatsApp on your phone. WhatsApp unlinks a device after 14 days without the main phone being online, so open WhatsApp on the phone now and then. See using an existing number.

What if my number disconnects?

ChatRail watches the connection and tells you as soon as a number needs pairing again. To reconnect, scan the QR code in the dashboard again. Messages you sent while it was down are not lost: they show as failed with the reason, so you can see what did not go out.

Getting started

How do I connect a number?

Sign up, open the dashboard, add a connection and scan the QR code from WhatsApp on your phone, under Linked devices. It takes a couple of minutes. Then send from the dashboard or your own system. The quickstart walks through your first message.

Do I need to write code?

Not for everything. AI replies are set up in the dashboard. To send from your own software you use the API, and there is an n8n node if you prefer a no-code workflow tool. See all integrations.

Talking to us

How do I reach a person?

Use the chat button on the website, or "Chat with us" in the dashboard's Help panel. You can also email support@chatrail.dev. For billing questions, email from the address on your account and say which workspace it is about.

Who runs ChatRail?

ChatRail is made by Cortex Software Services Ltd. Read more about us.