# Sonar > Sonar is a WhatsApp platform for South African businesses, made by Whats-Hub. It is the business partner you don't have to hire, and the night shift that answers customers while you sleep. It sends through Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) and is priced in rand, from R349 a month. ## What Sonar is - Copilot reads each customer chat and drafts the reply for a person to check and send. - The AI Agent (Plus and higher plans, and on Starter from its 100 AI replies a month) answers customers on WhatsApp by itself, in the business's own voice, at any hour, and passes anything it can't answer to the team. - Also broadcasts, a shared team inbox, contacts and POPIA consent records. ## Who it's for South African businesses that sell or take bookings on WhatsApp and can't answer every message themselves, from a one-person shop to a team with several numbers. ## Key facts - Works with the WhatsApp Business app (what Meta calls coexistence): a business connects the number already in the app, keeps using the app on its phone, and every chat also shows in Sonar. South African +27 numbers work today. Messages sent from the app stay free. - Plans, per month including VAT: - Starter: R349 a month, 10,000 messages, 2 WhatsApp numbers - Plus: R1,499 a month, 50,000 messages, 5 WhatsApp numbers, AI Agent included - Growth: R4,399 a month, 150,000 messages, 10 WhatsApp numbers, AI Agent included - Scale: R14,299 a month, 1,000,000 messages, 100 WhatsApp numbers, AI Agent included - Enterprise: from R24,999 a month, unlimited numbers - WhatsApp's own per-message charges are billed by Meta to the business's card, at Meta's rates, with no markup. - Free trial: 50 contacts and 250 messages, with replies you type free. No card needed. - AI Agent and Copilot (Plus and higher plans): with 5,000 Standard replies a month included on Plus (15,000 on Growth, 100,000 on Scale), then R0.10 each if you choose to keep going, or roughly R0.25 to R0.40 a reply on Advanced replies and R0.50 to R0.80 on Extreme replies for VIP chats, depending on the conversation. Starter includes 100 AI replies a month, which the AI Agent can send by itself or Copilot can draft. - POPIA: a consent record for every contact, opt-in and opt-out keywords handled automatically, and sends to anyone without consent blocked. - Also: broadcasts to segments, flows (automations, including a set number of days before or after a date like an arrival), event invites with RSVPs, a shared team inbox and contact import. How flows work (triggers, steps, quiet hours, the weekly limit, testers): https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/flows - A chatbot without AI, on every plan: keyword replies (someone sends "prices", they get your answer at once), menus with up to 3 buttons, an after-hours reply outside your opening hours, and a welcome message for people writing for the first time. No template needed: they go inside the 24 hours after the customer wrote. - Plans are a fixed monthly fee with messages included, month to month, cancelled any time in Plan & billing. Starter includes 2 WhatsApp numbers, Plus 5, Growth 10, Scale 100. The free trial's set-up carries over to a paid plan. - Website chat: a paste-in chat box for the business's own website, answered by its AI Agent, with the chats in the same team inbox. - Shopify: bring in customers, and send one abandoned-cart message to people who started checkout, didn't pay and agreed to marketing. - Broadcasts count link clicks, and templates can start from Meta's library of ready-approved templates. - Ice breakers: tap-to-ask questions customers see when they open the chat, answered by the AI Agent or the team. - Voice notes are written out (transcribed) in the Inbox. Spam senders can be blocked from the Inbox. - An installable phone app with notifications when a chat needs a person. - Help inside Sonar: Coggy, Sonar's guide, shows the next setup step and answers questions in a chat, on every plan including the free trial, and passes anything he can't answer to a person. A 2-minute video shows how to connect a WhatsApp Business app number: https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/whatsapp-business-app#video - AI connector (MCP) for Claude and other apps that take custom connectors: check and reply to WhatsApp chats from there. It summarises chats, reports how broadcasts did, looks up contacts, templates, flows and usage, drafts replies, and suggests broadcasts and templates for a person to check in Sonar. It can also send a reply the person has told it to send: free text only, only within the 24 hours after the customer last messaged, only with that person's own code from My account in Sonar (it shows as sent by them, via AI assistant), and at most 30 an hour. Templates and broadcasts are still sent from Sonar. On every plan, including the free trial. How to connect it to Claude or ChatGPT: https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/whatsapp-in-claude-and-chatgpt - Developer API and signed webhooks: send messages and templates, check delivery and add or update contacts; webhooks for incoming messages, replies sent from the WhatsApp Business app, delivery updates and opt-outs. Reference: https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/developers - Zapier, Make and Google Sheets: send WhatsApp messages from a till, shop or booking system, add contacts from forms and log new messages to a sheet, with no code, on every plan: https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/zapier-make-google-sheets - Whats-Hub is owned by the Hout Bay United Football Community Trust, so Sonar's profits fund youth football. - B-BBEE points: a South African business measured on B-BBEE can pay for Sonar through the Hout Bay United Football Community Trust, a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor, so the spend counts at 135% for preferential procurement (R100 counts as R135). With the Trust's early-payment agreement it also counts as supplier development (a card payment within 15 days of the invoice). It is a purchase, not a donation, so there is no Section 18A certificate. Same plan prices; the Trust isn't VAT registered. The business asks in Plan & billing and Whats-Hub approves it. Details: https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/b-bbee - Contact: support@whats-hub.co.za, or WhatsApp +27 72 214 8371 (answered by Sonar's own AI Agent). ## Integrations - Sonar connects to HubSpot, Privyr, Pricelyst, Shopify, WooCommerce, Yoco and PayFast payment links, Facebook Messenger and Instagram, Website chat, Zapier and Make, Updates from your other systems, Webhooks to your own system, Claude and ChatGPT, Developer API, Partner API. - What each one does and where to set it up: [https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/integrations](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/integrations), or as plain text: https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/integrations.md ## Pages - [Home](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/): What Sonar does, with real screens - [AI Agent](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/ai-agent): The AI Agent and Copilot: WhatsApp replies in the business's own voice - [FAQ](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/faq): Answers to what businesses ask: numbers, the Business app, prices, templates, the API, POPIA - [Partners](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/partners): For agencies running WhatsApp for clients and platforms connecting customers' numbers - [WhatsApp pricing in South Africa](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/pricing): Meta's per-message rates in rand, what changed on 1 October 2026, and a calculator for your monthly cost. - [POPIA and WhatsApp marketing](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/popia-whatsapp-marketing): Consent, opt-outs and the one-message rule: what South African law asks of WhatsApp marketing. - [Event invites with one-tap RSVPs](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/event-invites): Step by step: upload a guest list, send the invite, follow up and download the answers. - [AI Agent and Copilot: a WhatsApp chatbot in your voice](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/ai-agent): Give the bot its instructions, train it with Copilot, then let the AI Agent reply for you. Exclude people or mark VIPs. - [Use Sonar with the WhatsApp Business app](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/whatsapp-business-app): Connect the number already on your phone: keep chatting in the app, and send broadcasts and AI replies from Sonar. - [Disconnect your WhatsApp Business app number](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/disconnect-whatsapp-business-app): Stop using the number on your phone in Sonar: remove it here, then disconnect it in the app. - [Import your contacts](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/import-contacts): From spreadsheet to segments: the columns to use, your categories as tags, and consent before your first campaign. - [Order and booking updates from your other systems](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/order-and-booking-updates): Order ready, booking confirmed, out for delivery: WhatsApp updates sent by your till, booking app or store. - [Which number to use for WhatsApp](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/whatsapp-number): No spare number? A prepaid SIM, your landline, your WhatsApp Business app number or a personal one: what works. - [What Meta needs from you before Sonar can send](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/what-meta-needs): A card on your WhatsApp account, your business details, verification and a display name: Meta's own steps, and what happens if you skip one. - [Connect a client's WhatsApp number](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/connect-a-clients-number): For agencies and partners: what your client needs before you connect their number, and the checks after. - [WhatsApp API providers in South Africa, compared](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/whatsapp-api-providers-south-africa): What each provider adds to Meta's rates, the cheapest plan that sends broadcasts, and a month's cost in rand. - [How WhatsApp flows work](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/flows): What starts a flow, the steps you can add, ready-made keyword, after-hours and welcome flows, the rules every flow follows, and testing. - [Integrations: WhatsApp connected to your other tools](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/integrations): HubSpot, Privyr, Shopify, WooCommerce, Yoco and PayFast payment links, Zapier, Make, website chat and more: what each does and how to set it up. - [Developers: API and webhooks](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/developers): Send messages and templates from your own software, sync contacts, and get messages and delivery updates by webhook. - [Switching to Sonar](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/switch): Moving from another WhatsApp tool? We'll move your contacts and templates for you, free. - [WhatsApp marketing that earns B-BBEE points](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/b-bbee): Pay through the Hout Bay United Football Community Trust, a Level 1 contributor: 135% procurement recognition and supplier development. Not a Section 18A donation. - [WhatsApp RSVPs for events](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-rsvp): Invites, waitlists, invite-only lists and door check-in, all on WhatsApp. - [Competitions and prize draws](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-competitions): Entry confirmations, tickets and winners on WhatsApp, the South African rules, and how Step Up uses it. - [Restaurants, bars and cafés](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/restaurants): Fill quiet nights with WhatsApp messages your regulars read, run event nights with one-tap RSVPs, and confirm bookings automatically. - [Shops and online stores](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/shops): Bring in your Shopify customers, announce launches and sales on WhatsApp, and send order and delivery updates automatically. - [Salons, spas and studios](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/salons): Confirm bookings automatically, fill cancellations with one message, and bring clients back when they're due. - [Sports clubs and schools](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/sports-clubs): Send fixtures, training changes and fee reminders to every parent and player on WhatsApp, and know who's coming without chasing a group chat. - [Estate agents and property developers](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/property): Reply to property leads in seconds with an AI Agent, give each development its own WhatsApp number and answers, see which ads bring buyers, and fill show days with RSVPs. - [Laundries and dry cleaners](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/laundries): Tell customers the moment their laundry is ready, straight from your till, answer "is mine ready?" in one inbox, and win back customers who haven't been in. - [Medical, dental and therapy practices](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/health): Appointment reminders patients confirm with one tap, cancelled slots offered to a waitlist, and recalls when a check-up is due. - [Lodges, guesthouses and holiday stays](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/lodges): Answer booking enquiries at any hour with an AI Agent, remind guests before a hold lapses, send check-in details before they arrive and ask how it went after. - [Recruitment and staffing agencies](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/recruitment): Send job alerts to the candidates who fit, confirm interviews with one tap, fill shifts fast and give every consultant their own WhatsApp number. - [Car dealers, workshops and parts shops](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/motor): Answer car and parts enquiries in seconds, tell customers their car is ready, send service reminders when they're due and see which ads bring buyers. - [Software platforms and SaaS](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/software-platforms): Add WhatsApp to your product: send templates and messages by API, get replies and delivery updates by webhook, and let each of your customers connect their own number. - [Accountants, brokers and financial advisers](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/whatsapp-for/financial-services): Remind clients before renewals, reviews and tax deadlines, give every adviser their own WhatsApp number, and keep a person in charge of any reply about money. - [WhatsApp error 2388386: why can't I add another number?](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/whatsapp-error-2388386): Error 2388386 means your Meta business portfolio has reached its number limit: 2 for a new portfolio, 20 once it's verified. What it means and three ways round it. - [WhatsApp error 131047: why wasn't my message delivered?](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/whatsapp-error-131047): Error 131047 means the 24 hours after the person last messaged you have passed. Outside that window WhatsApp only delivers an approved template. What to send instead. - [Do you need 30 days on WhatsApp before Meta business verification?](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/whatsapp-verification-30-days): No. The 30 days in Meta's rules is for the blue tick (an Official Business Account), not for business verification. You can start verification any time. - [Can I move a WhatsApp number to another Meta business portfolio?](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/move-whatsapp-number-to-another-business): Not directly: Meta's account model doesn't move a number between business portfolios. You can move it between WhatsApp accounts in the same portfolio, or delete it and connect it again elsewhere. - [WhatsApp error 131042: how do I add a payment method?](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/whatsapp-error-131042): Error 131042 means Meta has no working payment method for your WhatsApp account, so it stops sending. Where to add a card, with Meta's direct link. - [Can I use my WhatsApp in Claude or ChatGPT?](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/whatsapp-in-claude-and-chatgpt): Yes, with Sonar's AI assistant connector. Ask Claude, or ChatGPT on plans that allow it, to check your WhatsApp chats, find a customer, see how a broadcast did, draft replies and send the ones you approve. - [Can I connect Sonar to Zapier, Make or Google Sheets?](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/guides/zapier-make-google-sheets): Yes. Send a WhatsApp message when something happens in your till, shop or booking system, add a contact when a form is filled, or log new WhatsApp messages to a Google Sheet. Three recipes, no code. - [API reference](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/api-docs): Every API call, field, response and error; the OpenAPI spec is at /openapi.json - [Sonar vs AiSensy](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/compare/aisensy): Prices and features side by side with AiSensy, in rand - [Sonar vs Wati](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/compare/wati): Prices and features side by side with Wati, in rand - [Sonar vs respond.io](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/compare/respond-io): Prices and features side by side with respond.io, in rand - [Sonar vs Twilio](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/compare/twilio): Prices and features side by side with Twilio, in rand - [Sonar vs Infobip](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/compare/infobip): Prices and features side by side with Infobip, in rand - [Sonar vs 360dialog](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/compare/360dialog): Prices and features side by side with 360dialog, in rand - [Sonar vs Gallabox](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/compare/gallabox): Prices and features side by side with Gallabox, in rand ## Optional - [Full text of the guides](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/llms-full.txt): every guide on one page, in plain text - [Roadmap](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/roadmap): what's coming next - [Privacy policy](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/privacy) - [Terms of service](https://sonar.whats-hub.co.za/terms)