Connecting WhatsApp to a CRM means two things: the chats reach the CRM, and the CRM's records sit beside the chats. Every method below does that, at a different price, with a different amount of setup and a different risk.
Below: each method in a few lines, a table to pick one, and then the steps for Spun, which is a CRM for WhatsApp on the number you already use.
1. The official Business API, through a provider
Most big CRMs connect to WhatsApp this way. HubSpot puts its WhatsApp inbox on Service Hub and Marketing Hub Professional, Zoho CRM connects with your Meta Business account in the trial and every paid edition, and Kommo connects as a Meta partner (read on their pages on 9 November 2026).
You apply through the CRM or a provider, Meta verifies the business, and the number usually leaves the WhatsApp phone app; HubSpot describes coexistence with the WhatsApp Business app. Messages you start must be approved templates, and Meta charges for each template message by category and recipient country, on top of the CRM's own price.
2. A Zapier or Make bridge
A bridge copies events from a WhatsApp tool into your CRM: a new chat creates a contact, a label moves a deal. Zapier and Make do not talk to WhatsApp themselves, so something on the WhatsApp side must offer an API or webhooks: an API provider, or a WhatsApp tool with its own API.
Bridges are flexible and work with almost any CRM, but each step is one more thing to build and keep running, and both services bill for usage on their own plans. Spun has no native Zapier or Make app; its REST API and outgoing webhooks work through Webhooks by Zapier and Make's HTTP module, on the Pro and Max plans.
3. A Chrome extension on WhatsApp Web
Extensions add CRM panels, labels or a sync button to WhatsApp Web in your browser. They are cheap and quick to install, and some have a free version.
The limits come with the format. An extension is single-user, nothing runs when the browser tab is closed, a WhatsApp Web update can break it until a patch ships, and installing it into your logged-in WhatsApp session is a trust decision. Bulk-sending features used carelessly are what WhatsApp's anti-spam systems look for.
4. A CRM for WhatsApp on your own number
A tool such as Spun links to your existing number by QR code as a linked device, the way WhatsApp Web links a computer, and runs in the cloud rather than in your browser tab. The CRM is built in: contact records, labels and pipeline boards beside each chat, with a login per teammate. Chats and groups stay where they are, the phone keeps working, and there are no templates and no Meta per-message fees.
The trade-off is the connection. Spun is an unofficial WhatsApp integration, which may carry some risk, and it is not the Business API: no approved templates and no official bulk-sending allowance.
Related: Spun and the WhatsApp ban risk · A CRM for WhatsApp without the Business API
Which method fits: a decision table
| Method | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Official API through a provider | You send templated notifications at volume, or need an official channel | Meta per-message fees, templates for every message you start, the number usually leaves the phone app |
| Zapier or Make bridge | You already have a CRM you will not leave and someone to build and maintain the flow | A WhatsApp side with an API is still needed; usage billing; one more thing that can break |
| Chrome extension | One person, one computer, a small budget | Single user, stops when the tab closes, breaks on WhatsApp Web updates, ban risk with bulk features |
| Spun on your own number | A small team that answers people who write first and wants to keep its number | Unofficial connection with ban risk, no approved templates, no official bulk-sending allowance |
How to connect WhatsApp to Spun
- 1
Start the trial
Sign up for Spun: 7 days of everything, no card to start.
- 2
Link your number
Spun shows a WhatsApp QR code. Scan it from WhatsApp on the phone that holds your business number, from its linked devices screen, as you would for WhatsApp Web. Your chats and groups come in and the phone keeps working.
- 3
Invite the team
Add each teammate with their own login and the access they need. Paid plans include unlimited team members.
- 4
Set up the CRM side
Create a pipeline board with the stages you sell through, add the contact fields you need, and label chats as they come in.
- 5
Connect another CRM if you keep one
A manager or owner can connect HubSpot in Settings > Integrations to push contacts and notes and map labels to HubSpot pipeline stages. For other tools, the Pro and Max plans add the REST API, outgoing webhooks and a recurring Google Sheets sync.
After the trial, plans start at $49 a month flat, with no per-message fees.
Related: WhatsApp and HubSpot · WhatsApp and Google Sheets · Spun pricing