Meta verification
What the free dev account unlocks, and when business verification actually bites.
A free developer account unlocks most of what you want. Full Business Verification is only the bottleneck when you scale — build first, verify later.
cost · Freetime · Days–weeksneeds · Dev acct → biz docsdifficulty · Hardest
Developer account · no business docs
Business Verification · only to scale
What needs what
| Capability | Requirement | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Analyse your own Instagram + connect Claude | Dev account only | dev only ✓ |
| Analyse other people's IG at scale | App Review + verification | review needed ⚠ |
| WhatsApp bot under 250 convos/day | No verification needed | dev only ✓ |
| WhatsApp at scale + green checkmark | Full Business Verification | biz verify ✗ |
| Messenger bot on your own Page | Dev account only | dev only ✓ |
Reality: your own IG analysis, Messenger bots, and a low-volume WhatsApp bot all work with just the free developer account. Hold off on Business Verification until volume forces it. Your country also decides which sole-prop documents Meta accepts.