The short answer
If one or two people answer customer chats from a phone, the free WhatsApp Business app is usually enough. If several people need to share one number, you want a chatbot, or you need WhatsApp connected to your CRM, you need the WhatsApp Business Platform, often called the WhatsApp Business API. Since 2025 you can also run both on the same number in many countries, which removes much of the old either/or choice.
What the WhatsApp Business app does well
The app is free, installs like normal WhatsApp and is built for owners and very small teams. The main tools:
- Business profile: address, hours, website, email and a short description.
- Catalog: a list of products or services with photos, prices and links. Third-party guides put the limit at around 500 items.
- Labels: colour-coded tags such as "New lead" or "Paid" to organise chats. They are visible only to you.
- Quick replies: saved answers you insert by typing "/", up to 50 of them.
- Greeting and away messages: an automatic first reply and an out-of-hours reply.
- Broadcast lists: send one message to up to 256 contacts, but only people who saved your number receive it.
- Linked devices: your main phone plus up to four linked devices, such as WhatsApp Web on a laptop.
Where the app reaches its limits
The app works until the business grows past a handful of chats a day. Common pain points:
- Everyone on a linked device sees every chat. There are no user roles, no chat assignment and no record of who replied.
- Linked devices disconnect if the main phone stays offline for a long period, which is risky if that phone belongs to one employee.
- Automation stops at greeting and away messages. There is no scheduled follow-up and no real chatbot.
- Nothing flows into your CRM unless someone copies it by hand.
- Broadcasts are capped and reach only people who saved your number.
What the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) adds
The API has no app of its own. You connect your number either directly to Meta's Cloud API (which needs a developer) or, more commonly, through a Business Solution Provider (BSP) such as a shared inbox or CRM tool that gives you a ready-made interface. That is where the extra capability comes from:
- Shared team inbox: many agents on one number, chat assignment, notes and reporting.
- Chatbots and AI assistants: automatic answers, lead qualification and handover to a person.
- CRM and system integration: conversations and contacts sync with HubSpot, Zoho, Shopify and similar tools.
- Template messages: pre-approved messages you can send outside the 24-hour window, such as order updates, reminders and opt-in marketing.
- Interactive messages: buttons, lists and forms inside the chat.
- Scale: no 256-contact broadcast cap, with sending limits that grow as your number builds a good quality record.
We explain setup steps and providers in more depth in our WhatsApp Business API guide.
How API pricing works since July 2025
On 1 July 2025 Meta moved the platform from per-conversation to per-message pricing. You pay for each delivered template message, at a rate set by message category and by the country code of the person receiving it. Messages customers send you are free. Your provider usually adds its own monthly fee or markup on top.
| Category | Typical use | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, newsletters, product launches | Charged per delivered message; the most expensive category |
| Utility | Order confirmations, booking reminders, account updates | Charged per delivered message, with volume discounts; inside an open 24-hour window it was free until 1 October 2026 and is now charged |
| Authentication | One-time login and verification codes | Charged per delivered message, with volume discounts |
| Service | Your free-form replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message | Since 1 October 2026: first 1,000 per business number per month free, then charged |
Two more details matter for small businesses. When a customer reaches you from a Click to WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button and you reply in time, a free entry point window opens in which your messages are not charged. And Meta's own AI assistant for businesses, Meta Business Agent, is billed separately per token. Rates change several times a year, so always check Meta's current rate card before you plan a campaign.
Can you use the app and the API on the same number?
Yes, in many countries. Meta calls this coexistence. You keep using the WhatsApp Business app on your phone while the same number is connected to the API through a provider. Messages you send from the app stay free and show up in the platform inbox, so the team sees the full conversation.
A few points to know before you switch it on:
- The number must already be active on the Business app, on a recent version (2.24.17 or later is the published minimum).
- Availability depends on your country and your provider, and Meta still excludes some markets.
- Some app features change: broadcast lists become read-only, and disappearing messages, view-once messages and live location are switched off in 1:1 chats. Group chats are not synced.
- Linked devices are disconnected during setup and must be re-linked, and some companion apps are not supported.
- Throughput on a coexistence number is capped at about 20 messages per second, which only matters for large campaigns.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business Platform (API) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Per delivered template message plus provider fee |
| Users | Phone plus up to four linked devices, no roles | Many agents with roles, via a provider inbox |
| Catalog, labels, quick replies | Yes | Yes, through the provider tool |
| Automation | Greeting and away messages | Chatbots, workflows, AI assistants |
| CRM integration | No | Yes |
| Bulk messaging | Broadcast lists of up to 256 contacts | Template campaigns to opted-in contacts, no fixed list cap |
| Setup effort | Minutes | Days, including Meta business verification |
A note on AI chatbots
Since 15 January 2026, Meta's terms for the Business Solution bar general-purpose AI assistants from the platform. A chatbot that answers questions about your business, takes bookings or qualifies leads is still allowed. In practice, keep your bot focused on your products and services and give customers a clear way to reach a person. Our guide to AI chatbot costs covers budgets.
Which one do you need? A quick checklist
Stay with the app if most of these are true:
- One or two people handle chats.
- You get fewer than about 20 to 30 new conversations a day.
- You do not need WhatsApp data in a CRM.
Move to the API, or add it through coexistence, if any of these are true:
- Three or more people need to answer from the same number.
- You want a chatbot to answer common questions or qualify leads at night.
- You send booking reminders, order updates or opt-in promotions at volume.
- You need every conversation logged against a contact in your CRM.
How to move from the app to the API
- Clean up first. Make sure your business profile, catalog and quick replies are current, because they carry over to how customers see you.
- Verify your business with Meta. You need a Meta Business portfolio, and verifying it with your company documents gives you higher sending limits.
- Choose a provider. Compare the inbox, chatbot builder, CRM connections and how they charge on top of Meta's fees. Ask whether they support coexistence in your country.
- Connect the number. With coexistence you scan a code from the Business app. Without it, the number moves fully to the platform and the app stops working on it.
- Write your first templates. Start with two or three utility templates, such as a booking confirmation and a reminder, and submit them for approval.
- Train the team. Agree who answers what, how fast, and when a chat is handed from the bot to a person.
If you are in the UAE
WhatsApp is the default way many UAE customers contact a business, so the move to the API often comes earlier here than elsewhere. Meta charges by the recipient's country code, so messages to +971 numbers follow the UAE rates, and AED became available as a billing currency in 2026. The billing currency is chosen when the account is set up, so decide before you connect.
Need a hand choosing?
dhowly helps small businesses set up WhatsApp, from tidying the Business app to connecting the API with a CRM and an AI assistant. Book a free 15-minute call through our contact form. We work with businesses worldwide, in English and French.
Frequently asked questions
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
No. Meta charges per delivered template message based on category and the recipient's country, and providers add their own fees. Since 1 October 2026, service replies inside the 24-hour window are free for the first 1,000 per business number per month, then charged. The WhatsApp Business app itself remains free.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app after connecting the API?
In many countries, yes, through what Meta calls coexistence. You keep the app on your phone while a provider connects the same number to the platform. Some app features, such as creating new broadcast lists, stop working once it is connected.
How many people can use the WhatsApp Business app at once?
The app supports your main phone plus up to four linked devices. Everyone sees every chat, and there are no user roles or chat assignment. For larger teams, a shared inbox on the API works better.
Do I need a developer to use the WhatsApp Business Platform?
Not if you use a Business Solution Provider, which gives you a ready-made inbox and handles the technical connection. Connecting directly to Meta's Cloud API usually does require a developer.
Can I send marketing messages on WhatsApp?
Yes, to people who have opted in. In the app you use broadcast lists of up to 256 contacts who saved your number. On the API you send approved marketing templates, paid per delivered message.
Can I put an AI chatbot on WhatsApp?
Yes, as long as it serves your business, for example answering questions, booking appointments or qualifying leads. Since 15 January 2026, Meta's terms do not allow general-purpose AI assistants on the Business Solution.
