WhatsApp Business API
The official API, explained before it is sold to you.
What it is, what Meta requires, what it costs, and what changes about how your team works. Then, and only then, what we build on top of it.
In short
The WhatsApp Business API — Meta calls the whole thing the WhatsApp Business Platform — is how a business sends and receives WhatsApp messages through software instead of by typing on a phone. It has no app of its own. You reach it through a platform, on a number that Meta has registered to your business, under rules Meta enforces on every account.
Every Meta rule on this page was read against Meta’s published documentation on 15 August 2026.
It is not the app you already have
Most businesses arrive here because the free WhatsApp Business app stopped fitting. These are the four places it stops.
One handset, or your whole team
Business app
The Business app runs on a phone. Handing it around is how a team shares it.
API
The API has no handset. Everyone works the same number from their own login, with a record of who replied.
Typing, or sending at scale
Business app
Broadcast lists cap out, and there is no approved-template concept.
API
Messages you start are pre-approved templates, sent through Meta at a paced rate.
Nothing connects, or everything can
Business app
No webhooks, no integrations, nothing your systems can read.
API
Every message is an event your systems can act on, and replies can be built from your own data.
Free, or priced per message
Business app
The app costs nothing and charges nothing.
API
Meta charges per message by category. A platform sits on top and charges for itself.
What Meta requires before you can start
Four things. Two you can settle in an afternoon; two are reviews on Meta’s side whose timing no provider controls.
01
A Meta business portfolio
The container your WhatsApp Business Account lives in. If you already run Facebook or Instagram ads, you have one.
02
A number not already on WhatsApp
Meta will not register a number that is in use with WhatsApp until that account is deleted — and the chat history does not come across.
03
Business verification
Meta checks your documents against the legal entity on the portfolio. It is also what lifts you off the starting messaging limit.
04
A display name Meta will allow
The name customers see is reviewed separately from your business. Both reviews are Meta’s, and their timing is not ours to promise.
The four rules that decide how it goes
These are Meta’s, not ours, and they apply identically whichever platform you buy. Getting them wrong is what gets a number restricted — so each one has a guide of its own.
The 24-hour window
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour window opens in which you can reply freely. Outside it you can only send an approved template.
What the window is →Approved messages
Anything you start a conversation with is a template Meta has reviewed, in one of three categories — marketing, utility or authentication.
How categories work →Messaging limits
How many different people you may start a conversation with in a rolling 24 hours. Every new business starts at 250 and rises on quality and verification, not on payment.
The tier ladder →Quality rating
Meta scores each number GREEN, YELLOW or RED from how customers react to your messages. Sustained RED is what leads to a restriction.
What moves the rating →What it costs, in two parts
Every quote you get in this market is these two numbers added together. Platforms differ in whether they show you both.
Meta’s part
Meta charges per message, by category, at a rate that varies by country. Marketing and authentication templates are charged on every delivery. Utility templates are free when the customer messaged you in the last 24 hours — the one exemption worth designing around.
We pass this through at Meta’s rate. There is no markup, and it is the same charge on every plan we sell.
The platform’s part
What you pay for the software — the inbox, the templates, the automation, the reporting. Ours starts at ₹1,999 a month and every paid plan carries unlimited WhatsApp numbers.
Published on the pricing page, before you talk to anyone.
What the API is worth having for
The API on its own is a way to send messages. What a business actually wants is the work it makes possible — every one of these is a page you can read before you buy.
Questions
Questions about the API
What is the WhatsApp Business API?
Meta’s official interface for businesses to send and receive WhatsApp messages programmatically, rather than by typing on a handset. It has no app of its own — you use it through a platform, and it is what makes a shared team inbox, approved bulk sends and integration with your own systems possible.
How is it different from the WhatsApp Business app?
The app is free, runs on one phone and is meant for a single person. The API has no handset, supports a whole team on one number, sends approved templates at scale, and can be connected to your systems. A number can be on one or the other, never both.
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
Meta does not charge for access, but it charges per message by category, and rates vary by country. On top of that you pay whichever platform you use. Messago publishes its plan prices and passes Meta’s message charges through at cost.
Do I need a developer to use it?
No. A platform like Messago is the interface — you get a shared inbox, template management, campaigns and automation without writing anything. The API is there for you if you want it: keys, webhooks and custom actions are included on every paid plan.
Can I keep my existing WhatsApp number?
Only if you delete the WhatsApp account currently on it first, and the chat history will not transfer — WhatsApp does not allow it. Many businesses go live on a new number and move customers over rather than take the break on a number already printed on their packaging.
How long does it take to go live?
Registration is quick; business verification and display name review are Meta’s, and nobody outside Meta can influence their timing. We prepare the submission and tell you where it is — we do not quote a go-live date, and a platform that does is quoting something it does not control.
Can I get the green tick?
Not by asking or by paying. Official Business Account status is granted by Meta on its own assessment of whether the brand is notable, and no provider can obtain it for you or sell it to you.
Talk to a person
Tell us what your team is dealing with.
We will walk your own use case through the product on a call. Pick a plan and your workspace is live as soon as payment clears, or book a demo and we will pick it up from there.