WhatsApp Business API: what you need and what it costs

The app and the API are different things

The WhatsApp Business app runs on a phone. The WhatsApp Business API, also called the WhatsApp Business Platform, connects your number to software: a chatbot, a shared inbox, your booking system or your CRM.

What you need before you start

• A Meta business account. Meta calls it a business portfolio. It holds your business name, website and the people who can manage WhatsApp.
• Business verification. Meta may ask you to verify the business with documents. Start this early, because it is the step most likely to take time.
• A phone number you own. It must be able to receive an SMS or a voice call, so Meta can send a verification code.
• A display name. This is the name customers see. It must follow Meta's naming rules and match your business.
• Software or a provider to connect it. The API itself has no screen. You use it through a chatbot, an inbox tool or a developer.

A number already in use on WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app usually has to be removed from the app before it can be registered with the API. Either use a fresh number or ask your provider how to move the one you have. Do this before you tell customers about any change.

How setup works, step by step

1. Choose the number the assistant will use.
2. Set up your Meta business portfolio and complete business verification.
3. Register the number with the WhatsApp Business Platform. Meta sends a code by SMS or voice call, and you confirm it.
4. Choose your display name and wait for Meta to approve it.
5. Connect the number to your chatbot or inbox software.
6. Create message templates and send them to Meta for approval. You need templates to message a customer who has not written to you in the last 24 hours.
7. Test with your own team, then go live.

What it costs

There are usually three costs: Meta's message charges, your provider's fee, and the cost of building and running the chatbot.

Which messages are free and which are charged

• Free: messages customers send to you, and your replies in the 24 hours after a customer writes to you (non-template messages).
• Free: utility templates, such as an order update, when you send them inside that 24-hour window.
• Charged: template messages you send outside the 24-hour window, priced by category: marketing, utility or authentication. Marketing messages are always charged.

In practice, a chatbot that answers customers who message you first uses mostly free replies. Costs come from messages you start yourself, such as appointment reminders and offers. Meta changes its rates only at the start of a quarter, and gives notice first, so check the current rate card before you budget.

Mistakes to avoid

• Moving a number you still need. Check how your chats and groups on that number are affected before you register it.
• Messaging people who have not agreed to hear from you. Collect a clear opt-in first, for example a tick box on your booking form.
• Ignoring template categories. The charge follows the category Meta gives a template, so check it when the template is approved.
• Choosing only on the monthly fee. A cheap plan with marked-up message rates can cost more once you send reminders.

You can see how a WhatsApp booking assistant behaves in the WhatsApp booking demo before you decide.