cpaas.coThe CPaaS Community
Join

Channel

WhatsApp

Rich two-way conversations in an app many customers already use every day, under the platform's rules.

Find providers for this Browse all 59

The WhatsApp Business Platform lets a company hold two-way conversations with customers inside WhatsApp, with images, documents, buttons and lists. Businesses use it for support, order and booking updates, sales follow-up and, with consent, marketing. When a customer writes, the business can reply freely for 24 hours; outside that window it may only start a conversation with a template approved in advance.

Start with the 101WhatsApp 101: the whole pictureHistory, how it works, where it is used, what it costs, the rules, its limits, and when to choose it, with every claim sourced.Read the 101

Need help implementing this? Ask members who have done it.

What matters when choosing

  • Access to the official WhatsApp Business Platform, not an unofficial connection that can get your number banned.
  • Help writing, submitting and tracking message templates, including when a template's category is changed after review.
  • Opt-in and opt-out recorded per customer, with the date and the wording they agreed to.
  • A shared inbox or an API that fits your team, so agents, bots and your own systems can work on the same conversation.
  • Pricing that shows the platform's charges separately from the provider's own fees.

Questions to ask providers

  1. Do you pass the platform's charges through at cost, and what do you add on top per message, per seat or per month?
  2. Who owns the WhatsApp Business account and the phone number if we leave you?
  3. How will you help us keep a good quality rating and raise our messaging limits over time?

Common mistakes

  • Testing inside the 24-hour window and then failing in production, where the first message to a customer needs an approved template.
  • Treating WhatsApp as a free broadcast list; unwanted messages lead to blocks and reports that lower your quality rating.
  • Using unofficial tools that automate a personal or standard app account, which breaks the platform's terms.

What it is good at

  • Two-way conversations with media, buttons and lists.
  • A business profile customers can recognise in an app they already trust.
  • Delivery and read status on each message, where the reader allows read receipts.

What to watch for

  • Templates must be approved before you can start a conversation.
  • Charges per message, by category and country, that now include most replies.
  • Reach depends on how widely WhatsApp is used in each market.

How it is priced

Since 1 July 2025 the platform charges per delivered message, by category (marketing, utility, authentication or service) and the recipient's country. Since 1 October 2026 replies inside the customer service window (service messages) are charged after 1,000 free per business phone number each month, with no rollover, and utility templates sent inside the window are charged too. Messages in the 72-hour free entry point window after a click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button carry no charge. Providers add their own fee per message, per seat or per month.

Sources Meta for Developers ↗Meta for Developers ↗WhatsApp ↗

Typical channels: WhatsApp SMS Email Web chat & booking page

Listings that fit (59)

Sharpen with your details →

Ranked by the same engine as Find providers, on this alone. Add your market and channels to sharpen it.