The WhatsApp Business app is free and fits one person working from one phone. The WhatsApp Business API fits businesses that send templated messages at high volume and can accept a per-message bill, usually on a dedicated number. A team inbox on your existing number fits teams that mainly answer customers and want to keep their number, chats and groups.
None of the three is best for everyone, and this guide does not pretend otherwise. The question that decides most cases is simple: do you mostly answer people who write to you, or mostly send first, in bulk?
How do the three compare?
| Business app | Business API | Team inbox on your number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | One person | High-volume templated sending | A team answering customers |
| Number | Your number | Usually a dedicated number | Your number |
| Existing chats and groups | Stay | Do not come along | Stay |
| Team | Linked devices, one account | A login per person, through a vendor | A login per person |
| Starting a chat | Any message | Approved templates outside 24 hours | Any message, normal limits apply |
| Bulk sending | Lists of 256 who saved your number | Official, a quality tier limits sending | Paced, no official bulk allowance |
| Setup | On your phone | Application and business verification | Scan a QR code |
| Cost | Free | Vendor plus seats plus Meta per message | Flat or per seat, no Meta fees |
When is the free WhatsApp Business app enough?
When one person handles the chats. You get a business profile, labels, quick replies, greeting and away messages and a catalog for free, and a linked laptop for typing. Many small businesses never need more, and there is no reason to pay for software to solve a problem you do not have.
It stops being enough when a second or third person starts answering, because every linked screen is the same account, or when you need rules, records or reporting that the app does not have.
When is the WhatsApp Business API the right answer?
When you mainly send first and at scale. For that job the API has real advantages that a linked-device product cannot match, and if this describes you, it is the route to choose:
- It is Meta's official route for business messaging, with a formal allowance for sending in volume.
- Pre-approved templates let you message opted-in customers outside the 24-hour window, at thousands a day.
- It is built for messages you start at scale, such as order updates, one-time codes and template campaigns.
The trade is cost and friction: an application and business verification, usually a dedicated number, templates that need approval, and a bill with three layers that grows with volume.
When is a team inbox on your own number the right answer?
When customers write to you on a number they already know and several people need to answer them. You scan a QR code, everyone gets a login, and your chats and groups stay where they are. There are no templates to submit, no 24-hour window and no Meta fee on each message. Groups matter here: if your business runs on WhatsApp groups, this is the route that keeps them.
Related: What is a shared WhatsApp inbox · WhatsApp for teams
What are the trade-offs of a team inbox on your own number?
- It is a linked device, a live session that can drop and need a new scan.
- It is not a Meta product, and it has no pre-approved templates and no official bulk allowance.
- Normal WhatsApp rules and limits apply to your number. Messaging people who never wrote to you can get a number into trouble, whichever tool sends it.
- It takes one of your number's linked-device slots.
How do you decide?
- One person, modest volume: the free app.
- A team that mostly answers inbound chats, or works in groups: a team inbox on your number.
- Mostly outbound, thousands of messages a day, or messages triggered by your own systems: the API.
Where does Spun fit?
Spun is the third lane: a shared WhatsApp inbox on your own WhatsApp number, without the WhatsApp Business API. It has AI replies and summaries, scheduled messages and broadcasts with pacing safeguards, and plans start at $49 per month with unlimited team members and no per-message fees. It is not the right tool if your main job is sending thousands of templated messages a day. That is what the API is for.
Related: The WhatsApp integration, explained · Pricing