In this document, we’ll guide you through what Whatsapp Cloud API is and how you can use it to connect with your customers on WhatsApp effectively.
Meta (the company that owns WhatsApp) offers two different WhatsApp solutions:
1. Whatsapp
2. Whatsapp Business Platform
WhatsApp is a widely used messaging app that allows billions of people worldwide to chat with friends and family. It also offers the WhatsApp Web portal, enabling users to access their messages directly from a browser.
On the other hand, the WhatsApp Business Platform is designed specifically for small, medium, and large businesses, enabling them to send and receive WhatsApp messages from their customers efficiently.
The WhatsApp Business mobile app is a part of the WhatsApp Business Platform. It differs from the standard WhatsApp app by offering additional features tailored for businesses to communicate with their customers. Millions of small businesses use this app to manage customer interactions efficiently.
In addition to the mobile app, WhatsApp also offers a programmatic solution that allows businesses to send and receive messages using APIs. These APIs are known as WhatsApp Cloud APIs.
The WhatsApp Business mobile app is ideal for small-scale businesses that need a simple chat app to communicate with their customers. However, if you require advanced features such as:
1. Sending thousands of messages at once
2. Automating transactional messages for actions like order placement or form submissions on your website
3. Managing customer chats across sales, marketing, and support teams
4. Other advanced business use cases
Then, the WhatsApp Cloud API is the better solution for your needs.
Note that when using your phone number with the WhatsApp Business Platform, you can choose either the WhatsApp Business mobile app or the WhatsApp Cloud API. However, the same number cannot be used on both simultaneously.
3 Different Ways to Use WhatsApp Cloud API
There are three different ways to use the WhatsApp Cloud APIs for sending and receiving WhatsApp messages:
1. Building a Tool In-House – WhatsApp Cloud APIs are available to all businesses. You can hire developers to integrate the APIs into your website or CRM system by developing a custom solution.
2. Signing Up with a Business Solution Provider (BSP) – BSPs are official WhatsApp partners that offer ready-to-use software tools for accessing WhatsApp Cloud APIs. This eliminates the need for businesses to build their own integration.
However, a major drawback of using BSPs is that they act as intermediaries between you and WhatsApp, often charging high fees. In addition to expensive monthly subscriptions, they also add a 12–35% markup on top of WhatsApp’s standard per-conversation pricing.
3. Sign Up with a Tech Partner like broadlyNotifier – We provide an easy-to-use tool that allows you to access WhatsApp Cloud APIs using your own API credentials. This gives you full control over setup, usage, and billing.
Unlike BSPs, we only charge a small fee for using our tool, without any excessive markups. You get all the features offered by BSPs but without the high costs or extra charges beyond WhatsApp’s standard per-conversation pricing.
Get started today by creating your free account and start leveraging WhatsApp Cloud APIs for your business!