How Much Does WhatsApp Business Cost?

Have you thought about using WhatsApp Business for your company comms? Perhaps you’ve heard how other businesses are using WhatsApp to build strong relationships directly with their customers?

Well, the first question on your mind is probably this: How much does WhatsApp Business cost, and is it worth the investment?

While the WhatsApp Business app is free to download and use, some of the other WhatsApp Business products do charge a fee. You’ll also need to buy a second virtual phone number if you want to verify both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business on one device.

Let’s take a look at WhatsApp’s pricing for 2024, including WhatsApp Messenger, WhatsApp Business, WhatsApp Premium and the WhatsApp API. We’ll look at which solution is best for your size of company, and what you can expect to be charged for each WhatsApp Business product.

Why do I need WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp Messenger is the most popular messaging app around the globe, and it looks set to stay that way in the near future. So, it’s no surprise that more companies than ever are embracing WhatsApp as a way to connect directly with their customers.

Small and large businesses everywhere are using WhatsApp messaging to answer new customer queries, keep in touch with existing customers, display product catalogues, set up automated messages, and make their interactions quicker and easier through quick replies and shortcuts. Read our guide here to find out how WhatsApp Business can help you connect with clients.

With a WhatsApp Business account you can take advantage of all the Business tools on offer. Create a business profile, including key information including your company’s opening hours, website, contact details, a brief description and a photo. This shows WhatsApp users that you are a legitimate business operating from a business account, and not a personal WhatsApp account. You can also link your social media channels, such as your Instagram or Facebook page.

How much do the different WhatsApp products cost?

Let’s go through each of WhatsApp’s offerings, and break down how much each option costs.

WhatsApp Messenger: Free

WhatsApp Messenger is the original WhatsApp product. It’s an instant messaging app that’s intended for personal use, such as chatting with family and friends.

Some features of WhatsApp Messenger include:

• End-to-end encryption for secure messaging
• Share media including GIFs, photos, videos and audio files, such as voice notes
• Secure video and voice calls with up to 8 people
• Individual and group chats
• Personal profile, including photo, name, phone number and status
• Sync with WhatsApp Web

While WhatsApp is a great, secure choice for personal chats, it’s not a good option for professional communication. For the best business messaging options, scroll down this list and pick the one that suits your needs.

WhatsApp Messenger is free to download from Google Play and the iOS App Store.

WhatsApp Business: Free

How many messages do you get every day as a small business owner? If the answer is – “too many to keep track of!” – we hear you. That’s where the WhatsApp Business app can help small businesses. 

WhatsApp Business is ideal for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under 50 people. You can even use YBN Teams to manage all of your purchased YBN numbers and keep track, making it the perfect business solution when you want to keep communications in-house and maintain full control of your team.

Some features of WhatsApp Business include:

• End-to-end encryption for secure messaging
• Share media including GIFs, photos, videos and audio files, such as voice notes
• Secure video and voice calls with up to 8 people
• Individual and group chats
• Business profile, including photo, name, phone number, business address and more
• Product or service catalogues
• Business messaging tools including auto-replies, away messages and labels
• Sync with WhatsApp Web

You don’t have to shell out on a new dual SIM phone or a second mobile contract in order to use WhatsApp for Business. With YourBusinessNumber, you can save on your business costs and utilise the devices you already have to hand, all while keeping your current WhatsApp account. Small business owners can manage more than one number for multiple Business accounts at the same time through YBN Teams.

WhatsApp Business Premium: Price TBC by WhatsApp

WhatsApp Business Premium is a paid-for option that has recently been launched by WhatsApp. It’s currently only available on Android to a select few WhatsApp users, so it may not be available in some locations yet.

Some features that are currently only available to WhatsApp Business Premium subscribers include:

• WhatsApp web page for your business, which includes a customised, easy-to-remember URL and an indexable web page that displays your business name, profile picture, hours, address, website and catalogue.
• Support for up to 10 agents at a time, plus chat assignment. This means that multiple agents can use a single business account to respond efficiently to customers.

To check if it’s currently available for you and subscribe if it is, follow these steps on Android:

1. Open the WhatsApp Business app.
2. Go to More Options, then Settings, then Premium.
3. Choose Start Free Trial or Subscribe, then confirm.
4. You can now start using WhatsApp Business Premium.

The price for WhatsApp Business Premium has not yet been announced by WhatsApp as the feature has not been rolled out to all customers yet.

WhatsApp Business Platform: Varying price per conversation

If you’re running a larger business with a high volume of WhatsApp chats, the WhatsApp Business Platform (also known as the WhatsApp API) will be a better choice to meet your needs. This is a commercial solution that WhatsApp has tailored to businesses that have more than 50 people on their teams. Find out more here.

Also called “WhatsApp Cloud”, this solution provides extra scalability, flexibility, and dedicated enterprise features to meet your needs. It’s ideal for larger businesses. With the WhatsApp Business API, you can personalise messages, offer multilingual customer support, automate replies to frequently asked questions, schedule appointments, send payment reminders and launch marketing campaigns using broadcast messages.

The API works with authorized third-party software, from a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider or WhatsApp Partner. This comes with additional monthly costs. More information on the WhatsApp Business API Pricing can be found here.

Let’s take a quick look at how WhatsApp charges for the API account. The WhatsApp Business Pricing model changed in February 2022. The WhatsApp Business Platform uses conversation-based pricing, with API users charged a fixed cost per conversation. There are two categories (business initiated conversations started via message template, and user initiated conversations started via free form user initiated message) with conversations measured in fixed 24-hour sessions.

User initiated messages: The user creates a new conversation, then the business responds within the 24-hour customer service window. These are referred to as session messages, and the business can respond with free form messages within the 24-hour window.

Business initiated messages: The business sends a message to a user outside of the 24-hour customer service window. Business initiated conversations are referred to as template messages.

There’s also a free tier of 1000 conversations per month for all WhatsApp Business accounts. These won’t incur a conversation fee, no matter whether these are user initiated conversation leads (a session message) or a business initiated conversation (a template message).

Final pricing is determined by the WhatsApp Business Solution Providers or WhatsApp Partners, so it’s worth checking for any hidden or unexpected WhatsApp Business costs.

Should I choose WhatsApp Business Premium or YourBusinessNumber Teams?

If you’re choosing between WhatsApp Business Premium or YourBusinessNumber Teams, it’s worth considering which functionality you’re purchasing it for.

With WhatsApp Business Premium, you can connect up to 10 agents at any one time, and you’ll get a customisable, easy-to-remember URL that displays your WhatsApp Business details.

If you already have a website set up for your business, you might not need the URL option. With YourBusinessNumber Teams, you can connect an unlimited number of agents, all under one flexible monthly payment. Pretty sweet!

Should I choose the WhatsApp Business Platform or YourBusinessNumber Teams?

If you have more than 50 people working on your WhatsApp Business comms (and want to integrate with other systems or third parties, you’ll need to use the WhatsApp Business Platform). However, if you aren’t fussed about third party platforms and just want to hook your team up together without the API fiddling, no matter how many team members you have, our Teams solution could be ideal for you.

One big downside to the WhatsApp Business Platform is the complicated fee structure, where you’re charged per conversation. This can result in charges that can be difficult to understand, and may vary from month to month depending on your use. We just charge a flat monthly fee for your team’s WhatsApp Business use, with no unexpected surprises or complex maths to work out each month. No muss, no fuss.

How can I get started on WhatsApp Business with YourBusinessNumber?

We know it’s difficult these days to draw the line between work and play – especially when so many of us use one mobile phone for both business and personal use.

That’s why we’ve created a solution to allow you to harness all the benefits of WhatsApp Business, while protecting your privacy and personal time.

With a second virtual phone number from YourBusinessNumber, you can set up both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business on one mobile phone. That means all your work messages will be safely stored in the Business version of the app, while your personal contacts are kept in your private WhatsApp account.

What’s more, you’ll benefit from all the amazing tools that are included in WhatsApp Business, like automation, categorisation, business profiles and catalogues that can help your company stand out from the crowd.

Sounds good? We’d love to have you join us. In just a few clicks we’ll get you set up with your brand new unique mobile phone number that you can use to verify WhatsApp Business. And with low-cost, flexible monthly contracts, you’ll stay in complete control while enjoying your new business phone number.

So what are you waiting for? Generate your new WhatsApp Business number today and harness the power of this great messenger platform for your business.