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Guide · WhatsApp Business

What is the WhatsApp Business API?

The WhatsApp Business API is not the same thing as the free app you probably already have. This guide explains the difference, how you get access, and what it costs - in plain English, without the jargon.

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An official connection to Meta No developer needed Live within days
In short
📱WhatsApp Business appFree, one device, everything by handFree
🏢WhatsApp Business APIUnlimited team, integrations, automationBusiness
🤝Through a provider such as KobiChatWe arrange the connection with MetaLive quickly
The difference

Two names, two very different tools

The free app and the official API share a name - beyond that they have little in common.

The free app

WhatsApp Business (the app)

The WhatsApp Business app is a free download and works perfectly well for a sole trader answering every message themselves. You install it on one phone and type each reply yourself, exactly as in the ordinary consumer app.

  • Free, nothing to apply for
  • Works on one phone
  • Everything manual, no integrations
App
JVYouThe only user on this number1 device
Away messageOne fixed automatic reply
IntegrationsNo CRM, website or chatbotLimited
The official API

WhatsApp Business API

The API is Meta’s own business platform: the same messages reaching your customer, but built for a whole team. Several colleagues work at once from one business number, and you connect the API to your own software - a team inbox, a CRM, a chatbot.

  • Any number of users at the same time
  • Connects to your CRM, website or chatbot
  • Automated templates and qualification flows
API
EMEmma WalkerAssigned to TomTeam
🤖ChatbotAsks the opening questions automaticallyAuto
ConnectionConnected to CRM and websiteLive
Getting access

You always arrange the API through a provider

Meta does not hand the API out to individual businesses - you need an approved provider.

Business Solution Provider

Why you cannot simply “apply” for the API

There is no download button for the WhatsApp Business API. Meta works only with approved providers - Business Solution Providers, or BSPs - such as KobiChat. They arrange the technical connection, the verification of your business and the management of your message templates.

  • Your business is verified with Meta
  • You pick an existing or new business number
  • The provider builds the inbox around it, as KobiChat does
Steps
1Choose a numberAn existing or new business number
2Verify the businessThrough the provider, arranged with Meta
3Live with your teamInbox, templates and automation ready to goDone
Costs

How the cost of the API breaks down

There are two layers: what Meta charges per message, and what your platform costs.

Message charges at Meta

Meta charges per message, not per conversation

Meta charges per delivered template message. There are a handful of categories - such as marketing, utility and authentication - and each has its own rate, set by Meta, which can differ per country. Replies within the 24-hour window are free until 1 October 2026; from then on, Meta charges for those per message too.

  • Charged per delivered message, not per conversation
  • The rate depends on the category and the country
  • Separate from the monthly fee you pay your provider
Message categories
MarketingOffers and promotionsMeta rate
UtilityConfirmations and updatesMeta rate
ServiceThe customer starts the conversationMeta rate
AuthenticationOne-time passcodesMeta rate
Your platform

And then: a flat price for your platform

On top of Meta’s message charges you pay your provider for the team inbox, the broadcasts and the automation around it. At KobiChat that is a flat monthly amount - no separate bill per integration or per user. At KobiChat, message charges are paid from your credit balance, at rates you can see upfront.

  • Basic from € 75 per month, excluding VAT
  • Standard from € 125 per month, excluding VAT
  • Pro from € 180 per month, excluding VAT
Plans
Basic€ 75 / month, excluding VAT
Standard€ 125 / month, excluding VATPopular
Pro€ 180 / month, excluding VAT
Frequently asked

Any questions about the WhatsApp Business API?

What is the difference between the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business API?
The app is a free, standalone application for one device and one user. The API is Meta’s business platform, letting a whole team work at once, connected to your own systems such as a CRM or a chatbot.
Can I apply for the WhatsApp Business API directly with Meta?
Not directly as an end user. Meta works with approved providers (Business Solution Providers) such as KobiChat, who arrange the technical connection, the verification and the template management for you.
What does the WhatsApp Business API cost?
There are two costs: the messages Meta charges for (varying by category and country) and your provider’s monthly fee for the team inbox around it. At KobiChat the latter is a flat amount from € 75 per month, excluding VAT; message charges are paid from your credit balance, at rates you can see upfront.
Can I use my existing WhatsApp Business number for the API?
In many cases, yes. Your provider migrates the number to the API environment; after that it no longer works in the free app, but it does work with your whole team through the team inbox.
Read next

Carry on with these

The WhatsApp API in KobiChat

How it works with us

Read more -> The 24-hour window

A rule worth knowing

Read more -> Team inbox

Start with the basics

Read more ->

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