Guide
WhatsApp Business app or WhatsApp Business API?
The app is free and perfect for one person on one phone. The API is what you need once several people answer, messages must go out automatically, or campaigns reach thousands. Here is the honest difference — and how to have both on the same number.
Keep your existing numberKeep the app on your phoneFree to start
Side by side
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API (with Trafficaro) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | A shop owner or a very small team | Teams, growing businesses, anyone automating |
| Where it runs | A phone, plus a few linked devices | Any number of agents in a browser or the phone app |
| Messaging your customers | Free, typed by hand | Replies free within Meta's allowance; templates charged by Meta per message |
| Messaging many people | Broadcast lists that only reach people who saved your number | Campaigns to any segment of people who opted in, with reports |
| Automation | Greeting, away messages and quick replies | Chatbot flows, AI replies, follow-up sequences, booking agent |
| Integrations | None | API, webhooks, Shopify, WooCommerce, HubSpot, Google Sheets |
| Calls | Answered on the phone | Answered on the phone or by an AI voice agent |
| Cost | Free | Software plan (free to start) + Meta's per-message charges |
Signs you have outgrown the app
- Two or more people need to answer the same number
- You are copying customer details from WhatsApp into a sheet or CRM
- Customers wait hours for an answer to the same five questions
- You want to send order updates, reminders or campaigns automatically
- You cannot tell which conversations turned into sales
You do not have to give up the app
Meta now lets a WhatsApp Business app number connect to the API without leaving the app ("coexistence"). In Trafficaro, choose existing WhatsApp Business App number when you connect: you keep chatting from your phone, your team works from the shared inbox, and messages you type in the app show up in Trafficaro too.
Moving fully to the API is also possible later, and your number stays yours either way.
What the API costs
Two parts. The software: Trafficaro is free for 1,000 messages a month, then from ₹499 a month — see pricing. And Meta's charge per template message by category, billed by Meta directly with no markup from us — see WhatsApp API pricing in India.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
Access through a provider can be free to start, as with Trafficaro's free plan, but Meta charges per template message (and for service messages beyond its free monthly allowance). The app has no per-message charge.
Will I lose my chats if I connect my number to the API?
Not with coexistence: the app keeps working with its chats, and new conversations also appear in Trafficaro.
Can I use the API without a developer?
Yes. Trafficaro gives you the inbox, campaigns and chatbots on screen; the API itself is only needed if you want your own systems to send messages.
Does the API give me the green tick?
No provider can promise it. Meta grants the Official Business Account badge to notable brands that apply.
Related
WhatsApp Business API for India
The official API, connected in minutes, priced in rupees.
WhatsApp CRM & team inbox
One number, the whole team, every conversation in one place.
WhatsApp API pricing in India
Meta's current rates, what is free, and what providers add.
Pricing
Free, then ₹499, ₹1,999 or ₹5,999 a month. No markup on Meta.
WhatsApp chatbot
Twenty ready-made flows and AI replies from your own knowledge.
WhatsApp marketing
Campaigns to opted-in customers, with A/B tests and real reports.
Start with the free plan
Connect your number, import contacts who opted in, and send your first message today. No card needed.
Updated 24 Oct 2026