The WhatsApp Business API, built for your whole team
Connect your number through Meta’s Embedded Signup with no developers. Share it with unlimited agents on Basic and above, answer customers from Slack, Microsoft Teams or Google Chat, and send broadcasts that pass consent, quiet-hours and limit checks before they go out. Plans start at $69/month billed annually.
Trusted by leading brands worldwide
What is the WhatsApp Business API?
The WhatsApp Business API is Meta’s programmable version of WhatsApp for companies. Meta now calls it the WhatsApp Business Platform, and the version Meta hosts for you is the Cloud API. Instead of living on one phone, your number lives in software, which is what lets a whole team answer it, an AI chatbot reply at 2 a.m., and approved templates reach thousands of opted-in customers.
There is no app to download. You reach the WhatsApp API for business through a provider that connects your number to Meta and adds the inbox, automation and reporting on top. That makes it the foundation for WhatsApp business messaging at any scale: support chats, notifications, broadcasts and automated follow-ups from one number. Social Intents is a Meta Tech Provider, so you connect in Meta’s own Embedded Signup window, and the number, the WhatsApp Business Account and the billing relationship with Meta stay yours.
What is the WhatsApp Cloud API?
The WhatsApp Cloud API is the version of the WhatsApp Business Platform that Meta hosts for you. There are no servers to run: messages go through Meta’s Graph API, and Meta bills message fees to your WhatsApp Business Account. Developers can call the Cloud API directly to build their own app.
Most teams don’t want to build that themselves. Social Intents connects your number to the Cloud API through Embedded Signup and adds everything around it: a shared inbox, replies from Slack, Microsoft Teams or Google Chat, an AI chatbot, broadcasts and automation, with no code.
Why teams choose Social Intents
Unlimited agents from Basic up
One number for sales and support, with no per-seat fees.
Replies in Slack, Teams or Google Chat
Or our web and mobile inbox. No new dashboard to watch.
Compliance built in
Opt-in evidence, automatic STOP opt-outs, quiet hours and pre-flight checks.
SMS fallback for US numbers
Reach US contacts who opted in to texts while Meta’s US Marketing pause lasts.
WhatsApp Business app vs WhatsApp Business API
The free app is built for one person on one phone. The API is built for teams, automation and messaging at scale. Here is how they compare as of November 2026. New to the app? Read our WhatsApp Business app guide.
| Feature | WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API (with Social Intents) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free app. Optional paid Meta Verified subscription. | No fee to connect. Meta charges per delivered template message, and for service replies after 1,000 free per number each month; your provider’s plan is separate. |
| Who can reply | Your phone plus up to four linked devices | Unlimited agents in a shared inbox (Basic plans and above) |
| Messaging customers first | Broadcast lists of up to 256 contacts, delivered only to people who saved your number | Approved templates to opted-in contacts, up to your messaging limit (250 to unlimited per 24 hours) |
| Free-form replies | Any time | Within 24 hours of the customer’s last message; templates after that |
| Automation | Greeting, away and quick-reply messages | AI chatbots, routing, opt-out handling and scheduled campaigns |
| Integrations | None | CRM, helpdesk and team chat (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat) |
| Reporting | Basic message statistics | Delivered, read and replied per message and per campaign |
| Multiple numbers | One number per app | Several numbers in one inbox (up to 10 on Business) |
You don’t have to choose. With coexistence, the WhatsApp Business app keeps working on your phone while the API powers your team inbox and broadcasts on the same number. How coexistence works
App and Meta details reflect Meta’s published documentation as of November 2026 and can change.
Everything you can do on the WhatsApp Business API
Support, sales and marketing share one number, one contact record and one conversation history.
Broadcasts
Send approved templates to opted-in audiences with a live pre-flight reach check, quiet hours and campaign reports.
ExploreTemplate library
Start from 90 free, copy-ready templates, then submit your own for approval with a live WhatsApp preview.
ExploreShared team inbox
One WhatsApp number for the whole team, with assignment, internal notes and unlimited agents on Basic and above.
ExploreSlack, Teams & Google Chat
Customers message you on WhatsApp. Your team replies from the chat tool it already lives in.
ExploreAI chatbot
ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini answers questions 24/7, trained on your website, and hands off to a person.
ExploreCoexistence
Keep the WhatsApp Business app on your phone and add the API to the same number.
ExploreWhatsApp CRM
Contact profiles with consent history, tags, segments and every conversation and broadcast in one place.
ExploreFree WhatsApp tools
Link generator, QR codes, text formatter and an API pricing calculator. No sign-up needed.
ExploreHow to get WhatsApp Business API in 3 steps
No developers, and no phone to keep charged in a drawer.
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1
Start your free trial
Create an account in a minute. No credit card required, and the trial includes WhatsApp so you can test with real customers.
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2
Connect with Embedded Signup
Click Connect WhatsApp, log in with Facebook, pick your business portfolio, add your number and confirm the code Meta sends. Already on the Business app? Choose coexistence to keep it.
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3
Reply, automate and broadcast
Invite your team, connect Slack, Teams or Google Chat, train the AI chatbot on your site, and import opted-in contacts for your first broadcast.
What you’ll need
- A Facebook login with access to your Meta business portfolio (you can create one during signup)
- A phone number that can receive a verification code by SMS or voice call
- A display name that matches your business, which Meta reviews
- A payment method in Meta Billing before you send paid messages
WhatsApp Business API pricing: flat plans, unlimited agents
Two bills, both easy to read: a flat Social Intents plan for the software and your whole team, and Meta’s own message fees, paid straight from your WhatsApp Business Account.
Social Intents plan
- Basic · 1 WhatsApp number · 2,000 broadcast recipients/mo$69/mo
- Pro · 5 numbers · 10,000 recipients/mo$99/mo
- Business · 10 numbers · 50,000 recipients/mo$199/mo
Prices billed annually. Unlimited agents, the shared inbox, AI chatbot, templates, audiences and reports are included. Compare plans
Meta message fees
- Billed by Meta, to you. Fees go to your WhatsApp Business Account’s payment method. We add no markup.
- Charged per delivered template message, by category (Marketing, Utility, Authentication) and the recipient’s country.
- As of November 2026, the first 1,000 service messages per number each month are free; service replies after that are charged.
WhatsApp Business API messaging limits, explained
Meta limits how many different people you can start conversations with in a rolling 24 hours. It counts unique recipients of business-initiated messages only; replying to customers who wrote to you doesn’t count.
Since October 2025 the limit belongs to your whole business portfolio and is shared by every number in it. New portfolios start at 250. Verify your business, or deliver 2,000 high-quality templates in 30 days, to reach 2,000; after that Meta raises the limit automatically when you use at least half of it over 7 days and recipients respond well.
Social Intents shows each number’s limit and quality rating and keeps a day’s broadcast sends under 90% of the limit. For the full playbook, see bulk WhatsApp messaging the official way.
Unique customers per rolling 24 hours
Meta messaging limits, as of November 2026
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250Starting limit
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2,000Verify or prove quality
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10,000Automatic scaling
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100,000Automatic scaling
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UnlimitedAutomatic scaling
250 → 2,000: verify your business or deliver 2,000 high-quality templates in 30 days. Above that: automatic, once you use half your limit in 7 days with high-quality messages.
Choosing a WhatsApp Business API provider
Every provider uses the same Meta API underneath. The differences are in billing, ownership and how your team actually works. Ask these five questions.
Who bills the Meta fees?
Paying Meta directly means you see Meta’s own rates. With us, there’s no markup and no prepaid wallet.
Do you own the WhatsApp Business Account?
Embedded Signup creates the account in your business portfolio, so your number isn’t locked to a vendor.
How are agents priced?
Per-seat pricing punishes growth. Basic and above include unlimited agents.
Where will your team reply?
Another dashboard means missed messages. We deliver chats to Slack, Teams, Google Chat or our web and mobile inbox.
Can you keep the WhatsApp Business app?
Coexistence support means the owner’s phone keeps working while the team scales up. Comparing vendors? See Social Intents vs WATI or our provider checklist.
Give your whole team the WhatsApp Business API
Unlimited agents from $69/month billed annually, replies in Slack, Teams or Google Chat, and Meta’s published rates with nothing added.
Who the WhatsApp Business API is for
Including the WhatsApp Business API for small business teams that have simply outgrown a single phone.
Small businesses
Move off one shared phone: everyone answers the same number, the owner keeps the Business app, and you pay one flat plan.
Ecommerce & retail
Answer product questions, send order updates as Utility templates and run opted-in launch campaigns.
Clinics & local services
Confirm bookings, send reminders and let customers reschedule in the chat.
SaaS & support teams
Route WhatsApp into your Slack or Teams support channels, with an AI chatbot taking the first pass.
Education
Class reminders and enrollment updates for families, answered from one shared inbox.
Multi-brand & regional teams
Connect 5 numbers on Pro or 10 on Business, one per region, brand or department.
WhatsApp Business API FAQ
Straight answers about access, pricing, limits and coexistence.
What is the WhatsApp Business API?
Is Social Intents an official WhatsApp provider?
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
How do I get the WhatsApp Business API?
Will my WhatsApp number get banned?
Can I switch from my current WhatsApp provider?
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number?
How many WhatsApp messages can I send per day?
Related WhatsApp resources
WhatsApp marketing platform
Run opted-in campaigns from audience to retargeting, with compliance built in.
Bulk WhatsApp messaging
Send to large opted-in lists the official way, without risking your number.
WhatsApp API pricing calculator
Estimate Meta’s fees by country and message category.
WhatsApp team inbox
Share one number across sales and support with assignment and notes.
WhatsApp marketing to US numbers
What Meta’s US Marketing pause means and what still works.
WATI alternative
How Social Intents compares on pricing, agents and where replies land.
WhatsApp Marketing Messages API
What Meta’s 2027 change to marketing messages means for you.
WhatsApp green tick
How WhatsApp business verification badges work in 2026.
WhatsApp coexistence
Keep the Business app and add the API on one number.
Get the WhatsApp Business API for your team
Connect your number with Embedded Signup, bring every agent, and answer customers from the tools you already use.
14-day free trial • No credit card required • Meta fees billed by Meta, no markup