Guide · Updated
WhatsApp Business: the free app, what it can do, and when to outgrow it
WhatsApp Business is Meta’s free app for small businesses. It gives your number a business profile, a catalog and automatic replies, and it’s perfect when one or two people answer customers. This guide covers what it costs, how to set it up, how to use it on a PC, and the point where a growing team needs the WhatsApp Business API instead.
WhatsApp Business vs WhatsApp
They look the same, but they’re separate apps. A phone number can be registered on one or the other, not both.
| WhatsApp Business | ||
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Friends and family | Small businesses talking to customers |
| Profile | Name, photo, about | Business name, category, description, address, hours, email and website |
| Selling | — | Product catalog |
| Automatic replies | — | Greeting and away messages, quick replies |
| Organizing chats | Lists | Lists and labels |
| Price | Free | Free, with optional paid extras |
Is WhatsApp Business free? Pricing in 2026
The app is free, and messages you send from it are free. Meta sells optional extras on top.
Meta One for businesses
Optional subscriptions launched in September 2026, bought per business number. US starting prices:
- Essential: verified badge, impersonation protection, more AI repliesfrom $14.99/mo
- Advanced: adds more linked devices and broadcast creditsfrom $49.99/mo
- Expert and Max: more capacity for larger teamsfrom $149 / $499
Prices vary by country. Check the current offer in the app.
Paid messaging
The app’s classic broadcast lists are free but reach only 256 contacts who saved your number. Meta’s newer Business Broadcasts tool in the app reaches more people and charges per delivered message.
On the WhatsApp Business API, Meta charges per delivered template by category and country. Estimate API costs
How to create a WhatsApp Business account
About ten minutes, and all you need is a phone number that can receive a text or call.
- 1
Choose your business number
Use a number that can receive an SMS or voice call. A number can only be on one WhatsApp account, so a dedicated business number keeps personal and business chats apart.
- 2
Install WhatsApp Business and verify
Download WhatsApp Business from Google Play or the App Store, enter the number and type the code you receive. If the number already uses personal WhatsApp, the app offers to move it, with its chat history, to WhatsApp Business.
- 3
Set up your business profile
Add your business name, category, description, address, hours, email and website. This is what customers see when they tap your name.
- 4
Turn on the business tools
Set a greeting and an away message, save a few quick replies, add your catalog, and share your short link or QR code so customers can start a chat. Make your own with our free WhatsApp link generator and QR code generator.
Want personal and business WhatsApp on one phone? Install both apps, each with its own number. Meta is also rolling out switching between two accounts inside the Android WhatsApp Business app.
WhatsApp Business features and their limits
Everything below is free in the app. The limits are where most growing businesses start looking for more.
Business profile
Name, up to three categories, description, address, opening hours, email and website, shown on your profile.
Catalog
Up to 500 products or services, each with up to 10 photos or videos, so customers can browse without leaving the chat.
Greeting and away messages
WhatsApp Business’s auto reply: a greeting when someone messages you for the first time, and an away message outside your hours.
Quick replies and labels
Save answers you send often and insert them with “/”. Sort chats with labels and lists such as “New customer” or “Paid”.
Short link and QR code
A wa.me link and QR code that open a chat with you, with an optional pre-filled message, for your website, packaging and ads.
Broadcast lists
Message up to 256 contacts at once, but only people who saved your number receive it, and lists work on the phone only. How to message more people
The app also supports Channels for one-way updates, and Meta’s built-in AI assistant can answer common questions with a monthly allowance of replies.
WhatsApp Business on PC and the web
There’s no separate WhatsApp Business desktop app. Instead, your phone stays the main device and you link a computer to it:
- Open WhatsApp Web (web.whatsapp.com) or the WhatsApp desktop app for Windows or Mac.
- On your phone, open WhatsApp Business and go to Linked devices, then Link a device.
- Scan the QR code on the computer screen.
You can link up to four devices at once. They stay connected while your phone is offline, but they log out if the phone isn’t used for 14 days. Creating broadcast lists and sharing live location only work on the phone.
Using WhatsApp Business with a team
Four linked devices let a few people share one number, but everyone sees the same chats and there’s no way to assign a conversation or see who replied. Meta’s paid tiers add more linked devices and show which teammate sent each message.
Beyond a handful of people, teams move to the WhatsApp Business API, where any number of agents answer the same number with assignments and history. Compare the options in WhatsApp Business multiple users, or see a shared WhatsApp team inbox.
WhatsApp Business app vs WhatsApp Business API
The app is for one person on a phone. The WhatsApp Business API (Meta’s Business Platform) is for teams and automation.
| Business app | Business API | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | You, on a phone plus up to 4 linked devices | Any number of agents, with assignments |
| Message many customers | Broadcast lists of 256 who saved your number | Broadcasts to opted-in audiences within Meta’s daily limit |
| Automation | Greeting, away messages and quick replies | AI chatbots, drip sequences, keyword opt-ins, integrations |
| Where you work | The WhatsApp Business app or WhatsApp Web | A shared inbox, or Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Chat through a provider |
| Cost | Free, optional paid extras | Provider plan plus Meta’s per-message fees |
| Setup | Download the app | Connect through a Meta partner’s Embedded Signup |
You don’t have to give up the app
With WhatsApp Coexistence, a number on the Business app (version 2.24.17 or later) can also connect to the API. You keep chatting from your phone for free while your team, chatbot and campaigns run through the API on the same number.
Signs you’ve outgrown the WhatsApp Business app
- More than a few people answer. Chats get missed or answered twice because nobody owns them.
- 256 isn’t enough. You want to reach every opted-in customer, not just those who saved your number.
- Questions come in at night. An AI chatbot could answer most of them instantly.
- Follow-ups slip. Automated sequences would send them for you and stop when customers reply.
Social Intents connects your number to the official WhatsApp Business API with unlimited agents from the Basic plan, and your team answers from Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat or a web inbox.
WhatsApp Business FAQs
Is WhatsApp Business free?
What's the difference between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business?
How do I create a WhatsApp Business account?
Can I use WhatsApp Business on my PC?
How many people can use one WhatsApp Business account?
Does WhatsApp Business have auto reply?
Can I use the same number on the WhatsApp Business app and the API?
When should I move from the WhatsApp Business app to the API?
Sources
Checked against Meta’s own pages on November 3, 2026. Features, limits and prices change, so confirm in the app.
- Meta Newsroom: Introducing Meta One (September 15, 2026)
- WhatsApp Business: Meta One on the WhatsApp Business app
- WhatsApp Business: Business Broadcasts
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to use broadcast lists
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to link a device
- WhatsApp Business: Catalog
- Meta for Developers: Onboard WhatsApp Business app users (Coexistence)
Ready for more than the app can do?
Connect your WhatsApp Business number in minutes, keep the app with Coexistence, and let your whole team answer from Slack, Teams, Google Chat or your inbox.
No credit card required • Meta message fees billed separately by Meta