What are the Major Differences Between WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business API?
What are the Major Differences Between WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business API?
Stuck between choosing WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp Business API for your business? We’ve got you covered!
WhatsApp being one of the most popular messaging app for personal use, has set its presence in business communications. Based on the extensivity of usage and size of the company, businesses can choose between WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Cloud API.
Small to mid-size businesses as well as enterprises can now see WhatsApp as the most essential customer engagement platform. By introducing payments, location shareability, audio/video calls, and document attachments, the messenger app is a one-stop solution for virtual interactions.
WhatsApp Business App: WhatsApp Business is a mobile application created especially for companies. It provides a range of functionalities designed to improve client interaction, optimize workflow, and broaden the scope of the market.
WhatsApp Cloud API: WhatsApp API is an interface that allows businesses to operate and communicate with a bigger customer base effortlessly. Automate conversations and automate bulk notifications with ease using WhatsApp API.
Let’s dive deeper into the specifics of differences between WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API!
Comparison Between WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Business API
The major differences can be easily understood by looking at the image below:
In order to understand the differences in detail, we need to understand how WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API work.
WhatsApp Business App:
WhatsApp Business App is meant for small business owners and is absolutely free to use. You can easily create a presence of your business on WhatsApp and use it to engage with your audiences, showcase your products and services and support them offering a better shopping experience.
With WhatsApp Business App, businesses can:
- Send Broadcast to 256 people
- Set up auto-replies for welcome & away messages
- Share documents, location, etc.
- Operate WhatsApp Business Account on 5 devices (1 Mobile + 4 PCs)
Some Important Features of WhatsApp Business App Include:
1. Business Profile
WhatsApp Business gives companies the option to set up a profile with their name, contact details, website, description, and business hours. This profile gives prospective clients important information, acting as a virtual storefront.
2. Labels
WhatsApp Business gives companies the ability to use labels to classify conversations and better manage their customer chats. This feature is especially helpful for companies that deal with a lot of client contacts.
3. Auto-Replies
WhatsApp auto-replies have proven to be an invaluable resource for upholding civility, guaranteeing security, and juggling work and personal obligations. Although auto-replies are compatible with WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business, their use and importance are different on each platform.
4. Maintaining Courtesy During Busy Periods
Automated responses are especially helpful for personal WhatsApp users when there is a lot of activity or when they are not available all the time. To be courteous and show respect for the time of others, a basic auto-reply acknowledging receipt of messages and notifying senders of the delay in response can go a long way.
5. Keeping a Work-Life Balance
For one’s well-being, it’s essential to draw distinct lines between personal and professional lives. WhatsApp Business users can set expectations during non-work hours and use auto-replies to manage work-life balance. People can prioritize their time and keep work-related stress from interfering with their personal lives by alerting senders when they won’t be available outside of work hours.
Suggested Reading: WhatsApp Group vs Broadcast
WhatsApp Business API:
WhatsApp Business API focuses on automating much more than just away messages. It is focused more on large-scale businesses and enterprises, helping them automate entire customer experience with chatbots on WhatsApp.
You can create a WhatsApp Business API account only through the API provided by WhatsApp Business Solution Providers (BSP). Basically, with WhatsApp Business API, you can:
- Broadcast messages to unlimited people
- Add unlimited users to handle chats
- Connect with CRM to manage conversations
- Generate advanced analytical reports
- Integrate with third-party applications
- Receive a green-tick verified badge on your WhatsApp Business account profile
- Build a chatbot for WhatsApp to support customers, generate leads, collect feedback and much more!
Also read: Master WhatsApp Business API in 2024
Some Salient Features of WhatsApp Business API Include:
1. Broadcast Promotional Messages to Unlimited users
WhatsApp can be used to send promotional messages to customers. These messages can be discount offers, promotions on festivals, product launch messages, season-end-sale & much more to boost sales & conversions.
To ensure security, it is essential to follow GDPR compliance, that is businesses need to obtain customers’ permission before reaching out to them over WhatsApp.
2. Automate Notifications via Integrations
Business Solution Providers (BSPs), such as Verloop.io can help businesses automate WhatsApp Notifications. This means customers can be notified of order placement, delivery, reminders for abandoned carts and much more.
3. Provide Live Human Chat Support on Multiple Devices
Once a business starts using WhatsApp API, the account can be accessed on unlimited devices for various business operations. With this feature, businesses can manage customer support, increase sales and grow their business on WhatsApp seamlessly.
4. Integrate WhatsApp Chatbot to Automate Support & Sales
A chatbot on WhatsApp is only allowed with WhatsApp Business API. It can enable human-like conversations with customers regarding marketing, sales and customer service.
It is the best tool for businesses in the growing stage as they can convert customers even during off-hours, that too on customers’ preferred channels.
5. Send Messages with Clickable Buttons to Boost Conversions
Send highly actionable messages with WhatsApp API. Add a CTA and quick reply buttons to offer your customers, the best customer experience with the easiest and shortest sales cycle.
6. Send Messages with Rich Media to Enhance Personalisation
With WhatsApp API, businesses can personalise even bulk messages and can add rich media like images, videos, PDFs, carousels, etc.
This feature can help businesses engage with their customers in a more interactive way.
7. Send Payment Reminders, Links & Updates
For selected countries, WhatsApp has enabled payment options via the app. Businesses can send payment reminders, links, invoices, subscription reminders, etc.
This feature is beneficial for all the industries as a customer can close the entire journey on WhatsApp, without having any friction of changing apps or opening websites.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the advantage of WhatsApp API over WhatsApp Business App?
There are a number of additional features and use cases of WhatsApp API such as unlimited users, session and template messages, WhatsApp chatbots and what not! If you are a business of small, mid or large size, willing to grow and beat your competitors, WhatsApp Business API is suitable for you.
2. Which is safe WhatsApp API or WhatsApp Business?
Both are safe to use. The messages are free and end-to-end encrypted.
In WhatsApp Business, once the message is received, it will be subject to the privacy policy followed by the business. To give customers control over their communication, WhatsApp displays a message informing them that their conversations are with a WhatsApp Business account. After reading this message, users are free to continue with the conversation or block/delete the number from their contact list.
WhatsApp API is GDPR complaint. Businesses cannot send messages without user consent.
3. Is WhatsApp Business free?
Yes, downloading the WhatsApp Business account is free on both Android and iPhone. Businesses are not charged for sending messages to customers.
4. Does it cost to message a WhatsApp Business account?
No, WhatsApp doesn’t levy any charges on users to send a message to a WhatsApp Business account.
5. How to verify a WhatsApp business account?
You can verify your WhatsApp Business account phone number during the activation step. To verify your phone number, enter the number you want to verify and receive the verification code. You can alternatively use the Call Me feature. Enter the verification code you get in SMS or in the phone call.
However, if you are looking for a green badge next to your name, this is possible only on the WhatsApp Business API account.
6. What are the disadvantages of WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp Business doesn’t have many features that a WhatsApp Business API has. Some of the disadvantages include:
- It’s not GDPR compliant.
- Only one person can handle queries. Chats cannot be transferred to anyone else.
- Limited automation options.
- Cannot sync with your CRM or other tools to personalise conversations and provide a seamless customer experience.
7. What is the pricing of WhatsApp Business API?
The pricing of WhatsApp API varies according to the Business Service Providers and automation required. You can get more details here: WhatsApp Business API Pricing Model EXPLAINED (2024)
8. What are session and template messages?
A Session Message is a message sent within 24 hours – in response to the message initiated by the customer. On the other hand, a WhatsApp template message is an outbound message that follows a pre-approved conversational template to reconnect with the customer after the 24-hour window.
To Sum It Up
After looking at the differences between WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp API, it is obvious that WhatsApp API has added advantages for businesses compared to WhatsApp Business App.
New features are lined up for both the API and the business app to make them more engaging and a great tool for interacting with your customers. WhatsApp favours local business owners who have a small customer database as well as enterprises with a large customer base.
Are you serious about your operations and want to take full advantage of engaging your customers on WhatsApp? In that case, the WhatsApp chatbot API solution is the best way to serve your purpose. And if you want to ace customer support on WhatsApp, we’d highly recommend you download our free comprehensive eBook on WhatsApp Customer Support.
