WhatsApp Business App vs API
The WhatsApp Business App and the WhatsApp Business API are the two official tools for businesses on WhatsApp: the app is free, installs on a phone and is designed for small businesses with a single person managing it; the API has no interface of its own, is used through platforms and serves teams, automations and compliant mass sending. The choice depends on volumes, people involved and integration needs.
The app offers a business profile, catalog, labels, quick replies, welcome and away messages, with the limits of individual use: few linked devices, broadcast lists of 256 contacts delivered only to those who saved the number, no integration with external systems and a ban on unofficial automations. The API flips the model: messages via software, unlimited agents through a platform, approved templates for marketing, webhooks and integrations with CRMs and management systems.
The move from app to API typically happens when the business outgrows individual management: several people need to reply, campaigns need real, tracked volumes, or the channel must integrate with orders and appointments. The number can be migrated from app to API, but the local history doesn't transfer. Costs change in nature: the app is free, on the API you pay for templates according to Meta's price list plus any platform.
SendApp covers both paths: Agent and Cloud work with your existing WhatsApp, Official takes you to the official API when the business is ready, with guided migration and always zero markups on messages.
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From theory to practice
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