What is the WhatsApp Business API, and do you need it?
The WhatsApp Business API (Meta calls the hosted version the Cloud API) is how software connects to a business WhatsApp number, so a team can share one inbox, automate replies and send broadcasts. You need it when one person on one phone can no longer keep up, and you do not need it for a small shop that answers a handful of chats a day.
The WhatsApp Business app and the API are different products
The free WhatsApp Business app lives on one phone. It has labels, quick replies and a catalogue, and it suits an owner who answers chats personally.
The API has no screen of its own. Another product (an inbox, a CRM, an AI assistant) uses it to read and send messages on your number, so several people and several automations can work on the same conversations.
You probably need the API if
- more than one person has to answer customers on the same number;
- you want replies at night or on holidays without someone watching the phone;
- you want to send an offer to customers who agreed to hear from you, with a record of what went out;
- you want chats saved against a contact so nobody asks the customer the same question twice.
What you need to set it up
A Meta business account, a phone number that is not already registered on WhatsApp, and access to that number to receive a verification code. Businesses that send at volume are asked to verify the business with Meta; the exact limits and steps are in Meta's documentation and change over time.
Your own number stays yours. Connect it through Meta's official sign-in, and a product like Woro AI never needs your WhatsApp password.
What it costs
Two separate bills exist. The software you use charges its own subscription. Meta charges its own message fees, directly to your Meta business account. Meta sets those rates and changes them, so read Meta's current WhatsApp pricing page before you budget, and check which of your messages are charged.
Woro AI adds nothing on top of Meta's message fees.
Questions people ask
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
There is no charge from WhatsApp to connect, but Meta may charge for messages, and the software that sits on top of the API has its own price. Check Meta's current pricing page for what applies to you.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app on my phone?
Whether a number can run in the Business app and on the API at the same time depends on Meta's current rules. Check Meta's documentation for your account before you move a number, or try the API on a second number first.
Do I need a developer?
Not if you use a product that handles the connection for you. You sign in with Meta, choose the number, and the product does the rest.
Will the AI send things I did not approve?
In Woro AI, replies come from facts you supplied, anything outside those facts is handed to a person, and posts and broadcasts wait for your approval before they go out.
Next: How to answer customers on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger from one inbox · WhatsApp broadcasts: opt-in, templates and what keeps your number safe