The WhatsApp Business API, which Meta now calls the WhatsApp Business Platform, lets your software send and receive WhatsApp messages, so a chatbot, CRM or helpdesk can work on your business number. You get access through Meta’s Cloud API directly or through a provider; replies within 24 hours of a customer’s last message are free, and Meta charges per delivered template, except utility templates sent inside that window. With Praxen, connecting the API is part of a 2–4 week chatbot pilot at £2,030 with the launch offer (£2,900 standard), excluding VAT.
The API and the WhatsApp Business app
The WhatsApp Business app is free and runs on a phone. Staff read and answer every message themselves, with quick replies and a simple catalogue to help.
The API is a connection that other software uses: a website chatbot builder, a helpdesk such as Zendesk, a CRM such as HubSpot, or an assistant built for you. That is what lets an AI assistant answer at night, log the conversation in your CRM and hand the chat to a person.
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Staff, on a phone or linked devices | Your software, with handover to staff |
| Automation | Greeting, away message, quick replies | Chatbots, CRM updates, bookings, alerts |
| Messages you send first | Broadcast lists, received only by contacts who have saved your number | Approved templates, charged per message |
| Cost | Free | Free replies inside 24 hours; templates charged by Meta; the provider’s fee if you use one |
| Setup | Install the app | A Meta business portfolio, a number and a connection |
Two ways to get access
Direct access means using Meta’s Cloud API, which Meta hosts. You create an app in Meta’s developer tools, connect your number and pay Meta only for the messages it charges for. You then need software that uses the connection, built by your developer or by a partner such as us.
A Business Solution Provider, such as Twilio or 360dialog, sits between you and Meta. It handles the connection, and many providers add a shared inbox and a chatbot builder. You pay its fee, monthly or per message, on top of Meta’s charges.
A provider’s inbox is the quicker route when you want a ready-made tool. Direct access suits a business that needs the assistant inside its own CRM and wants to avoid a second subscription.
How to get the WhatsApp Business API
- Create a Meta business portfolio for your company, or use the one that runs your Facebook page.
- Choose the number. It must be able to receive a verification code by text or call, and it can be a number you already use on the WhatsApp Business app.
- Set a display name that matches your business name, so Meta approves it.
- Verify the business in Meta’s settings with company documents. Meta looks at verification before it raises the limit on how many customers you can message first.
- Connect the API: directly through Meta’s developer tools, or by signing up with a provider that does this step for you.
- Write and submit message templates for anything you send first, such as booking reminders or delivery updates. Meta reviews each one.
- Test with your own team’s phones, then switch the chatbot or inbox on for customers.
How pricing works
Since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per delivered template message. Templates fall into three categories: marketing, utility (order and booking updates) and authentication (one-time codes). Rates differ by category and by the customer’s country; Meta publishes the current rate card on its developer site.
Each message from a customer opens or restarts a 24-hour customer service window. Your replies inside that window cost nothing, and utility templates sent inside it are free too. A business that mostly answers incoming questions pays Meta little or nothing.
An illustrative example: a clinic answers 900 patient messages a month and sends 400 appointment reminders the day before. The replies are free. A reminder that goes out while the patient’s window is still open is free as well; the rest are billed at Meta’s utility rate for UK numbers.
Rules that shape the setup
- Opt-in. A customer must agree to receive messages from you before you send them templates. A tick box at booking or checkout works when it names your business and says the messages come on WhatsApp.
- Approved templates only. Outside the 24-hour window you can send only templates Meta has approved, with your variables filled in.
- Messaging limits. Meta caps how many different customers you can send templates to in a rolling 24 hours, starting at 250. The limit covers every number in your business portfolio together, and Meta raises it as you use it without many blocks or reports.
- Quality rating. Meta tracks blocks and reports for each template. A template that collects too many can be paused.
- AI assistants. Since 15 January 2026 Meta’s terms bar general-purpose AI assistants offered as a product in their own right. An assistant that answers your own customers about your services, bookings and orders is allowed.
What it costs with Praxen
We connect the API as part of the chatbot build and set it up in your own Meta business portfolio, so the number, the verified business and the approved templates stay yours if you change supplier. Standard prices are £2,900 for the pilot and £350 a month for care; the table shows the launch offer. Prices exclude VAT.