Over the past few years, we all have seen how technology has evolved rapidly but do you know how this advanced technology is helping lots of clients by offering them a more personalised and convenient communication experience?
With over 2 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp has become the best communication application by providing them with the best consumer interaction platform, marketing tools, and as well as sales platform. Also, It not only acts as the best communication app for most people but also gives businesses a chance to join the trend.
Furthermore, with the help of the WhatsApp Business API, business owners can now interact with more clients and are able to take full advantage of their offerings by communicating with their customers and doing anything with their products.
But beyond these advantages, the question arises that when you have to deal with the growing company issues, should you still see this as a very effective technology solution? And is WhatsApp Business API worth the price?
Understanding WhatsApp Business API Pricing
So, let’s first understand what WhatsApp Business API pricing is. If you are considering that WhatsApp API for Business is just like the free WhatsApp Business App then you are wrong here. API, pricing is dependent on the conversation. This simply means that you have to pay for each conversation, which is a 24-hour period during which you can exchange several messages with your client.
The Free Tier: A Starting Point for Low-Volume Interactions
The parent company of WhatsApp, Meta offers a free plan with a 1000 conversations per month limit. This can result in a good starting point for a company with a limited client or those who want to test the WhatsApp Business API before committing to it.
Moreover, don’t forget that the free tier comes with limitations. Such as, you won’t be able to access chatbots, messaging automation, and analytics, which might make it difficult to manage a large number of conversations in the free tier.
Know How to use WhatsApp business API as a Small Business? Read More
Paid Conversation-Based Pricing: Scaling Up with Advanced Features
Now after discussing the free tier let’s move to WhatsApp Business API paid plans that offer more flexibility and functionality. Below are some features that will make you easily understand:
Conversation Types and Costs are categorized according to when they started and what their goals were. There are three primary types, here they are:
- Service Conversation: In this type of conversation, customers usually start their conversation with customer support or with questions. These are usually the most cost-effective conversations to have.
- Marketing Conversations: These involve business-initiated conversations that are meant to convey non-transactional or promotional messages. If compared to services conversation these often have a larger WhatsApp Business cost per message.
- Utility Conversation: These are certain messages that are sent out of transactional updates like appointment reminders and account verification. Moreover, depending on the particular use case, utility conversations may have different prices.
Don’t Forget The WhatsApp BSP Fees
Most people forget to take other expenses into account, in addition to Meta’s WhatsApp conversation fees. If you want to set up and maintain your WhatsApp Business API, then you will probably work with a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP).
There are many additional services that BSP offers such as message routing, and integration with your CRM system and marketing automation platform. Furthermore, it is important to note that these services come with their own additional costs.
WhatsApp Business API Free vs. Paid: Which Is Better?
Well, deciding between the free and WhatsApp paid versions for business is an ongoing debate that never ends. However, both plans have their own pros and cons, so let’s discuss them one by one.
The Free Tier
- Pros: If you have a small customer base then this free tier WhatsApp business pricing might be a great option for you. It comes up with limited messages offering you a budget-friendly option.
Also, talking about its setup, the WhatsApp Business free tier is quite simple. Without any technical complexities, you can immediately start messaging customers.
Moreover, with the free version you can engage with your customer directly and personally which will lead to building a strong connection.
- Cons: But this free version comes with disadvantages by offering your business limited conversation. Also, it doesn’t integrate with your CRM systems.
The Paid Pricing
- Pros: The paid version allows businesses to manage thousands of customer conversations at once, by contributing to more growth and higher messaging volumes.
Also, this API allows multiple customer service agents to use it alternatively. which means customer inquiries can now be resolved more quickly.
- Cons: If talking about its WhatsApp API cost involvement, which can be counted as its cons. WhatsApp isn’t free. For using it, you need to partner with a business solution provider which includes setup fees, monthly fees, and per-message costs.
Moreover, the WhatsApp API doesn’t have its own interface, which means you need to integrate it with third-party software to manage conversations.
What Things to Consider For Choosing the Right Plan?
Well, there are many things that one can consider for choosing the right plan but below are some top considerations that you should always check on:
- Business Size: If you have a small business or just starting then the free WhatsApp business App will be best for you. But if you have a large customer base then WhatsApp Business API is a better option.
- Message Volumes: Furthermore, if your businesses don’t receive many inquiries then the free version can be your option. But if you have large customer messages, then WhatsApp API is all you need.
- Budget Consideration: Before opting to any paid plan it is better to consider your budget. Also, businesses looking to invest in scalability then can be a wise option to invest in.
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Conclusion: Is the WhatsApp Business API Worth It?
Well, the value of WhatsApp API highly depends on the needs and goals of the business. Throughout this informative guide, we have discussed the never-ending debate on free vs fee WhatsApp business API and its pricing. So, if you have a growing customer base and value customer support then investing in WhatsApp API for business is worthy of investment, which will give you a good return on investment.