There are two ways to send WhatsApp messages from software: Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform, or an unofficial API on the number you already use. We make WbizTool, one of the unofficial ones; every fact below comes from each provider's own website, with the date we checked it.
The short answer
Checked on each provider's website on 2026-10-30 (Meta, Bird, Vonage and 360dialog) and 2026-10-17 (the others). Prices in US dollars unless shown; “Not found” means we didn't find it on their site. Prices change – check the provider's page before you decide.
| Provider | Route | Connecting a number | Per-message fees | From | Free | Team inbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WbizTool | Unofficial | QR code or phone-number code; the number keeps working on your phone | None: unlimited under fair use, up to 1,000 a day per number | $25 a month, 1 number | Free trial: 50 messages in any 30 days, no card | Unibox add-on on a paid plan, $20 a month per number |
| Meta WhatsApp Cloud API (direct) | Official | Business portfolio; a number not already on WhatsApp (or deleted first); keeping the Business app on it (Coexistence) only through a partner's signup | Meta's fee per delivered message: North America (incl. US) marketing $0.025, utility $0.0034; 1,000 service messages a month free | No monthly fee | Test number with no payment method; 1,000 free service messages a month | None (API only) |
| Twilio | Official | A Twilio number or your own that isn't on WhatsApp; Meta business verification before production | $0.005 per message (in or out) plus Meta's fees; $0.001 per failed message | Pay as you go, no monthly plan shown | Free trial, no credit card | Not in the WhatsApp API (Flex is a separate product) |
| Bird (formerly MessageBird) | Official | Your own number through Meta signup (business portfolio), or a Bird sender for its template catalog; Coexistence supported | $0.005 per outbound message plus Meta's fees (US marketing $0.030, utility $0.0084 in total) | Pay as you go; optional deposits from $15 a month | Not published | Free shared inbox |
| Vonage | Official | Self-service Embedded Sign-Up with a Facebook Business Manager; a Vonage or your own number | Vonage platform fee plus Meta's fees (US marketing $0.01615 + $0.025, utility $0.00219 + $0.0034) | Pay as you go, no monthly fee shown | €2 test credit; sandbox of 100 messages a month | Separate product (Conversational Connect, price not shown) |
| 360dialog | Official | Meta signup; Coexistence with the WhatsApp Business app supported | Meta's fees, "no markup" (a 7% surcharge on marketing sent through the standard endpoint, per its docs) | $59 a month per number (€49) | Sandbox: 25 messages to your own number | On Premium, $119 a month per number |
| WATI | Official | Meta Business Portfolio; a number not on any WhatsApp app unless it qualifies for Coexistence | Plan plus charges for template and service messages | $25 a month (Growth, 3 users) | 7-day free trial | Included |
| AiSensy | Official | Facebook Business Manager; Coexistence on an existing WhatsApp Business number | Conversation credits, recharged separately (India marketing ₹1.09, utility ₹0.145; Meta's list rate is ₹0.8631 / ₹0.115) | $45 a month (Basic; ₹1,500 in India) | Free Forever plan without broadcasting | Included |
| Interakt | Official | An existing number only after deleting its WhatsApp account; Facebook business verification | Per-message charges from a prepaid wallet, set by plan (India marketing ₹0.949–₹0.970; Meta's list rate is ₹0.8631) | ₹2,799 a month (Growth; billed in INR) | 14-day free trial | Included |
| UltraMsg | Unofficial | QR scan; one instance per number | None ("No cost per message") | $39 a month per number | 3-day trial, 100 messages a day | Not found |
| Green API | Unofficial | QR from the phone's WhatsApp; the phone must stay charged and online | None ("Unlimited" sending) | $12 a month per number (Business) | Developer plan: 3 chats, 100 checks | Not found |
| Whapi.Cloud | Unofficial | QR or pairing code; one channel per number | None ("No per-message … fees") | $35 a month per number ($29 billed yearly) | 5-day trial; free sandbox of 150 messages a day | Not found |
| WasenderAPI | Unofficial | QR scan under Linked Devices | None ("no … per-message costs") | $6 a month (1 number) | 3-day trial, no card | Not found |
One month, one number, 1,000 messages to US numbers, from each provider's published rates (Meta's North America rate card effective October 1, 2026). Official providers charge Meta's fee plus their own; unofficial ones a flat monthly price.
| Provider | 1,000 marketing | 1,000 utility | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| WbizTool | $25 | $25 | flat monthly price, 1 number |
| Meta Cloud API (direct) | $25.00 | $3.40 | |
| Twilio | $30.00 | $8.40 | $0.005 + Meta's fee |
| Bird | $30.00 | $8.40 | $0.005 + Meta's fee |
| Vonage | $41.15 | $5.59 | platform fee + Meta's fee |
| 360dialog | $84.00 | $62.40 | $59 per number + Meta's fee; marketing through the standard endpoint +7% ($85.75) |
| Green API | $12 | $12 | flat monthly price, 1 number |
| UltraMsg | $39 | $39 | flat monthly price, 1 number |
| WasenderAPI | $6 | $6 | flat monthly price, 1 number |
Sending more changes the picture: per-message fees grow with volume, a flat price doesn't (WbizTool allows up to 1,000 messages a day per number under fair use). Indian, European and other recipients have their own Meta rates.
WhatsApp API and dashboard that send from your own number, linked like WhatsApp Web.
Fits when: Small businesses and developers who want to send from the number they already use, with campaigns, reminders, Google Sheets, Shopify and Zapier, for one flat price.
Sources: wbiztool.com/pricing/, wbiztool.com/docs/guides/billing/, wbiztool.com/whatsapp-api/
Meta's own API for the WhatsApp Business Platform, used without a provider in between.
Fits when: Developers who want Meta's official route at Meta's own prices and can build everything around the API themselves.
Sources: developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsa, developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsa, developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsa
Developer API for the official WhatsApp Business Platform.
Fits when: Developers building the official platform into their own app, with code samples in many languages.
Sources: twilio.com/en-us/whatsapp/pricing, twilio.com/docs/whatsapp/self-sign-upFull comparison
Official provider with an API and a free shared inbox.
Fits when: Teams that want the official route with an omnichannel inbox and SDKs, and send campaigns from their own code (no broadcast screen).
Sources: bird.com/pricing/whatsapp, bird.com/pricing/inbox, bird.com/docs/guides/whatsapp/overview
Messages API for WhatsApp, SMS and other channels.
Fits when: Developers who also need SMS failover or voice from one API.
Sources: api.support.vonage.com/hc/en-us/articles/20773952146460-WhatsA, developer.vonage.com/en/messages/getting-started
Official Meta Solution Partner with a flat fee per number.
Fits when: Developers and agencies who want Meta's prices with one flat monthly fee per number.
Sources: 360dialog.com/pricing, docs.360dialog.com/docs/get-started/pricing, docs.360dialog.com/docs/get-started/sandbox
Official WhatsApp Business API platform with a team inbox.
Fits when: Support and sales teams that want the official route with an inbox, chatbots and broadcasts in one product.
Sources: wati.io/pricing, wati.io/en/blog/whatsapp-api-prerequisitesFull comparison
Official WhatsApp Business API platform (India).
Fits when: Indian businesses that want the official route with broadcasts and a team inbox.
Sources: aisensy.com/pricing, wiki.aisensy.com/en/articles/11939127-whatsapp-co-existeFull comparison
Official WhatsApp Business API platform (India).
Fits when: Indian shops that want the official route with a team inbox and Shopify or WooCommerce.
Sources: interakt.shop/pricing, interakt.shop/faqsFull comparison
Unofficial API for your own number (linked device).
Fits when: Developers who want a simple per-number API for their own code.
Sources: ultramsg.com, blog.ultramsg.com/whatsapp-api-by-ultramsg-faqFull comparison
Unofficial API for your own number (linked device).
Fits when: Developers who want the cheapest per-number API and many SDKs.
Sources: green-api.com/en/docs/about-tariffs, green-api.com/en/docs/before-startFull comparison
Unofficial API for your own number (linked device).
Fits when: Developers who need groups, channels and statuses through the API.
Sources: whapi.cloud/price, whapi.cloudFull comparison
Unofficial API for your own number (linked device).
Fits when: Developers on a tight budget who send from their own code.
Sources: wasenderapi.com, wasenderapi.com/api-docs/rate-limits/understanding-rateFull comparison
The official WhatsApp Business Platform is Meta's Cloud API, used directly or through a provider: Meta approves your business, the number can't stay on the WhatsApp app (except through Coexistence), messages outside a 24-hour window must be pre-approved templates, and Meta charges per message. Unofficial APIs link a normal WhatsApp number the way WhatsApp Web does: no approval, no templates and no per-message fees, but they aren't endorsed by Meta and WhatsApp's rules apply to your number.
It depends on what and how much you send. For a few hundred utility messages a month, Meta's Cloud API used directly is cheapest ($0.0034 per US utility message). For daily marketing messages, a flat-price unofficial API costs less: 1,000 US marketing messages cost $25 at Meta's rate alone, while WasenderAPI is $6, Green API $12 and WbizTool $25 a month per number, with no per-message fees.
With the official platform, only if you delete it from the WhatsApp app first, or use Coexistence – keeping the WhatsApp Business app on the number – which Meta offers through partners such as AiSensy, Bird and 360dialog. With an unofficial API you link the number you already use with a QR code, and it keeps working on your phone.
Both use the official platform and Meta's per-message fees. Twilio adds $0.005 per message (inbound or outbound) and gives you its console and code samples in many languages; using Meta's Cloud API directly has no provider fee, and you build everything around the API yourself – Meta provides a Postman collection, while SDKs such as PyWa are community-made and not maintained by Meta.
All three add their own fee to Meta's. Twilio charges $0.005 per message, inbound or outbound; Bird $0.005 per outbound message, with a free shared inbox; Vonage $0.01615 per marketing and $0.00219 per utility message (US), with SMS failover in the same API. For 1,000 US marketing messages that's $30 with Twilio or Bird and $41.15 with Vonage; for 1,000 utility messages $5.59 with Vonage and $8.40 with Twilio or Bird.
Yes, with every official provider: Twilio, Bird and Vonage add their fee to Meta's per message, 360dialog charges a monthly fee per number plus Meta's fees, and WATI, AiSensy and Interakt charge a plan plus message charges. Unofficial APIs charge no per-message fees at all.
No. WbizTool links your existing number the way WhatsApp Web does, so you need no Meta approval or templates and pay no per-message fees. Because it isn't the official platform, WhatsApp's rules apply to your number: message people who expect to hear from you and keep campaigns paced.
