What you get for free. Downloaded at no charge from the App Store or Google Play, the app turns an ordinary WhatsApp account into a business one: a profile with address, hours and website, a product catalog, chat labels for sorting conversations, automated greeting and away messages, and saved quick replies for common questions.
Where it stops. Everything runs from one phone plus a small number of linked companion devices, so there is no true multi-agent inbox, no CRM integration, and no programmatic sending. Outbound reach depends on broadcast lists, which hold up to 256 contacts each and — critically — only deliver to people who have already saved your number in their address book. Automation is limited to canned text, not logic.
When to move to the API. The dividing line is systems, not headcount. Teams that need several agents on one number, messages triggered by an e-commerce or booking backend, approved template campaigns reaching customers who never saved the number, or an AI assistant answering inside the 24-hour service window have outgrown the app. Official Business Account status also requires the Business Platform, not the free app.
Why it matters for brands
The app is the right starting point for a shop handling a few dozen chats a day, and the wrong foundation for anything that has to scale, integrate with other systems, or be measured.