What is the difference between WhatsApp Messenger, WhatsApp Business App, and Business API?

Use Cases and Guides

WhatsApp is a popular, dependable, and secure cross-platform communication application with over two billion monthly active users worldwide. All of these users have chosen its apps as their preferred method of communicating with their friends, family, coworkers, and customers. 

It’s easy to see why. The platform is extremely user-friendly and intuitive, with numerous features that extend its capability beyond simple text message exchange. End-to-end encryption, support for multimedia sharing (pictures, videos, music, PDF documents, spreadsheets, slideshows, and so on), group chats, voice and video calls, voice messages, and so on vary by solution.

The platform has been developed to accommodate a wide range of users, including individuals, small businesses, and even huge corporations. Its scope includes.

  1. WhatsApp Messenger
  2. WhatsApp Business App
  3. WhatsApp Business API

WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business vs Business API

Each of these options has its own set of benefits and features. We’ll describe the distinctions (and similarities) between them in this post. So, what is the distinction between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business (and Business API)?

1. Whatsapp

Individual users who wish to stay in touch and connect with their friends, families, colleagues, and acquaintances in one-on-one and group messaging sessions are targeted by the standard WhatsApp programme.

It is less formal and provides basic functionality. This offers free messaging, phone contact synchronization, and plug-and-play usability. Simply download and install the app to begin chatting and calling right now.

2. WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp Business, on the other hand, is intended for small and local businesses and entrepreneurs that want to use instant messaging in their day-to-day contacts with customers. It can be installed and used with the standard WhatsApp client. 

The free WhatsApp Business app adds themes, contact labeling, and rudimentary automation like rapid answers, greetings, and away messages to the platform’s fundamental capabilities. WhatsApp Business also aids in business-related operations such as customer service, payment alerts, marketing, and sales. It also allows you to construct a catalog to exhibit your items and services.

WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business share several features. Both are free to download and use, and allow for the exchange of text messages, multimedia, audio clips, and other files and documents up to 100MB in size. They also allow you to broadcast content to up to 256 people.

Finally, whether you use Whatsapp Business or Whatsapp Messenger is determined by whether you are an individual or a business user.

3. WhatsApp Business API

WhatsApp’s Business API is significantly different from both WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business. Above all, it is geared towards larger, developing businesses and enterprises. It gives them advanced and enterprise-level features that the other two packages do not have. One of them is the easily identifiable green tick next to your company’s name in the profile and conversation headers. This verifies that your company is verified and legitimate.

While both WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business are free to download and allow you to register an account using a mobile or landline phone number (the latter is only accessible in WhatsApp Business), the API is obtained in a different way. To be specific, every organization that wants to use it must subscribe to the services of a business solution provider (BSP) and WhatsApp partner, such as MsgClub. WhatsApp requires official approval of your account, which is made possible by its BSP partners, in order to provide you access to its API.

These services are paid for, but they include advanced capabilities such as cutting-edge process automation and contact synchronization, a team inbox, a centralized dashboard, and more. MsgClub Verified WhatsApp provides you with access to all of this. For example, its chatbot allows for conversation automation, allowing you to deliver rapid and detailed responses to your customers’ common questions and/or take over when no customer care personnel are present.

Furthermore, it allows several agents to sign in at the same time and chat with clients, send them multimedia files and documents, and access valuable tools such as detailed analytics, granular reports, and more through its centralized dashboard and team inbox/mailbox.

With the other two options, none of this is conceivable.

While the other two solutions have apps for both Android and iOS devices, WhatsApp Business API does not. That is, until the BSP provides one. MsgClub, for example, has created a mobile app for its platform that allows you to continue talking with your customers while on the road, outside the office, or wherever you are, lowering the chance of customers’ queries going unaddressed.

As we’ve seen, both WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business allow you to send and receive messages and multimedia with a 100MB restriction. With API, however, your BSP serves as a middleman. This allows it to send infinite messages on your behalf while charging specified fees. 

Another significant distinction exists between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business on one hand, and WhatsApp Business API on the other. The former allows you to make voice and video calls through their apps, whilst the latter often does not. 

Both the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business API are distinct from the standard WhatsApp messenger account in that they provide possibilities for greater engagement with your target audiences. This gives businesses of all sizes and shapes access to a big number of individuals.

It is entirely up to you to make your decision.

Hopefully, this piece has provided a clear response to individuals who have been asking what the difference between WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business is.

All three of WhatsApp’s methods discussed above have advantages and are excellent options for various sorts of users. Having said that, WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business have many constraints that the API successfully removes.

Is your company too large for the standard WhatsApp Business app and in need of something more powerful? Then register for API access and allow MsgClub to connect you to WhatsApp’s Business API. This manner, you will be able to take advantage of the numerous benefits it provides.