What the Business app gives you, free
The green-icon WhatsApp Business app is genuinely good for a small operation, and it costs nothing. You get a business profile with hours and address, a catalog, labels for organising chats, quick replies, and basic greeting and away messages.
One phone runs the account, and Meta lets you link a handful of companion devices, around four, so a second person can answer from a laptop. Broadcast lists let you message up to 256 contacts at a time, with the important catch that only people who saved your number receive them.
For a single shop owner answering enquiries personally, that's a complete toolkit. The app also does things the API deliberately doesn't: you can post Status updates, take voice and video calls, and write anything you like in any chat with no template approvals.
What the API changes
The WhatsApp Business API isn't an app you download, it's programmatic access to WhatsApp that software connects to. On its own it does nothing visible; a platform gives it a face: campaigns, inbox, bots, reports. That inversion is what removes the app's ceilings.
Broadcasts go to your whole opted-in list, thousands of contacts, whether or not they saved you, governed by Meta's messaging tiers rather than a 256-contact cap. Any number of team members work the same number from a shared inbox. Chatbots answer instantly at 2 am. Your Shopify or WooCommerce store triggers order updates and abandoned-cart nudges automatically.
The trade-offs are real and worth stating plainly. The API costs money: a platform fee (Growcord starts at ₹299/month, ₹99/month billed yearly) plus Meta's per-conversation charges. Messages you initiate outside the 24-hour customer service window must use pre-approved templates. And there's no Status, and calling support is limited. The API is built for conversations at scale, not for replacing your phone.
WhatsApp Business app vs API, side by side
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API (via Growcord) | |
|---|---|---|
Cost | Free | From ₹99/mo billed yearly + Meta conversation fees |
Built for | One person on a phone | Teams and software |
Broadcast size | 256 contacts per list | ✓ Whole opted-in list, Meta quality tiers apply |
Reaches unsaved contacts | ✗ Broadcasts only reach people who saved you | ✓ Every opted-in contact |
Team access | One phone plus ~4 linked devices | ✓ Unlimited agents in a shared inbox, with roles |
Chatbots and flows | ✗ Greeting and away messages only | ✓ No-code bot flows and auto-replies |
Store integrations | ✗ None | ✓ Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier, webhooks |
Campaign scheduling | ✗ Manual sends only | ✓ Scheduled broadcasts to segments |
Reports | Basic message stats | ✓ Per-campaign delivered, read and reply analytics |
Message freedom | ✓ Write anything, anytime | Templates approved by Meta outside the 24-hour window |
Status posts and calls | ✓ Included | ✗ Not the API's job |
App behaviour as published by Meta; API behaviour as implemented in Growcord. Checked August 2026.
When to upgrade, five signals
Businesses rarely outgrow the app gradually; one of these usually forces the move.
- Your broadcast list crossed 256, or your real reach is far below your list because most customers never saved your number.
- More than two people answer chats. Sharing one phone (or a password) means dropped conversations and no accountability for who replied.
- You're typing the same answers all day. Price, delivery time, address, a bot flow should handle the first 80% and hand the rest to a human.
- Your store runs on Shopify or WooCommerce and order updates, COD confirmation and cart recovery are still manual, or not happening.
- You need proof. The app can't tell you which message produced orders; API platforms report per campaign.
One more consideration: the verified green tick. In practice, applications go through business verification on API accounts, the green tick guide explains eligibility honestly, including why most small businesses are declined at first.
What upgrading actually costs
With Growcord: Basic at ₹299/month (₹99/month billed yearly) covers the essentials with 200 included conversations; Startup at ₹799 (₹399 yearly) covers 1,000. Meta's conversation fees come on top at Meta's exact published rate, roughly ₹0.78–0.88 for a marketing conversation in India, with nothing added by Growcord.
The free tier (one number, 50 conversations a month) exists precisely for this decision: put one real segment through the API for a month before you move your main number. If you then subscribe and it doesn't suit you, the plan fee carries a 7-day unconditional money-back guarantee. Full arithmetic on the pricing page.
Moving from the app to the API
Decide the number question
Keep your existing number (customers know it) or start with a fresh one. A number can only live on the app or the API, not both at once.
Export your chats and contacts
Chat history does not migrate to the API. Export anything you need from the app first, and pull your contacts into a CSV for import.
Connect through Meta's embedded signup
From Growcord, connect your number via Facebook Business Manager and verify by OTP. Migrating an app number means removing it from the app as part of the process, plan a quiet hour.
Set up templates, flows and the team
Submit your first templates for approval, switch on auto-replies or a bot flow, invite team members to the inbox, and send a small test broadcast.
Outgrown the app? Test the API free
One number and 50 conversations a month on the free tier, see the inbox, bots and broadcasts working before you move your main number.
Start free, no card neededWhy Growcord
What you get here that you don't get elsewhere
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the WhatsApp Business app and the API on the same number?
No. A phone number can be registered to either the Business app or the API at any given time, not both. Moving to the API involves removing the number from the app during setup; moving back later is possible but equally exclusive. Many businesses trial the API on a second number first, then migrate the main one.
What is the difference between WhatsApp Business app and API in one line?
The app is a free phone application for one person replying manually; the API is programmatic WhatsApp access that software, campaigns, chatbots, shared inboxes, store integrations, is built on. The app caps broadcasts at 256 saved contacts; the API reaches your whole opted-in list and lets a full team work one number.
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
The API itself has no licence fee, but using it isn't free: Meta charges per conversation (roughly ₹0.78–0.88 for a marketing conversation in India), and platforms charge for the tools on top. Growcord is free to start, one number, 50 conversations a month, with paid plans from ₹99/month billed yearly. The Business app, by contrast, is entirely free.
Will I lose my chats when I move from the app to the API?
Your chat history does not transfer, API platforms start with a clean inbox, and old conversations remain only in the app's export. Contacts are easy: export them and import the CSV with tags. This is the one genuinely irreversible part of migrating, so export your history before you begin.
How many people can use one WhatsApp number on the app vs the API?
The Business app supports one phone plus around four linked companion devices, with no way to tell who answered what. On the API through Growcord, any number of team members share the same number in one inbox, with roles, assignment and a record of every reply, extra members cost ₹149/month.
When should I upgrade from the Business app to the API?
Upgrade when any ceiling costs you money: broadcast lists over 256 contacts, more than two people answering, repeated manual replies a bot could handle, a Shopify or WooCommerce store without automated updates, or no data on what your messages achieve. If none of those bite yet, keep the free app, it's the right tool for very small operations.
Why businesses pick Growcord
Official WhatsApp Business API
Built on Meta's Cloud API, the sanctioned channel, not a modded app. No number-ban roulette.
Indian pricing, GST invoice
Plans from ₹99/month billed yearly. Paid in ₹ via Razorpay, with a proper GST invoice every time.
Free tier, no card needed
1 number and 50 conversations a month to prove it on real customers before paying anything.
Support from New Delhi, in IST
A real team on email and WhatsApp, Monday to Saturday 10:00–19:00 IST, not a ticket void.
Talk to us
Get set up on WhatsApp this week
Tell us what you sell and how many customers you message. We'll reply on WhatsApp with the plan that fits and, if you want it, walk you through the Meta approval step.
- No sales call unless you ask for one
- Answers from the team that builds it, in IST hours
- Free tier available. You can start before you decide
Documentation and official resources
Keep reading
Related guides and comparisons
Last updated: 2026-08-07