Since it first came out in 2009, WhatsApp has become very famous. It’s one of the best-known apps in the world, with billions of users all over the world. The normal form of WhatsApp is a good way to talk to friends and family. And if you own a business, WhatsApp Business is a great way to keep in touch with your clients and grow your business. WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business are two of the most popular messaging apps around the world.
This is because the app has a lot of features, is safe, and is fast. Also, over 2 billion people from all walks of life have used WhatsApp. WhatsApp Messenger is good for both personal and business use because of how easy it is to use, how reliable it is, and how well it works. WhatsApp Business was released in 2018 to help small and medium-sized business owners. But its major goal is to help companies who want to promote their brand on WhatsApp or help customers.
WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business Comparison Table
Both WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business are apps for sending and receiving messages, but they are made for different things. WhatsApp is for talking to friends and family, while WhatsApp Business is for talking to people at work.
| Feature | WhatsApp Business | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Personal communication | Business communication |
| Features | Chat, media sharing, groups, voice calls, video calls, status updates | Business profile, catalog, quick replies, away messages, greetings, customer support tools |
| Verification | No | Yes |
| Number of active sessions | 1 | 2 |
| API | No | Yes |
| Labels and Categories | No | Yes |
| Messaging Statistics | No | Yes |
| Price | Free | Free (app), paid (API) |
| Download | Download |
What is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a popular messaging app that lets users send text messages, voice messages, make voice and video calls, and share photos, videos, and documents. It is owned by Facebook and can be used on phones and computers. To protect privacy and security, it uses private communication. WhatsApp has become an important way for people and companies all over the world to talk to each other. It makes it easy to have real-time conversations, group chats, and share updates.
What is WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp Business is a version of the popular messaging app WhatsApp that is made specifically for companies. It has tools and features that are made to meet the needs of both small and big businesses. WhatsApp Business lets businesses make verified profiles, use chatbots to automate replies, and better handle customer interactions. It’s a good way for businesses to connect with their customers, share news, help customers, and even make purchases easier.
WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business: Key Differences
The main difference between WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp is that the business solution gives a free app for small businesses and a paid API solution for larger ones. Both allow businesses to communicate with users using rich messaging. Standard WhatsApp texting is only a way for two people to talk to each other. You can use both a home phone number and a cell phone number for the business account.
It’s a good idea to use a phone with two SIM cards so that you can handle both from the same device while keeping the contact lists separate for compliance reasons. Then, to show off your business, you can add a picture, working hours, a website, and a real address to your profile. Another great thing about the WhatsApp Business app is that you can make a product catalog to show off your goods. It can have pictures, rates, and links to your site. You can also share the store as a single link.
Business tools offered by WhatsApp for Business
🏷️ Labels: Keep your WhatsApp Business account organized with labels. Assign unique titles and colors to each chat for better account management, order tracking, and lead management.
👋 Greeting Messages: Set up automatic greeting messages in WhatsApp Business. When a new customer contacts you for the first time or after 14 days of inactivity, they’ll receive a customizable greeting message, enhancing the user experience.
📨 Quick Replies: Simplify responses to frequently asked questions. WhatsApp Business offers quick answers to avoid repetitive responses and streamline customer interactions.
📴 Away Messages: When you can’t respond immediately, activate Away Messages on WhatsApp Business. Customize automated responses to let customers know when you’ll be available.
🔗 QR Codes and Short Links: Share QR codes and short links on all your channels to initiate direct conversations with your business account for quick customer engagement.
📢 Broadcasts: Send mass text message ads, similar to newsletters or SMS, to up to 256 contacts at a time using WhatsApp Business. Utilize phone lists or labels for recipient selection, but ensure they have your number saved for delivery to succeed.
WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business: WhatsApp Business API
The WhatsApp Business API, also called the WhatsApp Business Platform, is the other choice for businesses. This solution is for big businesses and independent software vendors who want to add WhatsApp messaging to their own products. It’s made to handle a lot more people talking at once.
After your business has been verified, there are four levels, and each one lets you get more texts from customers. You can move up a tier if you meet the following requirements:
- Make sure that “Connected” is the state of your phone number.
- Keep your grade of quality at “Medium” or higher.
- Reach half of your daily send cap with new, unique users in seven days.
If you reach those goals, Meta will change the state of your account within 24 hours. But you can’t just pay to move up to a higher tier. This method is also helpful for people who sell their own software. For example, if you make a tool for automating marketing, you might want to add WhatsApp to the email, SMS, and RCS options you already have.
Since it’s an API, it works with the tools you already have instead of using its own interface. It can even connect to a call center so that live agents can answer questions through WhatsApp without changing how things are done now. With all the extra features, there is a small fee to use the WhatsApp Business API to send a message. These are the most important things to think about with this WhatsApp solution for big businesses and enterprises.
WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business: WhatsApp Business API features
User access
In contrast to WhatsApp Business, the API lets you connect as many people and devices as you want to one account. This makes customer service and marketing through messengers work much better.
Account creation
To start using the API features, you need to apply for an account through a WhatsApp partner and give information about your business to get confirmed. Also, you can only apply for a green check mark to show next to your business name in chats by using the API. It gives your message more credibility in the eyes of the people you’re sending it to.
Contact management
The way friends are dealt with is a big difference between WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Business API. With the API, your opt-in lists are brought in from the CRM or another marketing tool.
There are two ways to get people to agree to marketing on WhatsApp: they can send a message to the business account first, or they can check a box for WhatsApp on a signup form. Through the API, you can’t send messages to contacts who didn’t agree to be reached through WhatsApp. This keeps the app experience for the customer safe.
The good thing is that you can get more people to sign up for your WhatsApp list through your website, emails, and other ways. On the free app, your friends must have your number saved in order to get your messages. This is a very limited feature.
WhatsApp: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free to download and use
- End-to-end encryption for all messages and calls
- Large user base, so easy to connect with friends and family
- Supports a wide range of features, including group chats, file sharing, and voice and video calls
Cons
- Not as many customization options as WhatsApp Business
- Can be difficult to separate personal and professional messages
WhatsApp Business: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Designed specifically for businesses
- Has features like business profiles, catalogs, and automated messaging
- Makes it easy to separate personal and professional messages
- Offers more customization options than WhatsApp
Cons
- Not free to use, charges a small annual fee
- Smaller user base than WhatsApp, so may not reach as many potential customers
WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business: which one should you consider?
Whether you should use WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business relies on what you want to do. WhatsApp is a great way to talk with friends and family on a personal level. It’s easy to use and doesn’t need its own business page. But it doesn’t have tools that are useful for business.
WhatsApp Business is made for businesses and gives them the tools they need to connect with their customers. You can make a professional business page, use automated responses, and look at analytics to see how well your business is doing. It’s good for both small and big businesses that want to connect with people in an easy way.
In short, if you use WhatsApp to talk to friends and family, use the regular version. But WhatsApp Business is better for companies that want to look professional and keep track of their interactions with customers.
FAQs
The main difference between WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp is that the business solution gives a free app for small businesses and a paid API solution for larger ones. Both allow businesses to communicate with users using rich messaging.
The texts are safe and both apps are free. So, both apps can be used without worry. WhatsApp Business is different from the normal WhatsApp app in that it is used for business. If you use your business account for personal things, your friends will see a message telling them what kind of account you have.
