What it is
The WhatsApp Cloud API is the Meta-hosted version of the WhatsApp Business API: it lets businesses send and receive messages, templates, buttons and catalogs from their own software without running servers. Access is free and you pay per delivered template. There's no inbox or interface, so you either code against it or plug it into a platform that does.
How to use it
- Register a number in WhatsApp Manager and verify your business with Meta.
- Create templates for marketing, utility or authentication and submit them for approval.
- Receive messages via webhook and reply from your backend or bot.
- Build in-chat forms with WhatsApp Flows.
- Plug it into an inbox like Chatwoot, or into n8n, if you'd rather not code everything.
What it's good for
- A digital bank sending verification codes with authentication templates.
- An online store confirming orders and shipping updates with utility templates.
- A dev team connecting its AI bot to answer customers without paying a middleman.
Pros
- Direct access to the official API with no middleman fees
- Replying within 24 hours after the customer messages first is free
- Meta hosts the infrastructure: no servers to install or maintain
- Templates, buttons, catalogs and WhatsApp Flows in one API
Cons
- No inbox or dashboard: you need to code or use another platform
- Templates need Meta's approval and each contact's opt-in
- Rates vary by country and category, and Meta has changed the model several times
