Most small businesses in India already use the free WhatsApp Business app. When people talk about chatbots and automation, they usually mean the WhatsApp Business Platform (often called "the API"). They're built for different stages of a business.
The WhatsApp Business app
A free app on your phone. It gives you a business profile, a catalogue, labels, quick replies, a greeting message and an away message.
- Good for: one owner answering personally, a manageable number of chats a day.
- Limits: replies are typed by a person (quick replies help, but someone still has to send them); no real booking flow; hard to share one inbox across a team.
The WhatsApp Business Platform (API)
The version Meta offers for software to connect to. There's no phone app — your messages run through a system built on top of it, like an assistant.
- Good for: answering automatically at any hour, booking flows, reminders, several staff in one inbox, and connecting to calendars and sheets.
- Costs: Meta charges per message for some message types (for example, reminders and promotions you start), while many replies to customers who message you first are free. Rates change, so check Meta's current pricing page for India.
- Rules: messages you start after 24 hours need pre-approved templates, and customers must have agreed to hear from you.
A simple way to decide
| If this sounds like you… | Use |
|---|---|
| You reply to every chat yourself and rarely miss one | Business app |
| Messages come at night and on Sundays, and some customers book elsewhere | Platform + assistant |
| Two or more people answer chats | Platform |
| No-shows are a regular problem | Platform (automatic reminders) |
What we usually suggest
Start on the app, and set a proper greeting and away message today — it costs nothing. When you notice missed messages, late replies or no-shows, that's the moment the assistant pays for itself.