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WhatsApp currently has 3 software under its disposal. The WhatsApp messenger, WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp Business API. You can find the major differences between the three below.
The Freshchat - WhatsApp integration falls under the category of WhatsApp Business API, as Freshworks is an official WhatsApp Business Service Provider.
| Questions | WhatsApp | WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API |
| What is it and who is it best suited for? | An app made for personal 1-1 messaging. Mainly used for interaction with friends and family. | An app made for micro and small businesses to message their customers. This is best suited for businesses that are just starting up and have a low number of customer interactions and can be handled by 1 person. | An app made for medium sized and enterprise businesses to message their customers.
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| Type of interaction | 1-1 messaging | 2 people to 1 messaging | Many to 1 messaging |
| Set up | Download the app from the app store. | Downloading the app from the app store. | Contacting a Facebook Business Service Provider (BSP) like Freshworks for set up. Contact Freshworks for access. |
| Pricing | Free to use. | Free to use. | WhatsApp and the BSP have a pricing structure. Learn more about the pricing. |
| Types of messaging | Normal text, emoji based messaging with attachments. | Normal text, emoji based messaging with attachments. | Two types of text and rich media messages called “Session” and “Template” messages (Notifications). |
| Is there any approval required? | No | No | Yes, 2 approvals. One to get access to the API. Two, to get approval of templates to send Template messages. |
| Verified tick (Green check mark) | Not available | Yes, but requires approval from WhatsApp. | Yes, but requires approval from WhatsApp. |
| Is Voice or video calling possible? | Yes | Yes | No |
| Can we create groups? | Yes | Yes | No, deprecated in 2020 |
| Are Broadcast lists possible? | Yes | Yes | No, not as of today |
| Adding Contacts | Gets it from the phone it’s been installed in. | Gets it from the phone it’s been installed in. | Will have to check with BSPs for methods to upload contacts. |
| WhatsApp pay | Yes | Yes | No, not as of today. Other payment gateways might be possible via BSPs. |
| Labels | No | Yes | Yes |
| Quick replies | No | Yes | Yes |
| Auto responses | No | Yes | Yes |
| Offline messages | No | Yes | Yes |
| Automation possible? | No | No | Yes, complex chatbots can be built using APIs |
| Integrations | No | No | Yes, possible if the BSP allows via APIs or native integrations. |
You can find more information related to the Freshchat - WhatsApp integration or you can sign up for access directly and start the process.
