Tool review
Tool review: WhatsApp Business app vs the WhatsApp Business Platform for homestays
Your guests already message you on WhatsApp. Should you stay on the free Business app, or move to the API so a booking bot can reply for you?
Upesh Bishwakarma · · 1 min read
Verdict: start on the free WhatsApp Business app. Move to the WhatsApp Business Platform (the API) only when you want a bot to answer for you, or when more than a couple of people need to reply.
Almost every guest in India will message you on WhatsApp before they book. The question is which version of WhatsApp should be on the other end.
WhatsApp Business app
The free app you install on a phone.
Good for
- Getting started today, at no cost
- A business profile with your address, hours and website
- Quick replies and an away message for nights
- Labels to sort enquiries ("new", "called", "booked")
Limits
- It lives on one phone number and a few linked devices
- No real automation: it can't check dates or collect booking details for you
- Messages aren't automatically saved to your lead list
WhatsApp Business Platform (API)
The version businesses connect to software, either directly through Meta or through a provider.
Good for
- A booking bot that answers common questions at any hour
- Saving every conversation and phone number straight into your lead system
- Several staff replying from one shared inbox
Limits
- Needs a technical setup and a verified business
- Business-initiated messages are charged by Meta; check the current pricing for India before you start
- Template messages must be approved before you can send them
How we decide with clients
If you get a handful of enquiries a day and you answer them yourself, the app is perfect. Use labels and quick replies, and put a WhatsApp button on your website.
When you're missing messages at night, or your team is copying phone numbers into a notebook, that's the moment to move to the Platform and let a bot do the first reply.
Want help choosing? Talk to us.