{"id":100165,"date":"2026-10-07T12:58:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/glossary\/whatsapp-business\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T12:59:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:59:02","slug":"whatsapp-business","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/en\/glossary\/whatsapp-business\/","title":{"rendered":"WhatsApp Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WhatsApp Business<\/strong> is Meta’s free app that lets small businesses serve their customers on WhatsApp with a business profile, a catalog and automated messages.<\/p>\n\n

It works just like the WhatsApp<\/a> app you already know.<\/p>\n\n

The difference lies in the tools for selling and customer service: business hours, saved replies, labels to organize chats and a showcase for your products.<\/p>\n\n

What is WhatsApp Business?<\/h2>\n\n

Meta launched WhatsApp Business in January 2018 for Android and iOS. By June 2023 it had more than 200 million monthly active users, according to the company itself.<\/p>\n\n

It is designed for shops, restaurants, clinics, schools and professionals who serve customers from their phone. It is the first step in conversational marketing<\/a>: your customer asks a question and you answer in the same chat.<\/p>\n\n

For higher volumes there is another tool, the WhatsApp Business API<\/a>. We’ll cover it below.<\/p>\n\n

What is the difference between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business?<\/h2>\n\n

Both apps are free and look almost the same. What changes is what you can do as a business.<\/p>\n\n

<\/th>WhatsApp<\/th>WhatsApp Business<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Who it is for<\/td>Personal use<\/td>Businesses and professionals<\/td><\/tr>
Profile<\/td>Name, photo and info<\/td>Business profile with address, hours, website and category<\/td><\/tr>
Catalog<\/td>No<\/td>Yes, up to 500 products or services<\/td><\/tr>
Automated messages<\/td>No<\/td>Greeting, away messages and quick replies<\/td><\/tr>
Organization<\/td>Chats and lists<\/td>Labels by customer or order status<\/td><\/tr>
Devices<\/td>Phone and linked devices<\/td>Phone and up to 4 linked devices<\/td><\/tr>
Price<\/td>Free<\/td>Free (with optional paid extras)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Keep one detail in mind: the same number can’t be on WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business at the same time.<\/p>\n\n

If you want to use your current number for your business, you can move it to Business and keep your chats.<\/p>\n\n

What is WhatsApp Business used for?<\/h2>\n\n

It gives your customers a direct, fast channel without having to install anything new. These are the most used features:<\/p>\n\n