WhatsApp Business app vs WhatsApp Business API vs a linked device
The WhatsApp Business app is a free phone app for one person answering chats. The WhatsApp Business API is a paid, per-message platform for high volume and multiple agents. A linked-device app sits in between: it automates your existing number, like WhatsApp Web does, without API fees. Most single Shopify stores start with the first or the third.
By Mousa Alhelo, founder, E-SAFQA · Updated · 6 min read · How we write and test these guides
Side by side
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API | Linked-device app (e.g. WhatsApp Pilot) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Per delivered template message plus provider fees | Flat app subscription, no per-message fee from the app |
| Setup | Install on a phone | Business verification, provider account, number dedicated to the API | Scan a QR code with your existing number |
| Automation | Greeting and away messages, quick replies | Full: templates, chatbots, campaigns | Event-driven: order confirmations, reminders from your store |
| Templates | Not required | Pre-approved templates for business-initiated messages | Free text you edit in the app |
| Receipts | Yes in the app | Delivered and read via webhooks | Not available |
| Team inbox | Up to a few linked devices | Unlimited agents through the provider | Your WhatsApp app and its linked devices |
| Best for | One person answering chats | High volume, campaigns, many agents | One store that wants transactional automation from its own number |
The linked-device model in plain words
WhatsApp lets one account run on a phone plus up to four linked devices, which is how WhatsApp Web and the desktop app work. WhatsApp states that linked devices keep working while the phone is offline, and that they are logged out if the phone itself is unused for about 14 days. A linked-device app registers as one of those devices and sends from your number when your store fires an event, such as a new order.
What each option cannot do
- The Business app cannot react to Shopify events on its own.
- The API cannot be used with your personal number in the regular WhatsApp app at the same time unless the provider supports coexistence, and it never sends free-form business-initiated messages outside a service window.
- A linked-device app cannot report delivered or read status, show interactive buttons, or run broadcast campaigns responsibly.
Choosing for a Shopify store
Ask three questions. How many messages per month? Do customers need to reply to a team, or mostly receive confirmations? Do you need read receipts and templates for compliance in your market? Low volume, confirmations and reminders, one store: a linked-device app. Campaigns, many agents, strict reporting: the API.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the API and the Business app on the same number?
Only where the provider supports WhatsApp's coexistence feature. Otherwise an API number is separate from the app.
Is a linked-device app allowed?
Linked devices are a built-in WhatsApp feature. Your number remains subject to WhatsApp's terms, so apps built on it should send only messages your customers expect, which is how WhatsApp Pilot's consent rules are designed.
Ready to put WhatsApp to work on your store?
Start with the free widget. Upgrade to Pro for order messages, cart recovery, the smart product button, back-in-stock alerts and Product Demand.