Short answer: the free WhatsApp Business app is enough when one or two people answer a manageable number of chats from one phone. Move to the WhatsApp Business API when several people need to share the number, customers message you after hours, you want order updates or OTPs sent automatically from your systems, or you want to send campaigns to opted-in customers and see what was delivered and read. You don't have to choose one: with Coexistence you keep the app and add the API on the same number. In Sri Lanka the API costs a provider plan, from LKR 8,500 a month with Bloomwire, plus Meta's per-message fees.
Updated 14 November 2026
- The WhatsApp Business app is free and works well for small, one-person conversations.
- The API adds a shared team inbox, automation, an AI agent, integrations and reported campaigns.
- A small shop sending 1,000 order updates a month pays about LKR 9,160 on the Starter plan, including Meta's fees.
- Coexistence lets you keep using the app on the same number while adding the API.
- Avoid unofficial bulk-sending tools: they put your number at risk of being banned.
WhatsApp Business app vs API side by side
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Provider plan (from LKR 8,500 a month with Bloomwire) plus Meta's per-message fees |
| Who replies | You, on your phone and a few linked devices, all sharing one chat list | A team, with chats assigned to agents, notes and full history |
| Automation | Greeting message, away message and quick replies | Chatbots, flows and an AI agent that answers around the clock and hands over to a person |
| Connect to your systems | No | Yes: send order updates, reminders and OTPs from your website, CRM, ERP or online store |
| Campaigns | Limited broadcasts | Approved templates to opted-in customers, at scale, with delivery and read reports |
| Reporting | Basic message statistics | Dashboards for volume, response times, agents and campaigns |
| Best for | One person, a few dozen chats a day | Teams, after-hours enquiries and automated updates |
When the free app is enough
Stay on the WhatsApp Business app if you are a small shop, salon, tutor or home business where one or two people answer customers, chats come in during working hours, and you don't need messages to go out automatically. Set up your business profile, catalogue, greeting and away messages, quick replies and labels; they are free and cover a lot. Use the WhatsApp link and QR generator to put a click-to-chat link on your shop counter, Facebook page and receipts.
Eight signs you have outgrown the app
- Two or more people answer the same number and you can't tell who replied to whom.
- Customers wait because chats arrive at night, at weekends or faster than you can answer.
- The same questions repeat all day: prices, opening hours, delivery charges, stock.
- You copy and paste order updates by hand from your system into WhatsApp.
- You want to confirm cash-on-delivery orders automatically before dispatch. See COD order confirmation on WhatsApp and SMS.
- You need to message hundreds or thousands of opted-in customers and see who received and read it.
- You send OTPs or alerts from an app or website.
- Your number is your business. If losing it would hurt, it belongs on the official platform with a verified business behind it.
If three or more of these sound familiar, the API will usually pay for itself in time saved and orders not lost.
What the WhatsApp Business API costs in Sri Lanka
You pay two things: a Bloomwire plan (Starter LKR 8,500, Growth LKR 12,500 or Scale LKR 27,500 a month) and Meta's fees for each delivered template message. Meta's indicative Sri Lanka rates are about LKR 0.66 for a utility or authentication message and about LKR 24.25 for a marketing message, and the first 1,000 service replies each month per number are free.
| Example | Messages a month | About per month |
|---|---|---|
| Small shop on Starter | 1,000 order and delivery updates, replies within the free 1,000 | LKR 9,160 (LKR 8,500 plan and about LKR 660 to Meta) |
| Clinic on Growth | 2,000 reminders, 500 login codes, 1,500 patient replies | LKR 14,488 |
Marketing messages are what make WhatsApp expensive, so most businesses use WhatsApp for conversations and updates and keep large promotions for SMS at LKR 0.70. Try your own numbers in the WhatsApp pricing calculator, and compare channels in WhatsApp vs SMS vs email in Sri Lanka.
Keep your number and chats with Coexistence
Many businesses worry that moving to the API means a new number and losing their chats. It doesn't have to. With Coexistence, the number you use in the WhatsApp Business app is also connected to the API:
- You keep chatting one-to-one in the app, and those messages stay free.
- If you agree to share it, up to six months of one-to-one chat history is synchronised.
- Your team answers from a shared inbox, and campaigns and automation run on the API.
- Some app features change: broadcast lists in the app are switched off (campaigns move to the API), group chats are not synchronised, and linked devices are disconnected and can be linked again.
Example: Colombo Furniture House kept the WhatsApp Business app its staff already knew, added a shared multi-user inbox through Coexistence, and had its daily messaging limit raised from 250 to 10,000 conversations.
Read more about Coexistence and onboarding.
The shortcut to avoid
Tools that automate the ordinary app or WhatsApp Web to send bulk messages break WhatsApp's terms and can get your number banned, with your chat history and customer contact gone. Our guide to official vs unofficial bulk WhatsApp senders explains the risks.
How to upgrade with Bloomwire
- Connect your number through Meta's Embedded Signup. Most businesses complete onboarding in 10 to 30 minutes.
- Verify your business with Meta. We prepare the documents with you.
- Set up your team and AI agent, and get your first message templates approved.
- Go live and add campaigns, integrations and calling as you grow.
Frequently asked questions
Is the WhatsApp Business app free in Sri Lanka?
Yes. The WhatsApp Business app is free to download and use for one-to-one chats with your customers. The WhatsApp Business API is paid: in Sri Lanka you pay a provider plan (from LKR 8,500 a month with Bloomwire) plus Meta's per-message fees.
Can I use the WhatsApp Business app and the API on the same number?
Yes, through Coexistence. You keep chatting one-to-one in the app, and the same number is connected to the API for a shared inbox, automation and campaigns. Messages you send from the app stay free.
Will I lose my chat history if I move to the API?
Not with Coexistence. If you agree to share it, up to six months of one-to-one chat history can be synchronised when the number is connected. Group chats are not synchronised.
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost in Sri Lanka?
With Bloomwire, plans start at LKR 8,500 a month. Meta charges about LKR 0.66 per utility or authentication message and about LKR 24.25 per marketing message, and the first 1,000 service replies each month per number are free. Meta's fees are paid directly to Meta with no markup.
Can I send bulk messages from the WhatsApp Business app?
Only in a limited way. Broadcasting from the app has limits on who and how many people you can reach. To send campaigns or updates to large lists of opted-in customers, with delivery and read reports, use approved templates on the API.
Do I need a new phone number for the API?
No. You can connect your existing WhatsApp Business app number through Coexistence, or register a new dedicated number if you prefer to keep them separate.
Sources: Meta for Developers, onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (Coexistence); Bloomwire WhatsApp API pricing for Sri Lanka (indicative rates, 20 October 2026). Checked 14 November 2026.
