The free WhatsApp Business app already handles greeting messages, away messages, quick replies, labels and a product catalogue, and many small businesses need nothing more. Automation beyond that, such as routing enquiries, logging them in a CRM or sending order updates, runs on the WhatsApp Business Platform, under Meta's rules on when a business may message a customer.
What the free app already does
Before paying for anything, set up what the WhatsApp Business app includes at no cost. For a business with one or two people answering, it covers most of what is called automation.
- A greeting message sent automatically to anyone who messages you for the first time.
- An away message outside your opening hours, so nobody is left wondering.
- Quick replies: saved answers to common questions, sent with a shortcut.
- Labels to sort chats into new enquiry, awaiting payment, delivered and so on.
- A catalogue, so customers can see products and prices without asking.
When you need the WhatsApp Business Platform
The app stops being enough when several people answer from one number, when enquiries need to land in another system automatically, or when you want to message customers at scale with order or appointment updates. That is the WhatsApp Business Platform, used through its API, either directly with Meta or through a provider.
| Feature | Business app | Business Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Suits | One or two people answering | A team, or a system answering first |
| Automatic replies | Greeting, away and quick replies | Any logic you build, including routing and AI drafting |
| Connects to a CRM or website | No | Yes, through the API |
| Messages you start | Manual, one chat at a time | Approved templates, sent by your system |
| Cost | Free | Meta charges per delivered business message, plus any provider or build cost |
The 24 hour rule shapes everything
On the platform, every message a customer sends opens a 24 hour customer service window. While it is open, your business can reply freely, by a person or by your system. Once it closes, you can only reach that customer with a template message that Meta has approved in advance.
This changes how an automation should be designed. Conversations the customer starts are where automation works best. Reminders and order updates you send first need approved templates and a customer who has agreed to receive them. Meta charges by message category and by the country of the number receiving it, and it has changed its pricing several times since 2024, so check its current pricing page before you budget.
What to automate first on WhatsApp
Start with the steps that cost you enquiries today: slow first replies, lost details and no follow up. Keep a person a message away at every point.
- An instant first reply that asks what the customer needs and routes them to the right person.
- Every new enquiry logged in your CRM or spreadsheet with the name, number and question, so nothing lives only in one phone.
- Order and appointment confirmations by approved template, to customers who opted in.
- A clear way to reach a person at any time. A customer who cannot escape a bot leaves.
Where your website fits
WhatsApp is where conversations happen. A website is where a stranger decides whether you are worth messaging, and where search engines and AI assistants find you at all. We cover that trade off in do you need a website if you sell on WhatsApp, and taking payment by mobile money in MoMo payment integration.
Set up the free app properly first. Move to the platform when a team, a CRM or customer updates at scale demand it, design around the 24 hour window, and never trap a customer in an automated loop.
Is the WhatsApp Business app free?
Yes. The app is free to download and use, and includes greeting messages, away messages, quick replies, labels and a catalogue.
What is the 24 hour rule on WhatsApp?
On the WhatsApp Business Platform, a customer's message opens a 24 hour customer service window in which the business can reply freely. After it closes, the business can only start a conversation with a template message approved by Meta.
Can WhatsApp enquiries go straight into a CRM?
Yes, through the WhatsApp Business Platform and its API. Each new enquiry can be logged with the customer's name, number and message, and assigned to a person, so it is not lost in one staff member's phone.
Turn the research into a working plan.
Bring the evidence, constraints, and next decision. We will help you turn it into a clear technical brief.