If you have looked into "WhatsApp for business", you have met three different things wearing similar names. This page separates them.
The three WhatsApps
- WhatsApp Messenger — the personal app. One phone, one person. Not for a team, and not licensed for most business messaging at volume.
- WhatsApp Business app — a free app for very small businesses. Catalog, quick replies, labels. Still one phone, still one person at a time.
- WhatsApp Business Platform — the official API from Meta. No phone in a drawer: your number lives on Meta's servers, and software connects to it. This is what WeizChat, and every other serious platform, is built on.
What the Platform actually gives you
- Many agents on one number. The conversation belongs to the business, not to whoever happens to be holding a phone.
- Software access. Messages can be routed, assigned, automated and answered by an AI agent, because they arrive over an API rather than a screen.
- A history that stays. When someone leaves the team, the conversations do not leave with them.
What it requires
- A Meta Business account and a verified business.
- A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) — a container for your numbers and message templates. It belongs to you, not to your software provider.
- A phone number you control, which is not currently active in the WhatsApp Messenger or Business app. An existing number can usually be migrated.
- A provider (like WeizChat) or your own developers to connect to the Cloud API.
What changes about messaging
The Platform is not a broadcast channel. Two rules shape everything:
- The 24-hour customer service window. After a customer messages you, you can reply freely for 24 hours. Once it closes, you can only re-open the conversation with a template message Meta approved in advance.
- Opt-in. You may only message people who agreed to hear from you.
Both rules exist for the same reason: WhatsApp is a personal inbox, and Meta protects it aggressively. Businesses that respect that do well on the platform; businesses that treat it like SMS blasting get their quality rating cut.
Cloud API vs On-Premises
Meta offers a Cloud API, hosted by Meta, and previously an on-premises option that it has been retiring. WeizChat uses the Cloud API — nothing to host and updates arrive from Meta directly.
Rates, limits and policy details are set by Meta and change over time. Meta's own documentation is always the source of truth.