The free WhatsApp Business app has a broadcast feature built in, which means you can send bulk messages on WhatsApp Business app without touching the API. Up to a point, anyway. The limits show up fast once your contact list grows.
The Business app lets you create a broadcast list and send one message to everyone on it. Each person receives it as a normal private chat, so it feels personal even though you typed it once.
It’s free, and for a small customer base it does the job.
If you message a handful of regulars who already have your number saved, broadcast lists on the Business app work fine. They cost nothing and take about 2 minutes to set up.
Once you want to reach people who haven’t saved your number, message hundreds or thousands at once, segment your audience, automate replies, or track results, you need the official WhatsApp Business API. See the difference in our plain-English API explainer, and the full method in our complete bulk messages guide.
Ready to go beyond the app’s limits? Get started with WaMark on the official API.
Yes, through broadcast lists. The catch: broadcasts only reach contacts who have saved your number, each list caps at 256 people, and you get no analytics.
Each broadcast list holds up to 256 recipients, far fewer than the API allows. For large audiences, use the API.
On the Business app, yes. Broadcast messages only reach people who have your number saved. The API removes that limit.
