WhatsApp Cloud vs Unofficial WhatsApp
What is the difference between WhatsApp Cloud and Unofficial WhatsApp ?
Table Comparison:
| Feature | Unofficial WhatsApp | WhatsApp Cloud |
|---|---|---|
Recognition | Common | Green Tick ✅ |
Interactive Chat Buttons | No❌ | Yes✅ |
Free of charge | Marketing - $0.086 Utility - $0.02 Authentication - $0.018 Service - $0.022 | |
Banned | Sending more than 300 messages a day is considered spam and can result in a ban | Less likely to be banned and can send messages to up to 10,000 contacts at once. |
Account Security | Accounts that violate official WhatsApp policies may be permanently blocked. | Accounts will be blocked in extreme cases. Most of the time, it will simply reduce the account’s quality rating and the number of messages sent per day. |
Application Procedures | All types of merchants can register to use | Only accept legal institutions. |
Conversation-Based Pricing
Charges are applied per conversation, not per individual message sent or received.
Conversations are 24-hour message threads between you and your customers. They are opened and charged when messages you send to customers are delivered. The criteria that determines when a conversation is opened and how it is categorized is explained below.
WhatsApp Business Conversation Categories
Marketing
Enables you to achieve a wide range of goals, from generating awareness to driving sales and retargeting customers. Examples include new product, service, or feature announcements, targeted promotions/offers, and cart abandonment reminders.
Utility
Enables you to follow-up on user actions or requests. Examples include opt-in confirmation, order/delivery management (e.g., delivery update); account updates or alerts (for example., payment reminder); or feedback surveys.
Authentication
Enables you authenticate users with one-time passcodes, potentially at multiple steps in the login process (e.g., account verification, account recovery, integrity challenges).
Service
Enables you to resolve customer inquiries.
Opening Conversations
Conversations are opened when you send a template message or free-form message under the following conditions.
Marketing, Utility, and Authentication Conversations
When you send an approved marketing, utility, or authentication template to a customer, we check if an open conversation matching the template's category already exists between you and the customer. If one exists, no new conversation is opened. If one does not exist, a new conversation of that category is opened, lasting 24 hours.
For example:
Hour 0: You send a targeted promotion (marketing template message) to a customer. Open marketing conversation not exists between you and the customer, so a marketing conversation lasting 24 hours is opened.
Hour 4: The customer completes an order on your site, so you send them an order confirmation (utility template message). Open utility conversation not exists between you and the customer, so a utility conversation lasting 24 hours is opened.
Hour 10: You send a shipment confirmation (utility template message) to the customer. An open utility conversation already exists between you and the customer, so a new utility conversation is not opened.
Service Conversations
A service conversation is opened when a free-form message is delivered to your customer and no open conversation of any category exists between you and the customer.
A customer service window must exist between you and the customer in order to send a free-form message.
For example:
Case 1:
Hour 0: You send a targeted promotion (marketing template) to a customer. No open marketing conversation exists between you and the customer, so a marketing conversation lasting 24 hours is opened.
Hour 4: The customer messages you. This opens a customer service window between you and the customer, allowing you to send them free-form messages for the next 24 hours.
Hour 5: You send a free-form message to the customer. An open conversation (marketing) already exists between you and the customer, so a service conversation is not opened.
Hour 24: The marketing conversation expires.
Case 2:
Hour 0: You send a free-form message to the customer. No open conversation exists between you and the customer, so a service conversation is opened, lasting 24 hours.
Hour 10: The 24-hour customer service window is still open, so you send a second free-form message to the customer. An open service conversation already exists between you and the customer, so a new service conversation is not opened.
Customer Service Windows
When a WhatsApp user messages you, a 24-hour timer called a customer service window starts (or refreshes).
All types of message, except for template messages, can only be sent to a user when a customer service window is open between you and the user.
Conclusion
What kind of conversation will be opened is based on the messages you send. For example, marketing conversation is opened when marketing template message is send.
You will be charged when a conversation is opened. However, for the next 24 hours, the messages you send won't incur any additional charges.
All kind of conversations lasting for 24 hours.
Service conversation can only be opened when no other open conversation (Marketing, Utility and Authentication) but a customer service window exist between you and the customer.
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