Sending limits

WhatsApp Official Business API vs Direct Send

WB sender sends through your own WhatsApp, exactly like the app on your phone — which means Meta's daily sending limit applies to it too. Here is what that means, and what to do when you outgrow it.

In short

  • The daily limit is Meta's, not WB sender's.
  • Direct Send: free, set up in a minute, capped each day.
  • Official API: no practical cap, but Meta charges per message.

How WB sender sends today

WB sender uses the Direct Send method. It links to your own WhatsApp account and sends from it — exactly as if you were typing each message yourself in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app on your phone. Nothing is routed through a third party, there is no charge per message, and your recipients see your normal number.

  1. WB sender on your phone
  2. Your own linked WhatsApp
  3. Your recipients
This is why setup takes a minute and nothing needs approving — you are simply using WhatsApp.

Why there is a daily limit

Because Direct Send is the WhatsApp app, it inherits every rule the app has. Meta has introduced a cap on how many messages an account may send from the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app in a single day. That cap applies to WB sender in exactly the same way. No bulk-sending tool can lift it, because the limit lives on WhatsApp's side, not ours.

Messages sent todayMeta's daily cap
The exact number is not published and is not the same for everyone — it moves with your account's age, its history, and how recipients react to your messages. Expect it to change over time.

The two ways to send

Neither is better than the other. They are built for different volumes.

Getting started
Direct Send: Scan a QR code. Under a minute.
Official Business API: Meta business verification plus a dedicated number. Days to weeks.
Daily volume
Direct Send: Capped by Meta, like the phone app.
Official Business API: Built for high volume; the allowance rises with your quality rating.
Cost per message
Direct Send: Nothing beyond WB sender.
Official Business API: Meta charges per message, at a rate set by country.
What you can send
Direct Send: Anything, written freely.
Official Business API: Marketing and utility need a Meta-approved template.
How you appear
Direct Send: Your own number, a normal chat.
Official Business API: A business profile, with a verified badge.
Best for
Direct Send: Smaller lists, everyday follow-up.
Official Business API: High volume, automated notifications, predictable scale.

When you should move to the Business API

Direct Send covers most day-to-day sending perfectly well. The moment to look at the Official WhatsApp Business API is when the daily cap stops being an occasional annoyance and becomes your ceiling.

  • You regularly reach the end of the day with messages still waiting to go out.
  • Your contact list is growing faster than you can send to it.
  • The messages are business-critical — order updates, reminders, alerts — and cannot wait until tomorrow.
  • You want a verified business identity rather than sending from a personal number.

The Official API is not free — the honest picture

None of it is obvious from the outside.

Templates need Meta's approval

You cannot simply type what you want. Marketing and utility messages have to be submitted as a template and approved by Meta before you may send them. A rejected template has to be reworded and resubmitted.

Meta charges per message

Every message costs money. Meta sets the rate per country and per message category, so check what your own country costs before you budget for it.

See Meta's per-message rates for your country (opens in your browser)

Most platforms charge on top

Meta's fee is only part of the bill. Providers such as Wati and Twilio add their own markup to every message, then charge a monthly subscription per user on top of that. Two providers paying Meta the same rate can still invoice you very differently.

Where the money actually goes

Same Meta rate. Very different invoice.

A typical API platform

  • Meta's per-message fee
  • Provider markup on every message
  • Monthly fee per user

WizMessage

  • Meta's per-message fee
  • Minimal monthly subscription
Meta's fee is unavoidable and identical wherever you go. Everything stacked above it is the provider's own choice.

Our partner: WizMessage

If the Official WhatsApp Business API is the right move for you, we recommend WizMessage. They run on the same official Meta platform as everyone else, at the lowest subscription fee we have found.

  • You pay Meta's per-message fee — nothing added, no markup.
  • A minimal monthly subscription on top. That is the whole bill.
  • No per-user seat charges as your team grows.
  • No business verification to wait for: WizMessage uses coexistence onboarding, so you set it up yourself in about five minutes.
See WizMessage pricing (opens in your browser)Compare API pricing side by side (opens in your browser)

WizMessage is a partner of ours. The Meta per-message rates linked above are published by Meta and are the same for every provider.