WhatsApp Business API or ConvoSync: which do you need?
The API sends messages from one company number. ConvoSync saves the chats your team already has. Many teams use both.
The WhatsApp Business API sends and receives messages at scale from one company number, for campaigns, chatbots and shared inboxes. ConvoSync captures the one-to-one chats your team already has on their own WhatsApp and saves them, with an AI summary, to your CRM or ATS. Use the API to send, ConvoSync to record.
Which one do you need?
Answer three yes-or-no questions about how your team uses WhatsApp today.
You need a capture tool like ConvoSync
Your team's important conversations happen on their own WhatsApp, and you need them in the CRM. The WhatsApp Business API won't see those chats. ConvoSync saves them, with an AI summary, to the right record.
You need the WhatsApp Business API
You want to message many customers from one company number, with automation. That's what the WhatsApp Business API is for, through Meta or a provider. ConvoSync doesn't send messages, so it isn't the right tool for this.
You'll probably want both
Use the WhatsApp Business API for campaigns and notifications from a company number, and ConvoSync to capture the one-to-one conversations your people have on their own WhatsApp. Both end up in the same CRM.
You may not need either yet
If WhatsApp isn't central to how your team works with clients, the free WhatsApp Business app may be enough for now. Come back when conversations start to matter to your pipeline.
| If you want to… | You need |
|---|---|
| Save the WhatsApp chats your team already has in your CRM or ATS | ConvoSync (a capture tool) |
| Send campaigns, notifications or chatbot replies from one company number | The WhatsApp Business API |
| Do both | Both, side by side |
| Chat with a few customers from one phone, without a CRM | The free WhatsApp Business app |
WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp Business API: what's the difference?
The names are confusingly similar. Here's what each one is, in plain terms.
WhatsApp (personal)
The everyday app. Many salespeople, recruiters and account managers use it with clients because that's the number clients already have.
Used by peopleWhatsApp Business app
A free app for small businesses, used on a phone. Adds a business profile, catalogue, labels, quick replies and away messages. Still one person, one phone at a time.
Used by peopleWhatsApp Business API
Also called the WhatsApp Business Platform. No app of its own: a company number used through software from Meta or a provider, for messaging at scale, automation and integrations.
Used through softwareWhatsApp Business API vs ConvoSync: the full comparison
| WhatsApp Business API Messaging integration | ConvoSync Capture integration | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Send and receive messages at scale: campaigns, notifications, chatbots, shared support inboxes | Save the conversations your people already have into the CRM or ATS |
| Which number | A company number registered on the platform. Personal numbers can't be used | Each person's existing personal or WhatsApp Business app number |
| Captures existing one-to-one chats? | No, only messages that go through the platform | Yes, for contacts already in your CRM or ATS |
| Sends messages? | Yes | No, capture and archive only |
| Setup | Meta business verification, usually through a provider; message templates approved by Meta | A Chrome extension next to WhatsApp Web, plus a connection to your CRM or ATS, usually within a week |
| How it's charged | Meta charges per delivered template message, by category and country, plus any provider fees | No per-message charges from Meta, because nothing is sent |
| Starting a conversation | Business-initiated messages must use an approved template | People message clients exactly as they do today |
| AI | Depends on the platform, often chatbots and auto-replies | AI summary of each conversation saved to the record, run on your own AI provider account and reviewed before saving |
| Best for | Marketing, order updates, reminders, high-volume support | Sales, recruitment and account management run from people's own phones |
WhatsApp Business API details are a general summary of Meta's published rules as of October 2026 and vary by provider. Check Meta's documentation for current pricing and policies.
Which WhatsApp CRM integration fits your team?
A B2B sales team in Dubai
Reps negotiate deals with clients on their own WhatsApp. The CRM shows nothing after the first meeting.
ConvoSyncA recruitment agency in London
Consultants arrange interviews and discuss offers with candidates on WhatsApp. The ATS is weeks out of date.
ConvoSyncAn online store
Sends order confirmations, delivery updates and offers to thousands of customers from one brand number.
WhatsApp Business APIA support centre
A team of agents answers customers in one shared inbox, with a chatbot for common questions.
WhatsApp Business APIA real estate brokerage
Sends new-listing alerts from a company number, while each broker negotiates with buyers on their own phone.
BothAn account management team
Looks after B2B clients on WhatsApp for years. When someone leaves, the history goes with their phone.
ConvoSyncThe API for broadcasting, ConvoSync for relationships
The two don't compete. They cover different conversations, and both can land in the same CRM.
- Company number on the API: campaigns, reminders, order updates and first-line support, sent and logged by the messaging platform.
- People's own numbers with ConvoSync: the negotiations, follow-ups and relationship chats that happen one-to-one, captured to the same contact.
- One record: managers see the automated messages and the human conversations side by side.
Campaign goes out
A new-listing alert from the company number, through the WhatsApp Business API.
Buyer messages their broker
The buyer replies to the broker they know, on the broker's own WhatsApp.
ConvoSync captures it
The broker syncs the chat. An AI summary and the full conversation go to the buyer's contact record.
The full picture
The CRM shows the campaign and the real conversation that followed.
WhatsApp Business API vs ConvoSync: common questions
Do I need the WhatsApp Business API to log WhatsApp chats in my CRM?
No. The WhatsApp Business API is for sending and receiving messages through one company number on a platform. To log the conversations your team already has on their own WhatsApp, you need a capture tool such as ConvoSync, which runs next to WhatsApp Web and saves each chat to the matching CRM or ATS record.
Can I use the WhatsApp Business API with my personal WhatsApp number?
No. Personal WhatsApp numbers can't be connected to the WhatsApp Business API. Most businesses use a dedicated number. Some providers now let a WhatsApp Business app number also connect to the API (called coexistence), with some limits.
Is the WhatsApp Business app the same as the WhatsApp Business API?
No. The WhatsApp Business app is a free app for small businesses, used by people on a phone. The WhatsApp Business API (also called the WhatsApp Business Platform) has no app of its own; businesses use it through software from Meta or a provider to send messages at scale, automate replies and connect a company number to other systems.
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost?
Meta charges per delivered template message, based on the message category (marketing, utility or authentication) and the recipient's country. Replies sent within 24 hours of a customer's last message are generally free. Providers usually add their own platform fee on top. Check Meta's current rate card for exact prices.
What is the difference between a WhatsApp messaging integration and a capture integration?
A messaging integration lets you send and receive WhatsApp messages from inside your CRM through a company number on the WhatsApp Business API. A capture integration, like ConvoSync, saves the conversations people already have on their own WhatsApp into the CRM. One sends; the other records.
Can I use the WhatsApp Business API and ConvoSync together?
Yes, and many teams do. The API handles campaigns, notifications and shared-inbox support from a company number. ConvoSync captures the one-to-one conversations that salespeople, recruiters and account managers have on their own numbers, so both end up in the same CRM.
Does ConvoSync send WhatsApp messages?
No. ConvoSync only captures and saves conversations. It doesn't send messages, run campaigns or automate replies, so it never needs message templates or Meta approval.
Does ConvoSync work with the WhatsApp Business app?
Yes. ConvoSync works with whichever personal or WhatsApp Business app account is linked to WhatsApp Web on the user's laptop. Numbers that only run on the WhatsApp Business API don't need it, because those messages already live in the API platform.
Not sure which you need? Ask us.
A 20-minute call. We'll tell you honestly whether ConvoSync, the API or both fit.
Or email [email protected] · call +91 97170 87420 · WhatsApp us