Is WhatsApp Business free for a restaurant?
By the Menuthere editorial team · Updated
Yes for the WhatsApp Business app: it is free to download and use by hand. No for the WhatsApp Business API (automation, bot, automatic messages): Meta then charges per conversation on your own account. Menuthere offers a free WhatsApp ordering page (no plan, no commission), and automation on the Pro plan at $39/month. Updated October 2026.
- The WhatsApp Business app (the phone one) is free to download and use manually.
- The WhatsApp Business API (automation) runs through a provider, and Meta charges per-conversation fees you pay on your account.
- Menuthere's WhatsApp ordering page is free, with no plan and no commission.
- On the Pro plan ($39/month), WhatsApp Business API runs on your own number, with a bot and automatic messages; Menuthere takes no cut of Meta's fees.
- From the Free plan, customers chat on WhatsApp and you get a copy of every order on your number.
Start free on WhatsApp
Menuthere's WhatsApp ordering page is free: share the link and get every order in WhatsApp, added up, on your number. For a bot and automatic messages, the Pro plan adds WhatsApp Business API on your own number.
What's the difference between the app and the API?
The WhatsApp Business app is the free app you install on the restaurant's phone: you reply to customers by hand, with a business profile and quick replies. The WhatsApp Business API is the version for automation (bot, status messages, broadcasts); it runs through a provider and Meta charges per-conversation fees.
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Meta per-conversation fees |
| Use | Replies by hand | Bot and automatic messages |
| Setup | Install the app | Via a provider (Menuthere Pro) |
| On Menuthere | Free WhatsApp page | Included on Pro ($39/month) |
How much does WhatsApp automation cost?
Automation has two costs to separate. On one side, the tool that orchestrates messages: on Menuthere, that is the Pro plan at $39/month. On the other, Meta's per-conversation fees on the API, billed straight to your WhatsApp Business account. Menuthere takes no cut of those Meta fees; you pay Meta for messages, and Pro for the tool.
Who this is a good fit for
- Restaurants that want to take WhatsApp orders without paying a plan to start.
- Places happy to reply by hand in the free WhatsApp Business app.
- Those who will later want to automate (bot, statuses, comebacks) on the Pro plan.
Who this is not for
- An owner who thinks automation will be entirely free: Meta charges per-conversation fees on the API.
- A place that wants a high volume of broadcasts without accounting for Meta's per-message fees.
Common follow-up questions
Is the WhatsApp Business app really free?
Yes. Meta's WhatsApp Business app is free to download and use to reply to customers by hand. Fees only appear with the WhatsApp Business API, where Meta charges per conversation.
Who charges the WhatsApp message fees?
Meta. On the WhatsApp Business API, Meta charges its per-conversation fees straight to your account. Menuthere takes no cut of that; the Pro plan ($39/month) provides the tool that sends and automates messages.
Can I take WhatsApp orders without paying anything?
Yes to start. Menuthere's WhatsApp ordering page is free, with no plan and no commission. You move to Pro when you want a bot and automatic messages.
Read next
Sources (3)
- WhatsApp Business Platform — conversation pricing, Meta, read 26 October 2026
- Menuthere free WhatsApp order page, Menuthere, read 26 October 2026
- Menuthere pricing — WhatsApp on Pro, 0% commission, Menuthere, read 26 October 2026