WhatsApp vs SMS vs email for restaurants in the US
Updated October 20, 2026
For US order updates, WhatsApp is the cheapest channel per message but reaches only the customers who use it; SMS reaches every phone at about three to four times the price plus registration fees; email is the channel for offers. A WhatsApp order update to a US number costs about US$0.0034 on Meta's rate card effective October 1, 2026. A text sent through Twilio from a local number costs US$0.0083 plus a carrier fee of US$0.0035 to US$0.005 per segment, after a one-time 10DLC registration. WhatsApp can't carry promotions in the US at all: Meta does not deliver marketing templates to US phone numbers. And Pew Research Center found that 33% of US adults use WhatsApp in 2026, rising to 56% of Hispanic adults.
In short
- Order updates: WhatsApp for customers who use it (US$0.0034 each); SMS if most of your customers don't.
- Promotions to US customers: not WhatsApp. Use email (or SMS with the right registration and consent).
- Menuthere sends WhatsApp, not SMS. Every customer also gets a free order tracking page, whatever channel they use.
What does each channel cost per message in the US?
| Channel | Price per message | One-time and monthly fees | Reaches | Can carry promotions to US numbers? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp utility message (order update) | US$0.0034 (Meta, North America, from Oct 1, 2026) | None from Meta; your number is your own | Customers who use WhatsApp (33% of US adults) | No: marketing templates are not delivered to US numbers |
| WhatsApp service message (your reply when the customer wrote first) | First 1,000 a month per number free, then the utility price | None | Same | — |
| SMS from a local number (10DLC), via Twilio | US$0.0083 + carrier fee: AT&T US$0.0035, T-Mobile US$0.0045, Verizon US$0.005 (per 160-character segment) | Brand registration US$4.50 (US$46 with Standard vetting); campaign vetting US$15; campaign fee US$1.50–$10 a month; number US$1.15 a month | Any mobile phone | Yes, with registration and the customer's consent |
| Email, via Amazon SES | US$0.10 per 1,000 (US$0.0001 each) | Your email tool's own plan | Anyone who gave you an email | Yes |
WhatsApp: Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026. SMS: Twilio's US SMS pricing page (October 2026) and Twilio's A2P 10DLC brand registration docs (modified September 25, 2026). Email: Amazon SES pricing. All read October 20, 2026.
Watch the SMS segment. A text is billed per segment: 160 plain characters, or 70 if it contains an emoji or even a curly quote. An order update with an emoji and a tracking link can easily be two segments, which doubles the price. WhatsApp bills per message, whatever the length.
Who actually uses WhatsApp in the US?
Pew Research Center's 2026 social media fact sheet (published October 19, 2026; survey of 5,511 US adults, January 30 to June 18, 2026):
| Group | Use WhatsApp |
|---|---|
| All US adults | 33% (32% in 2025, 23% in 2021) |
| Hispanic adults | 56% |
| Asian adults (English speakers) | 51% |
| Black adults | 40% |
| White adults | 24% |
| Urban / suburban / rural | 44% / 33% / 22% |
| Ages 18–29 / 30–49 / 50–64 / 65+ | 37% / 39% / 36% / 20% |
So WhatsApp is a strong channel for a taquería in a Latino neighborhood or a South Asian restaurant in a big city, and a weak one for a diner in a rural town. Pew doesn't measure restaurant customers specifically; your own order history tells you more than any national figure.
Worked example: 600 delivery orders a month, three updates each
A US restaurant sends three updates per order (accepted, out for delivery with a tracking link, completed): 1,800 messages a month.
| Channel | Working | First month | Each month after |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp (every customer on WhatsApp) | 1,800 × US$0.0034 | US$6.12 | US$6.12 |
| SMS via Twilio, one segment each | 1,800 × (US$0.0083 + US$0.0035 to US$0.005) = US$21.24 to US$23.94, + number US$1.15 + campaign US$1.50–$10, + one-time US$4.50 brand and US$15 vetting | about US$43 to US$55 | about US$24 to US$35 |
| SMS, two segments each (emoji or long link) | Message cost doubles: US$42.48 to US$47.88 | about US$64 to US$78 | about US$45 to US$59 |
| 1,800 × US$0.0001 | US$0.18 | US$0.18 |
Email is cheapest, but few people watch their inbox for "your rider is on the way". The realistic choice for updates is WhatsApp or SMS, and the deciding number is how many of your customers use WhatsApp.
When is SMS the better choice?
Be honest about it: often.
- Most of your customers don't use WhatsApp. Two in three US adults don't. If your customers are mostly suburban or rural, or older, SMS reaches them and WhatsApp doesn't.
- You only need one short message, such as "your pickup is ready", and your POS already sends it.
- You want to send offers by text. WhatsApp can't carry promotions to US numbers; registered SMS can, with consent.
When WhatsApp is the better choice:
- Your customers already message you on WhatsApp, which is common in Latino, South Asian, Brazilian and Middle Eastern communities.
- You want a conversation, not a one-way text: the customer says "Hi", gets your menu link, asks a question, and gets updates in the same chat.
- You want rich messages: buttons such as Track Order and Reorder, the full bill, and no per-segment surprises.
- International customers: a WhatsApp update to a Mexican number costs US$0.0085 on Meta's card, with no international SMS routing to arrange.
What should a US restaurant use for each job?
| Job | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "Order received / accepted / out for delivery" | WhatsApp for customers who use it; the tracking page for everyone | US$0.0034 per update; the tracking page costs nothing to open |
| Live delivery tracking | A tracking link | Any channel can carry it; the page does the work |
| Weekly specials, new menu, holiday hours | Meta doesn't deliver WhatsApp marketing to US numbers | |
| Win back lapsed customers | Same reason; Menuthere's WhatsApp comeback messages don't reach US numbers | |
| Answering questions before an order | Replies to a customer who wrote first are service messages, 1,000 free a month per number |
What does Menuthere send?
- WhatsApp order updates on Pro (US$39 a month): placed, accepted, food ready, dispatched with a Track Order button, completed with Reorder, and cancelled. Meta bills your own WhatsApp account; Menuthere adds no markup. See WhatsApp order tracking.
- A live order page for every order, on every plan, with the rider's live map when you deliver with your own riders on Pro. Customers reach it from the order confirmation screen and from My Orders, without WhatsApp.
- No SMS. Menuthere doesn't send text messages. If you need texts, use your SMS provider alongside it.
- No email campaigns. Use the email tool you already have for offers.
For the full journey from a customer's "Hi" to your rider at the door, see WhatsApp ordering with your own delivery. For the US setup, see WhatsApp ordering in the USA.
FAQs
Is WhatsApp cheaper than SMS for restaurants in the US?
Per message, yes. A WhatsApp order update to a US number costs about US$0.0034 on Meta's October 2026 rate card. A Twilio text from a local number costs US$0.0083 plus a carrier fee of US$0.0035 to US$0.005 per segment, plus 10DLC registration and monthly campaign fees. But WhatsApp only reaches the 33% of US adults who use it.
Can a restaurant send WhatsApp promotions to US customers?
No. Meta does not currently deliver marketing template messages to WhatsApp users with US phone numbers. WhatsApp can send order updates in the US, but offers have to go by email or by registered SMS.
What does 10DLC registration cost?
On Twilio, brand registration is a one-time US$4.50, or US$46 with Standard brand vetting. Each campaign adds a one-time US$15 vetting fee and US$1.50 to US$10 a month. A local number costs US$1.15 a month.
How many Americans use WhatsApp?
33% of US adults in 2026, according to Pew Research Center's fact sheet published October 19, 2026. It is 56% among Hispanic adults, 51% among English-speaking Asian adults and 44% in urban areas.
Does Menuthere send SMS order updates?
No. Menuthere sends order updates on WhatsApp, and every customer gets a free order tracking page. If you need text messages, use an SMS provider alongside Menuthere.
Why does my text message cost double?
SMS is billed per segment. A segment holds 160 plain characters, but only 70 when the message contains an emoji or a curly quote, so a long or emoji-rich update becomes two or more segments.
Sources (8)
- Meta for Developers, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (USD rate card effective October 1, 2026; 1,000 free service messages per number per month): https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Marketing template per-user limits ("WhatsApp does not currently deliver marketing template messages to WhatsApp users with United States phone numbers"): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet / Americans' use of social media in 2026 (published Oct 19, 2026; survey Jan 30–Jun 18, 2026, n = 5,511): https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Twilio, SMS pricing in the United States (page dated October 2026): https://www.twilio.com/en-us/sms/pricing/us (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Twilio Docs, A2P 10DLC Brand Registration (US$4.50 brand fee; US$41.50 Standard vetting; modified 25 Sep 2026): https://www.twilio.com/docs/trust-hub/registrations/a2p-10dlc-brand (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Twilio, A2P 10DLC (US$15 campaign vetting; US$1.50–$10 per campaign per month): https://www.twilio.com/en-us/phone-numbers/a2p-10dlc (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Twilio Docs, What is the SMS character limit (160 GSM-7 / 70 UCS-2; emoji and curly quotes force UCS-2): https://www.twilio.com/docs/glossary/what-sms-character-limit (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Amazon SES pricing (US$0.10 per 1,000 outbound emails): https://aws.amazon.com/ses/pricing/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)