The WhatsApp Business API for your unified inbox

The WhatsApp Business API, unified with every other inbox.

Start for free Read the docs

Free tier, no credit card
Instant API key
MCP server included

On WhatsApp

Maya R.

online

Monday

Are you open on Sunday?

18:42

Yes, 11 to 5.

18:45

Today

Still got these in a 42?

09:12

❤️

Maya R.Still got these in a 42?

Two pairs left. Want us to hold one?

09:14

Hold a pair

Not now

POST/v1/inbox/conversations/{id}/messages200 OK

Capabilities: What you can build on WhatsApp

Every capability is one endpoint, the same one you call on every other platform.The screens show where each call lands.

Message Templates
Create templates, submit them to Meta for approval, and send approved templates: the route for reaching customers outside the 24-hour service window.
- POST/v1/platforms/whatsapp/accounts/{id}/send-template
Tom B.
online
Today
Order shipped
Hi Tom, your order #2318 has shipped. It arrives in 2 to 3 days.
Ledge Skate & Shoe10:02
Track order
Contact us
Track order
10:05
Direct Messages
Receive customer messages in real time and reply through the same unified inbox endpoint used for Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram DMs.
- GET/v1/inbox/conversations
- POST/v1/inbox/conversations/{id}/messages
- receive
- reply
Media & Interactive Messages
Send images, documents, interactive buttons and lists, locations, contact cards, and emoji reactions in a reply.
- images
- documents
- buttons
- lists
- locations
- contact cards
- reactions
Webhooks
Inbound messages and delivery statuses (sent, delivered, read) arrive as real-time webhook events the moment they happen.
Webhook events
- dm.received
- sent
- delivered
- read
Business Profile
Read and update your WhatsApp business profile, including description, address, email, and website, through the API.
- description
- address
- email
- website
Phone Numbers
List your WhatsApp Business phone numbers and register or verify new ones programmatically.
- list
- register
- verify

On every platform

Agent-ready
Every WhatsApp capability is a typed tool on the SocialAPI.ai MCP server.
- social_api_send_dm
One API key
The key that calls WhatsApp calls all 13 platforms.
Authorization: Bearer sapi_key_…
Predictable errors
The same status codes everywhere, whatever the platform behind them.
- 401expired token
- 429rate limited
- 501not on this platform

Call the WhatsApp API

Reply to a WhatsApp conversation

Inbound messages stream into the unified inbox via webhooks; replying is one POST. Within the 24-hour service window you can send free-form text. Outside it, send an approved template through the template endpoints.

curl -X POST https://api.social-api.ai/v1/inbox/conversations/<conversation-id>/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "account_id": "<whatsapp-account-id>",
    "text": "Thanks for reaching out! Your order shipped today."
  }' | jq

# Response (HTTP 200)
{
  "success": true,
  "message_id": "<message-id>",
  "message_ids": ["<message-id>"]
}

# Outside the 24-hour window? Send an approved template instead:
# curl -X POST https://api.social-api.ai/v1/platforms/whatsapp/accounts/<whatsapp-account-id>/send-template \
#   -H "Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>" \
#   -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
#   -d '{ "to": "15551234567", "template_name": "order_confirmation", "language": "en_US" }'

import requests

resp = requests.post(
    "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/inbox/conversations/<conversation-id>/messages",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer <your-api-key>"},
    json={
        "account_id": "<whatsapp-account-id>",
        "text": "Thanks for reaching out! Your order shipped today.",
    },
)
print(resp.json()["message_id"])

const res = await fetch(
  "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/inbox/conversations/<conversation-id>/messages",
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      Authorization: "Bearer <your-api-key>",
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      account_id: "<whatsapp-account-id>",
      text: "Thanks for reaching out! Your order shipped today.",
    }),
  }
);
const message = await res.json();
console.log(message.message_id);

Comparison: The official API vs one API key

Aspect	The official WhatsApp Cloud API	With SocialAPI.ai
Getting access	The official WhatsApp Cloud APICreate a Meta app, pass business verification, and configure the WhatsApp product before sending your first message.	With SocialAPI.aiSign up and connect your number through Embedded Signup in minutes. No Meta app of your own, no app review.
Receiving messages	The official WhatsApp Cloud APIBuild and host your own webhook endpoint, then wire two independent subscription layers. Miss one and messages silently never arrive.	With SocialAPI.aiWebhooks are registered and verified at connect time. Messages land in the unified inbox with the same schema as Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram DMs.
Messaging outside 24 hours	The official WhatsApp Cloud APIHand-build template payloads with components, parameters, and language codes against the raw Graph API.	With SocialAPI.aiCreate, submit for approval, and send templates through dedicated template endpoints.
Multi-platform	The official WhatsApp Cloud APIA WhatsApp-only integration you maintain separately from every other messaging API.	With SocialAPI.aiThe same /v1/inbox endpoints cover WhatsApp and the other 12 platforms, as far as each one allows.

In depth: How the WhatsApp API works on SocialAPI.ai

Connect a WhatsApp Business number through Embedded Signup and read and reply to customer messages with the same direct message API you use for every other platform. SocialAPI.ai wraps the WhatsApp Cloud API and delivers inbound messages to your unified inbox in real time via webhooks. WhatsApp is a messaging connector: it handles conversations and template messages.

Real-time inbound messages

When you connect a number, SocialAPI.ai registers and verifies the WhatsApp webhook subscription automatically. Every customer message is ingested in real time and surfaced in the unified inbox with the same conversation and message schema used across all platforms, so one direct message API covers WhatsApp alongside Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram.

Rich replies in one call

Reply with text, images, documents, interactive buttons and lists, locations, contact cards, or emoji reactions. SocialAPI.ai maps each reply to the right Cloud API message type for you, through the same send-message endpoint you already use on every other messaging platform.

Template messages for the 24-hour window

WhatsApp only allows free-form replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message; after that, approved templates are mandatory. SocialAPI.ai gives you the full template lifecycle: create a template, submit it to Meta for approval, track its status, and send it, all through the API or the dashboard.

Embedded Signup, not app review

Connecting WhatsApp normally means creating a Meta app, passing business verification, and configuring webhooks by hand. With SocialAPI.ai you walk through Meta's Embedded Signup flow in the dashboard: pick your business, pick your number, done. Token storage, refresh, and webhook subscription are handled for you.

Simple, honest pricing.

Reading comments, DMs, and mentions is free and unlimited on every plan. Paid plans start at $29/mo with unlimited posts and interactions. The free tier needs no credit card.

Start free Social media API pricing

Frequently asked questions

What developers ask before they ship WhatsApp.

Does WhatsApp have an API?

Yes. Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform exposes the Cloud API for sending and receiving messages programmatically. Using it raw means running a Meta app, business verification, webhook infrastructure, and template plumbing yourself. SocialAPI.ai wraps the Cloud API behind one REST API: connect a number through Embedded Signup and read and reply to messages from the same unified inbox as every other platform.

How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost?

Two costs apply. Meta bills template messages per delivered message by category (marketing, utility, authentication), with rates varying by country; replying to a customer within the 24-hour service window is free. SocialAPI.ai starts at $0: the Free plan includes 2 social profiles and 50 interactions per month, and paid plans have unlimited interactions.

How do I send a WhatsApp message with an API?

Connect your WhatsApp Business number through Embedded Signup in the SocialAPI.ai dashboard, then POST to /v1/inbox/conversations/:id/messages with your API key and the reply text. Within the 24-hour service window that delivers as a free-form message; outside it, send an approved template through the template endpoints instead.

Do I need my own Meta app or a BSP?

No. SocialAPI.ai acts as your WhatsApp Business API provider: you connect through our approved Meta app via Embedded Signup, so there is no app of your own to create, no app review to pass, and no separate BSP contract to sign. You keep ownership of your WhatsApp Business Account and phone number.

Every other platform, one API: Every other platform, one API

Same key, same shapes, same webhook.

Ready to unify your social interactions?

Free tier available. No credit card required. Ships with the MCP server.

Start for free Read the docs

The WhatsApp Business API for your unified inbox

Capabilities: What you can build on WhatsApp

Message Templates

Direct Messages

Media & Interactive Messages

Webhooks

Business Profile

Phone Numbers

Agent-ready

One API key

Predictable errors