The Starter plan gives you the WhatsApp Business API for bulk messaging with no monthly platform fee. You pay only for the messages you send, at Meta's rates. This page tells you exactly what you can do, what the rules are, and how to get your first campaign live.
Free plan · No credit card · Live WhatsApp support throughout
The green WhatsApp app has a "Broadcast" feature. It sends to a maximum of 256 contacts, and only if they have your number saved. That is not what this is. The WhatsApp Business API lets you send approved messages to your entire opted-in contact list, with no cap, personalised with each person's name and order details, scheduled in advance, tracked for delivery and read rates, and retargeted if they did not open.
That is bulk messaging. It works. But it comes with real rules you must follow, because Meta enforces them automatically and the penalty for getting it wrong is a permanent account ban.
You can only send messages to contacts who have explicitly opted in to receive WhatsApp messages from your business. Uploading a cold list and blasting it is against WhatsApp's policy. It will damage your quality score, restrict your account, and can lead to a permanent ban. Every contact on your list must have said yes.
Send sale announcements, new arrivals, flash offers, and re-engagement campaigns to opted-in customers. WhatsApp CTR is 15 to 40%, compared to 2 to 3% on email.
Order confirmed, shipped, out for delivery, delivered. These are utility messages and cost less to send than marketing ones.
Upload your contact list with tags. Send to everyone who bought in the last 30 days, or everyone in Mumbai, or everyone who bought Product X. Segment, then send.
48 hours after your first campaign, send a different message to everyone who received it but did not read it. Customers who missed the first often respond to the second.
Queue your campaign for 10am on Monday. No one needs to be at a computer when it sends. Best times for Indian audiences: 10am to 12pm and 6pm to 8pm.
See exactly who received the message, who read it, who clicked your button, and your block rate. Know what is working before you send the next one.
Every business-initiated WhatsApp message must use a pre-approved template. You write the message, submit it to Meta for review, and once approved you can use it in any campaign. Approval is usually within minutes to a few hours.
Templates can include a header (text, image, or video), body text with personalisation variables like {{1}} for the customer's name, a footer, and up to two buttons (call-to-action or quick reply).
Be specific about your business, the offer, and what the customer should do. Phrases like 'Click here for a special offer' are rejected. 'Get 30% off your next order at Sharma Textiles this weekend' is approved. The more specific and less spammy it reads, the faster it gets through.
Meta has three template categories. The category determines the rate you pay per message.
| Category | What it is | Rate on Starter | Rate on Complete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Promotions, offers, announcements | ₹0.99 | ₹0.8631 |
| Utility | Order updates, confirmations, reminders | ₹0.14 | ₹0.115 |
| Authentication | One-time passwords and verification codes | ₹0.14 | ₹0.115 |
Incoming messages from customers are free on all plans. Rates are per message, not per conversation, as of July 2025.
Your contact list is your most important asset on this platform. A clean, opted-in list delivers high read rates and a healthy quality score. A cold or purchased list will damage your score and restrict your account. Here is how to build yours the right way.
"I agree to receive WhatsApp messages from [Business Name]." Place it at checkout, on contact forms, and on lead pages. The most common opt-in source for online businesses.
A link or QR code that opens a WhatsApp chat. Every person who clicks and sends a message has opted in. Put these on your packaging, in emails, on social, and in your store.
Facebook and Instagram ads that open a WhatsApp chat directly. Every click is an instant opt-in. Typically the fastest way to build a large opted-in list.
Email customers who already have a relationship with you. Ask them to opt in to WhatsApp for faster service and exclusive updates. Conversion rates are high because trust is already there.
Buying a contact list. Scraping numbers from social media. Having a number in your CRM from a previous purchase. Assuming customers who have your number saved have consented. None of these are valid opt-ins under WhatsApp's policy.
WhatsApp uses a tier system to control how many unique contacts a new business can reach per day. New accounts start at Tier 1 and move up automatically based on usage and quality. These limits apply only to business-initiated (template) messages. Replies to customers who message you first do not count toward the daily limit.
| Tier | Daily unique contacts | How to reach it |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 1,000 | Default for all new accounts |
| Tier 2 | 10,000 | Message 1,000 unique contacts in 7 days with good quality |
| Tier 3 | 1,00,000 | Message 10,000 unique contacts in 7 days with good quality |
| Tier 4 | Unlimited | Granted by Meta for high-volume verified businesses |
The single best way to move up tiers quickly is to keep your block rate below 0.5%. Send to people who actually want to hear from you. Relevant messages to opted-in contacts almost never get blocked. Irrelevant messages to cold contacts get blocked constantly. Quality is everything.
These are the only things you need before you start. Get them in place first and the entire setup takes about 15 minutes.
Insert it into a phone. Meta sends a one-time password (a short SMS code) to confirm the number is yours. You enter that code once and you are done with this step.
Your own Facebook account, at least one year old. Meta uses this for business verification. It must be a real account, not a new one created for this purpose.
A phone number that does not currently have WhatsApp installed on it. This becomes your business bulk-send number. All messages go from here, not from your personal number.
You manage everything on the WA.Expert website. Set up at a desk for the first session. After that, you can check campaign stats on your phone too.
The WhatsApp Business API and the green app cannot run on the same number at the same time. If you install the app on your API number, the connection breaks. Keep that number free of any WhatsApp app.
You can, but you must delete WhatsApp from it first. Open WhatsApp on that phone, go to Settings, then Account, then Delete Account. Wait two hours. WhatsApp needs this time to fully release the number. Then come back and add it to the platform.
Go to the registration page and sign up with your email and a password.
Create account →We send a verification link the moment you sign up. Click it to confirm. If you do not see it in 60 seconds, check your spam or promotions folder.
Go to dash.wa.expert and log in. This is where you manage everything going forward.
Select the free Starter plan. No credit card, no platform fee. You are ready to add your number.
Add your fresh number to the platform. The video below shows every click. This is where your phone number becomes a WhatsApp Business API number.
Meta requires every business to verify itself before you can send to more than 250 contacts. The video below and our verification guide walk you through every screen. Takes 15 to 30 minutes.
The wallet pays for the messages you send. The platform itself is free. Add a minimum of ₹1,000 to your wallet. We send an invoice for each top-up. Then create your first approved template and run your campaign. No expiry on your wallet balance.
Adding your number and verifying with Meta are the steps that feel least familiar. Here they are, click by click.
Step 5, start to finish. Watch how your number joins the platform.
Step 6, every Meta screen explained.
Once your number is live and verified, this is the sequence that gets your first campaign out.
Go to Templates in your dashboard. Write a specific, on-brand message. Include the customer's name as {{1}}. Add a clear CTA button. Submit for approval. It usually comes back within the hour.
Go to Contacts and import your CSV. Include at least: phone number (with country code), name. Optionally add tags like "mumbai", "vip", "ordered-oct". Tags let you segment later.
Before your full campaign, send the template to your own number. Check that the personalisation ({{1}} for name) resolves correctly. Check that the button link works. Check that it looks right in WhatsApp.
Go to Campaigns, select your template, select your contact list (or segment), set a send time, and confirm. Watch delivery rate, read rate, and click rate in your analytics. Keep your block rate below 0.5%.
Starter is built for bulk sending. It does not include chatbots, automation, a team inbox for replies, a built-in CRM, or a WhatsApp store. When your business grows into those needs, the Complete plan at ₹599 a month (billed annually) adds all of them.
| Feature | Starter | Complete (₹599/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp bulk messaging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Approved templates | ✓ | ✓ |
| Campaign analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team inbox for replies (5 seats) | No | ✓ |
| No-code chatbot builder | No | ✓ |
| Automation builder with AI step | No | ✓ |
| Mini-CRM (1 million contacts) | No | ✓ |
| WhatsApp Commerce store | No | ✓ |
| 5 WhatsApp numbers | No | ✓ (1 per extra ₹200) |
| Facebook + Instagram inbox | No | ✓ |
| WhatsApp Flows | No | ✓ |
| Lower message rates | ₹0.99 marketing | ₹0.8631 marketing |
Upgrade at any time from inside your dashboard. Everything you set up on Starter carries over.
Most platforms give you a help centre and wish you luck. We do something different. If you get stuck at any step, message us on WhatsApp and a real person answers. We are the only platform in India that supports you live, on the same channel you are setting up. Free plan or paid, the support is the same.
Once your number shows as connected in the dashboard and your wallet has funds, you are live. Send yourself a test message first. When it lands, you are ready. If anything looks stuck, message us directly before assuming something is broken.
Free plan. No credit card. Live WhatsApp support if you get stuck.