WhatsApp Business API FAQ: multiple people on one number, app versus Cloud API, ads on a pocket phone, Meta versus software fees, keeping the WhatsApp Business app, and Alatusa Pro setup.
WhatsApp Business API questions
Several people on one WhatsApp number is a Cloud API job. These answers cover the app, Meta's published rates, and the shared inbox.
Getting started
Can I keep my current number?
Yes. Keep the WhatsApp Business app and Meta connects that same number; open the app at least once every 14 days. Or connect a separate number without WhatsApp, and everything runs in Alatusa. You decide.
Do I need a credit card?
Not for Alatusa: the 14 days are free without a card. Meta asks for its own payment method on your WhatsApp account, because Meta bills its messages to you directly.
What happens after 14 days?
You carry on for free: two people and 100 conversations a month, with the daily tools. Choose Pro for your whole team and everything else.
The number, the app, and the API
Can multiple people use the same WhatsApp Business number?
Yes, with WhatsApp Cloud API. The WhatsApp Business app is one phone plus a few linked devices. Linked devices are not a desk: no assignment, no shared labels, no handoff. Alatusa is the shared inbox on that API. Pro includes 10 people.
What is the difference between the WhatsApp Business app and the API?
The app is a phone. The API is Meta Cloud API: one business number, many agents, and ads that open a chat. The API has no screen. You add software on top. Alatusa is that software. Stay on the app if one person can cover every chat.
What happens when Click-to-WhatsApp ads hit one phone?
Every ad chat lands on that pocket. Linked devices still share one login, not assignment. Cloud API plus a shared inbox is how a desk takes those leads.
Is WhatsApp Business API free?
No. Meta bills Cloud API messages at Meta's published rates, directly to you, and asks for its own payment method. From 1 October 2026 that includes service replies. Alatusa adds no markup on Meta.
How much does WhatsApp Business API cost?
Meta's rate depends on country and message type. That bill goes to Meta. Alatusa is the desk: Pro at €30/month after the 14-day free trial, or €288/year (20% off). No per-message markup.
Do I need a developer to connect WhatsApp Cloud API?
No. You connect through Meta OAuth and an in-app checklist. Developers are for custom webhooks, not for opening a shared desk.
Can I keep a number that is already in the WhatsApp Business app?
Yes. Keep the WhatsApp Business app: Meta connects that same number and the same chats land in Alatusa. It is the quickest start. Open the app at least once every 14 days, or connect a separate number without the app instead. You decide. With a number without WhatsApp, everything runs in Alatusa, the way Aliada Chick works. For a number that is on WhatsApp now, that account has to be removed first; a new SIM also works.
When is the WhatsApp Business app enough?
When one person can cover every DM, you do not need shared labels, and ads are not landing on a pocket phone. Past that, linked devices still are not a desk.
Meta's bill and Alatusa's bill
What do I pay Meta, and what do I pay Alatusa?
Two bills. Alatusa is the flat Pro subscription (€30/month after the 14-day free trial). Meta bills its messages directly at Meta's published rates and asks for its own payment method. Alatusa adds no markup.
Does Alatusa cap messages or conversations?
Not on Pro: Pro does not cap messages or conversations. Free includes 100 conversations a month. Meta may apply its own quality and sending rules on the Cloud API; those are Meta's, not Alatusa's.
How does the free trial work?
The first 14 days are Pro, free, with no card needed for Alatusa. After that you carry on for free (two people, 100 conversations a month, the daily tools), or choose Pro at €30/month or €288/year (20% off). Beta members keep their Pro rate while they stay subscribed.
Is there a long-term contract?
Monthly is cancel-anytime from billing settings. Prefer annual? Pay €288/year upfront and save 20%, still no multi-year lock-in beyond that prepaid year.
Is Alatusa a verified Meta Tech Provider?
Yes. We completed Meta Access Verification for Tech Providers. WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger onboarding runs through Meta's official APIs and OAuth.
