WhatsApp Business app or WhatsApp Business API?
The free WhatsApp Business app is made for one phone. It works well for a small shop that answers a few chats a day. Once you want several people answering the same number, messages to hundreds of customers or a chatbot that replies at night, you need the WhatsApp Business API.
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API with Salti Marketing | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | One phone and a few linked devices | Your whole team, each agent with their own login, plus an Android app |
| Messages to many customers | Broadcast lists, which only reach people who saved your number | Campaigns with Meta-approved templates to any opted-in contact, with delivered and read reports |
| Automation | Greeting and away messages, quick replies | Chatbots with menus, buttons, AI answers and handover to a person |
| Connections | No connection to your own systems | WooCommerce, Shopify, REST API, webhooks and Click-to-WhatsApp ad tracking |
A number works on the app or on the API, not both. If you move your current number to the API, it stops working in the WhatsApp app.
What you need to start
- A personal Facebook account. It is used to connect your business to Meta.
- A phone number that is not active on the regular WhatsApp app and can receive a code by SMS or call.
- A payment card on your WhatsApp account for Meta’s message fees, if you will send marketing messages.
- 30 to 60 minutes for the live setup session with our team.
How setup works
No developers needed. Most businesses send their first campaign the same day.
Create your account. Sign up and choose the plan that fits your team.
Connect your number. We connect it to the official WhatsApp Business API together, in a live session, with no tokens or IDs for you to copy.
Import contacts and templates. Upload your opted-in contacts from a CSV file and submit message templates for Meta’s approval, usually within minutes.
Launch and automate. Send your first campaign, switch on a chatbot and invite your team.
What you can do with it
- Bulk campaigns to all contacts or chosen groups, now or on a schedule, with sent, delivered, read and failed counts. Bulk WhatsApp messages
- Chatbots with keyword triggers, menus with buttons, AI answers from your own content and handover to your team. WhatsApp chatbot
- A shared team inbox with assignment, labels, notes, quick replies and an Android app for agents.
- Two-way translation between Arabic, English, French and other languages.
- WooCommerce and Shopify order notifications, a store panel beside every chat and an AI sales assistant.
- Click-to-WhatsApp ad tracking: see which Meta ad started each chat.
- REST API and webhooks to send messages and sync contacts from your own systems.
- WhatsApp calling from the inbox, where Meta’s Business Calling is enabled for your number.
Pricing
The plan covers the whole platform: unlimited team members, chats, contacts and campaigns, the chatbot builder and the AI agent. Chat media is kept for 180 days. The AI runs on your own AI key, so you pay the AI provider directly.
Meta charges its own fees per message, based on the template category (Marketing, Utility or Authentication) and your customer’s country, and bills them to your own Meta Business account. Salti Marketing adds no markup and no hidden fees. Plans for online shops with an AI sales assistant are on the pricing page.
Also in the UAE, the GCC and worldwide
Lebanon is our home market, and the same setup works for businesses in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, as well as the US and Europe. Everything is done online, and Meta’s message fees depend on your customers’ country. 140+ businesses have worked with us since 2023.
Questions
Is this the official WhatsApp Business API?
Yes. We connect your number directly to Meta’s official WhatsApp Cloud API, together with you in a live setup session. We never use unofficial apps or modified WhatsApp clients, which is what gets numbers banned.
Can I use my current WhatsApp number?
Yes. A number works on the WhatsApp app or on the API, not both, so it has to be removed from the WhatsApp app first. We walk you through it in the setup session. Many businesses use a new number for the API and keep their old one on the app.
How much does it cost?
The Annual plan is $250 a year for the full platform, with unlimited team members, chats, contacts and campaigns. Meta charges its own message fees per message, based on the template category and your customer’s country, and bills your Meta Business account directly. We add no markup.
How long does setup take?
The integration takes 30 to 60 minutes in a live session with our team, unless Meta has a delay or asks for extra checks. Then we help you load your first templates and send your first campaign.
Can we message customers in Arabic?
Yes. Templates, campaigns and chatbot replies can be written in Arabic, English, French or any language WhatsApp supports, and the inbox can translate incoming messages and your replies automatically.
Do you only work in Lebanon?
Lebanon is our home market. We also set up and support the WhatsApp Business API for businesses in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, the US, Europe and anywhere WhatsApp is used. The setup is done online.