# Genuka WA vs WATI: WhatsApp API or team inbox tool URL: https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/compare/wati Language: English > Genuka WA or WATI for the WhatsApp Business API: a REST API for developers or a team inbox with chatbots. Pricing, Meta fees and webhooks compared. Genuka WA and WATI both run on Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform, but they serve different jobs. WATI is a ready-made tool for a team: shared inbox, no-code chatbots, campaigns. Genuka WA is a REST API for developers, billed per WhatsApp number, where Meta bills your messages directly with no markup from Genuka. *Last updated October 8, 2026* > [!NOTE] > **How this page was written** > > Everything about WATI comes from its pricing page, its per-message rate cards and its API > documentation, read on the date above and listed under [Sources](#sources). WATI shows different > prices depending on the visitor's country: we quote the ones shown for France and for Cameroon. > Genuka publishes Genuka WA; check both price lists before you choose. ## Genuka WA and WATI at a glance | | Genuka WA | WATI | | -------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Built for | Developers and software vendors who build WhatsApp into their product | Support, sales and marketing teams who want a ready-made tool | | Official WhatsApp Business Platform | Yes. Genuka is a Meta Tech Provider; messages go through Meta's Cloud API on your own WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) | Yes. WATI presents itself as an Official Meta Business Partner | | What you use day to day | A REST API and webhooks. The dashboard connects numbers, manages templates, tracks sends and lets you read and answer conversations | A team inbox (WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok…), no-code chatbots and a campaign tool | | WhatsApp numbers | Up to 5, 15 or 100 depending on the tier; every extra number costs less than the first | One channel on Growth and Pro; multiple numbers on Business | | Users included | 1, 5 or 15 depending on the tier | 3 on Growth, with no way to add more; 5 on Pro and Business, then paid | | API access | Every tier | Every plan, capped at 10,000 calls a month on Growth, 200,000 on Pro, 20 million on Business | | Webhooks | Every tier. Signed with timestamped HMAC-SHA256, 5 retries, replay from the dashboard | None on Growth, "limited" on Pro, "extensive" on Business | | Meta message fees | Billed by Meta straight to your WABA, with no Genuka markup | Paid to WATI as prepaid credits, at WATI's rate card | | Cheapest monthly subscription | 5,000 FCFA, €19 or $19 (Starter) | €69 in France, $49 in Cameroon (Growth) | | Payment methods | Mobile Money (FCFA) or card | Cards that support international purchases; bank transfer on annual plans | | Keep the WhatsApp Business app on the number | Yes (Meta coexistence) | Yes, WATI advertises syncing with the WhatsApp Business app | | Free trial | 7 days, no card | 7 days, no setup fee | | Chatbots and AI | No chatbot builder: your logic plugs into the webhooks. An MCP server (`@genuka/whatsapp-mcp`) lets an AI agent call the API: see [WhatsApp API for AI agents](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/guides/ai-agents) | No-code chatbots, AI Co-pilot credits included, Astra AI agents as a paid add-on | | Running numbers for many businesses | A connection link to send to each client, white-label from Growth, client sub-accounts from Scale | Partner and reseller programs (see their site) | ## Developer API or team tool: what is the difference? **WATI assumes people answer the customers.** Its pricing page describes a team inbox (assign, track, follow up, tag, report), no-code chatbots, campaigns with open and read rates, the WhatsApp catalog and, depending on the plan, Shopify, HubSpot or Salesforce integrations. The API comes on top: 10,000 calls a month and no webhooks on Growth. **Genuka WA assumes your code talks to the customers.** Your backend sends an order confirmation, a one-time code or a campaign over HTTP. Replies and delivery receipts arrive on your signed webhooks, and your application decides what to do with them. The dashboard lets you read conversations and answer them, but it is not a support tool: no agent assignment, no routing rules, no chatbot builder, no campaign console. > [!NOTE] > **Want a no-code campaign console?** > > Genuka WA exposes campaigns as an API primitive (`/api/v1/campaigns`: a template, a recipient > list, a status per recipient). If your team wants to compose campaigns in a UI, Genuka Core > ([genuka.com](https://genuka.com)) offers one. ## How much do WATI and Genuka WA cost? Each bill has two layers: the provider's subscription, and the messages Meta charges for. ### How much is the subscription? WATI prices depend on the visitor's country. On October 8, 2026, its pricing page showed, for France: | WATI plan | Monthly | Annual, per month | What is included | | --------- | ------- | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Growth | €69 | €59 | 1 channel, 3 users, 15,000 broadcasts a month, 10,000 API calls, no webhooks | | Pro | €149 | €119 | 1 channel, 5 users, unlimited broadcasts, 200,000 API calls, limited webhooks | | Business | €349 | €279 | Multiple numbers, 5 users, 20 million API calls, extensive webhooks | For Cameroon, WATI applies a regional price list in US dollars: Growth at $49 ($39 a month billed annually), Pro at $99 ($79), Business at $249 ($199). Message charges come on top on every plan. Genuka WA bills the WhatsApp number: a base price that covers the first number, then a cheaper rate for every additional one, lower the higher the tier. | Genuka WA tier | Monthly | Annual, per month | Extra number, per month | What is included | | -------------- | ------------------- | ------------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Starter | 5,000 FCFA or $19 | 3,000 FCFA or $15 | 2,500 FCFA or $9 | Up to 5 numbers, 500 outbound messages per number per billing period, 1 user, API and webhooks | | Growth | 10,000 FCFA or $49 | 8,000 FCFA or $39 | 2,200 FCFA or $8 | Up to 15 numbers, 5,000 messages per number, 5 users, white-label, priority support | | Scale | 30,000 FCFA or $149 | 25,000 FCFA or $119 | 1,800 FCFA or $6 | Up to 100 numbers, 30,000 messages per number, 15 users, client sub-accounts | | Enterprise | Quote | Quote | Quote | Custom volume, terms and SLA | Euro prices use the same figures as dollar prices. The outbound message allowance is a subscription limit, not metering: once it is used up, the API answers `402 plan_limit_messages` until the next period, or until you add numbers or move up a tier. The full grid is on the [pricing page](https://wa.genuka.com/en#pricing) and in [Plans & billing](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/billing). ### Who bills the WhatsApp messages? Meta charges for templates by category (marketing, utility, authentication) and by the recipient's country. Since **October 1, 2026**, Meta also charges for service messages (the free-form replies sent inside the 24-hour window) at the country's utility rate, and utility templates sent inside that window are now billed too. WATI and Trengo state that the first 1,000 service messages of each number stay free every month. Messages sent inside the 72-hour free entry point window opened by a Click to WhatsApp ad stay free. That layer is the same with every provider. What changes is the path the bill takes. **With Genuka WA**, Meta bills your WABA directly, on the card you add to your WhatsApp Business account. Genuka never touches those fees and adds nothing to them. **With WATI**, you top up credits with WATI, and each message's cost is deducted from that balance. The price applied is WATI's rate card, which varies with your account's region and your plan. An excerpt from its two US-dollar rate cards dated October 1, 2026, for the Growth and Pro plans: | Recipient country | Category | USD "EAST" rate card (accounts in Cameroon) | USD "WEST" rate card (accounts in the United States) | | ----------------- | --------- | ------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | | Cameroon | Marketing | $0.0281 | $0.0360 | | Cameroon | Utility | $0.0052 | $0.0072 | | France | Marketing | $0.1074 | $0.1374 | | France | Utility | $0.0390 | $0.0540 | WATI states that an additional discount applies on Business. To put these figures in context, compare them with Meta's official rate card for the same country (linked under [Sources](#sources)): that Meta rate, and nothing else, is what a Genuka WA account pays. ### Which plan fits which need? Subscription only, billed monthly, Meta fees excluded: | Need | Genuka WA | WATI (France prices) | | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | One number, API sends and webhooks, one person | Starter: €19 | Pro: €149 (Growth has no webhooks) | | One number, a team of 3 to 5, webhooks | Growth: €49 | Pro: €149 | | Three numbers | Starter: €19 + 2 × €9 = €37 | Business: from €349 | > [!WARNING] > **It is not the same product** > > WATI's price includes the team inbox, chatbots, integrations and AI credits, none of which Genuka > WA provides. If your team needs them and nobody can build them, these rows do not compare one to > one. And Genuka WA's allowance matters: Starter includes 500 outbound messages per number per > billing period, Growth 5,000. ## How do the APIs and webhooks compare? | | Genuka WA | WATI | | ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Base URL | `https://wa.genuka.com/api/v1` | `https://live-mt-server.wati.io`, with `/api/ext/v3/…` for v3 and your tenant ID in the path for v1 | | Authentication | `Authorization: Bearer pk_live_…`, key created in the dashboard | `Authorization: Bearer `, token created in the WATI dashboard | | Send a template | `POST /api/v1/messages` with a `template` field | `POST /api/ext/v3/messageTemplates/send` | | Send a free-form message | `POST /api/v1/messages` with `text`, `image`, `buttons`… | `POST /api/ext/v3/conversations/messages/text` | | Campaign | `POST /api/v1/campaigns`, then `POST /api/v1/campaigns/{id}/launch` | The same template endpoint, with `broadcast_name` and up to 10,000 recipients | | Webhooks | `X-Genuka-Signature` header: HMAC-SHA256 of the timestamp and the raw body | Set up in the WATI dashboard; the webhook introduction page describes no signature | | Retries | 5, after 1 min, 5 min, 30 min, 2 h, then 6 h; manual replay from the log | Up to 144, every 10 minutes | | Specification | OpenAPI 3.1 at [`/openapi.json`](https://wa.genuka.com/openapi.json) | An OpenAPI 3.0 definition per endpoint in the docs | ### How do I send a template with Genuka WA? One Meta-approved template, sent to one recipient. `variables` fills the body's `{{1}}`, `{{2}}` parameters, in order: **curl** ```bash curl -X POST https://wa.genuka.com/api/v1/messages \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $GENUKA_WA_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "connectionId": "cnx_...", "to": "+237699001122", "template": { "name": "order_shipped", "language": "en_US", "variables": ["Awa", "#1042"] } }' # { "data": { "messageId": "wamid.HBg..." } } ``` **Node.js** ```js const res = await fetch("https://wa.genuka.com/api/v1/messages", { method: "POST", headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.GENUKA_WA_API_KEY}`, "Content-Type": "application/json", }, body: JSON.stringify({ connectionId: "cnx_...", to: "+237699001122", template: { name: "order_shipped", language: "en_US", variables: ["Awa", "#1042"], }, }), }); const body = await res.json(); if (!res.ok) { // { "error": "code", "message"?: "…" } throw new Error(`${res.status} ${body.error}${body.message ? `: ${body.message}` : ""}`); } console.log(body.data.messageId); // "wamid.HBg..." ``` **Python** ```python import os import requests res = requests.post( "https://wa.genuka.com/api/v1/messages", headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['GENUKA_WA_API_KEY']}"}, json={ "connectionId": "cnx_...", "to": "+237699001122", "template": { "name": "order_shipped", "language": "en_US", "variables": ["Awa", "#1042"], }, }, timeout=10, ) res.raise_for_status() print(res.json()["data"]["messageId"]) # "wamid.HBg..." ``` **PHP** ```php true, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [ "Authorization: Bearer " . getenv("GENUKA_WA_API_KEY"), "Content-Type: application/json", "User-Agent: my-shop/1.0", ], CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode([ "connectionId" => "cnx_...", "to" => "+237699001122", "template" => [ "name" => "order_shipped", "language" => "en_US", "variables" => ["Awa", "#1042"], ], ]), ]); $body = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true); $status = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE); curl_close($ch); if ($status !== 200) { $msg = $body['message'] ?? ''; throw new RuntimeException(trim("$status {$body['error']} $msg")); } echo $body["data"]["messageId"]; // "wamid.HBg..." ``` A `200` means Meta accepted the message, not that it was delivered: the final status arrives on your [webhooks](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/webhooks). Read the `connectionId` with `GET /api/v1/connections`. ### What changes in my code if I leave WATI? | On WATI | On Genuka WA | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `POST /api/ext/v3/messageTemplates/send` with `template_name`, `broadcast_name` and `recipients[]` | One recipient: `POST /api/v1/messages` with `template.name`, `template.language` and `template.variables`. A list: `POST /api/v1/campaigns` (`connectionId`, `templateId` from `GET /api/v1/templates`, `name`, `recipients[].to`, `recipients[].variables`), then `/launch` | | `POST /api/ext/v3/conversations/messages/text` with `target` and `text` | `POST /api/v1/messages` with `to` and `text` | | `channel`, the channel's name or number | `connectionId`, read with `GET /api/v1/connections` | | Number without `+`, for example `14155552671` | International number with `+`, for example `+237699001122` | | Named `custom_params` (`name` and `value`) | Positional `variables`, or `bodyNamed` for a template with named parameters | | Separate WATI events (`messageReceived`, `templateMessageSent_v2`, `sentMessageDELIVERED_v2`…) | One `messages` event for inbound messages and statuses, with Meta's raw value in `data` and a signature to verify | The full reference is in the [API documentation](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/api) and in [Sending messages](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/messages). For the receiving side, see [receive replies and statuses via webhook](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/guides/receive-messages-webhooks). ## When should I choose WATI over Genuka WA? * Your agents answer customers by hand and need assignment, team routing and activity reports. * You want to build chatbots without writing code, or gather WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger in one inbox. * You rely on ready-made integrations (Shopify, HubSpot, Salesforce) rather than your own. * Nobody on the team will write code against an API. ## When is Genuka WA the better choice? * You are building WhatsApp into your product: order notifications, login codes, campaigns triggered by your backend. See the guides on [order notifications](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/guides/order-notifications), [sending a WhatsApp OTP from Node.js](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/guides/whatsapp-otp-nodejs) and [sending a campaign through the API](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/guides/campaigns-api). * You run the numbers of several client businesses: each one connects through your link, every extra number costs less, and one API key covers all your clients. See [Connecting a number](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/onboarding). * You want Meta to bill your messages directly, with no middleman and no markup. * You want signed webhooks from the first tier. * You pay in FCFA, by Mobile Money. ## FAQ ### Is Genuka WA cheaper than WATI? On the subscription, yes for an integration use case: €19 a month for one number with API and webhooks, against €149 for the first WATI plan that includes webhooks (prices shown for France). But WATI includes a team inbox and chatbots. On messages, a Genuka WA account pays Meta's rate; on WATI, WATI's rate card applies. ### Do WATI and Genuka WA both use the official WhatsApp API? Yes. WATI presents itself as an Official Meta Business Partner; Genuka is a Meta Tech Provider. Either way, messages go through Meta's Cloud API under the same rules: Meta-approved templates outside the 24-hour window, recipient opt-in, messaging limits. ### Can I keep my number if I leave WATI? Meta provides a procedure to migrate a number from one partner to another, which keeps the display name, quality rating, messaging limits and approved high-quality templates. It has prerequisites: two-step verification turned off on the number, a valid payment method on the source WABA, and a business verified by Meta. Check your case with us before you switch anything off. ### Does Genuka WA have an inbox? Yes, a simple one in the dashboard: you read the messages your numbers receive and answer them. It has no agent assignment, routing or chatbot. To automate, your webhooks receive every inbound message. ### Can I pay with Mobile Money? On Genuka WA, yes: the subscription can be paid by Mobile Money in FCFA (Genuka Pay in Cameroon, pawaPay in the other CFA franc countries we cover) or by card. WATI's FAQ lists payment by cards that support international purchases, and by bank transfer on annual plans. ## Sources Read on October 8, 2026. * [WATI, pricing](https://www.wati.io/pricing/) * [WATI, per-message rate card in USD, "EAST", Growth and Pro plans, October 1, 2026](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lwkuIkAnjLJexinXCcziL7Ld2H5sTP98/view) * [WATI, per-message rate card in USD, "WEST", Growth and Pro plans, October 1, 2026](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dt4sTvjXW12gXOk9y8UL-rxFlBAtNKWX/view) * [WATI, Understanding Wati's pricing structure](https://support.wati.io/en/articles/11462993-understanding-wati-s-pricing-structure) * [WATI, home page](https://www.wati.io/) * [WATI, API authentication](https://docs.wati.io/reference/authentication) * [WATI, send template messages (API v3)](https://docs.wati.io/reference/messagetemplate_sendtemplatemessages) * [WATI, send a text message (API v3)](https://docs.wati.io/reference/conversations_sendtext) * [WATI, webhooks introduction](https://docs.wati.io/reference/introduction-1) * [WATI, tracking template message status with webhooks](https://support.wati.io/en/articles/11463225-how-to-track-template-message-delivery-and-message-status-using-wati-webhooks) * [Trengo, WhatsApp pricing changes from October 1, 2026](https://help.trengo.com/article/whatsapp-pricing-changes-from-1-october-2026) * [Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing and official rate cards](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing) * [Meta, billing of service messages and utility templates from October 1, 2026](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing/non-template-messages) * [Meta, get started as a Tech Provider](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/get-started-for-tech-providers) * [Meta, onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (coexistence)](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/embedded-signup/onboarding-business-app-users) * [Meta, migrating a phone number between partners via Embedded Signup](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/support/migrating-phone-numbers-among-solution-partners-via-embedded-signup)