# Evolution API alternative: is self-hosting really free? > Evolution API and WAHA cost $0, but WAHA itself asks for 2 CPU and 4 GB of RAM for one session. The real cost of self-hosting, next to a hosted API. Source: https://unlimitedmessaging.app/articles/evolution-api-alternative Comparison # Evolution API, WAHA or hosted: _what self-hosting WhatsApp really costs_ Evolution API and WAHA are free, open-source WhatsApp APIs you run on your own server. The software costs nothing; the server, the database, the updates and the QR codes to re-scan do. Here is the full bill, the licence details, and when running it yourself is still the right choice. [Try Unlimited Messaging](https://app.unlimitedmessaging.app)[View pricing](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/pricing) The short answer ## Is self-hosting Evolution API really free? The licence is free, the running is not. [Evolution API](https://github.com/evolution-foundation/evolution-api) costs $0 to download, but it needs Node.js 20+, PostgreSQL or MySQL, and Redis is recommended. WAHA, its closest rival, asks for at least 2 CPU and 4 GB of RAM even for a single session. Add updates, monitoring and QR re-linking, and the real price is your server plus your time. Both projects are popular and alive. Evolution API has about 10,000 stars on GitHub and WAHA about 7,800 (November 2026). Evolution API grew out of CodeChat and Baileys and adds integrations with Typebot, Chatwoot, Dify, OpenAI, RabbitMQ and Kafka. WAHA wraps four engines behind one HTTP API: two drive a real browser, two talk to WhatsApp over a WebSocket. What nobody puts on the README is the work around them. Whenever WhatsApp changes its web protocol, the library underneath has to be patched and you have to redeploy. When a session drops, someone has to notice and scan a new QR code. Linked devices are also logged out when the main phone stays offline for 14 days. That is fine for a team with an ops habit, and a hidden cost for everyone else. Unlimited Messaging is the hosted route: the same linked-device approach for WhatsApp (we run whatsmeow, a Go library, in our own service), plus email from your mailbox and SMS from your Android phone, behind one REST API. You run nothing, and pay a flat plan or nothing at all. Figures below come from each project's GitHub and docs, checked in November 2026. Related comparisons: [GREEN-API vs UltraMsg vs Unlimited Messaging](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/articles/green-api-vs-ultramsg-vs-unlimited-messaging), [how to avoid a WhatsApp ban](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/articles/avoid-whatsapp-ban) and [what a WhatsApp REST API is](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/articles/whatsapp-api). ![Illustration: a terminal running curl and getting 201 Created, with the headline “Is self-hosting really free?”.](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/_next/image?url=%2Fassets%2Farticles%2Fcovers%2Fevolution-api-alternative-en.png&w=3840&q=75) Definition Evolution API An open-source REST API for WhatsApp, written in Node.js and TypeScript, that you deploy on your own server. It links a number through the Baileys library (unofficial, like WhatsApp Web) or connects to Meta's official Cloud API. Also searched as: Evolution API alternative, Evolution API vs WAHA, Evolution API WhatsApp. [Source: Evolution API on GitHub↗](https://github.com/evolution-foundation/evolution-api) The comparison ## Evolution API vs WAHA vs Unlimited Messaging Two self-hosted open-source servers and one hosted API. All three link a WhatsApp number unofficially; the difference is who runs the server and who fixes it when WhatsApp changes. __Evolution API vs WAHA vs Unlimited Messaging__ | [Evolution API](https://github.com/evolution-foundation/evolution-api)self-hosted, Node.js | [WAHA](https://waha.devlike.pro)self-hosted, Docker | Unlimited Messaginghosted, flat price | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Software price | $0 | $0 (optional $5/mo community donation) | Free plan, or Medium €19/mo and Max €29/mo | | Licence | Apache 2.0 with extra conditions: keep the logo in its frontend, show a usage notice in closed-source systems, or buy a commercial licence | Apache 2.0, every feature free since version 2026.6.1 | Proprietary SaaS, free plan with no card | | What you run | Node.js 20+, PostgreSQL or MySQL, Redis recommended | A Docker container, 2 CPU / 4 GB RAM recommended even for one session | Nothing | | WhatsApp engine | Baileys (TypeScript, WebSocket), or Meta's official Cloud API | WEBJS or WPP (browser), NOWEB (Baileys) or GOWS (Go) | whatsmeow (Go), run by us | | Updates when WhatsApp changes | You pull and redeploy. Last stable 2.3.7 (Dec 2025), 2.4.0 in release candidate since May 2026 | You pull and redeploy. 24 releases in 2026 | Done by us, nothing to redeploy | | Disconnections and QR re-linking | You monitor sessions and re-scan | You monitor sessions and re-scan | Status visible in the app and the API, you re-scan from the app | | Official Meta Cloud API | Yes, as a second connection type (Meta fees apply) | No, unofficial engines only | No, linked device only | | Email and SMS | Not built in | No, WhatsApp only | Email from your mailbox, SMS from your Android phone | | Integrations | Typebot, Chatwoot, Dify, OpenAI, n8n, RabbitMQ, Kafka, SQS, S3 | n8n, Typebot, Chatwoot, MCP, a web dashboard | Python and TypeScript SDKs, n8n node, hosted MCP server, web app | | Ban risk | Unofficial on the Baileys side: spam gets numbers banned | Unofficial: its own docs say it is not totally safe | Unofficial: spam gets numbers banned, messages are paced like a person | | Where data lives | Your server | Your server | Our servers in the EU | Evolution API and WAHA data from their GitHub repositories, licences, releases and docs, checked on November 9, 2026\. WAHA resource figures come from its own FAQ. Ban risk exists with any unofficial WhatsApp client, self-hosted or hosted. [![](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/_next/image?url=%2Fassets%2Farticles%2Fcovers%2Fgreen-api-vs-ultramsg-vs-unlimited-messaging-en.png&w=3840&q=75)Related comparisonGREEN-API vs UltraMsg vs Unlimited MessagingThe hosted unofficial WhatsApp APIs side by side: price per instance, free plans, SDKs, MCP and hosting, with WAHA for reference.Read the comparison→](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/articles/green-api-vs-ultramsg-vs-unlimited-messaging) In brief ## The three at a glance * ### Evolution API A full-featured WhatsApp server from the Evolution Foundation in Brazil, with a large community and the widest list of integrations here. It is the only one of the three that can also drive Meta's official Cloud API. Mind the licence: Apache 2.0 plus conditions on its logo and a usage notice. The same foundation also publishes Evolution Go, a newer Go server. [Evolution API↗](https://github.com/evolution-foundation/evolution-api) * ### WAHA WhatsApp HTTP API in one Docker image, with a choice of four engines and a dashboard. Since version 2026.6.1 the paid WAHA Plus features (unlimited sessions, media, storages, security) are part of the free Core image. Its FAQ gives honest numbers: 400 MB of RAM per session with a browser engine, about 200 MB without. [WAHA↗](https://waha.devlike.pro) * ### Unlimited Messaging A hosted API: link your WhatsApp number with a QR code, connect your mailbox over IMAP/SMTP and your Android phone for SMS, then send from the REST API, the Python and TypeScript SDKs, n8n or Claude and ChatGPT through the MCP server. Free plan, then flat monthly plans, hosted in the EU. Fair play ## When is self-hosting the right call? Running Evolution API or WAHA yourself is the better choice in several real cases. If one of these is a hard requirement, self-host. 1. 01 ### Data must never leave your infrastructure With a self-hosted server, messages, media and session keys stay on machines you control. A hosted API, even one in the EU, means trusting a third party with them. 2. 02 ### You already run servers for a living If your team has Docker, PostgreSQL, monitoring and on-call in place, one more container is cheap. The cost of self-hosting is mostly the habit, and you already have it. 3. 03 ### You link dozens or hundreds of numbers WAHA's own figures put 100 sessions at 4 CPU and 8 GB of RAM with its NOWEB engine. At that scale, one server you size yourself can cost less than any per-number or per-plan price. 4. 04 ### You want to modify the code Open source means you can patch an endpoint, add a custom integration or fork the project. A hosted API gives you what it exposes, no more. 5. 05 ### You need Meta's official Cloud API in the same server Evolution API can run both an unofficial Baileys connection and the official Cloud API side by side. Unlimited Messaging and WAHA only offer the linked-device route. The hosted side ## When is a hosted API the cheaper option? For one to a few numbers, the server is the small part of the bill. The hours spent keeping WhatsApp connected are the big one. ### No server, no database, no Redis WAHA recommends 2 CPU and 4 GB of RAM even for one session; Evolution API needs PostgreSQL or MySQL. With a hosted API none of that exists on your side. ### Protocol changes are not your weekend When WhatsApp changes its web protocol, the fix ships on our side. No release notes to read, no image to pull, no migration to run. 1. 01 ### Free to start, flat after The Free plan costs nothing and needs no card. Medium (€19/mo) and Max (€29/mo) remove the footer and add webhooks. No per-message fee on any plan. 2. 02 ### Email and SMS in the same request One POST /message sends by WhatsApp, email or SMS, or by several at once. Neither Evolution API nor WAHA sends email or SMS. 3. 03 ### Your number, as with self-hosting You still send from your own WhatsApp number, linked as a device. Contacts see your name and photo, and replies come back to one inbox. 4. 04 ### Ready for AI assistants A hosted MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT read and send messages on all three channels, without a bridge to run on your machine. How to choose ### Count your hours, not just the server Self-host Evolution API if you need the official Cloud API too or its long integration list; self-host WAHA if you want one Docker image and the choice of engine. In both cases, budget a VPS, a database and a few hours a month for updates and re-linking. If you link a handful of numbers and would rather not run WhatsApp infrastructure, a hosted API is cheaper once your time counts. FAQ ## Questions about Evolution API, WAHA and the alternatives The software is free to download and use, under an Apache 2.0 licence with extra conditions: you may not remove its logo from its frontend, and closed-source systems must show a notice that Evolution API is used, otherwise a commercial licence is required. Running it is not free: you pay for a server, PostgreSQL or MySQL and usually Redis, plus your time. Evolution API has more integrations (Typebot, Chatwoot, Dify, RabbitMQ, Kafka) and can also use Meta's official Cloud API. WAHA ships as one Docker image with four engines to choose from, a dashboard and a plain Apache 2.0 licence. Both are unofficial on the WhatsApp Web side and carry the same ban risk. No. Since version 2026.6.1, every feature that used to be in WAHA Plus (unlimited sessions, media messages, all storages, built-in security) is in the free WAHA Core image. The project asks for an optional $5 a month community donation, with no extra features in return. WAHA recommends at least 2 CPU and 4 GB of RAM even for one session. Its FAQ measures one session at 0.3 CPU and 400 MB with a browser engine, and 0.1 CPU and 200 MB with a WebSocket engine. Evolution API also needs PostgreSQL or MySQL, and Redis is recommended. Yes. Both link a number through an unofficial client, which WhatsApp does not endorse, and WAHA's own docs warn that this is not totally safe. Spam, cold bulk sends and sudden volume spikes get numbers banned whatever tool sends them, self-hosted or hosted, Unlimited Messaging included. A linked device can be logged out when WhatsApp updates its protocol and the library lags behind, when the session is removed from the phone, or when the main phone stays offline for 14 days. On a self-hosted server you have to detect it and scan again; on a hosted API the status shows in the app and you re-scan there. WhatsApp runs on whatsmeow, the open-source Go library also behind WAHA's GOWS engine and the mautrix WhatsApp bridge, in a dedicated service we operate. Email goes through your own mailbox over IMAP/SMTP, and SMS through the free Android app on your own phone. The Free plan costs nothing, with no credit card, and adds a short "Sent with UnlimitedMessaging.app" line to messages. Medium costs €19 a month and Max €29 a month; both remove that line and add features such as webhooks. None of them bills per message. Sources ## Sources & references To check the information in this article for yourself: 1. [01Evolution API repository (README, prerequisites, connection types, integrations)↗GitHub](https://github.com/evolution-foundation/evolution-api) 2. [02Evolution API licence (Apache 2.0 with additional conditions)↗GitHub](https://github.com/evolution-foundation/evolution-api/blob/main/LICENSE) 3. [03Evolution API releases (2.3.7 stable, 2.4.0 release candidates)↗GitHub](https://github.com/evolution-foundation/evolution-api/releases) 4. [04WAHA repository and releases (Apache 2.0)↗GitHub](https://github.com/devlikeapro/waha) 5. [05WAHA FAQ: how much CPU and memory does WAHA need?↗WAHA](https://waha.devlike.pro/docs/overview/faq/) 6. [06WAHA Plus is now part of WAHA Core (version 2026.6.1)↗WAHA](https://waha.devlike.pro/docs/how-to/waha-plus/) 7. [07WAHA engines: WEBJS, WPP, NOWEB, GOWS↗WAHA](https://waha.devlike.pro/docs/how-to/engines/) 8. [08Evolution Go repository↗GitHub](https://github.com/evolution-foundation/evolution-go) 9. [09About linked devices (logout after 14 days without the main phone)↗WhatsApp Help Center](https://faq.whatsapp.com/378279804439436) ![Ilian, senior software engineer](https://ilianazz.com/images/iliazz.png) Written by [Ilian](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/authors/ilian) · Senior Software Engineer A senior software engineer, he founds and runs several tech companies. He builds products around messaging APIs, automation and AI integration, and shares here what he learns while building. [View LinkedIn profile↗](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilianAzz/)Updated November 9, 2026 ![](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/assets/logos/whatsapp.svg)![](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/assets/logos/email.svg)![](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/assets/logos/sms.svg) ## Skip the server. Keep your number. Link your WhatsApp number with a QR code, add your mailbox or your Android phone, and send your first message by API, free to get started. [Try Unlimited Messaging→](https://app.unlimitedmessaging.app) Similar articles * [![](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/_next/image?url=%2Fassets%2Farticles%2Fcovers%2Fgreen-api-vs-ultramsg-vs-unlimited-messaging-en.png&w=3840&q=75)GREEN-API vs UltraMsg vs us: which one holds up in 2026?GREEN-APIUnofficial WhatsApp APIs compared: price per number, free plans, SDKs, MCP, email and SMS.](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/articles/green-api-vs-ultramsg-vs-unlimited-messaging) * [![](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/_next/image?url=%2Fassets%2Farticles%2Fcovers%2Fwhapi-vs-maytapi-vs-unlimited-messaging-en.png&w=3840&q=75)Whapi vs Maytapi vs us: which WhatsApp API wins in 2026?A comparison of unofficial WhatsApp APIs: pricing, unlimited use, SDKs, MCP and hosting.](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/articles/whapi-vs-maytapi-vs-unlimited-messaging) * [![](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/_next/image?url=%2Fassets%2Farticles%2Fcovers%2Favoid-whatsapp-ban-en.png&w=3840&q=75)How to avoid a WhatsApp ban: the practices that really workThe concrete practices that reduce the risk of a ban on automated WhatsApp usage.](https://unlimitedmessaging.app/articles/avoid-whatsapp-ban)