Free WhatsApp API
Free WhatsApp APIs:
what is really free, and what is a trial.
Many WhatsApp APIs say "free". Some mean a permanent free tier, some mean open-source code you host yourself, and some mean three days. We checked nine of them on their own pricing pages, docs and licenses in November 2026: what you get for nothing, what gets billed, and what you give up.
In a hurry? Summarize this article with an AI
Claude
ChatGPT
Le Chat
GeminiThe short answer
Is there a free WhatsApp API?
Yes, but "free" means three different things. Meta's official Cloud API has a free tier of 1,000 service messages per number per month and bills templates. Unofficial providers like GREEN-API and Unlimited Messaging have permanent free plans with limits. And open-source projects (WAHA, Evolution API, Baileys, whatsapp-web.js) cost nothing but a server you run yourself.
The official route is Meta's WhatsApp Cloud API. It is the only one Meta endorses, and it is not free in production: every template message (marketing, utility, authentication) is billed by the recipient's country. Since October 1, 2026, Meta also bills service messages beyond 1,000 per number per month and utility messages inside the customer service window, and needs a payment method to send past the free tier.
Every other option on this page is unofficial: it links a normal WhatsApp number as a device, like WhatsApp Web. That removes templates and per-message fees, and adds a risk Meta's route does not have: WhatsApp can ban a number that sends spam. The open-source libraries say so in their own READMEs.
Three popular names are left out of the "free" list on purpose. UltraMsg offers a 3-day free account. Whapi.Cloud and Maytapi have test sandboxes capped at a handful of contacts. They are good for trying an API, not for running one at no cost.
Related comparisons: GREEN-API vs UltraMsg vs Unlimited Messaging, Whapi vs Maytapi vs Unlimited Messaging and how to avoid a WhatsApp ban.
The list
Which WhatsApp APIs are really free?
One row per option. "Really free" means you can keep using it at no cost, not just test it for a few days.
| Really free? | What you get for free | What it costs or limits | Official? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta WhatsApp Cloud API | Free tier | 1,000 service messages per number per month; a test number for up to 5 recipients | Every template billed per message; payment method required beyond the free tier | Yes |
| GREEN-API Developer plan | Yes, hosted | 1 instance, no per-message fee | Talks to 3 chats only; monthly caps on some methods | No |
| WAHA (self-hosted) | Yes, open source | REST API, unlimited sessions and media since version 2026.6.1 | Your server, your updates, your monitoring | No |
| Evolution API (self-hosted) | Yes, open source | REST API on Baileys, plus chatbot and CRM integrations | Your server; license adds attribution conditions to Apache 2.0 | No (Baileys mode) |
| whatsapp-web.js / Baileys | Yes, libraries | Node.js code to drive WhatsApp Web (Apache 2.0 / MIT) | You build and host the API yourself | No |
| Unlimited Messaging Free | Yes, hosted | Unlimited messages, REST API, SDKs, n8n, MCP; email and SMS too | Footer on messages, text only, no webhooks | No |
| Whapi.Cloud | Sandbox only | 150 messages a day, 5 active conversations a month | Production from $29/mo per number | No |
| Maytapi | Trial and sandbox | 3-day trial; sandbox limited to 5 numbers | From $24/mo per number billed yearly, $29 monthly | No |
| UltraMsg | Trial only | 3-day free account | $39/mo or $390/yr | No |
Checked on each vendor's pricing page, documentation or license in November 2026. Meta's template prices depend on the recipient's country and the category. Self-hosted options are free software; the server they run on is not. Offers change: follow the sources.
One by one
The free WhatsApp APIs, one by one
Meta WhatsApp Cloud API
The official API, hosted by Meta. Free to start: a test number sends free messages to up to 5 recipient numbers, and each business number gets 1,000 free service messages a month. Replies to people who came from a Click to WhatsApp ad are also free inside Meta's free entry point window. Everything else is billed: templates per message by country, and since October 1, 2026, service messages past 1,000 and utility messages in the customer service window. New numbers start at 250 unique recipients per 24 hours.
Meta WhatsApp Cloud APIGREEN-API Developer plan
A hosted unofficial API with a permanent free plan. One Developer instance per account, which can only interact with 3 chats (contacts or groups) and receive notifications from those 3. Some methods have monthly caps, for example 100 number checks a month. A real free sandbox for building, not for production; the paid Business plan is $12 a month per instance.
GREEN-API Developer planWAHA
A WhatsApp HTTP API you run in Docker on your own server, with several engines (browser-based WEBJS, or NOWEB and GOWS over websockets). Since version 2026.6.1 the former paid Plus features, unlimited sessions and media included, are part of the free Core, released under Apache 2.0. Free as software; you pay for the server and the time to keep it running.
WAHAEvolution API
An open-source REST API built on Baileys, with integrations for Typebot, Chatwoot, n8n, OpenAI and message queues. It can also drive Meta's official Cloud API, in which case Meta's fees apply. Its license is Apache 2.0 with extra conditions: keep its logo and copyright in its frontend, and tell your users when a closed-source system uses it, or buy a commercial license.
Evolution APIwhatsapp-web.js and Baileys
The libraries most unofficial APIs are built on. whatsapp-web.js (Apache 2.0) runs WhatsApp Web in a real browser through Puppeteer; Baileys (MIT) talks to WhatsApp Web over WebSockets. Free and flexible, but you write and host the API around them. Both READMEs warn you: whatsapp-web.js says being blocked is not guaranteed not to happen, Baileys discourages bulk or automated messaging.
whatsapp-web.js and BaileysUnlimited Messaging Free
A hosted API with a permanent free plan and no message counter: link your number by QR code and send through the REST API, the Python and TypeScript SDKs, an n8n node or the MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT. The same plan also sends email from your own mailbox and SMS from your own Android phone. The limits: a "Sent with UnlimitedMessaging.app" footer, text only and no webhooks. Unofficial, like every option here except Meta's.
Not free
Which "free" WhatsApp APIs are only trials?
These three are often listed as free. They are good products to test, but you cannot run them in production at no cost.
UltraMsg: 3 days
A free account for 3 days, then one plan at $39 a month or $390 a year per instance. No permanent free tier.
Whapi.Cloud: a capped sandbox
The Developer Sandbox is free but capped at 150 messages a day, 5 active conversations a month and 1,000 API requests a month, and needs periodic activity. Production starts at $29 a month per number, with a 5-day trial.
Maytapi: 3 days, then a sandbox
A 3-day trial with every endpoint and no card, plus a sandbox that only sends to up to 5 numbers. Production is $24 a month per number billed yearly, or $29 billed monthly.
Hidden costs
What does a free WhatsApp API really cost?
Zero on the invoice does not mean zero cost. Each free option moves the bill somewhere else.
A server and your time (self-hosted)
WAHA, Evolution API and the libraries need a machine that stays online, storage for sessions, updates when WhatsApp Web changes, and someone to notice when a session drops.
The ban risk (every unofficial option)
WhatsApp does not allow unofficial clients and bans numbers that send spam, whichever API sent it. Use a number people know, write to contacts who expect you, and never send cold bulk campaigns.
Meta's bill once you grow (official API)
The free tier covers 1,000 service messages per number per month. Anything you start yourself is a template, billed per message, and it needs a verified business setup and a payment method.
Limits that decide for you (free plans)
3 chats on GREEN-API Developer, a footer and text only on Unlimited Messaging Free. Fine for a prototype or a small team; plan the upgrade before you depend on it.
FAQ
Questions about free WhatsApp APIs
Sources
Sources & references
To check the information in this article for yourself:
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (1,000 free service messages, October 1, 2026 changes)Meta for Developers
- Cloud API get started (test number, free messages to up to 5 recipients)Meta for Developers
- WhatsApp messaging limits (250 unique recipients per 24 hours to start)Meta for Developers
- About tariffs (Developer plan: 1 instance, 3 chats, method caps)GREEN-API
- Plans and prices (Developer, Business $12, Ultra)GREEN-API
- WAHA Plus is now part of WAHA Core (version 2026.6.1)WAHA
- WAHA repository (Apache 2.0, engines)GitHub
- Evolution API license (Apache 2.0 with additional conditions)GitHub
- whatsapp-web.js (Apache 2.0, Puppeteer, disclaimer)GitHub
- Baileys (MIT, WebSockets, usage disclaimer)GitHub
- Whapi.Cloud pricing (Developer Sandbox limits, Developer Premium)Whapi.Cloud
- Maytapi pricing (3-day trial, sandbox, Developer plan)Maytapi
- UltraMsg (3-day free account, $39 a month)UltraMsg
Written by
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.
Call a WhatsApp API for free in five minutes.
Create an account without a card, link your number by QR code, generate an API key and send your first message.