WhatsApp Business API — officially the WhatsApp Business Platform — now runs entirely on Meta's Cloud API, since the older On-Premises API has been phased out. Pricing is based on conversation categories rather than flat per-message fees, and features like Flows, product catalogs, and authentication templates are becoming standard tools for Indian businesses that message customers at scale. If you run a business account or are evaluating one, here is what actually matters right now.

Cloud API is the only path forward

Meta originally offered two ways to connect to WhatsApp Business API: the self-hosted On-Premises API and the Meta-hosted Cloud API. Meta has been retiring the On-Premises option, pushing all businesses toward Cloud API, which Meta hosts and maintains directly. For businesses, this means faster access to new features, simpler infrastructure (no servers to run and patch), and better reliability, since Meta manages the backend rather than the business or its provider.

If your business is still running an On-Premises deployment, migration to Cloud API is not optional — it is a matter of when, not if. Most businesses in India connect to Cloud API through a Business Solution Provider (BSP) like Hyyper, rather than integrating with Meta directly, since a BSP handles template approval, number verification, and ongoing platform changes on the business's behalf.

How pricing works: conversation categories

WhatsApp Business API pricing is structured around conversation categories rather than a flat per-message rate. A