Whapi vs Meta’s free WhatsApp app for Shopify
Meta publishes its own WhatsApp app for Shopify, listed on the Shopify App Store simply as “WhatsApp”. It is free to install, sends order updates and abandoned cart messages to shoppers who opt in, and Meta bills each message.
Whapi, a Shopify app for WhatsApp automation, covers what Meta’s listing doesn’t mention: order confirmation with Confirm and Cancel buttons and Shopify order tags, back in stock alerts and review requests on Pro ($18.99 a month), plus a shared team inbox on Team ($45 a month).
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By the Whapi teamUpdated Meta app facts verified
The short answer
- Meta’s WhatsApp app for Shopify has been on the Shopify App Store since July 11, 2025, is free to install and was rated 4.4 from 912 reviews on October 20, 2026.
- It sends automated order updates and abandoned cart marketing messages to shoppers who opt in. Meta bills the messages separately from your Shopify invoice.
- Its listing does not mention confirm-or-cancel order confirmation, a shared team inbox, broadcasts to customer segments, back in stock alerts or review requests.
- Whapi costs $18.99/month (Pro) or $45/month (Team) and covers those jobs. You still pay Meta’s message fees directly, with no markup.
- Choose Meta’s app if you only need order updates and cart reminders. Choose Whapi if you want customers to confirm orders before you ship, or need more automations.
What Meta’s WhatsApp app for Shopify does
Meta’s app connects a WhatsApp Business account to your Shopify store in minutes and sends two kinds of automated messages: order updates and abandoned cart reminders. It uses pre-built or customizable templates, and only messages shoppers who opt in to WhatsApp updates.
| Meta’s WhatsApp app | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Meta |
| On the Shopify App Store since | July 11, 2025 |
| App price | Free to install |
| WhatsApp message fees | No app fee. Message charges are billed by Meta at its WhatsApp Business Platform rates, separately from the Shopify invoice. The listing links to Meta's platform pricing page. |
| What it sends | Automated order updates and abandoned cart marketing messages, to shoppers who opt in |
| Templates | Pre-built or customizable |
| Listing languages | 11 languages |
| Shopify App Store rating | 4.4 from 912 reviews |
| Built for Shopify badge | No |
What Meta’s WhatsApp app listing doesn’t mention
These jobs are missing from Meta’s listing. Shopify’s AI summary of the app’s reviews mentions order confirmations, shipping updates and tracking messages, but no step where a customer confirms or cancels. Here is how Whapi handles each one.
Confirm or cancel an order
Whapi asks customers to confirm or cancel a new order with one tap, before you ship it. Read how WhatsApp order confirmation works.
Shopify order tags from replies
Each button adds the Shopify tag you choose, such as Confirmed or Cancelled, so your team filters orders before fulfillment.
Back in stock alerts
Customers subscribe on a sold-out product and get a WhatsApp message when it returns. See WhatsApp back in stock alerts.
Review requests
Whapi asks customers for a review on WhatsApp a set time after the order is fulfilled. See WhatsApp review requests.
A shared team inbox
The Team plan adds a shared inbox for unlimited agents, automatic assignment and agent metrics. See the WhatsApp team inbox.
Marketing campaigns
Meta’s listing doesn’t mention broadcasts to customer segments. Whapi sends WhatsApp marketing campaigns to subscribers who opt in. See WhatsApp newsletter and broadcasts.
Whapi vs Meta’s WhatsApp app, feature by feature
Both apps send order updates and abandoned cart messages on WhatsApp. Only Whapi lists order confirmation with Confirm and Cancel buttons, order tags from replies, back in stock alerts, review requests and a team inbox. “Not mentioned” means Meta’s Shopify App Store listing does not describe the feature on the date we checked. Whapi’s column matches the Whapi pricing page and its own listing.
| Meta’s WhatsApp app | Whapi | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Meta | Momo Digitals, on Meta’s official WhatsApp Business API |
| App price | Free to install | Pro $18.99/month or $149/year; Team $45/month or $299/year |
| Free trial | Not needed: free to install | 7 days on both plans |
| WhatsApp message fees | Billed by Meta, separately from your Shopify invoice | Paid to Meta directly, with no markup from Whapi |
| Order updates | Yes, to shoppers who opt in | Order confirmations, plus shipping updates from Shopify fulfillment and tracking data |
| Abandoned cart messages | Yes, as marketing messages to shoppers who opt in | Yes, abandoned checkout recovery |
| Order confirmation with Confirm and Cancel buttons | Not mentioned | Yes, on Pro and Team |
| Shopify order tags from customer replies | Not mentioned | Yes, you choose the tag for each button |
| Back in stock alerts | Not mentioned | Yes |
| Review requests | Not mentioned | Yes |
| Broadcasts and campaigns | Broadcasts to segments not mentioned | WhatsApp marketing campaigns and newsletter |
| Shared team inbox | Not mentioned | Team plan: unlimited agents, auto-assignment, agent metrics |
| WhatsApp Business App on the same number | Not covered in our check | Yes, connect it and see your chats |
| Chat button, popup and newsletter widget | Not covered in our check | Yes |
| Built for Shopify badge | No | Yes |
| Shopify App Store rating | 4.4 from 912 reviews | 5 stars from 39 merchants |
What each option costs a Shopify store
Message fees are the same either way, because Meta bills them at its own rate card with both apps. The difference is the Whapi plan price. Meta charges by the country of the customer’s WhatsApp number, so a store selling to Germany, the US and Saudi Arabia pays each country’s rate. Rates below are Meta’s USD list rates effective October 1, 2026, checked October 20, 2026. Meta’s USD rate for every market is on WhatsApp API pricing.
| Customer’s country | Marketing message (e.g. cart reminder) | Utility message (e.g. order update) |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | $0.1365 | $0.0550 |
| United Kingdom | $0.0635 | $0.0220 |
| France | $0.0859 | $0.0300 |
| United States (North America rate) | $0.0250 | $0.0034 |
| Saudi Arabia | $0.0576 | $0.0107 |
| Pakistan | $0.0473 | $0.0150 |
| Brazil | $0.0625 | $0.0068 |
Example: 1,000 order updates and 200 cart reminders a month in Germany
- Meta’s fees with either app
- $82.30
- Total with Meta’s WhatsApp app
- $82.30
- Total with Whapi Pro (+$18.99)
- $101.29
1,000 × $0.0550 Utility + 200 × $0.1365 Marketing. On Meta’s EUR rate card for Germany the same messages cost €68.22. Meta decides each template’s category.
Meta’s app is cheaper if order updates and cart reminders are all you need. Whapi adds $18.99 a month ($149 a year on annual billing) for order confirmation, order tags, back in stock alerts, review requests and the other automations.
Both apps message only customers who opted in, as Meta requires. If you sell to the EU or the UK, plan how you collect that opt-in and read how Whapi handles personal data under GDPR.
When Meta’s free app is enough, and when you need Whapi
Meta’s free app is enough if you only need order updates and cart reminders. Whapi fits stores that confirm orders before shipping or need more automations. Both send messages through Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform.
Choose Meta’s WhatsApp app if…
- You only need basic order updates and abandoned cart reminders on WhatsApp.
- You don’t want an app subscription and are happy to pay only Meta’s message fees.
- You prefer an app published by Meta itself.
- You don’t need customers to confirm orders before you ship them.
Choose Whapi if…
- You want customers to confirm or cancel an order with one tap before you ship it.
- You want the customer’s answer saved as a Shopify order tag your team can filter.
- You want back in stock alerts, review requests and marketing campaigns in the same app.
- Several people answer customers and need a shared inbox (Team plan).
- You sell in several countries and want custom templates in each customer’s language, such as German, Arabic, Spanish or Portuguese.
- You want to keep the WhatsApp Business App on the same number while automations run.
Moving from Meta’s WhatsApp app to Whapi
Switching takes four steps. The Whapi setup guide walks through each screen.
- 1
Install Whapi from the Shopify App Store
Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial. - 2
Connect your WhatsApp Business number
If the number is already connected to another WhatsApp Business API app, read how to move your WhatsApp API number to Whapi first. - 3
Add a payment method in Meta
Meta bills message fees to your own account. Follow adding a WhatsApp payment method in Meta. - 4
Turn on your flows, then turn off duplicates
Start abandoned checkout recovery, order confirmation and shipping updates in Whapi, and switch off the same automations in Meta’s app so customers don’t get two messages.
Questions about Meta’s WhatsApp app for Shopify
Yes. Meta publishes a Shopify app listed on the Shopify App Store simply as "WhatsApp", with Meta as the developer. It has been on the App Store since July 11, 2025, is free to install and was rated 4.4 from 912 reviews on October 20, 2026. It sends automated order updates and abandoned cart marketing messages to shoppers who opt in.
The app is free to install, but WhatsApp messages are not free. Meta bills each delivered message at its WhatsApp Business Platform rates, separately from your Shopify invoice. For a customer in Germany, that is $0.1365 per Marketing message, such as an abandoned cart reminder, and $0.0550 per Utility message, such as an order update; for a customer in the United Kingdom, $0.0635 and $0.0220. These are Meta's USD list rates effective October 1, 2026.
Its Shopify App Store listing does not mention it. Shopify's AI summary of the app's reviews mentions order confirmations, shipping updates and tracking messages, but no step where the customer confirms or cancels the order and the order is updated before it ships. Whapi sends customers a WhatsApp message with Confirm and Cancel buttons and tags the Shopify order with the answer, on Pro ($18.99/month) and Team ($45/month).
No. With Whapi, WhatsApp message fees are billed to you by Meta directly at Meta's rates, with no markup from Whapi. You pay the same Meta rate card as with Meta's own app, plus the Whapi plan price.
No. Whapi is a Shopify app made by Momo Digitals. It sends messages through Meta's official WhatsApp Business API from your own number, and Meta decides template categories and approvals.
Both are free to install. Meta's app sends order updates and abandoned cart messages to opted-in shoppers, and Meta bills the messages. Shopify Messaging, made by Shopify, sends WhatsApp marketing campaigns next to email and SMS, and adds each message to your Shopify bill at Shopify's own per-message prices, which differ from Meta's list rates and vary by the recipient's region. It can't send WhatsApp marketing to customers in the United States. Shopify Messaging automations are for email and SMS only.
Yes. On the Pro plan you can connect the WhatsApp Business App and see your chats in Whapi, so you keep replying from your phone while Whapi sends automated order messages from the same number.
Yes. Under Meta's rules, outside the 24-hour customer service window a business can send only template messages, and only to customers who opted in. Meta's WhatsApp app sends only to shoppers who opt in to WhatsApp updates. The same Meta rules apply to Whapi and every other WhatsApp Business API app.
Sources
- WhatsApp (Meta's official Shopify app): Shopify App Store listing (checked October 20, 2026)
- WhatsApp Business Platform pricing (Meta) (checked October 20, 2026)
- Meta: WhatsApp Business Platform pricing (developer docs) (checked October 20, 2026)
- Shopify App Store listing (checked October 20, 2026)
- Shopify Help Center: pricing and billing for WhatsApp marketing campaigns (checked October 20, 2026)
- Whapi on the Shopify App Store (checked October 20, 2026)
Keep reading
- FeaturesWhatsApp Back in Stock Alerts for ShopifyLet shoppers subscribe to sold-out products and message them on WhatsApp the moment stock returns. Set up the signup button and alert template.Read
- CompareBest WhatsApp Apps for Shopify (2026): ComparedAn honest comparison of WhatsApp apps for Shopify: Whapi, Wati, Zoko, AiSensy, Interakt, CK, Dondy and Meta’s free app. Written by Whapi.Read
- ProductWhatsApp Coexistence (2026): Setup, Pricing & LimitsUse the WhatsApp Business App and the WhatsApp API on the same number. How coexistence works, what it costs, its limits, and how to set it up.Read
- ProductWhapi Pricing: Pro $18.99/mo, Team $45/mo, 7-Day TrialWhapi costs $18.99/month for Pro or $45/month for Team, with a 7-day free trial. WhatsApp message fees are paid to Meta directly with no markup.Read
Add order confirmation, back in stock alerts and review requests to your WhatsApp setup.
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