| Onboarding time | Days (Meta Business verification + number migration) | Under 60 seconds (Scan QR code) |
| Keep WhatsApp on your phone? | No — mobile app is deactivated on that number | Yes — phone app & calls keep working |
| 24-hour reply window lock | Strict — must pay for approved templates after 24h | None — reply freely whenever the customer needs |
| Per-message / conversation fees | Yes — Meta charges + BSP markup on templates | $0 per message |
| WhatsApp Groups support | Not supported on Cloud API | Full 1:1 and WhatsApp Group support |
| Built-in Tickets, Tasks & Bookings | Usually requires external CRM integrations | Built directly into the chat sidebar |
| Customer phone number masking | Rare or enterprise-only add-on | Included |
| Message storage privacy | Stored permanently in vendor cloud databases | Relay-only server; 30 days in your browser |
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