WhatsApp Business vs. Workplace from Meta (discontinued)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
WhatsApp Business
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
WhatsApp Business is a free to download app that was built FOR small business, allowing users to connect with customers easily by using tools to automate, sort and quickly respond to messages. For medium and large businesses, the WhatsApp Business API powers communication with customers all over the world, allowing them to connect with them on WhatsApp in a simple, secure, and reliable way.N/A
Workplace from Meta (discontinued)
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Workplace was a business communication tool from Meta with features like Live Video and Groups, that connected employees. Its discontinuation began in August of 2025, and by June 2026 a full shutdown is anticipated.N/A
Pricing
WhatsApp BusinessWorkplace from Meta (discontinued)
Editions & Modules
WhatsApp Business
Free
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
WhatsApp BusinessWorkplace from Meta (discontinued)
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
WhatsApp BusinessWorkplace from Meta (discontinued)
Best Alternatives
WhatsApp BusinessWorkplace from Meta (discontinued)
Small Businesses
Telegram
Telegram
Score 8.9 out of 10
Flock
Flock
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Telegram
Telegram
Score 8.9 out of 10
Zoho Cliq
Zoho Cliq
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Telegram
Telegram
Score 8.9 out of 10
Axonify
Axonify
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
WhatsApp BusinessWorkplace from Meta (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
9.2
(24 ratings)
7.8
(54 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(5 ratings)
5.6
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
8.3
(4 ratings)
8.4
(21 ratings)
User Testimonials
WhatsApp BusinessWorkplace from Meta (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
Meta Platforms Inc
By using WhatsApp Business, I can now respond to customers faster, keep them updated about new deals, and even send out surveys to understand their needs. The ability to send stickers and photos makes the app more interactive and engaging. It easily beats other social networks in terms of the quality and quantity of messages sent, which is a good thing for businesses.
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Discontinued Products
Well suited: - leadership communication. When our CEO posts a video to all company - it always gets the highest engagement - recognition/achievements posts - live streams for education, knowledge sharing - we are a company of 12000 associates and there is no other corporate channel for us to gather more than 500 people in one place. Less appropriate: - sharing some very targetted messages - it's impossible to do at Workplace without creating a group. So we use email channel for such targetted communications - instant communication like in a chat (probably it's less appropriate in our specific case because we use MS Teams for such quick communication instead of WP chats)
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Pros
Meta Platforms Inc
  • Easy to use by registering a phone number as your personal WhatsApp number and attaching your company profile by opening and closing your image to your product.
  • Fast and accurate connection.
  • It allows you to split chat between business and personal as WhatsApp Business and Personal can be downloaded on the same smartphone by registering a different number.
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Discontinued Products
  • Bring groups of people together to share info, stories, updates, etc.
  • The chat app is pretty decent.
  • Workplace Live is a good large-group meeting broadcast platform.
  • It's pretty intuitive to use for anyone who's used Facebook.
  • It provides different levels of "security" for groups, allowing you to have open, closed, and "secret" groups.
  • It's easy to paste images into your posts and comments, without having to necessarily go through the process of saving an image as a file, etc.
  • It has search capabilities for finding old information.
  • It's available for both desktop/laptop and mobile devices.
  • It's secured to allow only those within the company to see company-related info (but it also has a few inter-company groups, which can be useful, too).
  • Workplace Chat has the ability to set it to Do Not Disturb.
  • You can set notifications, including email notifications, if you want to be alerted to new activity in your groups, etc.
  • You can use Markdown to format your text
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Cons
Meta Platforms Inc
  • UI/UX of WhatsApp has room for improvement. The goal should be to add more features for business interactions outside of the everyday messenger. (interface wise, not feature wise)
  • Multi-device use is added but it's still not as flexible and fast as other messengers like Telegram
  • File transfer is time consuming and troublesome. It also has limits.
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Discontinued Products
  • It would be helpful if a review confirmation checkbox was able to be placed by files that needed to be read or reviewed. Along the same line, approve, review again, etc. would be helpful checkboxes to add by files, proposals.
  • The layout is clean but suffers a bit from the center column width with two sidebars and a lot of empty space. It almost looks like a going out of business sale retail store where you notice the empty shelves. Workplace feels a bit bare at times. I think some good design modifications can help. Now on mobile, it is a great layout. I am addressing specifically the desktop browser login.
  • An admin control dashboard would be really effective and even more so with more users on the platform.
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Usability
Meta Platforms Inc
Most reliable app for business and personal use. I rely on it with any hesitation. Its encrypted chatting system impresses me a lot. Easy file transfer is also appreciated. Maximum people use this app, so I can communicate with most people through this. It makes my life more comfortable.
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Discontinued Products
Having to download multiple apps just to use the tool is very cumbersome. Facebook would have make this better by wrapping it in as a main feature within their app, but having to use multiple apps to see discussions and walls is so frustrating.
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Support Rating
Meta Platforms Inc
There were some issues in the beginning when the app used to get hanged. We had emailed customer support, and we received a response promptly. There was an issue with the phone where some updates had to be downloaded. You can also complete a form online to contact customer support. The staff can speak many languages
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Discontinued Products
Workplace by Facebook is an excellent fit in respect of support and documentation. It has excellent tutorials and documentation, as well. The UI and UX are already great as it is developed and maintained by Facebook, so most of the times, there is no need for any support or documentation.
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Alternatives Considered
Meta Platforms Inc
In a business organisation communication is the main factor for the development. And WhatsApp Business is the most perfect software for it. The software is designed with full of perfect features for the better communication. It performs very effectively than other software. I am fully satisfied with the features of the software. A superb software to me.
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Discontinued Products
Workplace by Facebook is so much more than just a project management tool like Basecamp or Slack. The ability to disseminate information to employees is easier and better with Workplace by Facebook. It can also be used for informal messaging and sharing of information. It combines the best features of both with the same look and feel as Facebook.
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Return on Investment
Meta Platforms Inc
  • With WhatsApp Business help, productivity has risen while email and text messages continue to be used.
  • It’s helpful to adapt, have a positive business return, and use WhatsApp Business groups to manage communication with specific people.
  • Integrating the company and the improvement of its visibility allowed for better optimization of customer engagement.
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Discontinued Products
  • We can meet the project times, that with the communication in real time.
  • We provide solutions to our suppliers in a reliable and efficient manner.
  • When a business can save time and at the same time respond to the demands of customers, this translates into greater market capture of action for the company.
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ScreenShots