The Marketing Messages API for WhatsApp provides additional capabilities not available in the Cloud API, including performance benchmarks with recommendations, time-to-live controls, and automated creative optimizations (currently in testing).
Optimization features
Description | Marketing Messages API | Cloud API |
Automated creative optimizations | Yes
Automated creative improvements to boost message performance.*
See a detailed list of capabilities here:
| No
|
Marketing message formats
Description | Marketing Messages API | Cloud API |
Android App Deep Links | Yes
Links that open up the app on customer's phone
More on this topic here:
| No |
Metrics
Description | Marketing Messages API | Cloud API |
Conversion metrics | Yes
Measure different KPI's such as: 'Add to Cart', 'Purchase', 'Checkout Initiated' | No |
Basic metrics
sent, delivered, read, clicked, errors | Yes | Yes |
Cost metrics
Cost per click, cost per delivery, Spend per Template | Yes | Yes
|
Guidance
Description | Marketing Messages API | Cloud API |
Benchmarks | Yes
Compare click and read rates versus templates from business in your region | No |
Recommendations | Yes
Improve your template performance based on recommendations | No |
🚨 Please note, if you're using 360Dialog: Starting January 1st 2026, META will be introducing an updated pricing structure for WhatsApp marketing messages sent through Cloud API:
Marketing Messages via Cloud API: Meta rate + 7% 360Dialog markup
Marketing Messages API for WhatsApp: Meta rate only (no markup)
These are only some key differences to highlight. Make sure to check out the full comparison of the features on META's Website 👇
*AB test conducted with ~12 million delivered marketing messages sent by advertisers in India between 1st Jan 2025 to 31st Jan 2025. It compared Marketing Messages API for WhatsApp optimized delivery to standard CloudAPI delivery for high engagement messages only (i.e. more reads, clicks, etc.) and the analysis consisted of a t-test at 95% confidence.