> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.chatarmin.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Marketing Messages API vs Cloud API for WhatsApp - A Comparison of both solutions

> Chatarmin guide: Marketing Messages API vs Cloud API for WhatsApp - A Comparison of both solutions

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:    [https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/marketing-messages-api-for-whatsapp/sending-messages#automatic-creative-optimizations](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/marketing-messages-api-for-whatsapp/sending-messages#automatic-creative-optimizations) | **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:    [https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/marketing-messages-api-for-whatsapp/guides/deep-links](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/marketing-messages-api-for-whatsapp/guides/deep-links) | **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 👇

[https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/marketing-messages-api-for-whatsapp/features](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/marketing-messages-api-for-whatsapp/features)

\*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.
