WhatsApp Business API · Malaysia
WhatsApp Business API in Malaysia: the official Cloud API, costs in RM and how to start
What the official WhatsApp Business API is, who in Malaysia uses it, Meta's per-message rates in RM, PDPA 2010 consent, and how to get a number connected without the 'WhatsApp blast' ban risk.
By Broadchat teamPublished 8 min read
In short
The WhatsApp Business API is Meta's official way for a business to send and receive WhatsApp messages from software instead of a phone. In Malaysia, Meta charges per delivered template message: RM0.3467 for marketing and RM0.0564 for utility or authentication (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026), and each number gets 1,000 free service replies a month. You need a Meta business portfolio, ideally verified with SSM documents, and opt-in from every customer you message.
Key takeaways
- The WhatsApp Business API is the official Cloud API run by Meta; 'WhatsApp blast' tools that automate WhatsApp Web are not, and numbers using them get banned.
- Malaysian numbers cost RM0.3467 per delivered marketing template and RM0.0564 per utility or authentication template (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026).
- Meta charges by the recipient's country: a Johor business messaging Singapore numbers pays Meta's Singapore rate for those messages.
- Each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month; after that, replies inside the 24-hour window are charged too.
- PDPA 2010 and WhatsApp's own policy both expect clear consent before you send marketing, and an easy way to stop it.
What the WhatsApp Business API is, and what it is not
The WhatsApp Business API, officially the WhatsApp Business Platform, is how Meta lets a business connect WhatsApp to software: a shared team inbox, a chatbot, an online store or a CRM. Today it means the Cloud API, which Meta hosts. Your number is connected through Meta's own Embedded Signup window, messages to customers who have not written to you in the last 24 hours go out as approved message templates, and Meta bills each delivered template.
In Malaysia it is easy to confuse three things that look similar on a customer's phone:
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API (Cloud API) | 'WhatsApp blast' tools | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Meta, on your phone | Meta, connected to your software | A third party automating WhatsApp Web or a phone |
| Team use | One phone plus linked devices | Many agents, one number, shared inbox | Usually one session |
| Bulk messages | Broadcast lists to people who saved your number | Templates to opted-in customers, with Meta's limits | Mass sends to any list |
| Cost | Free | Per delivered template, set by Meta | Tool subscription |
| Ban risk | Low if you follow the rules | Low if you follow the rules | High: it breaks WhatsApp's terms |
The search term people use here is often 'WhatsApp blast'. If what you want is to send promotions to thousands of customers, the API is the way to do it without losing your number, but it comes with rules: only to people who agreed to hear from you, through templates Meta has reviewed, and within your messaging limit. Our explainer on official versus unofficial WhatsApp APIs goes through the differences in detail.
Who uses it in Malaysia
The API pays off when more than one person answers WhatsApp, when messages should be sent automatically from another system, or when you send the same useful message to many customers. Typical Malaysian set-ups:
| Business | What it sends on WhatsApp | Meta category |
|---|---|---|
| Online fashion store in Kuala Lumpur (Shopify or WooCommerce) | Order confirmed, parcel shipped with tracking link, cash-on-delivery check | Utility |
| The same store before Hari Raya or 11.11 | Sale announcement to customers who opted in | Marketing |
| Dental clinic in George Town, Penang | Appointment reminder with Confirm / Reschedule buttons | Utility |
| Car rental company in Johor Bahru | Booking confirmation, deposit reminder, return-time reminder (many renters have Singapore numbers) | Utility |
| Tour operator in Kota Kinabalu | Pickup time and meeting point the evening before a trip | Utility |
| Tuition centre in Subang Jaya | Class change notices, monthly fee reminder | Utility |
| Any business | Login or payment codes | Authentication |
The pattern that works best in Malaysia is utility-first: transactional messages are cheap here, and marketing is not. Use marketing templates for the few campaigns a year that matter, and let utility and service messages do the daily work.
What it costs: Meta's rates for Malaysia
Meta charges per delivered template message, by category and by the country of the number you message. For Malaysian (+60) numbers, Meta's rate card effective 1 Oct 2026 lists:
| Category | Meta MYR rate card | Meta USD rate card |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | RM0.3467 | US$0.0860 |
| Utility | RM0.0564 | US$0.0140 |
| Authentication | RM0.0564 | US$0.0140 |
| Service (after the free 1,000 per number per month) | RM0.0564 | US$0.0140 |
These are the same amounts as on Meta's 1 Jul 2026 card, when Malaysia became a market of its own on Meta's price list. Three rules from Meta's pricing page change the bill more than the rates themselves:
- 1,000 free service messages per business phone number per month. Free-form replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are free up to that number, then charged. The allowance resets monthly and does not roll over.
- Utility templates sent inside an open window are charged since 1 Oct 2026.
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads open a free entry point window of up to 7 days in which your messages to that customer are free.
Because the price follows the recipient's country, a Malaysian business that messages Singapore numbers pays Meta's Singapore rate for those messages: RM0.2951 per delivered marketing message and RM0.0646 per utility message on the MYR card (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026). That matters for Johor businesses with customers across the Causeway. The full breakdown, with a worked monthly bill in RM, is on WhatsApp API pricing in Malaysia.
What you can do with it on Broadchat
Broadchat is a platform built on the Cloud API. A Malaysian business on it gets:
- Campaigns: send templates to tags, segments or a CSV list; schedule them for a time that suits Kuala Lumpur, repeat them weekly or monthly, and retarget people who did not read or reply.
- A shared team inbox: several staff answer one WhatsApp number, chats are assigned to a person or department, and the inbox shows whether the 24-hour window is still open.
- A visual chatbot builder: keyword replies, menus with buttons, questions that check the answer (a phone number, an email, a date), office-hours routing and hand-over to a person. See the WhatsApp chatbot builder.
- CRM: contacts with tags, custom fields and segments, Kanban boards for leads, and CSV import from your old system. See the team inbox and CRM.
- Store connections: Shopify and WooCommerce orders can trigger order and shipping messages, and products can be sent from a WhatsApp catalogue.
- Templates managed in one place under CRM → WhatsApp Templates, with status and category kept in sync with Meta.
- Channel health under Channels → All Channels: number status, quality rating and messaging limit as Meta reports them.
There is no Bahasa Malaysia translation of the panel yet; it is available in English, Chinese and Tamil among 23 languages. Your templates and chatbot replies can be in any language Meta supports for templates, including Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil.
Consent, PDPA 2010 and WhatsApp's rules
Two sets of rules apply to marketing on WhatsApp in Malaysia. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy says you may message people only when you have their number and their opt-in, that the opt-in must name your business, and that you must honour requests to stop. The Personal Data Protection Act 2010 gives individuals the right, by written notice, to require you to stop processing their personal data for direct marketing, and the 2024 amendments added duties such as appointing a data protection officer and notifying data breaches (in force from 1 June 2025, with thresholds).
In practice: collect opt-in on a form or checkout page that says 'Yes, send me order updates and offers on WhatsApp from Butik Seri Melati', keep the date and source of that consent against the contact (a tag or custom field is enough), add a 'Reply STOP' line or an opt-out button to marketing templates, and act on it. This is general guidance, not legal advice; check your own obligations with your adviser.
How to get started
- Prepare a Meta business portfolio and, ideally, your SSM documents for business verification.
- Choose a number that is not in use on WhatsApp, or check whether you can keep it on the WhatsApp Business app (see the FAQ).
- Connect it through Embedded Signup and set your display name.
- Get your first templates approved and import your opted-in contacts.
The full walkthrough, including which SSM documents line up with Meta's verification categories, is in how to get the WhatsApp Business API in Malaysia. If you are comparing providers, read WhatsApp API providers in Malaysia compared.
How Broadchat is sold in Malaysia
Broadchat is sold through partners: agencies, web hosting companies and resellers who run it under their own brand and prices and look after their clients locally. If you build websites, run Facebook ads or host websites for Malaysian SMEs, you can offer WhatsApp to your clients the same way; see the white-label WhatsApp API for Malaysian partners.
Other editions of this page
Sources
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (rate cards effective 1 Oct 2026, billing currencies) — Meta for Developers, checked 1 November 2026
- Messaging limits — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy — WhatsApp, checked 12 October 2026
- Onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (coexistence) — Meta for Developers, checked 1 November 2026
- Data protection laws of the world: Malaysia — DLA Piper, checked 1 November 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
Last updated:
Frequently asked questions
Is the WhatsApp Business API free in Malaysia?
No. Access to the Cloud API itself costs nothing from Meta, but Meta charges per delivered template message: RM0.3467 for marketing and RM0.0564 for utility or authentication to Malaysian numbers (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026). Service replies are free up to 1,000 per number per month. Your provider also charges for its software.
Is 'WhatsApp blast' allowed?
Sending one message to many customers is allowed on the official API when every recipient opted in and you use an approved template within your messaging limit. Tools that blast through WhatsApp Web or a phone break WhatsApp's terms, and the numbers they use are regularly banned.
Can I keep using my number on the WhatsApp Business app?
Meta offers coexistence, which keeps a number on the WhatsApp Business app while it is connected to the API, in a list of countries it controls, and Broadchat supports it. Check Meta's coexistence documentation for Malaysia before you rely on it. Without coexistence, a number connected to the API can no longer be used in the app, so many businesses use a new number.
Do I need a Sdn Bhd to use the API?
No. You can start with an unverified Meta business portfolio at the starting messaging limit of 250 people a day. Business verification, which unlocks 2,000 and more, needs official documents in your legal business name; SSM registration documents for a sole proprietorship or partnership can serve, as can company documents for a Sdn Bhd. Meta decides.
Which languages can my templates use?
Any language Meta supports for templates, which includes Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil. Create one template per language and pick the language per customer, for example from a 'preferred language' custom field.
Who runs Broadchat?
Broadchat is built and operated by Nxiora, a software company based in India, and sold through partners. It is built on the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) and is an independent platform, not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta.