WhatsApp Business API in Singapore: official Cloud API, SGD costs, PDPA and Do Not Call rules

Why Singapore businesses move from the app to the API

Most Singapore SMEs start on the free WhatsApp Business app on one phone. It stops working well at a predictable point: three staff need to answer the same number, bookings come in faster than one person can confirm them, or the business wants to send the same reminder to hundreds of customers every week. The WhatsApp Business API, run by Meta as the Cloud API, solves exactly those problems: one number, many agents, automatic messages from your booking or order system, and approved message templates for messages outside the 24-hour window.

What it does not do is let you message anyone you like. Every recipient must have opted in to hear from your business, templates are reviewed by Meta, and a new account can reach 250 people a day outside open conversations until Meta raises its limit.

Typical Singapore uses

What it costs in SGD

Meta charges per delivered template, by category and by the recipient's country. For +65 numbers, Meta's rate card effective 1 Oct 2026 lists:

Free-form replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are free for the first 1,000 per business number each month. Conversations that start from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad open a free entry point window of up to 7 days. Utility templates are charged even inside an open window since 1 Oct 2026.

Many Singapore businesses also serve customers in Johor and the rest of Malaysia. Meta prices those messages at the Malaysian rate, which on the SGD card is S$0.1101 per delivered marketing message and S$0.0179 per utility message (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026): marketing across the Causeway costs more than at home, utility slightly less. The full table and a worked bill are on WhatsApp API pricing in Singapore.

PDPA and the Do Not Call Registry

Singapore has stricter rules on marketing messages than most of the region, and WhatsApp's own policy adds to them. In outline (general guidance, not legal advice):

• Consent under the PDPA. Collect, use and disclose personal data only with consent for a purpose you have told the person about, and let them withdraw it.
• Do Not Call provisions. Marketing ('specified') messages to Singapore telephone numbers need the person's clear and unambiguous consent, evidenced in writing or another accessible form, or a valid check that the number is not on the DNC Registry. The PDPC's guidance for individuals specifically addresses specified messages sent through apps like WhatsApp.
• Spam Control Act. Amendments extended it to unsolicited commercial messages sent in bulk to instant messaging accounts.
• WhatsApp's policy. You need the person's opt-in naming your business, and you must honour opt-out requests.

The simplest way to satisfy all four: a sign-up form or checkout box that says 'Send me appointment reminders and offers on WhatsApp from BrightPath Learning', a record of when and where each person agreed (a tag and a date field against the contact), and an opt-out option in every marketing template. Utility messages the customer asked for, such as a booking confirmation, are not marketing, but keep them free of promotion.

What you can run on Broadchat

• Campaigns to tags, segments or CSV lists, scheduled or repeating, with retargeting of people who did not read.
• A shared team inbox with assignment, departments, canned replies and a visible 24-hour window.
• A visual chatbot builder: menus, questions that validate answers, office hours and hand-over to staff.
• CRM with tags, custom fields, segments and Kanban boards; Shopify and WooCommerce order messages; a website chat widget.
• Templates managed under CRM → WhatsApp Templates and number health under Channels → All Channels.

See the chatbot builder and team inbox and CRM for detail.

Setting up with ACRA documents

1. Business portfolio. Use the Meta business portfolio that runs your Facebook and Instagram ads, with an owner who has full control.
2. Number. Choose a number that can receive Meta's code by SMS or call and is not needed on the WhatsApp app (or check whether Meta's coexistence option is available for your number).
3. Connect it through Meta's Embedded Signup from your provider's panel and set your display name.
4. Verify the business in Meta Business Suite under Settings → Security Center. Meta wants a document proving your legal name and one proving your address or phone. As general guidance (not Meta's list), the ACRA business profile from BizFile with your UEN usually proves the legal name and registered address; an IRAS GST registration letter, a business bank statement or a utility or telco bill in the business name can support the address or phone. Meta says a decision can take up to 14 business days.
5. Templates and contacts. Get one utility and one marketing template approved, import opted-in contacts with their consent source, and start with utility messages while your messaging limit grows.

How Broadchat is sold in Singapore

Broadchat is sold through partners: agencies, IT vendors and resellers who run it under their own brand and prices. If you build websites or run campaigns for Singapore SMEs, see the white-label WhatsApp API for Singapore partners. Businesses in Malaysia have their own edition at WhatsApp Business API in Malaysia.