SMS vs WhatsApp Business Platform: A comparison

WhatsApp Business Platform and SMS are two of the world’s biggest messaging channels. How do the two compare when it comes to features, engagement rate, usage and more?

About the Guide

Although both are extensive in their reach, WhatsApp Business Platform is fast becoming the preferred communication channel for both businesses and customers, with an expected $2.2 billion spending increase by 2024 and the year-by-year usage growth displayed by social messaging channels set to increase by 110%.

How do the two compare? Our comparison sheet lays out the key differences between two communication channels, from features and functionalities to global usage.

Here’s a summary:

  • SMS is available to any device with a working mobile network connection while recipients need to download WhatsApp and have an internet connection.
  • With around 1 billion daily active users globally, WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app. However, SMS currently remains the most popular mobile comms channel, with 5 billion people sending and receiving SMS messages.
  • WhatsApp’s open and conversion rates are up to 99% and 60% respectively compared to SMS’s 98% and 29%.
  • On WhatsApp, over 100 billion messages are sent daily while 18.6 billion texts are sent via SMS.
  • Two-way chat is available in every WhatsApp account so businesses and customers can converse with each other. To have two-way chats via SMS, businesses will need a VMN number. 

Download your copy of the comparison sheet to learn more.

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“At Esendex, we offer our customers the opportunity to host an omnichannel communication strategy which includes channels such as the WhatsApp Business Platform, SMS, RCS and many more.”

Learn more about how our platform can help you create an omnichannel comms strategy.