When do you use WhatsApp instead of SMS?

WhatsApp and SMS look alike but follow very different rules. The choice depends less on what you want to send than on what you are allowed to send.

The difference that decides everything

With SMS you decide the text. With WhatsApp, a message you send first must be approved in advance as a fixed template. If the customer responds, a window opens in which you can reply freely.

Where WhatsApp is stronger

Richer content: images, buttons, longer text. And a real conversation, because the window stays open after a reply.

Where SMS remains stronger

Coverage. Everyone can receive an SMS, including people who do not use WhatsApp or have no internet. For an emergency message or a verification code that is decisive.

In practice

Many organisations use both: WhatsApp for conversations with customers who chose it, SMS as a fallback and for anything that has to arrive without fail.