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RCS vs WhatsApp Business API: 12 Critical Differences Every Business Must Know
Compare RCS vs WhatsApp Business API across 12 key capabilities. Discover which platform delivers better engagement rates and ROI for your business messaging strategy
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The business messaging landscape is experiencing unprecedented transformation. The RCS market is exploding from $2.87 billion in 2025 to a projected $8.89 billion by 2030—a staggering 25.37% compound annual growth rate. Meanwhile, Apple’s RCS adoption caused a 500% increase in global traffic, forever changing messaging dynamics.
WhatsApp Business generated $1.7 billion in 2024, almost entirely from its Business platform, serving its massive base of 2.5 billion active users. The engagement is staggering: over 140 billion messages are exchanged daily, and 175 million people message businesses each day according to WhatsApp’s head Will Cathcart.
80% of large enterprises are projected to adopt the WhatsApp Business API by 2025, while RCS messaging is not far behind reaching a userbase of over 1.5 billion. With businesses racing to capture customers in their preferred messaging channels, the question whether to choose RCS or WhatsApp Business has never been more critical.
To answer this question, we’ve analyzed both platforms across 12 critical capabilities that directly impact business messaging success. Here’s how RCS and WhatsApp Business API compare head-to-head:
Platform Comparison Overview
| Capability | WhatsApp Business API | RCS (Rich Communication Services) |
| Rich Media | Images, videos, PDFs, gifs, audio File size: Up to 100MB | Images, videos, PDFs, gifs, audio File size: Up to 100MB |
| Interactive Buttons | WhatsApp Business templates can have a maximum of 10 buttons with certain limitations on each type and combination Button Types: – – Call to Action (CTA) – Quick Reply – Other Types: Marketing and Utility templates can use COPY_CODE buttons, with a limit of one per template, while AUTHENTICATION templates can use OTP buttons with a limit of one per template. Each button can have up to 20 characters | You can add up to 4 buttons per rich card You can add up to 11 suggested actions or reply buttons in a chiplist A chiplist is a horizontal set of buttons that appears over the reply box Pre-defined Suggested Action Buttons: – Dial number – View location – Share location – Open URL – Open URL with webview – Create a calendar event |
| Carousels | Can showcase up to 10 media cards Limited to marketing messages only cannot be used in utility messages | Can showcase up to 10 rich cards Allowed in any single/conversational messages |
| Rich Cards | Limited to marketing messages; cannot be used in utility messages | Allowed in any single/conversational messages |
| Native Integration | Users have to download WhatsApp | Built into messaging app Works within the default SMS app in Android and iMessage app in Apple |
| Protocol | Proprietary/Closed platform Meta-controlled ecosystem | Open standard GSMA Universal Profile |
| Template Approval | Required Globally | Most markets: No templates required Enforced by carriers in limited markets: India, Indonesia, S. Korea |
| Webview Capabilities | Full screen only No half or three-quarter view options | Multiple view modes: – HALF: Half-screen view – TALL: Three-quarters screen – FULL: Full-screen view |
| Flows | Structured flow for business messaging | No Flows feature |
| Catalogs | Allows businesses to send messages featuring product catalogs with clickable buttons – Catalog template: No Limit on the number of products – Multi-product message template: MPM templates are marketing templates that allow you to showcase up to 30 products from your ecommerce catalog, organized in up to 10 sections, in a single message – Single-product message template: Marketing templates that allow you to present a single product | No catalog feature |
| Shopping Cart | Customers can add multiple products to a cart and send the order as one message to the business | No cart feature |
| Opt-in Requirements | Explicit WhatsApp Business opt-in required from users | SMS opt-in extends to RCS |
The comparison reveals distinct strengths for each platform. WhatsApp Business API excels in e-commerce functionality with advanced features like Flows, Catalogs, and Shopping Cart capabilities, making it ideal for businesses with complex product offerings.
RCS offers greater flexibility with no template requirements in most markets and allows rich content in any message type. Its open standard approach and native integration provide broader accessibility, though it currently lacks the specialized e-commerce features available in WhatsApp Business API.
The future of rich business messaging isn’t necessarily about choosing one platform over another. Many successful businesses leverage both channels strategically, using RCS for cost-effective, flexible messaging in supported regions while maintaining WhatsApp Business API for global reach and advanced e-commerce features.
As RCS adoption expands and Apple support improves, the competitive landscape will continue evolving. The key is selecting platforms that align with your current needs while providing flexibility to adapt as the messaging ecosystem develops.
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