4 Key Differences Between SMS API and WhatsApp Business API
28 Nov 2022
For over a decade, people’s means of communication were limited to mail, phone calls, and personal meetings.
Not only were they frequently costly, but it can take hours or days to reach the individual you are attempting to communicate with through these channels.
Fortunately, SMS messaging entered the scene in 1992.
SMS texting has long been the most widely used form of communication among individuals.
Due to such popularity, many marketers used it to their advantage.
However, over the past several years—particularly with the introduction of smartphones and the internet—users seem to have shifted from SMS to WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is now considered the world’s most popular messaging application, with over 1.5 billion users around the globe.
With this increasing competition between SMS and WhatsApp, some questions beg to be asked: What is the difference between SMS and WhatsApp? And which one is better than the other?
Below, we try to answer these questions by enumerating the key differences between SMS API and WhatsApp Business API.
1. Business Profile
One of the main differences between SMS API and WhatsApp Business API is that the latter allows businesses to set up an official business profile, whereas the former does not.
You can provide information about your company in your business profile, such as the name of your business, its address, a description, a category, a website, and an email address.
Customers can easily see these details when they look at your profile.
It not only makes your profile appear more professional, but it also gives credibility to your company.
On the other hand, SMS API does not allow you to create a business profile.
Nonetheless, it remains one of the most popular business marketing methods as it allows companies to quickly reach out to customers, considering most people own a phone with SMS functions.
2. Accessibility
Another distinguishing factor between SMS API and WhatsApp Business API is their accessibility.
SMS, in general, is more easily accessible than WhatsApp because it does not require an internet connection.
SMS can be received by anyone who has a working phone and a valid sim card.
SMS also does not require an application to operate since all phones have built-in texting capabilities.
It is not essential to have a smartphone to send SMS texts.
On the contrary, for customers to receive your marketing messages via WhatsApp Business API, they must download the WhatsApp application and have access to the internet.
3. Message Format
When it comes to marketing, the message format is a crucial aspect.
Effective marketing relies heavily on the content of your message and how you present it.
This is where WhatsApp Business API has a clear advantage.
While it is considered an instant messaging tool, WhatsApp has many things to offer its users in terms of communications.
For one, WhatsApp Business API allows you to attach images, videos, audio, and emojis to make your messages more interesting.
Its rich media capabilities enable you to develop creative ways to make your promotional messages more engaging.
On the other hand, SMS API allows you to send short text messages within a usually 160-character limit.
4. End-to-End Encryption
One of the primary reasons that WhatsApp has become the go-to communication channel is that it offers end-to-end encryption on all messages.
This means that only the message sender and recipient will know what has been exchanged.
These conversations are inaccessible even to WhatsApp.
End-to-end encryption is crucial for both customers and businesses, especially when sharing personal, billing, and confidential information.
This feature provides WhatsApp users with data privacy and security.
Unfortunately, there is no end-to-end encryption with SMS API.
As such, the platform is considerably less secure than WhatsApp Business API for sharing sensitive information.
Conclusion
Overall, the biggest differences between SMS API and WhatsApp Business API lie in their features, accessibility, and security.
Although WhatsApp Business API seems like a more scalable option since it offers more features and benefits, this does not necessarily mean that you should totally disregard SMS Marketing.
Despite offering fewer capabilities than WhatsApp, SMS has proven throughout the years that with the right strategy, it can also bring in more sales to your business.
Level up your business marketing strategy with Moobicast, a highly trusted marketing tool provider that allows mass SMS messaging and WhatsApp messaging.
With the help of our tool, you can create and send messages using various options, such as scheduling messages to be sent at specific times, sending messages to multiple contacts at once, and building a marketing campaign.
By using Moobicast’s SMS API and WhatsApp Business API service, you can increase your conversion rates, improve customer loyalty, and lead your business to success!