# WhaBuzz vs Plivo

> WhaBuzz vs Plivo for the WhatsApp API: Plivo's new platform and WABA fees, API shape, webhooks and when each fits. Facts checked 16 Oct 2026.

Source: https://whabuzz.com/compare/whabuzz-vs-plivo/
By Smaran Challapalli. Published 16 Oct 2026. Updated 16 Oct 2026.

Plivo is a voice, SMS and WhatsApp platform that adds a platform fee of US$0.0010 per WhatsApp message, inbound and outbound, plus US$10 a month for each WhatsApp Business Account, from 1 November 2026, per Plivo's WhatsApp FAQ. WhaBuzz is WhatsApp-only with a flat monthly fee per number and no per-message fee. Plivo suits teams that also need voice and SMS.

## How do WhaBuzz and Plivo compare?

| | WhaBuzz | Plivo |
|---|---|---|
| Who bills Meta's charges | Meta bills you directly, on your own Meta account | Not published on its pricing page or FAQ |
| Markup on Meta's rate | None | Not published |
| Provider's own fee | ₹500 a month for the first number, ₹250 for each after, plus 18% GST. Nothing per message | US$0.0010 per message, inbound and outbound, plus US$10 a month per WhatsApp Business Account |
| API shape | Meta's Cloud API bodies, unchanged | Plivo's Message API: `src`, `dst`, `type` of `whatsapp`, and a `template` object |
| Webhook signing and retries | HMAC-SHA256 `X-WhaBuzz-Signature`, retries for up to 24 hours, replay for 30 to 365 days | Messaging callbacks signed with `X-Plivo-Signature-V2` (HMAC, SHA256, your Auth Token) and a nonce. WhatsApp retries: not published |
| Scope | API only: no inbox, campaign builder or chatbot builder | Voice, SMS, WhatsApp and chat. WhatsApp inbox: not published |
| Region and data residency | Data stored in Cloudflare's Asia-Pacific region | Homepage says to choose US, EU or APAC. India data centre: not published |
| Pricing transparency | Flat fee on the pricing page | Public page with US prices; other countries not shown |

### What exactly does Plivo's new fee say?

Per Plivo's pricing page, the fee is "$0.0010 per message for both inbound and outbound WhatsApp messages" and "$10 per month for each WhatsApp Business Account". The pricing page words the date as "Effective November 1," with no year. Plivo's WhatsApp FAQ says "Starting November 1, 2026" for the per-message fee, and says the WABA fee is charged monthly from the same date.

> Effective November 1, Plivo will apply a platform fee for all WhatsApp messages sent, in addition to the standard carrier rates.
>
> Source: [Plivo WhatsApp pricing](https://www.plivo.com/whatsapp/pricing/)

The same pricing page shows only US prices and says Plivo supports billing "only in USD and INR". It lists no India-specific rate. Read the page again before you decide, as these figures are new.

## When should you pick Plivo?

Pick Plivo if you also run voice and SMS. Its homepage lists voice, SMS, WhatsApp and chat, and it has been in business far longer than WhaBuzz, which went live on 16 Oct 2026. A single vendor for calls, texts and WhatsApp keeps billing and support in one place.

Pick Plivo if you want a vendor with a stated 99.99% platform uptime on its homepage and compliance listings (HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2, PCI DSS), and you value a sales and support structure you can negotiate with. WhaBuzz publishes a 99.9% delivery SLO as a target, not a track record.

Pick Plivo if your code already calls its Message API and you do not need Meta's bodies.

## When should you pick WhaBuzz?

Pick WhaBuzz if WhatsApp is the only channel. Cost does not rise with message count, so inbound chatter costs nothing extra, and there is no separate fee per business account: each connected number costs ₹500 or ₹250 a month, excluding GST. See [pricing](https://docs.whabuzz.com/pricing/).

Pick WhaBuzz if you want Meta's request and response bodies as they are, Meta's errors verbatim in `error`, with `source: "meta"`, and a `request_id` on every response. Pick it too for signed webhooks, `dedupe_key` and `seq` on every envelope, and replay, described in the [webhooks guide](https://docs.whabuzz.com/guides/webhooks/).

WhaBuzz has no SMS, voice, inbox or chatbot builder. Python and PHP SDKs are coming; the Node SDK is live.

## How do you move from Plivo to WhaBuzz?

The [migration guide](https://docs.whabuzz.com/guides/migrating/) covers Plivo by name. If the WhatsApp Business Account is yours, WhaBuzz connects to it directly and approved templates sync across. If Plivo owns it, ask for a transfer or use Meta's number migration. Replace Plivo's `src`, `dst` and `template` fields with Meta's body, and swap the callback handler for WhaBuzz's signed events. Keep Plivo's webhooks live until traffic arrives on WhaBuzz.

For the step-by-step version with code, read [Migrate from Plivo WhatsApp](https://whabuzz.com/blog/migrate-from-plivo-whatsapp/). For the Meta-direct baseline, see [WhaBuzz vs Meta Cloud API](https://whabuzz.com/compare/whabuzz-vs-meta-cloud-api/).

## Frequently asked questions

### When does Plivo's WhatsApp platform fee start?

Plivo's pricing page says "Effective November 1," without a year. Its WhatsApp FAQ says the per-message fee and the WABA fee start on November 1, 2026.

### Does Plivo charge for inbound WhatsApp messages?

Yes, per its pricing page: US$0.0010 for both inbound and outbound messages, plus the monthly WABA fee.

### Does Plivo say who pays Meta's fees?

Its pricing page and FAQ do not state who bills Meta's charges. Ask Plivo before you sign.

### Does WhaBuzz charge per message or per WABA?

Neither. It charges per connected number: ₹500 a month for the first, ₹250 for each after, plus 18% GST.

## Sources

- [Plivo WhatsApp pricing](https://www.plivo.com/whatsapp/pricing/), checked 16 Oct 2026
- [Plivo WhatsApp FAQ](https://www.plivo.com/docs/faq/messaging/whatsapp), checked 16 Oct 2026
- [Plivo signature validation](https://www.plivo.com/docs/messaging/concepts/signature-validation/), checked 16 Oct 2026
- [Plivo homepage](https://www.plivo.com/), checked 16 Oct 2026
- [Plivo Send a message API](https://www.plivo.com/docs/messaging/api/message/send-a-message), checked 16 Oct 2026
- [WhaBuzz pricing](https://docs.whabuzz.com/pricing/), checked 16 Oct 2026
- [WhaBuzz migration guide](https://docs.whabuzz.com/guides/migrating/), checked 16 Oct 2026
- [WhaBuzz webhooks guide](https://docs.whabuzz.com/guides/webhooks/), checked 16 Oct 2026