# Messenger vs WA Business

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Messenger at 66% against WA Business's 6%. Messenger also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.9) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). WA Business's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Messenger sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and WA Business sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Messenger holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Messenger has 14M ratings behind it against 744, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Messenger's written reviews are positive against 6% of WA Business's.

Messenger ships an update weekly, WA Business every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Messenger | WA Business |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (14M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messenger/id454638411/reviews)** | [2.9 (744 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wa-business/id1557469430/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14M** | 744 |
| Positive reviews | **66.0% of reviews** | 6.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#10** | — |
| Size | 277 MB | 107 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Meta Platforms, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284882218) | [Baris Gungor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1455480825) |

## What reviewers say

### Messenger

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messenger/id454638411)

**Currently charting:** #10 Top Free · Social Networking, #144 Top Free (US App Store)

Connect with friends and family through text, audio, and video calls. Share photos, videos, and large files, and express yourself with custom themes and animated content. Features an AI assistant for help and support.

**Highlights:** Text, audio, and video calls, High-definition photo sharing, Shared photo albums, QR code connections, Large file sharing (up to 100MB), Edit and unsend messages, Disappearing messages, AI assistant

**Features:** Siri integration

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Avatar Item | $0.99 | one-time |
| Avatar Item | $1.99 | one-time |
| Avatar Item | $2.99 | one-time |
| Avatar Item | $3.99 | one-time |
| Avatar Item | $4.99 | one-time |
| Avatar Item | $6.99 | one-time |
| Avatar Item | $7.99 | one-time |
| Avatar Item | $8.99 | one-time |
| Avatar Item | $9.99 | one-time |
| Avatar Item | $10.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📱 Useful for staying connected with friends and family
- 🗣️ Enables easy communication through text, voice, and video
- 💬 Convenient group chat features
- 🌐 Works across multiple devices and platforms

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Privacy and security concerns
- 🔄 Unnecessary updates that remove useful features
- 📤 Issues with message delivery and notifications
- 🗂️ Cluttered interface and poor organization of chats

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to log in or access account
- Messages failing to send or receive
- Unexpected app crashes and freezes
- Syncing issues between devices

**Requested features**

- Add option to delete or unsend messages
- Improve search functionality for chat history
- Introduce customizable notification settings
- Bring back old features like emoji reactions and location sharing


### WA Business

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wa-business/id1557469430)

Access WhatsApp and Telegram via a web browser interface on your device. Manage multiple messaging accounts without needing separate phones. Offers daily quotes and status messages.

**Highlights:** Access WhatsApp Web, Access Telegram Web, Manage multiple accounts, Daily quotes, Daily status messages, QR code scanning

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Membership Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Membership Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Membership Weekly | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Membership Weekly | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Membership Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium Membership Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium Membership Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium Membership Yearly | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Useful for second WhatsApp
- 🚀 Open second WhatsApp without number
- 🚀 Beautiful UI and good WhatsApp solution

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Requires subscription to use
- 💰 Expensive at $6 per week
- 🐛 Unable to find downloaded files
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- Issues with downloading and finding files

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Better support for voice messages
- Ability to create new WhatsApp account within the app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Messenger free?

Messenger is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is WA Business free?

WA Business is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Messenger or WA Business?

Messenger is rated higher. Messenger averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14M ratings, while WA Business averages 2.9 from 744 ratings.

### Do Messenger or WA Business have ads?

Messenger shows ads; WA Business does not.

### Which is updated more often, Messenger or WA Business?

Messenger ships an update weekly, and WA Business every 2 months. Most recently, Messenger was updated on October 28, 2026 and WA Business on October 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*