Does WATI support WhatsApp groups? Plans, limits and requirements
WATI offers WhatsApp groups on its Business plan only, on a verified number, with at most 7 outside participants and no campaign broadcasts. The full limits.
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- By WavesFlo team
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Yes, but narrowly. WATI's help article says WhatsApp groups are available only to customers on the Business plan, on a number with Meta's verified business badge, with at most 7 outside participants per group and up to 1,000 groups per number. Campaign broadcasts are not supported for groups. The pricing page itself does not mention groups.
What do the vendor's own pages say?
| Item | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Plan | Business only |
| Number | Needs Meta's verified business badge; coexistence numbers are not supported |
| Size | At most 7 outside participants a group; operators do not count and can be any number |
| Groups per number | Up to 1,000 |
| Joining | Invite-only: participants decide whether they want to join |
| Who can create | Set in Team Inbox settings: one switch enables groups, another lets operators create them |
| What can be sent | Marketing and utility messages can be sent to groups, authentication messages cannot; free-form messages work inside the 24-hour window, which opens for the whole group when any member writes |
| Campaign broadcasts | Not supported for groups |
| Who sees them | Operators see only the groups they are added to; admins see all group conversations |
| Not supported | Editing or deleting messages, marking messages as read, hiding the participant list, and WhatsApp calls in groups |
| Billing | Per recipient who receives; from 1 October 2026 service messages and utility messages in the window are billable per message after 1,000 free service conversations a month per WhatsApp Business account |
| Not covered | Assigning group conversations, or bots in groups |
What does that mean in practice?
- These are customer-facing groups, not community groups. A cap of 7 outside participants fits a small account group with a team behind it. It does not fit a dealer network of 200 or a parents' group.
- A number that is also used in the WhatsApp Business app (coexistence) cannot use WATI groups, so you cannot keep the groups you already have on a phone and add WATI on top.
- Groups are a Business plan feature only, which is the plan at ₹16,799 a month billed quarterly. Growth and Pro teams who need groups are buying a plan for one feature.
- Because assignment and bots are not described for groups, plan on groups being handled by people reading them, not routed.
What should you check before you commit?
- Ask for a Business-plan trial. The 7-day trial applies to all plans, but confirm groups are switched on in it.
- Confirm your number has the verified badge, or can get one, before you count on groups.
- Count the outside people in your largest group. If it is above 7 it cannot live in WATI.
- Ask how a group's conversations are assigned, since the help article is silent on it.
- Ask how per-recipient billing will price a group of the size you plan to run.
Which kinds of group fit WATI's limits?
| Group | Outside people | Fits? |
|---|---|---|
| Key-account group: customer contacts plus your team | 3 to 6 | Yes: under 7 outside participants, with operators unlimited |
| Dealer or distributor group | 50 to 500 | No: far over 7 |
| School or class group | 30 to 200 | No |
| Event or trip group | 20 to 60 | No |
| A project group with a client's team | 4 to 7 | Yes, at the edge |
The size cap, invite-only joining and no broadcast mean WATI groups suit a small, high-value customer group handled by a team. They do not suit a community or a network.
Where does WavesFlo fit?
WavesFlo works the other way round: a number is linked from its phone, so every group it already belongs to arrives next to its direct chats in one inbox, marked with that number. There is no plan to upgrade for groups, because WavesFlo sells one plan, quoted on numbers and team members.
WATI compared with WavesFlo covers the rest of the choice, and for groups at scale there are WhatsApp group management tools.
Questions
Does WATI support WhatsApp groups?
Yes, on its Business plan only, on a verified number, with at most 7 outside participants per group.
How many groups can WATI have?
Up to 1,000 groups per WhatsApp number, according to its help article.
Can WATI send a campaign to a group?
No. The help article says campaign broadcasts are not supported for groups, though marketing and utility messages can be sent to them.
Does WATI work with groups I already have?
Its article says coexistence numbers are not supported for groups, and groups are created and invite-only.