360dialog or ZapClaw: which one should I use for the WhatsApp Cloud API?

In short: 360dialog and ZapClaw both connect your number to Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API, and both support Coexistence, so the number can stay in the WhatsApp Business app. The difference is the model: 360dialog charges a licence per number, from € 49 a month, and collects Meta's fees through a prepaid balance per number, while ZapClaw charges one fee per account for unlimited numbers and Meta bills you directly. In Chatwoot, 360dialog is no longer offered for new inboxes, and on a self-hosted install ZapClaw works through Chatwoot's own WhatsApp Cloud channel without a Meta app of your own.

Two providers on Meta's official API

360dialog connects businesses to Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform and presents itself on its pricing page as an “Official Meta Solution Partner”. You add a number in the 360dialog Hub through Meta's Embedded Signup, and the Hub is also where you keep each number's prepaid balance for Meta's fees.

ZapClaw, a Meta Tech Provider, connects your number to Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API through Embedded Signup with Coexistence. Messages reach your webhook, you send through a REST API, and a self-hosted Chatwoot can plug in through its own WhatsApp Cloud channel. ZapClaw does WhatsApp only.

Both run on the same Meta platform, so Meta's rate card, Meta's policies and the limits of Coexistence apply to both. What differs is how each one charges, how Meta's fees reach you, how webhooks are delivered and what works with Chatwoot.

Side by side

360dialog's prices are in euros, as its pricing page shows them by default, and its docs also give them in US dollars. ZapClaw's prices follow where you are: reais in Brazil, US dollars elsewhere. Meta's message fees come on top with both. “Not covered here” marks a point this page did not check.

What you pay

360dialog's price list, as published on its pricing page and in its docs:

• Regular: € 49 per number per month (US$ 59 in its docs), plus Meta's message fees. It lists 24/7 human support with a first response under 4 hours, a direct escalation channel with Meta, and integrations with Zapier, Make and n8n.
• Premium: € 99 per number per month (US$ 119 in its docs). It adds a 30-minute support SLA, business verification in 48 hours, a Messaging MCP and add-ons for an inbox, sendouts, automation and measurement.
• Scale: € 500 per number per month, for higher throughput, with migration support. Its docs also list a Higher Throughput tier at € 249 (US$ 299).
• Partner Platform, for software companies that onboard their own customers, per month: Starter € 250 plus € 49 per regular channel (5 included), Growth € 500 plus € 25 per channel (10 included), Premium € 1,000 plus € 15 per channel (20 included). Partners in Brazil can pay by Pix or Boleto through EBANX.
• Billing: the licence is billable from activation, before the first message is sent, and renews on the 1st of each month, in EUR or USD only. Licence invoices paid by card carry a 4% processing fee.

ZapClaw's price list, the same whatever the number of numbers:

• Free: US$ 0, 500 messages a month, 1 number, no card.
• Business: US$ 29 a month, or US$ 276 paid once a year. 20,000 messages a month and unlimited numbers; extra messages from US$ 0.90 down to US$ 0.55 per 1,000.
• Agency: US$ 49 a month, or US$ 468 paid once a year. 3 clients and 60,000 messages a month, unlimited numbers; extra messages US$ 0.50 per 1,000, extra clients from US$ 10 each.

One number. 360dialog's Regular licence is € 49 a month (US$ 59 in its docs) however many messages the number sends. ZapClaw Business is US$ 29 a month for the first 20,000 messages, sent and received together, and past that each extra 1,000 is drawn from a prepaid balance: a 50,000-message month costs the base fee plus US$ 27. The more one number sends and receives, the closer the two get, and a single very busy number can cost less on 360dialog. Compare with your own volume.

Several numbers. 360dialog charges each number, so ten numbers on Regular cost 10 × € 49 = € 490 a month. ZapClaw does not charge per number: ten numbers fit on one Business plan at US$ 29 a month, sharing its 20,000 messages.

Meta's fees. With both, Meta charges per delivered message at the rates on its pricing page, and each number gets 1,000 free service messages a month. The route differs. 360dialog states “no markup on Meta fees” and collects them through a prepaid credit balance per number in its Hub: when a balance reaches zero, outbound messages and calls pause until it is topped up, by hand or automatically. On ZapClaw, Meta bills you directly, and ZapClaw never marks that up or resells it.

Coexistence with both

Coexistence is Meta's feature, and both providers offer it: the number stays in the WhatsApp Business app, where the business keeps replying one to one, while the API runs on the same number. Meta asks for the app at version 2.24.17 or newer, can sync the last 6 months of history, does not sync group chats and fixes throughput at 20 messages per second, as its documentation says.

On 360dialog, you start from the Hub (Add channel) and choose the Business app option in Meta's Embedded Signup, with the latest WhatsApp Business app on a phone that can scan a QR code. Its docs describe messages typed in the app reaching your webhook as smb_message_echoes events, and the history sync. They list what Coexistence does not support: the Official Business Account badge, the calling API and migration between WhatsApp Business Accounts. And they say “The app must be opened at least once every 13 days”.

On ZapClaw, you connect in Meta's window from the dashboard, and messages typed in the app reach your webhook as message.echo events. ZapClaw's requirements page asks you to keep opening the app on your main phone, because Meta disconnects the number after about 14 days without it.

How webhooks are delivered

360dialog's webhook docs count a delivery as successful only when your URL answers HTTP 200 within 5 seconds, and say “Meta retries failed webhooks for up to 7 days using exponential backoff”. An endpoint that comes back within that window receives the failed events again.

ZapClaw signs every delivery with HMAC-SHA256 and accepts any 2xx within 10 seconds. Each event gets up to 3 attempts, right away, 30 seconds later and 120 seconds after that, each one logged in the dashboard. After 20 deliveries in a row have been given up on, ZapClaw stops calling the URL but keeps recording every event as pending, and you replay them from the dashboard, one at a time or in bulk.

So the two differ in design: on 360dialog's setup Meta keeps retrying for up to 7 days, while ZapClaw tries 3 times within two and a half minutes and then keeps the events for you to replay. Which one suits you depends on how long your endpoint can be down.

Chatwoot and 360dialog

Chatwoot's WhatsApp guide, last updated on 14 October 2026, says: “360dialog is no longer offered for new inboxes.” Existing 360dialog inboxes, it says, “keep working for conversations but cannot use campaigns, calling or CSAT templates”. The guide does not give a reason.

For a new inbox it lists three ways to connect: Quick setup with Meta, Manual setup and Twilio. Only Quick setup keeps the number in the WhatsApp Business app (through Coexistence), and its table lists it as available on Chatwoot Cloud. For self-hosted installs the guide says: “Only if your installation has its own Meta app configured for it.” It adds: “Most self-hosted installations use manual setup.” Manual setup needs a Meta app, a system user token and a webhook, and the table marks it as not keeping the WhatsApp Business app.

That is the case ZapClaw's compatibility mode covers. On a self-hosted Chatwoot, the native WhatsApp Cloud channel talks to ZapClaw instead of Meta: no Meta app of your own, one environment variable and one API call per number, and the number stays in the WhatsApp Business app through Coexistence. See how it works. On Chatwoot Cloud, Chatwoot's own quick setup already keeps the app.

When 360dialog is the better choice

• You want round-the-clock support with an SLA. 360dialog's plans list 24/7 human support, a first response under 4 hours (30 minutes on Premium) and a direct escalation channel with Meta.
• You build software that onboards other businesses. Its Partner Platform is made for that, with channel prices that drop on the larger plans, and Pix or Boleto for partners in Brazil.
• One number carries heavy traffic. 360dialog's licence is per number with no message allowance, while ZapClaw Business counts sent and received messages past 20,000 a month. A single very busy number can cost less on 360dialog.
• Your endpoint may stay down for hours. On 360dialog's setup, Meta retries failed webhooks for up to 7 days; ZapClaw makes up to 3 attempts and keeps the events for you to replay.
• You need more than Coexistence allows. 360dialog's price list includes higher-throughput tiers, and its Hub balance covers calls as well as messages.

ZapClaw does not fit bulk broadcasting, more than 20 messages per second, groups, voice or video calls, or the Official Business Account blue checkmark. None of that is supported under Coexistence, and the limitation is Meta's.

When ZapClaw is the better choice

• You connect several numbers, or your clients' numbers. The paid plans have unlimited numbers for one base price, while each 360dialog number carries its own licence. The Agency plan keeps each client's numbers, messages, contacts, templates, API keys and webhook URL apart.
• You run Chatwoot on your own server and want the number to stay in the WhatsApp Business app without a Meta app of your own. Chatwoot no longer offers 360dialog for new inboxes, and its quick setup needs your own Meta app on a self-hosted install; ZapClaw works with Chatwoot's native WhatsApp Cloud channel.
• You would rather have Meta bill you directly. There is no balance per number to keep topped up for Meta's fees, and ZapClaw never marks them up.
• You want to start on your own number for free. The free plan connects one number, with 500 messages a month, no card and no end date.

Moving from 360dialog to ZapClaw

Your customers keep writing to the same number. What changes:

• The number. A number cannot be on two providers at once. If it is on 360dialog through Coexistence, disconnect it in the WhatsApp Business app, wait 15 minutes and connect it to ZapClaw; if it works on the API only, it has to come back to the app first. Both cases are in moving a number from another provider, and the app requirements are in what you need to connect.
• Linked devices. When the number connects to ZapClaw, Meta unlinks every companion device again. You can link supported ones afterwards, except WhatsApp for Windows and WearOS.
• Your code. ZapClaw's webhook payload has its own format, so the code that reads incoming events changes: see the webhook format. You send through ZapClaw's REST API with the X-API-Key header.
• Meta's fees. They no longer go through a balance per number: Meta bills them to you directly.
• Chatwoot. Once the number is on ZapClaw, create a WhatsApp Cloud inbox for it that talks to ZapClaw: see how.

Frequently asked questions

Does Chatwoot still support 360dialog?

Only for inboxes that already exist. Chatwoot's WhatsApp guide, last updated on 14 October 2026, says “360dialog is no longer offered for new inboxes.” Existing 360dialog inboxes keep working for conversations, but without campaigns, calling or CSAT templates. A new inbox on a self-hosted Chatwoot connects through Chatwoot's own setups with Meta (the quick one needs your own Meta app there), through Twilio, or through the WhatsApp Cloud channel pointed at ZapClaw.

Do both support Coexistence?

Yes. 360dialog documents Coexistence onboarding from its Hub, and ZapClaw connects numbers through it. With both, the number keeps working in the WhatsApp Business app and Meta's limits apply: app version 2.24.17 or newer, 20 messages per second, no group chats synced. Both also need the app in use on your main phone: 360dialog's docs say it must be opened at least once every 13 days, and ZapClaw's requirements page says Meta disconnects the number after about 14 days without it.

Which costs less for one number, or for ten?

With the prices checked on 14 October 2026: for one number, 360dialog Regular is € 49 a month (US$ 59 in its docs) with no message allowance, and ZapClaw Business is US$ 29 with 20,000 messages included, then from US$ 0.90 per extra 1,000. For ten numbers, 360dialog Regular is 10 × € 49 = € 490 a month, and ZapClaw Business stays at US$ 29, with the 20,000 messages shared. With both, Meta's message fees come on top at Meta's rates.

Do I need a Meta app of my own?

Not with either provider. 360dialog's Embedded Signup prerequisites do not include one, and ZapClaw connects you through its own Meta app as a Meta Tech Provider. A Meta app of your own comes in with Chatwoot: on a self-hosted install, Chatwoot's quick setup with Meta needs one, and its manual setup asks for a Meta app, a system user token and a webhook.

Sources

Checked on 14 October 2026. Prices, plans and features change, so check each source before you decide.

• 360dialog, pricing (plans, Partner Platform, “no markup on Meta fees”): 360dialog.com/pricing
• 360dialog docs, pricing (tiers in EUR and USD, monthly renewal): docs.360dialog.com/docs/get-started/pricing
• 360dialog docs, invoices and payments (billing from sign-up, card fee): docs.360dialog.com/docs/hub/invoices and docs.360dialog.com/docs/get-started/payments
• 360dialog docs, funds (prepaid balance per number): docs.360dialog.com/docs/hub/funds
• 360dialog docs, Coexistence and Coexistence onboarding: docs.360dialog.com/docs/resources/phone-numbers/coexistence and docs.360dialog.com/docs/hub/embedded-signup/coexistence-onboarding
• 360dialog docs, Embedded Signup prerequisites: docs.360dialog.com/docs/hub/embedded-signup
• 360dialog docs, sandbox: docs.360dialog.com/docs/get-started/sandbox
• 360dialog docs, webhooks (delivery and retries): docs.360dialog.com/docs/messaging/webhook
• Chatwoot, how to set up a WhatsApp channel (last updated on 14 October 2026): chatwoot.com/hc/user-guide/articles/1677832735-how-to-setup-a-whats_app-channel
• Meta, onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (Coexistence and linked devices): developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/embedded-signup/onboarding-business-app-users
• Meta, WhatsApp pricing (fees per delivered message, free service messages): developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing
• ZapClaw: pricing, webhooks and Chatwoot in the docs, what you need to connect and contact

Related: official and unofficial WhatsApp APIs compared, ZapClaw vs Evolution API, ZapClaw vs Z-API, Chatwoot on the official WhatsApp API and ZapClaw pricing.