Original post: [OP](https://x.com/i/status/2042204847911358478)
(https://i.ibb.co/gL23cmwt/90kx2p22aiug1.jpg)
They sell your data and metadata – who you chat with, how long, which business conversations you have, who you block, etc. – to build a profile and serve targeted ads on other Meta platforms like Instagram.
Business accounts such as banks, Swiggy, CESC and others pay to access the API so they can automate their chats.
End‑to‑end encryption means WhatsApp doesn't use the content of your chats. Talking about pizza in a conversation won't suddenly give you pizza ads on other sites.
They've started showing ads within WhatsApp as well.
Businesses have to pay WhatsApp to send promotional messages to users.
Through business accounts – for example, you receive WhatsApp updates from Redbus – WhatsApp charges Redbus for that service.
When a service is free, you become the product.
At the moment they earn modest revenue from commercial use, but they're mainly focused on growing the user base. It's a race to see who runs out of money first. If competitors like Telegram or Signal weaken, WhatsApp could start abusing its dominant position, but for now Meta keeps things friendly.
For personal use it's free; commercial users are charged about 0.86 paisa per message.
WhatsApp isn't free – if you don't pay a subscription, you're the product. Most of the cash comes from WhatsApp Business integrations and the API. Companies also pay Meta for the verified business badge, for transactions via WhatsApp Payments, for ads in Status, and for the "Chat on WhatsApp" button on their websites. While chats are protected by end‑to‑end encryption and remain private, Meta collects metadata – who you talk to, how often, and when – and uses it to show you personalised ads on Facebook and other Meta services. WhatsApp itself isn't a major revenue driver; it's a gateway that keeps users inside Meta's broader ecosystem.