LINE or WhatsApp for your Thai business: when to use which, and when both
Updated
Use LINE for customers in Thailand and WhatsApp for foreign customers and international contacts. Use both when your customers are both. Do not pick by user numbers, pick by where your customers already write to you.
Written for: You sell to Thai and foreign customers, you are unsure which app to put on your door, and every guide you read is written by someone who sells one of them.
How each one charges
| LINE Official Account (Thailand) | WhatsApp Business Platform (Meta) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting cost | Free plan, 300 messages a month | Charged per delivered message by category |
| Replying to a customer | Free, not counted | A 24 hour customer service window opens when the customer writes |
| Messages you start | Counted per recipient against the plan | Charged by category: marketing, utility, authentication, service |
| Price list | 0, 1,280 and 1,780 baht a month before VAT | A rate card per market and currency, published by Meta |
On the LINE side everything is in baht and fixed. On the WhatsApp side the price depends on the message category and the market, and Meta publishes it in rate cards, not on one page. We do not quote a WhatsApp price here. Meta's own pricing pages we read do not agree on whether service messages are charged, so read the rate card for Thailand yourself before you budget.
Pick by customer, not by app
- Mostly Thai customers: LINE first. It is where they already talk to businesses.
- Tourists, expats, exporters, foreign suppliers: offer WhatsApp. Many do not have LINE.
- Mixed: put both on your door and answer both in the same hour.
- B2B with a few big accounts: use whatever each account's contact already uses.
Worked example: a tour company with 800 Thai and 200 foreign contacts
Monthly cost split
- LINE: 800 Thai friends x 2 broadcasts = 1,600 messages. Free covers 300, so choose Basic at 1,280 baht, or 1,369.60 baht with 7% VAT. Replies cost nothing.
- If the 2 broadcasts go only to 400 interested friends: 400 x 2 = 800 messages. Still above Free, still Basic.
- WhatsApp: 200 foreign contacts. Answering them inside the 24 hour window is a service conversation. A promotional message you start is a marketing message, charged per delivered message at Meta's rate for the market.
- Formula for the WhatsApp side: delivered marketing messages x the marketing rate on Meta's rate card. We cannot give the baht figure without the rate card, so look it up and add it.
- Decision: LINE for the 800, WhatsApp for the 200, one person answering both. Do not move the Thai customers to WhatsApp to save a plan fee.
Asking your customers takes one question
Add a line to your booking form or checkout: "How do you want us to reach you? LINE, WhatsApp or email." After a month you will know your mix with no guessing.
A one week test
Day 1
Add the one question to your booking form or checkout.
Day 2 to 6
Put LINE and WhatsApp on your website contact area and your email signature.
Day 7
Count where the new messages came from, and by nationality if you know it. Keep both channels if both have real customers. Drop the one with none.
Questions people ask
Is LINE or WhatsApp cheaper for a Thai business?
LINE has a free plan and fixed baht plans. WhatsApp charges per delivered message by category and market. Cost depends on how many messages you start, not on the app.
Do I pay when a customer messages me first?
On LINE, replies are not counted. On WhatsApp, Meta's pages describe a 24 hour customer service window, but its pages disagree on whether service messages are charged, so check Meta's current rate card.
Which has more users in Thailand?
We cite no figure. We found none on an official LINE or Meta page, and third party numbers disagree.
Do I need both?
Only if both customer groups exist. Use the one question on your form to find out.
What to do next
Keep reading
- LINE OA price in Thailand: the plans and what a month really costs
Free, Basic or Pro? The 2026 LINE Official Account plans in Thai baht, what each includes, and how to pick one from your follower count.
- What a LINE Official Account is, and what to do in week one
What a LINE OA is, what it gives a Thai business, what it costs to start, and a seven day plan for the first week.
- LINE OA message limits: what counts, what is free, and the cap
How LINE counts messages, which sends are free, what happens when you hit your monthly limit, and how to cap extra spending in Manager.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Prices are before 7% VAT unless we say otherwise. LINE can change fees and screens at any time.