WAHA is a genuinely good open-source WhatsApp HTTP API, and since 2026 it's entirely free. But free software isn't free operations: you run the Docker host, pick and manage session storage, keep requests sticky to the worker holding each session, monitor uptime, and redeploy every time WhatsApp changes the protocol. WABridges is the hosted version of the same idea - $5/month per number, and the pager is ours.
| WAHA (self-hosted) | WABridges | |
|---|---|---|
| Software cost | Free (open source) | $5/bridge/month |
| Server cost | Your VPS ($5–20/month) | Included |
| Setup | Docker, storage, config | 60 seconds, zero infra |
| Session storage | You choose and manage | Managed |
| Protocol breakage | You update and redeploy | Handled for you |
| Uptime monitoring | You build it | Public status page |
| Scaling | Sticky sessions, DIY | One bridge per number, managed |
| REST API | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | Yes | Yes |
Provision a bridge, pair a number, start sending in under 60 seconds. Flat pricing, unlimited messages, prorated refund if you cancel.