Comparison
RCS vs WhatsApp Business
Short answer
WhatsApp Business is a strong channel if your customer is already in WhatsApp. RCS is the channel if you want a verified brand thread in the default Messages app, with a path from Google Search, ads, and Business Profile, and no extra app to open. Most serious brands will run more than one channel. The question is which one owns the Google Search tap.
| RCS for Business | WhatsApp Business | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | Default Messages app, Android, and RCS on iOS where supported | The WhatsApp app |
| App download | No | Yes, if they do not have WhatsApp |
| Google Search and Business Profile button | Partner-launched branded RCS. Google's own Business Profile Chat field is SMS or WhatsApp today | Native Business Profile Chat option is WhatsApp or SMS |
| Sender identity | Verified brand in Messages | WhatsApp Business profile |
| Rich cards and buttons | Yes | Yes |
| Who the customer already uses | Everyone with a Messages app | People who live in WhatsApp |
| Best fit | US search to conversation, local services, Google Ads | Markets and audiences already on WhatsApp |
Where WhatsApp still wins
- International audiences that already message on WhatsApp
- Teams that already run the WhatsApp Business API
- Google Business Profile Chat, which official Google Help still sets to WhatsApp or SMS
Where RCS changes the job
- The tap happens in Google Search, an ad, or a listing, and should open Messages, not a website or another app
- The brand wants a verified sender in the same inbox as family texts
- The outcome, book, estimate, or order, should finish in-thread
Where MessageOS fits
We launch the verified RCS agent and the Click to Message entry points. We do not ask you to rip out WhatsApp if it already works. MessageOS is not a WhatsApp product and we do not run WhatsApp Chat for you.
Frequently asked
Can we run both?
Yes. Many brands keep WhatsApp for audiences already there and add RCS for the Google Search tap in the default Messages app.
Does Google Business Profile Chat open branded RCS today?
Not in the self-serve Chat field. That field is SMS or WhatsApp. Branded RCS on a profile is a partner launch.
Does the customer need WhatsApp for RCS?
No. RCS runs in the phone's default Messages app, with SMS as the fallback.
See it in your own thread
Message Ezra, the MessageOS demo agent, and watch a verified conversation work inside Messages.
Talk it through in Messages