Key takeaways
- WhatsApp Communities is free and handles announcements and topic groups. Milvao handles private requests and introductions, and runs alongside your groups.
- In a community, members see the phone numbers of people in any sub-group they share. In Milvao, a number goes only to the other person in an introduction both agreed to.
- Milvao is paid (a ₹4,999 pilot, then ₹2,999 a month for up to 300 members) and Meta's message charges are billed on top.
- Milvao never joins, reads or posts in your groups, so it can't moderate them or send announcements.
What each does
Milvao
Milvao is a private request and introduction service for communities that already run on WhatsApp groups. Members join through a link pinned in each group, fill in a short profile, and ask for help one to one on the community's own WhatsApp Business number. Milvao writes a brief the member confirms, offers it to one suitable member at a time, and shares both numbers only after two yeses. It never joins, reads or posts in groups.
WhatsApp Communities
- WhatsApp describes Communities as connecting related groups under one umbrella, so admins can organise group chats and reach everyone at once through the announcement group. source
- WhatsApp started rolling out Communities globally on 3 November 2022. Members can move between the groups in a community, and admins can send updates to everyone in it. source
- WhatsApp's help article says it is not currently possible to create a community on the WhatsApp Business app. source
Side by side
| Compared | Milvao | WhatsApp Communities |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Private requests and consented introductions between members | Organising related group chats under one community, with an announcement group admins use to reach everyone source |
| Asking for help | One to one with the community's business number. The member confirms a short brief before anyone else sees it | No private request or matching feature is described on the Communities page; members ask in the group chats the community contains source |
| Who sees phone numbers | Operators see masked numbers. Two members see each other's number only after both agree to that introduction | Members see the phone numbers of people in the same sub-group, and members who share a sub-group appear in each other's community member list source |
| Member profiles | City, up to 10 skills, cities served and your own profile questions. Operators get a filterable directory, and members an opt-in one if the owner turns it on | No member profiles with skills or cities, and no searchable directory, are described on the Communities page source |
| Matching | Ranks members by service, city, willingness, reply speed, history and fairness, then asks one at a time. Or an operator approves each match | No matching or introduction feature is described on the Communities page source |
| Announcements and group chat | None. Milvao does not broadcast, host discussions or post in groups | Admins can send updates to everyone in the community; the launch post also announced in-chat polls and 32-person video calls source |
| Size | Starter covers up to 300 onboarded members; Growth covers up to 1,000 for ₹6,999 a month | A community can have up to 2,000 members across all its groups, and a group supports 2 to 1,025 participants source |
| Moderation | None in groups. Operators manage members, requests and join links in the dashboard | Admins can remove members, delete messages for up to 2.5 days after they are sent, and block, report and remove problem groups and members source |
| Business number | Runs on the community's own WhatsApp Business Platform number, a new number not used in the WhatsApp apps | Communities can't currently be created on the WhatsApp Business app source |
| Cost | Paid: ₹4,999 pilot, then ₹2,999 a month on Starter. Meta's message charges are billed separately | WhatsApp offers messaging and calling for free, with a note that data charges may apply source |
Pricing
Pilot: ₹4,999 for 30 days, one payment that doesn't renew, set up with you. Starter: ₹2,999 a month for one community, one business number, up to 300 onboarded members and 2 operator seats. Growth: ₹6,999 a month for up to 1,000 onboarded members and 5 operator seats. Yearly billing gives two months free on both. Larger networks: priced with you. INR prices include GST. Meta bills its WhatsApp message charges to your own WhatsApp Business Account, separately. Members never pay. Details on the pricing page.
- WhatsApp Communities: WhatsApp's home page offers messaging and calling for free, with a footnote that data charges may apply. source
- WhatsApp Communities: The Communities page mentions no fees or paid tiers. source
Can you use both together?
Yes, and that is how Milvao is meant to run. Your community and its groups stay where they are for announcements, discussion and events. You pin a Milvao join link in each group. Members who tap it talk to Milvao one to one, and their requests never appear in the group.
One member in several of your groups is counted once, and operators can mark each group membership verified or removed. Nothing about the community itself changes.
Why number sharing works differently
In a group, a member who asks for a lawyer or a supplier shows that request to everyone, and contact happens on whatever terms the group allows. Milvao's consent model is per request: the person asking chooses whether their number may be shared for that one request, and the helper's Accept is their consent for that one introduction. Both are checked again right before contact details are sent.
Where Milvao is weaker
- WhatsApp Communities is free. Milvao is a paid service, and Meta's WhatsApp message charges come on top.
- Milvao has no announcements, group discussion, polls, events or calls. You still need your WhatsApp groups or community for those.
- Milvao needs its own WhatsApp Business Platform number, a new number not used in the WhatsApp apps. Staff help connect it during the pilot; Connect with Facebook is planned.
- Members must tap a join link and complete a profile before they can be matched. Members who never do are not reachable through Milvao.
- The directory members can search lists only people who chose to be listed, and members can't message each other inside Milvao. Contact goes through introductions.
- Milvao replies in English only (requests can be in English or Hinglish), accepts text only, and is an early-stage product focused on India.
- Starter covers up to 300 onboarded members. Larger communities need Growth, at ₹6,999 a month for up to 1,000.
Which to choose
Choose WhatsApp Communities alone
You mainly need announcements and topic groups, members are comfortable asking for help in front of the group, and you want no extra cost or setup.
Choose Milvao alongside your community
Members keep asking 'does anyone know a...' in the group, you want those requests handled privately, and you want numbers shared only when both people agree.
Choose neither yet
The organiser knows everyone and makes introductions personally. A free group and a short list may be enough until requests outgrow one person.
Sources
- www.whatsapp.com/communities (checked 5 November 2026)
- faq.whatsapp.com/1088878800305460 (checked 5 November 2026)
- blog.whatsapp.com/communities-now-available (checked 5 November 2026)
- www.whatsapp.com/communities/learning/buildingasafecommunity (checked 5 November 2026)
- faq.whatsapp.com/1062663711575428/ (checked 5 November 2026)
- www.whatsapp.com/ (checked 5 November 2026)
This comparison is based on information WhatsApp Communities publishes, read on the dates shown. It is not a scored hands-on benchmark. WhatsApp Communities is a trademark of its owner. Milvao makes a competing product. Corrections are welcome through our contact page.