How to share one WhatsApp number with your team
Most businesses reach the same point: customers know one WhatsApp number, and now three people need to answer it. Passing the phone around works for a week. After that, messages get missed, two people answer the same customer, and nobody knows what was promised. There are four real ways to fix this. Here is what each one does and what it costs.
| Option | Cost | People or devices | API | Several numbers, one screen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linked devices, WhatsApp Business app | Free | Phone plus 4 | ||
| Multi-agent, Meta Verified or Meta One | Paid subscription to Meta | Up to 10 | ||
| Shared inbox, for example Dardasha | OMR 4.900 a year | Staff logins, no per-seat charge | ||
| Official API through a provider | Subscription plus Meta fees | Per the provider’s plan |
1. Linked devices on the WhatsApp Business app
The free app lets you use one phone and up to four linked devices at the same time, such as WhatsApp Web on office computers. It costs nothing and takes five minutes. The limits: everyone sees every chat, nobody owns a conversation, and five is the ceiling.
2. Multi-agent through Meta Verified or Meta One
Meta sells a multi-agent feature inside its Meta Verified for Business subscription and its Meta One business plans. It raises the limit to 10 devices, lets you assign a chat to an agent, and shows which agent sent which message. Meta Verified also adds a verified badge. Check the current price in the app, because it is set by Meta.
3. A shared inbox such as Dardasha
A shared inbox links to your number once, as one linked device, and your staff sign in with their own accounts in a browser. Dardasha has no per-seat charge, keeps the history on the server against your company, adds keyword auto-replies and a REST API, and shows up to 10 numbers on Premium or 24 on Platinum in one screen. It does not assign chats to a named person the way Meta’s multi-agent does.
4. The official API through a provider
Providers such as Wati, respond.io and Interakt put your number on the official WhatsApp Business API. You get approved templates, green tick eligibility and team features at scale. You pay the provider, usually per seat, and you pay Meta per message.
How to choose
- Two or three people, one number: start with linked devices, it is free
- You need to assign chats to named agents on one number: Meta’s multi-agent
- Several numbers, auto-replies, an API and no seat counting: a shared inbox
- Templates to people who never wrote to you, or the green tick: the official API
What not to do
Do not give each employee their own personal number for customers. It looks like a quick fix, but every conversation then lives on a phone the company does not own, and it leaves when the employee does.
Frequently asked questions
Can two people use the same WhatsApp number at the same time?
Yes. The WhatsApp Business app allows one phone and up to four linked devices at a time, each able to read and reply.
Does linking Dardasha use one of the four device slots?
Yes. Dardasha links to your number as one linked device. Your staff then work from Dardasha in a browser, so the other slots stay free.
Will customers see which employee replied?
No. In every option on this page the customer sees your business number and name. Only you can see internally who answered, where the tool records it.
Sources
Every third-party figure on this page was read from the source below on 2026-09-24. Meta and other vendors change their pages, so check the source before you rely on a number.
- https://faq.whatsapp.com/647349420360876
- https://faq.whatsapp.com/395911122612120
- https://faq.whatsapp.com/641572844337957
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