Baileys vs whatsmeow
Pick by language first. Baileys is the TypeScript option with the widest feature surface; whatsmeow is the Go option with the higher commit rate and a first-party Postgres device store. Baileys has been on release candidates for months and plans an auth-format change, so a Node team should budget for that migration.
Why these two get compared
These are the two protocol-level libraries most teams shortlist when they decide to hold the WhatsApp session themselves rather than rent it. Both speak the multi-device protocol directly over a WebSocket, both are free, and both leave session persistence, reconnection and HTTP delivery to you. The choice is usually decided by language and by how much churn a team can absorb.
Side by side
| Dimension | Baileys | whatsmeow |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT.source, checked September 14, 2026 | MPL-2.0, a file-level copyleft. Using it inside a hosted service is not distribution.source, checked September 14, 2026 |
| Engine and protocol | TypeScript library speaking the WhatsApp Web multi-device protocol over a WebSocket. No browser. | Go library speaking the WhatsApp Web multi-device protocol over a WebSocket. No browser. |
| Hosting | Your own Node.js process. You hold the session state, keep the socket alive and reconnect it. | Your own Go service with a device store. A first-party Postgres sqlstore ships with the library. |
| Groups, Channels and status | Groups, communities, Channels (newsletters) and status posts are all in the socket API.source, checked September 14, 2026 | Groups and Channels (newsletters) are in the client. Status posting is documented as experimental.source, checked September 14, 2026 |
| Pricing | Free under MIT. The cost is the always-on process, the session storage and the upkeep.source, checked September 14, 2026 | Free under MPL-2.0. The cost is the Go service, its Postgres device store and the upkeep.source, checked September 14, 2026 |
| Maintenance cadence | 9 commits in the 90 days to 14 September 2026. Latest tag 7.0.0-rc14, a release candidate for around ten months. 337 open issues.source, checked September 14, 2026 | 65 commits in the 90 days to 14 September 2026. Continuous releases from the main branch rather than tagged versions.source, checked September 14, 2026 |
| Webhooks | None built in. Events arrive on an in-process emitter (sock.ev); HTTP delivery, retries and signing are yours to write. | None built in. Events reach a Go handler you register with AddEventHandler; HTTP delivery is yours to write. |
| SDKs and client code | It is the client: npm @whiskeysockets/baileys, with TypeScript types.source, checked September 14, 2026 | It is the client: the Go module go.mau.fi/whatsmeow, with typed events and typed failure codes.source, checked September 14, 2026 |
Which one to pick
Pick Baileys when
Your stack is Node or TypeScript, you need labels, catalogue or community features today, and you can track a major version that has been a release candidate for months.
Pick whatsmeow when
Your stack is Go, you want a device store you do not have to write, typed failure codes, and a library that follows the current WhatsApp Web version closely.
Where Wapito fits
Against a library, Wapito is the hosted version of the same idea: the session, the storage, the reconnects and the engine upgrades are ours, and you keep a REST contract you can generate a client from.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch from Baileys to whatsmeow without re-pairing?
No. Session credentials are bound to the library that registered the linked device, so moving between the two means pairing the number again and replacing the linked device. The number, its chats and its groups survive; the stored auth state does not carry across. Plan a short maintenance window per number and keep your own record of group ids and contact mappings.
Which of the two exposes more of the protocol?
Baileys covers more of the surface today: label writes, catalogue objects, communities and stories are all in its socket API, where whatsmeow documents status posting as experimental and ships no label writes or catalogue support. whatsmeow's edge is elsewhere: typed events, typed failure codes, a Postgres device store and a release cadence that tracks the current WhatsApp Web version closely.
Do the two libraries carry different ban risk?
The transport is the same protocol, so the risk is in how you use it rather than which library you chose. Send pacing, warm-up of new numbers and refusing cold sends to strangers matter far more than the language. One behaviour worth knowing: Baileys version seven stopped sending delivery acknowledgements because WhatsApp was banning numbers that sent them too eagerly, which shows how tightly library behaviour and ban risk are coupled.
Related
Read more about each
Feature guides
Other comparisons
Try it on your own number
Create a channel, link a WhatsApp number by QR or pairing code, and call the API in a couple of minutes. The Sandbox plan is free and needs no card.