Evolution API vs Wapito
Evolution API if sessions must stay on your infrastructure and you can staff a stateful service; Wapito if you want the REST API, the webhooks and the engine upkeep handled, at a per-channel price. Both are unofficial and carry ban risk. We build Wapito, so read the rows rather than the verdict.
Why these two get compared
Both offer a REST API over a linked WhatsApp number with groups, Channels and status posts; the difference is who runs it. Evolution API is self-hosted on top of Baileys, with Docker, a database and the on-call rota on your side. Wapito is hosted, runs whatsmeow by default with a per-channel engine switch, and bills per channel. Teams compare them when they know they want REST rather than a library.
Side by side
| Dimension | Evolution API | Wapito That's us |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 with additional terms: a visible notice to administrators that Evolution API is in use, and the producer may require a commercial licence.source, checked September 16, 2026 | Proprietary hosted service under its terms of service. |
| Engine and protocol | Self-hosted REST server over Baileys, pinned to 7.0.0-rc.9 (five release candidates behind upstream on 14 September 2026).source, checked September 14, 2026 | Hosted. whatsmeow (GOWS) by default with a per-channel switch to Baileys (NOWEB). No browser. |
| Hosting | Your own Docker deployment with a database and media storage. You run the upgrades and the on-call. | Hosted by Wapito. Nothing to run. |
| Groups, Channels and status | Groups (create, participants, invites, settings) and status posts (sendStatus) as REST endpoints.source, checked September 14, 2026 | Groups, communities, Channels and status posts as REST endpoints, each on its own reference page. |
| Pricing | Free to download. The cost is the server, the database, the storage and the hours; read the additional licence terms before commercial use.source, checked September 14, 2026 | Sandbox free (one channel, 150 messages a day). Premium $24 per channel per month, or $19 a month billed yearly, with a five-day trial.source, checked September 15, 2026 |
| Maintenance cadence | 0 public commits in the 90 days to 14 September 2026. Newest tag 2.4.0-rc2; last stable release 2.3.7 (December 2025).source, checked September 14, 2026 | Managed by Wapito. Engine updates are ours; breaking API changes are announced in the changelog before they ship. |
| Webhooks | Per-instance webhook URL with a configurable event list. | Signed deliveries with an event filter per webhook, retries with backoff and a circuit breaker.source, checked September 15, 2026 |
| SDKs and client code | REST only. No first-party SDK packages are listed in its documentation. | An OpenAPI 3.1 document at /openapi.yaml and code samples in 12 languages on every endpoint page. Packaged SDKs are not shipped yet.source, checked September 15, 2026 |
Which one to pick
Pick Evolution API when
Data residency or policy requires the sessions on your own servers, you already run Docker and a database in production, and you accept the additional licence terms for commercial use.
Pick Wapito when
You want a documented contract, signed webhooks with retries, engine updates that are not your problem, and a price that scales with channels rather than with hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I migrate from Evolution API to Wapito one instance at a time?
Yes, and that is the sensible way. Each number is a separate session on both sides, so you can move one instance, watch it for a week, and move the rest once you are confident. Keep your own record of group ids and contact mappings so the new channel starts with the context it needs, and never point two providers at the same number at once, because a linked device slot belongs to one client.
What happens to my webhooks in the move?
The event names and payload shapes differ, so your receiver needs a mapping layer or a rewrite. Wapito publishes a stable event schema, signs every delivery, lets you filter events per webhook and retries with backoff behind a circuit breaker. Evolution API configures a webhook URL and an event list per instance. Moving is a good moment to add signature verification if your current receiver trusts whatever arrives at the URL.
Is self-hosting cheaper than paying per channel?
For a handful of numbers, rarely, once the server, the database, the media storage and the upgrade hours are counted. Self-hosting becomes genuinely cheaper at volume or when the sessions are required to stay on your own infrastructure. Compare total cost of ownership over a year, and include the additional licence terms in the assessment, because a commercial licence requirement changes the arithmetic.
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.