Someone on GitHub released a free WhatsApp API you can run on your own server.
No paying Meta per conversation.
It's called OpenWA. 12.8K stars.
What you get:
REST API to send and receive messages
Multiple WhatsApp sessions at once
Webhooks and a web panel
Plugs into n8n, Chatwoot and AI agents (MCP too)
Clone the repo, run one Docker command, done.
Why this matters:
the official Business API costs add up fast once you're paying per conversation. For internal automations and side projects, self-hosting changes the math.
Honest caveats:
It's unofficial, so use a dedicated number
Ban risk is real
For client work, I'd still use the official API
Don't put your main number on it.
Rough RAM per session, from the replies:
about 30-80MB with Baileys, 300-500MB with whatsapp-web.js. So it scales fine on a small box. MIT licensed, 100% free.
Repo: github.com/rmyndharis/OpenWA
Is it just me, or did we all collectively swap our corporate ambitions for a quiet life, great coffee, and home-cooked meals?






