For most Indian businesses the OTP decision comes down to two channels: SMS, which every phone can receive, and WhatsApp, which most smartphone users open many times a day. This guide compares them on what you pay, what it takes to set each one up in India, and how reliably the code reaches the user.
Short answer: use WhatsApp OTP when your users are on smartphones and you want to start without DLT, and use SMS OTP when you need to reach every phone, including basic phones without data. Many businesses use both: WhatsApp first and SMS as the backup.
WhatsApp OTP vs SMS OTP at a glance
| WhatsApp OTP | SMS OTP | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it reaches | Users with WhatsApp on that number and an internet connection | Any mobile phone, including basic phones without data |
| Setup in India | Meta-approved authentication template (pre-approved on EazyOTP) | DLT entity, sender ID and template for the domestic route |
| Delivery status | Sent, Delivered and Read | Sent and delivery status from the network |
| Where the code appears | In a WhatsApp chat from a business account | In the SMS inbox from your sender ID |
| How it is priced | Per OTP message, by destination country | Per OTP message, by route and volume |
| EazyOTP endpoint | whatsappeazyotp | smseazyotp (DLT) or globalsmseazyotp |
What a WhatsApp OTP costs in India
On EazyOTP, a WhatsApp OTP to an Indian number currently costs ₹0.12075 per OTP. Rates for other countries vary widely: ₹1.20845 for the UAE and ₹1.69281 for the UK, for example. You can search all 230 countries on the OTP pricing page.
What an SMS OTP costs in India
SMS OTP pricing has two parts:
- The per-message rate, which depends on the route (DLT domestic or Global SMS) and on your monthly volume. EazyOTP quotes SMS OTP rates on request; send us your expected volume.
- The setup work for the domestic route: registering your entity, sender ID and OTP template on DLT. Our DLT registration guide explains each step.
Work out the real cost: price per verified user
The cheapest rate per message is not always the cheapest way to verify a user. What matters is how many messages you send for each successful verification. Every resend is another paid message, and every user who never receives a code costs you a sign-up or a sale.
Monthly cost = verifications x (1 + resend rate) x price per OTPFor example, 50,000 verifications a month with a 10% resend rate means 55,000 messages. On WhatsApp to Indian numbers, at the current EazyOTP rate, that is about ₹6,641 a month. Do the same sum with your SMS quote and your own resend rate, which you can measure from delivery webhooks, to see which channel costs less per verified user.
Costs that don’t show up on the rate card
- Undelivered codes: users who give up, plus the support tickets they raise.
- Resends: slow or missing codes lead to repeated requests, and each one is billed.
- Fraudulent requests: bots that trigger OTPs to run up your bill. Rate limits and CAPTCHA help; see how to verify OTPs securely.
- Time to launch: waiting for DLT approval before the domestic SMS route can carry traffic.
When to choose WhatsApp OTP
- Your users are mostly on smartphones, for example app-based services.
- You want to launch now without DLT registration.
- You want to know whether the user has read the code.
- You also serve customers abroad who keep WhatsApp on their Indian number.
When to choose SMS OTP
- You need to reach every phone, including basic phones and users without mobile data.
- Your users expect codes in their SMS inbox, as with banking and payments.
- You already have DLT registration for your brand.
The common answer: use both
Because both channels use the same EazyOTP request style, you can send on WhatsApp first and switch to SMS when a number isn’t on WhatsApp or the message isn’t delivered. Your application decides when to switch. Our multi-channel OTP fallback page shows how to build it. To compare providers, read WhatsApp OTP providers in India and SMS OTP services in India.
Frequently asked questions
Is WhatsApp OTP cheaper than SMS OTP in India?
It depends on your SMS rate and your volume. EazyOTP’s WhatsApp OTP rate for India is ₹0.12075 per OTP. Ask us for SMS OTP rates for your volume, then compare the cost per verified user, including resends.
Does WhatsApp OTP need DLT registration?
No. DLT applies to SMS. WhatsApp OTPs are sent with WhatsApp authentication templates approved by Meta; on EazyOTP these templates are pre-approved.
What happens if the user doesn’t have WhatsApp?
The WhatsApp message can’t be delivered, so send the code by SMS instead. Many businesses let users choose, or switch to SMS automatically if a WhatsApp OTP isn’t delivered.
Can I use both WhatsApp OTP and SMS OTP?
Yes. Both are available on the same EazyOTP account and use the same request style, so you can use one as the primary channel and the other as a fallback.
Compare both channels on your own phone
Create your account and send WhatsApp and SMS test OTPs from the sandbox before you decide.
Prefer chat? Message EazyOTP on WhatsApp