Connecting ERPNext to WhatsApp lets you send invoices as PDFs and order, delivery and payment alerts as soon as a document changes in your ERP. You do it through Meta's WhatsApp Business Cloud API, driven by a Frappe app or an n8n workflow. The logic runs on your servers; the messages themselves pass through Meta, as every WhatsApp message does.
Short answer
Connect ERPNext to Meta's WhatsApp Business Cloud API. The simplest route is the open-source frappe_whatsapp app: install it, add your access token and phone number ID, sync your Meta-approved templates, then create WhatsApp Notifications on DocType events such as Sales Invoice submit. For branching logic, route ERPNext webhooks through n8n instead. Meta charges per delivered message: each template message by category since 1 July 2025, and replies inside the 24-hour window since 1 October 2026, after a free monthly tier (Meta's pricing page, checked 14 October 2026).
I am Manoj, and I lead ERPNext and Frappe implementations at MithTech, a team of Frappe specialists in Bengaluru. WhatsApp is one of the integrations the manufacturers, distributors, schools and multi-location businesses I work with ask for most, because their customers read WhatsApp and skim email. This is the playbook I use to move invoice delivery and status alerts from ERPNext onto WhatsApp. The technology is the easy part; Meta's template approval and business verification are where projects stall, so start those on day one, not the day before go-live.
What is ERPNext WhatsApp integration?
It wires your ERP to Meta's WhatsApp Business Cloud API so that ERP events (a submitted invoice, a dispatched delivery, a received payment) send WhatsApp messages to customers from your business number, with document data merged into approved templates.
Three facts shape every implementation. It uses the Cloud API, a REST service Meta hosts, so there is no browser session to keep alive and no ban risk from unofficial tools. Messages your business starts outside a customer's 24-hour service window must use templates Meta has approved; free-form replies are allowed only inside that window. And Meta charges per delivered message. Since 1 July 2025 that means each template message, by category (marketing, utility, authentication) and country. Since 1 October 2026 it also means replies inside the 24-hour window (Meta calls them service messages) and utility templates sent inside an open window, after a free monthly tier for replies; the FAQ below has the details (Meta, checked 14 October 2026). ERPNext itself is open source under GPL-3.0; see ERPNext.
Skimmable summary: ERPNext sends templated invoices and alerts through Meta's Cloud API from your business number; Meta bills per delivered message, in-window replies included since 1 October 2026 (Meta, checked 14 October 2026).
Which approach should you use: a Frappe app or n8n?
It comes down to how much branching you need. A Frappe app handles the common case ("send this document to that customer on this event") inside ERPNext. An n8n workflow suits cases where one ERP event drives WhatsApp plus other systems, or where routing depends on conditions.
| Where logic lives | Inside ERPNext (WhatsApp Notification DocType) | External n8n instance |
| Suits | Direct event → message, PDF attached | Multi-step, multi-system, conditional routing |
| Trigger source | DocType events natively | ERPNext webhook into n8n |
| Two-way inbound chat | Yes, with conversation tracking | Possible, more assembly required |
| Extra infra to run | None beyond ERPNext | A hosted or self-hosted n8n |
| Learning curve | Frappe/ERPNext admin skills | Visual workflow building |
Many teams run both: the Frappe app for transactional notifications, n8n for cross-system automations. If you have not set up n8n yet, start with the ERPNext n8n integration guide. If you would rather not run the WhatsApp side yourself, Polygin is a WhatsApp platform run by MithTech whose ERPNext link logs each message on the record that already has that number.
Skimmable summary: use the frappe_whatsapp app for direct document-to-message alerts, and n8n when one ERP event must branch or fan out to several systems.
What do you need before you start?
Most of the preparation is on Meta's side, and it gates everything else. Business verification and template review run on Meta's timeline, not yours, so start them first.
A Meta Business app with WhatsApp added
Create a Business-type app at developers.facebook.com and add the WhatsApp product to it. This gives you access to the Cloud API and a test phone number to trial sends.
Your Cloud API credentials
Note your Phone Number ID, WhatsApp Business Account ID, and App ID. The Phone Number ID is an internal identifier, different from the displayed phone number — most API calls use the ID.
A permanent access token
The temporary token in the developer dashboard expires within a day. Create a System User in Business Settings and generate a token with WhatsApp permissions and no expiry. Your ERPNext app or n8n authenticates with it.
Business verification
Complete Meta business verification with your official documents; it is needed to raise your messaging limits beyond the starting tier. It can take several days, so begin straight away.
At least one approved message template
Draft the templates you will send (invoice notice, order confirmation, dispatch alert) and submit them for review. Approval is often quick but can take longer, and first-round rejections happen, so leave time. Most of these are utility templates.
Skimmable summary: before any code, a Meta Business app with WhatsApp, your phone number ID, a non-expiring System User token, business verification and approved templates.
How do you send ERPNext invoices on WhatsApp with a Frappe app?
Use frappe_whatsapp, an MIT-licensed community app that talks directly to Meta's Cloud API. It adds a WhatsApp Notification DocType that works like ERPNext's email alerts but sends WhatsApp templates, and can attach the invoice PDF.
Install the app on your bench
Run bench get-app https://github.com/shridarpatil/frappe_whatsapp then bench --site yoursite install-app frappe_whatsapp. On managed hosting, your provider installs it.
Add your WhatsApp account settings
In the WhatsApp settings, enter Account Name, Access Token, Phone Number ID, Business Account ID, App ID, and a Webhook Verify Token. These come from your Meta app.
Sync your approved templates
Pull your Meta-approved templates into ERPNext so they are selectable in notifications. Templates must already be approved on Meta's side.
Create a WhatsApp Notification for Sales Invoice
Add a new WhatsApp Notification, set the reference DocType to Sales Invoice, choose the event (for example, On Submit), and select your invoice template.
Map template parameters to invoice fields
Bind template variables to fields such as customer name, invoice number, grand total and due date. Add a Python condition if it should fire only in some cases.
Attach the PDF and test
Enable the invoice PDF attachment, then submit a test Sales Invoice to a number in your test allow-list and confirm the message and attachment arrive.
The same DocType handles your other alerts: point new notifications at Sales Order (order confirmed), Delivery Note (dispatched) and Payment Entry (payment received), each with its own approved template. The app also receives messages: once you point Meta's webhook at it, replies are saved in ERPNext as WhatsApp Message records.
Skimmable summary: install frappe_whatsapp, enter your Cloud API settings, sync approved templates, then add a WhatsApp Notification on Sales Invoice submit that maps fields and attaches the PDF.
How do you send WhatsApp alerts through n8n instead?
The n8n route separates the trigger from the send. ERPNext fires a webhook on a DocType event, an n8n Webhook node catches it, and the WhatsApp Business Cloud node sends the message. It suits cases where one event must also update a CRM, log to a sheet or branch on a condition.
Create an ERPNext webhook
In ERPNext, go to Integrations > Webhook. Set the DocType to Sales Invoice, the event to on_submit, and the request URL to your n8n Webhook node's production URL. Secure it with the Webhook Secret (a signed header) or a shared-secret header.
Receive and shape the payload in n8n
The Webhook node receives the invoice data. Add nodes to look up the customer's phone number and format the values your template expects.
Add the WhatsApp Business Cloud node
Drop in the WhatsApp Business Cloud node, authenticate it with your Cloud API credentials, choose the send-template operation, and map the template parameters to the invoice fields.
Branch and extend
Add IF or Switch nodes to route by region, amount, or customer type, and fan out to other systems in the same workflow.
Skimmable summary: an ERPNext webhook on invoice submit into n8n, then the WhatsApp Business Cloud node sends a template; best when logic branches or reaches several systems.
Which alerts should you automate first?
The moments customers want confirmed. These four map to standard ERPNext DocTypes, so you can ship them without customisation.
Invoice sent
Trigger on Sales Invoice submit. Send the invoice number, amount and due date with the PDF attached. Fewer "please resend the bill" calls.
Order confirmed
Trigger on Sales Order submit. Tell the customer the order is booked, with the order reference and value.
Delivery dispatched
Trigger on Delivery Note submit. Notify that goods have left, optionally with a tracking reference.
Payment received
Trigger on Payment Entry submit. Acknowledge the payment and show the outstanding balance.
Skimmable summary: invoice sent, order confirmed, delivery dispatched and payment received first; each maps to a standard DocType submit event.
Frequently asked questions
+Does ERPNext have WhatsApp integration built in?
No. Core ERPNext has no WhatsApp sender, but the open-source frappe_whatsapp app adds one as an installable Frappe app, with WhatsApp Notifications that work like ERPNext's email alerts. Frappe CRM can also show WhatsApp chats on lead and deal pages when frappe_whatsapp is installed.
+Do I need the WhatsApp Business API or is the normal app enough?
You need Meta's WhatsApp Business Cloud API. The WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business phone apps cannot be automated from ERPNext safely, and unofficial libraries that drive them break WhatsApp's terms and risk your number being banned.
+Why do my WhatsApp messages need approved templates?
A message your business sends first, such as an automated invoice alert, falls outside the customer's 24-hour service window, and WhatsApp requires those to use templates it has reviewed. Review is often quick but can take longer, and rejections happen, so submit templates well before launch.
+Is the frappe_whatsapp app free?
The app is: it is open source under the MIT licence. Messages are not. Meta charges per delivered message. Since 1 July 2025 that covers each template message, by category and country. Since 1 October 2026 it also covers replies inside the 24-hour window (Meta calls them service messages) and utility templates sent inside an open window. Each business phone number gets its first 1,000 service messages a month free, and if the account has no payment method, replies past that point are not delivered. India's rates change from time to time, so check Meta's pricing page for current figures (page updated 30 September 2026, checked 14 October 2026).
+Can I receive replies, not just send alerts?
Yes. With Meta's webhook pointed at frappe_whatsapp, customer replies are saved in ERPNext as WhatsApp Message records. Within the 24-hour service window after a customer messages you, your team can reply in free text without a template. Since 1 October 2026 Meta bills those replies after a free monthly tier; the answer above has the details.
+Can I connect ERPNext WhatsApp to an AI assistant?
You can. Route inbound WhatsApp messages through n8n to an AI model, then write results back to ERPNext. The customer's message then also goes to that model's provider, so decide which model you use. The ERP-side wiring is in connecting ERPNext to ChatGPT and Claude via MCP.
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Manoj · Published on 20 July 2026
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