As far as I remember, since we were little, there were no other communication apps other than WhatsApp (BBM doesn’t count, sorry). WhatsApp has been the leading messaging app since the day it was launched, and for good reason. That’s why alot of people want to build an app like WhatsApp.
It’s available both on iOS and Android, offers real-time chat, end-to-end encrypted messages, and even supports voice and video calls. And to top it all off, it now even has its own built-in AI assistant. (What else can we ask for?)
With all these powerful features, it’s no surprise that many people want to build an app like WhatsApp. Startups, schools and even small communities are looking to build their own branded messaging app like WhatsApp.
But Here’s the Real Question: How to Create an app like WhatsApp Without Coding?
This article will answer that and more; it will walk you through
- What makes WhatsApp so successful
- What features would you need to include to build a WhatsApp clone app
- What it actually costs to build an app like WhatsApp in 2025
The Real Surprise?
You might be able to launch your own native WhatsApp-style app for under $100 without any coding experience. How? Let’s find out.
What Is WhatsApp? Why Does Everyone Want to Clone It?
WhatsApp is a leading free communication app, and I think whoever is reading this is using it, just like billions of users worldwide do. And let me tell you, WhatsApp is used by over 2.7 billion active users monthly and it’s available in over 180 countries.
This app is owned by Meta, and it’s one of the most popular messaging apps, especially in India, Indonesia, Brazil and many more. It was originally launched as a simple one-to-one messaging app, but soon after that it became a full-featured communication platform with so many features other than real-time messaging.
So let’s take a look at some of its key features.
WhatsApp Features
- 1-on-1 messaging
- End-to-end encryption
- Voice and video calls
- Business tools
- Group chats (Up to 1,024 members)
- Media sharing (photos, videos, voice messages, files, locations, contacts, etc.)
- Cross-platform availability
- Status updates
- Backup and restore
- Built-in AI assistant
Why Does Everyone Want to Build an App Like WhatsApp
As we all know, WhatsApp leads the communication platforms. However, it still remains WhatsApp. But what does that mean?
Say you have a school business, for example, and you want to have your own channels, custom features, and your own identity. Will WhatsApp give you all that?
The simple answer is no. That’s why most people tend to think, “Why don’t I build my own version of WhatsApp?” So let me tell you how a WhatsApp-style app can actually benefit you.
1. Brand Control and Customization
WhatsApp is powerful, but when you use it, you’re building your brand on someone else’s. For example, you can’t add custom tabs, customize push notifications, integrate payments and so on.
If you really want visibility and growth, you should build your own version of WhatsApp. A WhatsApp-style app can create trust, loyalty and recognition.
With your own WhatsApp clone app, you can own
- App Name and Logo: People can find your app on App Store or Google Play under your name
- Brand Color: You can match the app’s look to reflect your business branding and identity; you don’t have to stick to WhatsApp’s green and white colors.
- Splash Screens and Onboarding: You can design a welcoming experience that reflects your brand vision
- Push Notifications: Notification that reach your users will be directly from your brand, not from WhatsApp
2. Custom Features
Let’s stick with the school example. Having a school communication app requires certain features like live video classes, virtual attendance tracking, calendar integration, screen sharing, whiteboards, secure and organized media storage and many more.
This all is not supported by WhatsApp. That’s why, if you build an app like WhatsApp, you can customize it in a way that best serves both your business and your target audience. In other words, you’ll have a business-oriented WhatsApp clone with all your desired features.
3. Monetization
WhatsApp doesn’t let you monetize directly, as WhatsApp Business limits monetization only to catalog browsing and responses. It doesn’t let you monetize through subscriptions or direct payments.
But having your own WhatsApp-style app? Your app, your rules. You can choose whatever monetization method that perfectly suits your app. Your app can include:
- Ads
- Subscriptions
- In-app purchases
- Marketplace
- Premium features
4. Privacy and Security
When you use WhatsApp, you can’t control how your data is handled or where it’s stored. But why is this a problem? Simply, you have to follow WhatsApp’s rules and data policies.
This can be an issue for internal businesses that handle sensitive information, especially for schools under privacy laws like GDPR, communities that have privacy requirements, and businesses in regulated industries.
However, you can overcome this issue simply by building your own app. So, this is what you’ll control in terms of security if you build an app like WhatsApp:
- Who joins
- What’s shared
- Where data is stored
5. User Ownership
Whenever you use WhatsApp, you’re technically supporting another’s app users, not your users. How so?
All businesses try their best to offer support and share content in order to understand how users engage and to ultimately provide the best service. But how can you do so if you don’t have access to user behavior analytics, can’t control the data, and can’t even customize how users experience your brand?
However, if you have your own WhatsApp-style app, you can have full ownership of your audience, analytics, behavior tracking, and direct communication.
On top of that, imagine that WhatsApp decided to change its policy or algorithm, restrict a feature, or even ban your number. That’s why you should build your own WhatsApp-like app.
What Features Should You Include in Your WhatsApp-Style App And Why?
So far, we’ve covered WhatsApp’s features and the many reasons why you should build your own WhatsApp-style app.
Now, let’s discover some of the core features every WhatsApp-style app should include, plus additional features that can set your messaging app apart.
These are must-have features for any type of business, whether it’s a school, small business, online community, or any other organization that wants to have a modern and branded messaging experience.
The best part? With the nandbox native no-code app builder, you can include all of these features (and more) in your no-code messaging app without even writing a single line of code.
Core Features of WhatsApp Clone App
| Feature | Why It Matters | nandbox Messaging App |
| 1-on-1 Messaging | Core feature: Real-time, private conversations between users | Offers secure, real-time chats with text, voice notes, and file support |
| Encrypted Messaging | Secure and private messaging | Provides full SSL encryption |
| Group Chats | Support conversations between teams, families, classrooms, or communities. | Can hold up to 50,000 members |
| Push Notifications | Keeps users engaged and informed instantly | Sends branded push notifications instantly |
| Media Sharing | Users can share photos, docs, and locations | Supports multi-format media sharing, including drag-and-drop attachments. |
| Secure Data Handling | Own user data and privacy | Provides secured backend and hosting |
| Cross-Platform Availability | User flexibility, for your app to be available on different devices | Native iOS and Android apps |
Additional Features That Can Set Your WhatsApp Clone App Apart
| Feature | Why It Matters | nandbox Messaging App |
| Voice Calls and Video Calls | Essential for live communication | Integrates native VoIP features |
| Custom Tabs | Add bookings, events, catalogs, or channels. | You can add tabs for Events, Bookings, Store, Channels, Calendar, and more |
| Channels | Great for schools, businesses, or creators to share one-way updates. | Natively supported with media-rich posts and comment control |
| AI Chatbot Integration | Personalized AI assistant | Allows bot integrations and external API workflows |
| Multi-Language App Configuration | Customize your app’s language according to your target audience | Can configure your app in multiple languages during the setup process, including RTL support for Arabic |
| Light and Dark Modes | Personalized user experience | Fully supports native light and dark themes |
The Development Cost of Building An App Like WhatsApp
Just to be honest, building an app like WhatsApp with all its features isn’t cheap at all, especially if you build it the traditional way.
WhatsApp development cost includes several factors like features, UI/UX design, testing, and QA, and we can’t forget the cost of hiring a professional team of designers, developers, backend engineers, and testers. Not to mention the extra costs of server hosting, maintenance, feature updates, bug fixes and app store compliance.
So here’s an estimated breakdown of the development cost of building a WhatsApp-style app in 2025.
Simple WhatsApp-Like App Cost
If you want to build a very simple messaging app with basic features, it can cost you around $30,000
Medium-Complexity WhatsApp-Like App Cost
If you want to build a more advanced app with extra features like voice and video calls, for example, it can cost around $40,000
Complex WhatsApp-Like App Cost
What if you want to build an app with advanced security features, subscriptions, offline availability, and chat backup, for example? The development cost will start from $500,000
Of course that kind of budget isn’t realistic for small businesses, startups, schools, or communities that just want a branded, functional, secure chat app like WhatsApp.
We can’t also forget the amount of time and effort it would take to build a WhatsApp clone app. So how can you build a WhatsApp clone app on a budget?
The Smarter Solution: Build Your WhatsApp-Like App With nandbox Under $100
By now, you’ve probably realized that building a WhatsApp clone app from scratch is expensive, time-consuming, and needs a professional technical team. On top of that, the building process can take months and tens of thousands of dollars just to launch.
But let me introduce you to a faster, more affordable, and scalable solution: nandbox.
nandbox is a leading AI-powered no-code app builder that lets anyone with zero coding experience build their dream native iOS and Android apps easily at the lowest cost. You can create any type of app you want, including messaging and communications apps, for under $100/month.
The building process using nandbox is super easy too. How?
- Zero Coding Needed: no coding or technical experience is required at all.
- Pre-Made Features: you can easily add as many pre-made features as you want. Such as chats, booking, voice calls, video calls, AI chatbots, and many more.
- Drag-and-Drop: you can add any feature by just dragging and dropping it to your app interface.
- Pre-Made Templates: you can choose from a vast library of industry-specific app templates that allow you to build your app right away without writing a single line of code. There’s a pre-made WhatsApp-like app template available as well.
- AI Features: you can either use nandbox AI-powered app builder or nandbox app builder GPT to describe your app idea, and they will build a full-featured app for you.
How Your WhatsApp Clone App Can Support Millions of Users Worldwide Using nandbox
If you want to build a messaging app, especially like WhatsApp, then scalability is a must. Yes, you might just start with only 100 users, but if you really want your app to grow, then you should prepare it from day one.
Imagine that WhatsApp wasn’t prepared from the start and crashed once all these users started downloading it. You don’t want to build an app that might be unavailable or, worse, crash at any time, right?
That’s why your WhatsApp clone app should be scalable in order to perform globally and securely with no downtime. That way, millions of users will download and trust your app, just like WhatsApp.
So here’s how nandbox AI Messenger App Builder makes that possible
nandbox Messenger App Builder: Global Infrastructure and Performance
High Availability (99.999% Uptime)
nandbox runs on a five-nines availability system with six global data centers. This ensures that your app stays available at all times, even during outages or peak usage.
Disaster Recovery
All critical data, including your app data are protected and automatically backed up. This ensures that any data can be quickly restored in case of any disaster.
Global Server Distribution
nandbox uses six data centers that are distributed worldwide to minimize latency and deliver faster response times for all users, no matter where they are. This ensures uninterrupted worldwide service.
High Throughput Capacity
nandbox currently supports up to 300,000 requests per second. That’s why nandbox is the perfect choice for anyone who wants to build an app that serves millions of users.
Chat Backup for iOS and Android
With nandbox, users can back up and restore all their messages. That way, your users will never lose any conversation when switching devices or reinstalling the app.
Elastic Scalability
nandbox can handle up to 10 billion daily requests easily without performance issues. So whether you’re onboarding 1,000 users or even billions, nandbox automatically scales to meet your app’s needs.
How to Build a WhatsApp Clone App Under $100 With nandbox (Step-by-Step)
Step 1. Sign Up at nandbox
First, head to nandbox and sign up for your free trial
Step 2. Choose Template
Choose the pre-made WhatsApp-style app template.
Step 3. App Customization
In this step, you can customize the app’s theme, colors, tabs, features, and much more.
Step 4. App Preview
You can preview the app-building process in real-time for both light and dark modes
Step 5. Build and Publish
Once you finish building your app, you can download it and test it. Now your native WhatsApp-style messaging app is ready to be published on both the App Store and Google Play Store
Wrapping It Up
Let’s face it, WhatsApp set the bar high for what a modern messaging app should look like. It’s secure, fast, and packed with features that billions of users rely on every day. But while WhatsApp works great for general communication, it doesn’t give you the control, customization, or branding that your business or community truly needs.
That’s where nandbox comes in.
With nandbox AI-powered native no-code app builder, you can build a full-featured WhatsApp clone app. You can include as many features as you want, including voice and video calls, media sharing, group chats, push notifications, AI chatbot integration, and more. Best part? It’s all under your brand, without writing a single line of code.
Whether you’re running a school, startup, online community, or local business, nandbox gives you everything you need to create a secure, modern, and scalable messaging app like WhatsApp for under $100/month. So what are you waiting for? Start your free trial now!
FAQs: How to Build a Messaging App Like WhatsApp Without Coding
Can I build a WhatsApp clone app without coding?
Yes! With no-code messaging app builder platforms like nandbox, you can create a fully functional WhatsApp-style app without writing a single line of code. You can easily add features such as messaging, group chats, calls, and push notifications using a simple drag-and-drop method.
How much does it cost to build an app like WhatsApp?
If you build it traditionally, a medium-to-complex WhatsApp clone app can cost between $40,000 and $500,000. But with nandbox, you can launch your app for less than $100/month, including hosting, maintenance, and updates.
Can I monetize my WhatsApp-style app?
Absolutely. With your own messaging app, you can add in-app purchases, subscriptions, ads, premium features, and even a marketplace. WhatsApp doesn’t allow direct monetization, but your app can.
What makes nandbox better than WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp Business is limited to catalogs and responses. With nandbox, you can build an entire branded messaging app that has AI chatbots, booking systems, push notifications, role-based access, and much more. It’s a full app, not just a chat tool.
Can I publish my WhatsApp-style app to the App Store and Google Play?
Yes! Once you finish building your WhatsApp-style app with nandbox, you can publish it natively on both iOS and Android under your name, your logo, and your brand.
