Comparison

# XenRooms vs WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a messenger for people: each account belongs to a phone number, chats live on the phones, and the app can read the phone’s address book. XenRooms is a team chat for the company: people join with their work email, an administrator invites and blocks them, and the chat stays on the company’s own server in Germany.

[Start for free](https://xenrooms.app/en/start/) [Book a demo](https://essotec.xenaxio.com/book/es/first-call)

|   | WhatsApp | XenRooms |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Account | a phone number | the work email |
| Company admin: invite, block, manage channels | No | Yes |
| When someone leaves | the chats stay on their phone | blocked at once, messages stay with the company |
| Channels, threads, direct messages | groups, communities | Yes |
| On the computer | linked to the phone | browser and app, on their own |
| Reads the phone’s address book | yes, to find contacts | No |
| End-to-end encryption | Yes | no – search, AI and admin read the chat |
| Hosted in Germany | Meta’s servers | yes (Hetzner), or your servers |
| Free plan | Yes | up to 10 people, 5 GB |

As of 31 October 2026, from the providers’ own websites. Features and plans change; please check the details there. Whether WhatsApp at work is allowed under the GDPR depends on how it is used; we do not give legal advice – ask your data protection officer.

## XenRooms fits better if …

- The company, not each phone, should own the chat
- People should be able to work without sharing their phone number
- You need channels, threads and search for work

## WhatsApp fits better if …

- You talk to customers who are all on WhatsApp
- You need end-to-end encryption above search and admin control

More comparisons: [XenRooms vs Slack](https://xenrooms.com/compare/slack/) · [XenRooms vs Microsoft Teams](https://xenrooms.com/compare/microsoft-teams/) · [XenRooms vs Mattermost](https://xenrooms.com/compare/mattermost/) · [XenRooms vs Element](https://xenrooms.com/compare/element/) · [Overview](https://xenrooms.com/alternatives/)

## Your team chat on a server of its own?

Free for up to 10 people, in a minute. For larger teams or your own servers we set up XenRooms for you.

[Start for free](https://xenrooms.app/en/start/) [Book a demo](https://essotec.xenaxio.com/book/es/first-call)

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Source: https://xenrooms.com/compare/whatsapp/ (English, updated 2026-10-31)
Other languages: Deutsch: https://xenrooms.com/de/vergleich/whatsapp/index.html.md