WhatsApp vs email: what open rate to expect from each channel
WhatsApp messages get opened far more often than emails, though not as often as the unsourced figures floating around claim, and email open rates come inflated. This is the honest comparison: what the sourced benchmarks measure, where the catch is and when each channel makes sense.
What open rate does WhatsApp have vs email?
WhatsApp has a median open rate of 72% per brand, according to Chatarmin (2026), while marketing email averages 20.73% once Apple Mail Privacy Protection's automatic opens are left out, according to Brevo (2026). The comparison is directional because each channel measures something different: WhatsApp counts read receipts, and email counts a tracking pixel. Even so, the gap is clear.
The open, though, is the beginning of the conversation and not the end: you choose a channel based on conversion, cost and context. WhatsApp is paid per message and shines in high-value messages; email is still unbeatable on cost per contact for long-form content and nurturing. The mature question is not which one kills the other, but which message goes where.
What the benchmarks say, source by source
No single benchmark settles the debate, because each source measures different populations and definitions: on WhatsApp, a message counts as opened when the read receipt comes back; on email, when a tracking pixel fires, which can happen without anyone reading. And a dataset of e-commerce brands cannot be compared head-on with one that mixes every industry. The serious approach is to look at several sources and keep the direction, which is consistent across all of them.
For WhatsApp, the figure to measure yourself against is the median per brand: 72% across 414 brands in Chatarmin's benchmark (2026). The open rate weighted by message rises to 79.6%, because large senders count for more. And no account reaches, as a campaign average, the near-total open rate that so many blogs repeat without citing a source. For email, Brevo (2026) measures an average of 20.73% across the marketing sends of more than 175,000 customers, leaving out the automatic opens from Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP).
The picture, source by source:
| Metric | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Reference open rate | 72% (median per brand) | 20.73% (average without Apple MPP) | Chatarmin (2026); Brevo (2026) |
| Open rate weighted by message | 79.6% | n/a | Chatarmin (2026) |
| Email open rate inflated by Apple MPP | n/a | 33.87% and 43.46% | Brevo (2026); MailerLite (2025) |
| Clicks | 12% per delivered message (counts every click) | 2.27% click-through rate | Chatarmin (2026); Brevo (2026) |
| Cart recovery (one brand's case) | 42% | 8x less | Kanal (2026) |
Directional figures: each source measures differently. Chatarmin counts a WhatsApp message as opened when it comes back with a read receipt; email records the open with a pixel that Apple Mail Privacy Protection can fire without anyone opening the email. The third row illustrates that inflation, not a comparable benchmark. For clicks, Chatarmin counts every click per delivered message, not unique people, so the comparison with email is directional too.
Apple Mail inflates email open rates
Since Apple launched Mail Privacy Protection, devices that have it turned on preload email images, which fires the open pixel even if the recipient never opened the message. The result: email open rates went up in the dashboards without anyone reading more.
The effect can be measured. In Brevo's benchmark (2026), the average email open rate goes from 20.73% to 33.87% when those automatic opens are counted: more than 13 points logged by Apple's preloading, not by a person. MailerLite (2025), which does not strip them out, reports 43.46% across 3.6 million campaigns. Neither of those two inflated figures can be compared head-on with WhatsApp's open rate, which Chatarmin measures with read receipts.
And methodological honesty cuts both ways: both reference figures are conservative. WhatsApp's counts a message as unopened when the recipient has turned off read receipts, and email's leaves out the automatic opens.
The practical takeaway: use email open rates as an internal trend (is it getting better or worse from one campaign to the next?) and not as absolute truth, and judge channels by clicks, replies and sales, which do not inflate on their own.
How to read benchmarks without getting hurt: compare ranges and directions, not decimals; ask yourself what population each source measured; and measure your own base, which is the only benchmark that pays the bills.
WhatsApp complements email, it does not replace it
The question in the title has a short answer: it complements it. Each channel has its own physics of cost, format and attention, and the teams that convert best use both with clear roles instead of moving everything over in one block.
- WhatsApp for high value: win-back, abandoned carts and quotes, time-sensitive notices, confirmations and sales conversations. Short, urgent, two-way messages, where an immediate open changes the outcome.
- Email for volume and depth: newsletters, educational content, documentation, formal B2B communications. The cost per contact is marginal and the format handles long texts and attachments.
- Cost defines the cut: WhatsApp is paid per message (in Colombia, USD 0.0125 per marketing message, according to Meta's rate card), so every template has to justify its send; email tolerates cheap experiments.
- Together, not mixed up: email nurtures and educates; when the message calls for immediate action or a conversation, it moves to WhatsApp. Opt-in is managed per channel, without recycling consent.
How to split your messages between WhatsApp and email
A simple rule for deciding what goes where, before you touch any tool.
Map your messages by value
List every kind of message you send (campaigns, notices, content) and mark what needs an immediate reply or action and what is background reading.
Keep volume on email
Newsletters, educational content and formal communications stay where the cost per contact is marginal.
Move high value to WhatsApp
Win-back, carts, expirations and any message whose outcome changes if it is read in minutes instead of days.
Ask for opt-in per channel
Email consent does not cover WhatsApp. Capture and record each permission separately.
Measure conversion, not opens
Compare the channels by replies, clicks and sales per message. The open rate is vanity if it does not end in a conversation.
The comparison figures, with their fine print
Third-party figures, with a published source, to compare the channels. None of these figures is our own result.
20.73%
Average open rate of marketing emails, without Apple Mail Privacy Protection's automatic opens
43.46%
Email open rate measured by MailerLite across 3.6 million campaigns, inflated by Apple Mail Privacy Protection
Caveats: Chatarmin measures with read receipts, so WhatsApp's real open rate may be somewhat higher, and its sample is e-commerce brands that use the platform; email open rates vary by region (Brevo measures 17.32% in North America and 14.72% in Latin America); and email metrics that count Apple Mail Privacy Protection opens come inflated. Use the comparison directionally and measure your own base.
Revio: the high-value channel, run with judgment
Moving campaigns to WhatsApp without a plan gets expensive and burns the channel. Revio exists so that the right message travels over WhatsApp only when it is worth it.
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WhatsApp marketing and customer win-back
Revio is Vantegrate's AI agent for WhatsApp marketing: it segments your base, runs campaigns with Meta-approved templates and measures opens, clicks and sales per message, so WhatsApp coexists with your email instead of cannibalizing it.
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Vantegrate and SalesforceFrequently asked questions about WhatsApp vs email
The comparisons marketing teams make before splitting their budget between channels.
Does WhatsApp replace email or complement it?
Does WhatsApp replace email or complement it?
It complements it. WhatsApp wins on open rate, speed and two-way conversation, which makes it ideal for win-back, carts and urgent notices; email is still the cheapest channel for newsletters, long-form content and formal B2B communication. A mature strategy assigns roles: email builds the foundation of the relationship and WhatsApp handles the moments where immediacy converts. Moving everything to WhatsApp makes every send more expensive and wears out the channel.
Why does the email open rate look higher in newer benchmarks?
Why does the email open rate look higher in newer benchmarks?
Because of Apple Mail Privacy Protection: Apple devices that have it turned on preload email images and fire the open pixel even if nobody reads the message. In Brevo's benchmark (2026), counting those opens takes the average from 20.73% to 33.87%, and MailerLite (2025), which does not strip them out, reports 43.46%: part of that is inflation, not more actual reading. That is why a serious comparison with WhatsApp is made directionally and validated with metrics that do not inflate: clicks, replies and sales.
Is the click-through rate also higher on WhatsApp?
Is the click-through rate also higher on WhatsApp?
Yes. In WhatsApp campaigns, Chatarmin (2026) measures 12% clicks per delivered message, counting every click rather than unique people, and for marketing email Brevo (2026) measures a 2.27% click-through rate. In cart recovery, a case published by Kanal (2026) shows one brand that recovered 42% through WhatsApp, 8 times more than with email. These are directional figures that depend on the base and the offer, but the gap repeats across every source: a message that gets opened within minutes drives more action than one waiting in an inbox.
When does it still make sense to use email?
When does it still make sense to use email?
Whenever the message is long, educational or formal: newsletters, technical content, proposals, documentation, periodic summaries. Also when cost is the deciding factor: email lets you experiment at scale for pennies, while WhatsApp charges per message and requires approved templates. And with corporate B2B audiences, email is still the expected channel for documented communication.
What does it cost to send marketing on WhatsApp?
What does it cost to send marketing on WhatsApp?
Meta charges for the API per delivered message, with rates that vary by country and template category (marketing, utility, authentication). As a reference, in Colombia a marketing message costs USD 0.0125, according to Meta's rate card (2026). The rate table changes often: check your country's current cost in Meta's official documentation, and reserve the channel for messages whose expected value comfortably exceeds that cost.
Reach your customers where they actually look
Tell us what you send by email and we will show you which part is worth moving to WhatsApp with Revio, with approved templates and metrics per message. A 30-minute conversation, no commitment.
Francisco Morales, co-founder, takes your call. We reply on WhatsApp within 4 business hours, no strings attached.
