Guide · Templates · For the owner with two versions of the same message
Which of our two WhatsApp templates gets blocked more? Meta's template comparison, its conditions, and how to read the block reasons
A business rarely has one reminder template; it has the one written in a hurry last year and the one someone rewrote in March, and nobody knows which annoys customers less. Meta keeps a small, specific report for exactly this: put two templates side by side and it tells you how often each was sent, which one has the lower share of customers blocking the number after receiving it, and the main reason those customers gave. Here is what Meta's page says the comparison contains, the conditions a pair of templates has to meet, and how to read the block reasons as instructions.
Published 2 October 2026
What the comparison tells you
- How often each was sent
- A plain count of sends per template over the period you chose. On its own it only tells you which one the team reaches for; combined with the next figure it tells you whether the busier template is also the more damaging one.
- Which one gets blocked less
- Meta returns the two templates in order of block rate, meaning blocks divided by sends. A block here is a customer blocking your number after receiving that template. This is the number to act on, because blocks feed the quality rating that decides how many people you may message.
- The top reason for each
- When a customer blocks a business, WhatsApp asks why. Meta reports the most common answer per template from a fixed list: no longer needed, did not sign up, spam, offensive messages, did not request this code, other, or no reason given.
Why this is better than a gut feeling
The conditions
- Two at a time. Meta's page says only two templates can be compared in one request. Comparing five means several requests, which a provider's system can do for you.
- Same Messaging account. Both templates have to live in the same Messaging account. A template on a second provider's account cannot be set against one on the first; the account split guide explains why a business can have more than one.
- At least a thousand sends each. Each template must have been sent at least 1,000 times within the period. Meta will not compare a template that has barely been used, because a handful of blocks on a few dozen sends says nothing reliable. A small business may need the 90-day window to qualify.
- Four windows. The period can be the last 7, 30, 60 or 90 days, counted back from the moment of asking. Nothing older than 90 days, and no custom ranges.
- The management permission. The report is behind the same permission that covers templates and analytics, described in the provider access guide, so in practice the provider runs it and shows you the result.
Reading the block reasons as instructions
Each reason on Meta's list points at a different fix, and the wrong fix wastes a month.
- Did not sign up
- The people receiving this template do not remember agreeing to it. The template's wording is not the problem; the list it is being sent to is. Review how consent was collected, as the opt-in guide describes, before touching a word of the message.
- No longer needed
- The customer was interested once and is not now. Usually a sign that the template keeps going to people long after their purchase or enquiry closed. Shorten how long a contact stays on the list, or send less often.
- Spam, or offensive
- The message itself is the problem: too salesy, too frequent, or tone-deaf. This is the one case where rewriting the template is the right first move, and the comparison will show whether the rewrite worked once it has had its thousand sends.
- Did not request this code
- Only for one-time passcode templates. Someone is triggering codes to numbers that did not ask for them, which points at a sign-up form being abused rather than at the template.
The comparison sits beside the broader figures Meta keeps per template, which have their own short retention and are set out in the analytics guide. Consent itself is in the opt-in guide.
Questions
We only send a few hundred reminders a month. Can we use this?
Only once each of the two templates has reached 1,000 sends inside one of Meta's windows, and the longest window is 90 days. Below that, Meta's page says the comparison is not available. Watch the ordinary per-template figures in the meantime.
Can we compare our template with a competitor's?
No. Both templates must be in your own Messaging account. The comparison is between your own versions, never across businesses.
The better template still has blocks. Is that a problem?
Some blocks are normal; the comparison is about the ratio, not reaching zero. Look at the top reason. 'Did not sign up' on a utility reminder is a consent problem worth fixing even at a low rate; 'other' at a low rate is noise.
Where do we see this in WhatsApp Manager?
Meta's page describes it as a request a connected system makes, returning the sends, the block-rate order and the top reasons. Ask your provider to run it for the two templates you care about and to put the result next to the read figures they already show.
Sources
- Meta's developer documentation: Template comparison, read 2 October 2026.
More plain-language notes like this one are on the guides page.
Want to know which of your templates is costing you customers?
We set up a business's WhatsApp number on a proper system that runs Meta's template comparison for every pair of look-alike templates, puts block rate and top block reason beside the read figures, and turns 'did not sign up' into a consent fix rather than a rewrite. A short call is the easiest way to see whether it fits your business.
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