[derekchiang]

The post mentioned that all WhatsApp's early competitors benefited through advertising, while WhatsApp dedicated to keep the UI clean, and earn revenues by charging users one dollar a year.

[kjackson2012]

No. It's not $1/yr. it's $1. That's it. There is no recurring revenue stream. That's what makes this even more insane.

[theintern]

On Android at least it's $1 per year, I'm looking at the payment page right now that offers 1 year for $1, 3 for $2.67 and 5 for $3.71.

That said, I've been using it for years and have never paid a cent. Each time as the free year has about to run out, they've extended it.