LINE Official Account vs OpenChat vs group: which one should a business use?

SocialContactApp · Fu Xin Co., Ltd. · Updated 2026-11-01

The difference between a LINE Official Account, OpenChat and a group is who you are talking to. An Official Account is for businesses: once customers add you as a friend, you can broadcast messages and chat one to one. OpenChat is a chat room for people who do not know each other but share an interest, with 5,000 members by default and more on request, but LINE lists activities for the purpose of commercial advertising as prohibited. A group is a chat for people you know, with up to 499 invitees. If a business wants to message customers, start with an Official Account.

The differences in one table

	LINE Official Account	LINE OpenChat	LINE group
Best for	Businesses and brands talking to customers	People who share an interest and do not know each other	Family, friends, colleagues, small teams
Who can open one	Individuals and businesses; free to create	LINE users	LINE users
Size	Measured in friends; each friend chats with you one to one	5,000 by default, expandable on request	Up to 499 invitees (500 members with the creator); 99 with Members join automatically turned on
How people join	Add as a friend by QR code, link or account ID; verified accounts appear in LINE search	Link, QR code or OpenChat search; a password or approval can be required	Invitation by a member, QR code or link
What others see	Account name and profile picture	The nickname and picture you set for that OpenChat	Your LINE profile
How you message	Broadcasts, targeted messages, one-to-one chat	Post in the chat room; admins and authorized co-admins can use @All once an hour	Post in the chat room; @All is available
Cost	Free plan in each country: 200 messages a month in Taiwan and Japan, 300 in Thailand; paid plans differ by country	No message plan like an Official Account	No message plan like an Official Account
Business tools	Rich menus, coupons, reward cards, auto-replies, chat tags, LINE Call	In Taiwan, an OA shop entrance can be linked	None
Commercial promotion	Made for businesses	Activities for the purpose of commercial advertising are prohibited	Taiwan's chat terms describe non-commercial chats

Which one should a business use?

To send offers, answer customers or run a membership: use an Official Account. Once customers add you, you can broadcast, target messages and reply one to one, with rich menus, coupons and reward cards.
To let people with a shared interest talk to each other: use OpenChat. Examples are study groups and hobby communities. Members can use a different nickname and picture and do not need to know who the others are. It is a place to talk, not ad space.
For staff schedules, internal contact or a few partners: use a group. Members know each other and use their own LINE profile.

You can use all three. A common split is an Official Account for customers, a group for your team, and an OpenChat if you want to run a community around a shared interest.

Can you sell in LINE OpenChat?

Check LINE's rules first. OpenChat is available only in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, and LINE's Help Center lists engaging in activities for the purpose of commercial advertising among the main prohibited activities. If you break the rules, LINE says you will be told the reason and your account may be suspended for a period such as a few hours, a day, a week or 30 days. While suspended you may be unable to send messages in any OpenChat or to create OpenChats or notes.

In Taiwan and Thailand the rules come from the LY Corporation Common Terms of Use, whose Article 14 prohibits engaging in sales, publicity, advertisement, solicitation or any other act for profit. Japan has its own Regulations for Prohibited Acts in OpenChat: apart from posts LINE can judge to come from an identified poster, to be clearly legal and not to harm a safe environment, using OpenChat for commercial or advertising purposes is prohibited. Buying and selling goods and job recruitment are listed as content to be deleted.

In Taiwan, LINE's own way to connect the two is the LINE Official Account shop tool (開店幫手). Once linked, the chat room shows a shop icon at the top and a shop banner above the menu. You can only link an OpenChat where you are the top admin. LINE's help pages do not say whether posting products after linking counts as commercial promotion.

Each OpenChat may also have its own rules. Before posting in someone else's OpenChat, read the announcement or ask an admin.

Can an Official Account join a group?

Yes, but a LINE user has to invite it. The LINE Official Account help center says official accounts can only join group chats when they are invited by a LINE user, so the account does not create the group itself. Only one Official Account can be in a group chat or multi-person chat at a time.

Accounts using the Messaging API must first turn on Allow bot to join group chats in the Messaging API tab of the LINE Developers Console. It is off by default.

On cost: when you push a message to a chat through the Messaging API, the count is the number of people who receive it. LINE's example is a five-person chat room counting as five messages. Reply messages are not counted.

We found nothing in LINE's official pages saying an Official Account can join an OpenChat as a member. The connection LINE documents is the Taiwan shop tool above.

Next steps

Opening an Official Account: see How to create a LINE Official Account: free setup on desktop and mobile.
Working out what messages cost: see How are LINE Official Account messages counted? Formula, free quota and add-on costs.
Starting an OpenChat: see How to create a LINE OpenChat: phone and PC steps, and what to set up first.
OpenChat and groups in detail: see LINE OpenChat vs LINE group: members, anonymity and joining compared.

FAQ

Q: What is the difference between a LINE Official Account and a personal account?

An Official Account is a service that lets companies and shops create an account on LINE and share information with users who add them as a friend. A personal account is the one you use to talk to your own contacts.

Q: What is the difference between a LINE Official Account and a group?

With an Official Account, each friend chats with you one to one, and you can broadcast to all friends. In a group, all members talk in one chat room. Businesses use an Official Account for customers; people who know each other use a group.

Q: Can an Official Account create a group?

It does not create one itself. The LINE Official Account help center says official accounts can only join group chats when they are invited by a LINE user.

Q: How many Official Accounts can be in one group?

One at a time. The LINE Developers documentation says this, and the same applies to multi-person chats.

Q: Can a shop sell things in LINE OpenChat?

Check the rules first. LINE lists activities for the purpose of commercial advertising as prohibited in OpenChat, and breaking the rules can lead to a suspension. In Taiwan, the Official Account shop tool can show a shop entrance in an OpenChat you manage.

Q: Does a LINE Official Account cost money?

Creating one is free, and each country has a free plan: 200 messages a month in Taiwan and Japan, 300 in Thailand. Paid plans and prices differ by country. Broadcasts are counted by target friends.

Q: Can I use OpenChat and an Official Account together?

Yes. Use OpenChat for people who share an interest, and the Official Account for messaging customers and support.

Sources

Platform rules and numbers change; each platform's current official pages prevail. Items marked “News” are media reports, not official statements.

Want more Official Account friends or OpenChat members?

Added friends and members are service accounts; they do not bring real customer interaction or orders. Prices and quantities follow the service page.

See LINE services