WhatsApp BSP vs Meta's Cloud API vs a tool like Linkubit: what each is, what each costs, and which you need
Meta hosts the API for free; a BSP resells it and usually hosts software on top; a tool on the Cloud API connects your number through Embedded Signup with no reseller in between. The questions to ask any provider before connecting a number.
Meta hosts the WhatsApp Business Platform itself — the Cloud API — for free. A Business Solution Provider (BSP) is a company Meta lists that resells access and usually hosts the software on top. A tool like Linkubit connects your number to Meta's Cloud API directly through Embedded Signup and provides the inbox, the assistant and the campaigns; there is no BSP in the middle and no mark-up on Meta's price. Which you need depends on whether you want to build software or use it.
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Three things people mean by "WhatsApp API provider"
| What it is | Who it is for | What you pay | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta's Cloud API, directly | Meta hosts the messaging; you write the software that sends and receives | A business with developers who want to build their own inbox and automation | Meta's per-message rate, nothing else |
| A BSP | A Meta-listed partner that resells the API and usually hosts an inbox, templates and campaigns on it | A business that wants a platform, often with a reseller relationship or an enterprise contract | A subscription, and often a per-message rate above Meta's |
| A tool on the Cloud API — Linkubit | Software that connects your number to Meta's Cloud API through Embedded Signup and provides the product on top | A business that wants to use WhatsApp for sales without building anything | A subscription; Meta's per-message rate, unchanged |
What changed
Until 2022 the API was on-premises: the business or a BSP ran Meta's software on its own servers, and a BSP was the only practical way in. Meta's Cloud API replaced that, and Embedded Signup — the popup that connects a number to a provider's app in a few clicks — made the BSP layer optional. Today a BSP is a business relationship, not a technical requirement, and many tools that call themselves BSPs and many that do not run on the same Cloud API.
What to ask any provider
- Whose Meta account does my number live in? It should be yours — your Business portfolio, your WABA — so you can leave. A number in the provider's portfolio is a number you rent.
- What is the per-message price, printed? Meta's rate is public. A provider that prints a higher one is charging a mark-up; one that prints none is one you ask.
- Are webhooks subscribed for my WABA? The step a manual setup misses; a number that sends but never receives.
- What happens to my templates and my quality rating if I migrate? The rating and the badge move with the number; templates are resubmitted. A provider that says otherwise is guessing.
- Is the AI an add-on? Several platforms sell the assistant separately, per thousand messages. The comparisons show which.
When each is right
- Build on the Cloud API if you have engineers and a product of your own to put WhatsApp inside — a bank's app, a marketplace.
- A BSP if you are an enterprise that wants a contract, an account manager and SLAs, or an agency reselling WhatsApp to clients.
- A tool on the Cloud API if you are a business that sells by conversation and wants the inbox, the assistant, the templates and the payments to work on the first day. That is what Linkubit is; the number stays in your Meta account and the rate stays Meta's.
Is Linkubit a BSP?
No. Linkubit is not a BSP: it connects your number to Meta's Cloud API through Meta's own Embedded Signup and runs the product on top. Your WABA is in your own Business portfolio, and Meta bills the messages to it at Meta's rate.
Can I switch providers without losing my number?
Yes, if the number is in your own Business portfolio. Embedded Signup with the new provider migrates it in minutes; the badge and the quality rating come with it and the templates are resubmitted.
Do I still need a BSP for the green tick or a high messaging limit?
No. Both are Meta's decisions about your business and your number, made in your own Business Manager, whoever the provider is.
Read next
More on The WhatsApp Business PlatformLinkubit vs other toolsWhatsApp templatesCost calculatorPricing
Try it on your own number. Linkubit answers, qualifies and quotes on WhatsApp from your catalogue, and adds nothing to Meta’s per-message price. Start free — fourteen days of Pro, no card — or read the pricing.