How to Get the WhatsApp Business API: Connect Directly to Meta's Cloud API (No BSP Needed)

To get the WhatsApp Business API, you create your own WhatsApp Business account with Meta, register a phone number and display name, add your own payment method in Meta, and connect the account to Meta’s Cloud API. You do not need a Business Solution Provider (BSP) in between. You can build on the Cloud API yourself or use software that connects your own account directly, so you keep the account and the number, Meta bills you directly and nobody marks up Meta’s message fees.

This guide explains what the API is today, the two ways to get access, why we recommend the direct route, the step-by-step setup, the limits you start with and how to choose the software your team will work in.

What is the WhatsApp Business API today?

The WhatsApp Business API, officially the WhatsApp Business Platform, is how businesses message customers on WhatsApp through software instead of a single phone. It supports several agents on one number, chatbots, approved template messages, campaigns and integrations.

Today, access means the Cloud API, which Meta hosts. The older On-Premises API, which businesses or providers ran on their own servers, is retired: Meta says its final supported client version expired on October 23, 2025, that it can no longer be used to message WhatsApp users, and that businesses should use the Cloud API instead.

That matters for this decision. Every route to the API, whether you build it yourself, use software or go through a provider, ends up on the same Meta-hosted Cloud API. The difference is who owns the account, who pays Meta and what sits between you and Meta.

Two ways to get the WhatsApp Business API

1. Directly with Meta’s Cloud API

You own the business portfolio, the WhatsApp Business account (WABA) and the phone number. You add your own payment method in Meta, and Meta bills you directly for messages at its published rates. From there you either:

• Build on the API yourself: create a Meta app, generate access tokens, set up webhooks and build your own agent interface, or
• Use software that connects your own account directly, like MonoChat. You sign up through Meta’s own Embedded Signup window inside the software, and the software gives your team the inbox, templates and automation.

2. Through a BSP or reseller

Meta’s documentation describes Solution Partners, Meta Business Partners that can extend their own credit line to clients and bill them for API usage, and Tech Providers, whose clients add their own payment method and are billed by Meta. Many resellers sit on top of these arrangements.

Some providers own the billing relationship, so you pay Meta’s fees through them. Some add a per-message markup or require prepaid credit, and in some setups the account sits under the provider’s credit line or portfolio, which can make moving your number to another platform slower. None of this is true of every provider, but it is worth checking before you sign.

Direct Cloud API vs a BSP: side by side

	Direct Cloud API (your own account)	Through a BSP or reseller
Who owns the WhatsApp Business account	You, in your own business portfolio	Usually you, but some setups tie it to the provider’s credit line or portfolio
Who bills you for messages	Meta, directly, with your own payment method	Often the provider, through its credit line or prepaid balance
Markup on Meta fees	None from Meta; check that your software adds none	Some providers add a per-message markup
Switching software later	Connect your account to other software; your number and billing stay with you	Can require a migration and coordination with the provider
Setup time	Minutes with Embedded Signup in software; longer if you build your own integration	Minutes to days, depending on the provider
Platform and features	Official Cloud API	The same official Cloud API

Why MonoChat recommends connecting directly to the Cloud API

• You own what you build. Your business portfolio, WhatsApp Business account, phone number, display name, templates and quality history stay yours. Meta’s Embedded Signup documentation states that businesses onboarded through it own all their WhatsApp assets and keep access to WhatsApp Manager.
• Transparent pricing. Meta bills you directly at its rate card, so the message costs you see in Meta Business Suite are the costs you pay.
• No lock-in. If you change software, your account, number and billing relationship do not have to move.
• Nothing is missing. Because every route runs on the same Cloud API, a direct connection gets the same messaging, templates, Flows and calling features, subject to Meta’s own eligibility rules.

What you need before you start

• A Facebook account or managed Meta account to log in, and a Meta business portfolio (formerly Business Manager). You can create the portfolio during sign-up.
• A phone number you own, with a country and area code, that can receive a verification code by SMS or voice call. Short codes are not supported.
• A plan for that number. If it is already active on WhatsApp, either keep it in the WhatsApp Business app and add the API with Coexistence, or delete it from WhatsApp before registering it on the API.
• A display name that clearly represents your business. Meta reviews it.
• A payment method to add in Meta for message fees.
• Official business details and documents for business verification. You can verify later, but it unlocks higher limits.
• An opt-in plan. Meta requires that people agree to receive messages from your business and that you follow applicable law.

How to get the WhatsApp Business API with MonoChat, step by step

MonoChat is an official Meta Business Partner that connects your own WhatsApp Business account directly to Meta’s Cloud API. If you are still deciding whether you need the API at all, read WhatsApp Business app vs API first.

1. Create your MonoChat account

Sign up at app.monochat.ai. The free Basic plan includes one agent and one channel; other plans are on the pricing page.

2. Start the WhatsApp connection with Embedded Signup

In MonoChat, start the WhatsApp connection. Meta’s Embedded Signup window opens: you log in with your Facebook or Meta business credentials, accept Meta’s terms and allow MonoChat to access your WhatsApp assets.

3. Create or select your business portfolio and WhatsApp Business account

Choose an existing business portfolio or create one, then select or create your WhatsApp Business account. Embedded Signup creates the assets you need, and they belong to your business, not to MonoChat.

4. Add your phone number and display name

Enter your business phone number and the display name customers will see instead of the number. Add a profile photo, description, address and website to your WhatsApp profile as well.

If the number already runs in the WhatsApp Business app, choose to connect your existing app number instead. With Coexistence, you confirm the connection in the app, keep using it on your phone and can sync recent chat history. See the glossary entry on Coexistence for the details.

5. Verify your number

Choose to receive the code by SMS or voice call and enter it to confirm you own the number.

6. Add your payment method in Meta

Add your own payment method to your WhatsApp Business account in Meta. Meta needs billing set up before you can send charged messages, and it bills you directly. MonoChat does not resell Meta’s messages or add a markup on Meta’s fees.

7. Verify your business

Business verification confirms your company’s identity using official documents in your business portfolio. It is not required to start, but it is one way to raise your messaging limit and phone number cap.

8. Create your first templates

To start a conversation, or to message someone after the 24-hour customer service window closes, you need an approved template. In MonoChat you create and submit template messages for review, which can take up to 24 hours. A simple first utility template:

Hi {{1}}, thanks for your order #{{2}}. We will message you here as soon as it ships.

For more ideas, see our WhatsApp template message examples.

9. Invite your team and switch on automation

Invite agents to the unified team inbox, where routing and assignment hand each conversation to the right person with the customer’s history. Connect an AI assistant for common questions and use workflow automation to send messages when something happens in your business. Then add a WhatsApp button, link or QR code wherever customers find you, and collect opt-in where you take phone numbers.

Limits you start with, and how to raise them

Limit	Starting point	How it grows
Messaging limit (unique customers you can message outside the service window, rolling 24 hours)	250 per business portfolio	Raise to 2,000 by verifying your business, having your partner verify it, or sending 2,000 delivered high-quality template messages to unique numbers in 30 days. Then automatic scaling to 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited.
Registered business phone numbers	2 per business portfolio	Rises to 20 when your business is verified or reaches the 2,000 messaging limit

All phone numbers in a portfolio share one messaging limit, so a busy number can use the whole allowance. After the first increase, Meta raises your limit based on message quality and how much of your current limit you use. Replies to customers who write to you first are not limited by these numbers.

How much it costs

Meta charges per delivered message, by category (marketing, utility, authentication or service) and the recipient’s country code. Since October 1, 2026, Meta also charges service messages, the free-form replies inside the 24-hour window. With a direct connection, these fees go straight from Meta to your payment method, with no markup in between.

Your software subscription is separate. For current rates, free allowances and worked examples, read WhatsApp API pricing, and estimate your own volume with the bulk messaging calculator.

How to choose WhatsApp API software

Use these checks to compare options:

1. Does it connect your own account directly to the Cloud API? Look for sign-up through Meta’s Embedded Signup into your own business portfolio and WhatsApp Business account.
2. Does Meta bill you directly? Your own payment method in Meta, not a prepaid balance with the vendor.
3. Is there any markup on Meta fees? The answer should be no, in writing.
4. Do you keep the number? You should be able to take your account and number to other software without asking permission.
5. Is it an official Meta Business Partner? Check that the vendor connects through the official WhatsApp Business Platform.
6. What does your team get? A shared inbox with routing and assignment, template management, campaigns, AI assistants, workflows and Coexistence support.
7. How does it handle data and security? Ask where conversation data is stored, who can access it and how access is controlled.

When might a BSP still make sense?

A BSP can be a reasonable choice in a few cases: if you cannot add your own payment method in Meta and need a provider’s credit line instead, or if you want a provider to handle billing and onboarding as a managed service. Even then, confirm that the WhatsApp Business account sits in your own portfolio and ask how a number migration would work. For most businesses, our recommendation stays the same: connect your own account directly to Meta’s Cloud API.

Sources

• Meta for Developers: About the WhatsApp Business Platform
• Meta for Developers: Get started with the Cloud API
• Meta for Developers: On-Premises API sunset
• Meta for Developers: Embedded Signup
• Meta for Developers: Solution Providers overview
• Meta for Developers: Business phone numbers
• Meta for Developers: Messaging limits
• Meta for Developers: Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform
• Meta for Developers: Pricing updates for service messages
• Meta for Developers: Onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (Coexistence)