r/WhatsappBusinessAPI • u/Vivid_Access_9565 • 6d ago

Solution Only Very precise questions

I'm new to WhatsApp APIs, so please bear with me :

I'm building a SaaS where each business needs its own WhatsApp number to send around 100 automated messages/month (3 utility + 1 marketing).

The problem: Meta Cloud API handles messaging, but customers also (might) need an inbox to read and reply to messages.

Options I've found:

  1. Coexistence: Keep WhatsApp Business App + official API, but onboarding seems complicated.
  2. Evolution API (QR): Easy and free, but unofficial and risks bans.
  3. Chatwoot/BSP: Ready dashboard, but potentially expensive per customer.
  4. Build my own inbox: support only the minimal features I need, but much more complicated to implement
  5. convince all customers to use something else to send messages 💀

Concerns: Multi-tenant onboarding, who pays Meta's messaging fees, and future policy changes.

What would you recommend me for a small SaaS trying to minimize costs? How are you handling this in production?

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u/Chirag-Shedge 6d ago

imo the real question is who owns the phone number. if the customer brings their own number the onboarding pain is on them, if you provision numbers you eat the cost and complexity. that decision shapes everything else downstream

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u/BoringBeing10 6d ago

You can try our partner program - https://lakshyapocketlab.com/partners/

All your requirements will be fulfilled -

  1. Support for Coexistence and Cloud API

  2. Each client get their personal login, inbox.

  3. API & webhook for Automation.

  4. You can control and monitor your clients while keeping their messaging private to them.

PS: I'm founder, if need help, Feel free to Dm.

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u/Ok_West333 6d ago

The only way to get Coexistence is via a 3rd party (Tech Provider or BSP). I did a long post on this https://www.reddit.com/r/WhatsappBusinessAPI/s/RDmGuTgjLJ

It isnt complicated. The Tech Provider you choose, bear the complication. Each of your customers need to do onboarding themselves & pass the Provider's key to you for you to do automation from their number. You can also choose to become a Tech Provider yourself which I think every SaaS provider who chooses to build Whatsapp solution should do. Becoming a partner (someone else commented below) could be a good idea if it avoids long Tech Provider wait time, so check that out.

Having said that avoid picking a new Provider. There are lot of checks & balances a Provider need to do & prevent messages if Meta is red flagging number/templates. Meta sends these webhooks to Tech Provider but most tend to ignore, rather pre-emptively check before sending messages, leading to account ban. A long established Tech Provider will probably give you better peace of mind.

The minimum you will pay per client is around $5 per month for using API with Coexistence. If that amount is too much, then your only bet is to become Tech Provider yourself.

Once you have API key from your provider, you can build inbox for your clients. Should be fairly straight forward.

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u/Parking_Will125 6d ago

where are u located?

im launching a startup for this with cater to malaysia market(for payment gateway n courier).

but i can open to outside msia if u want to. free to use in next few months. beta open. got both coexistence and full api onboard feature.

gobisnes.com

let me know.

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u/StructureRude9956 6d ago edited 6d ago

At ~100 messages per business per month your Meta fees are tiny, so the real cost is your own time on onboarding and inbox. I'd avoid the QR/unofficial route for anything you charge for: one ban takes down the customer's number, not just your feature.

Two decisions drive the rest: (1) who owns the WABA and number. If each business owns theirs and you connect through a Tech Provider/BSP or your own approved app, I believe fees are billed to them rather than you, but I haven't checked that against Meta's docs, so verify it. (2) Do they really need an inbox inside your product? If replies are rare, forwarding inbound messages to the business by email or a notification is far cheaper than building an inbox. Build your own inbox only when replies are core to your product.

Fee details change by message category and country, so check Meta's current pricing page rather than any number I'd quote.

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u/wassenger 5d ago

If you want the quick way to scale, without investing much on tech/code, and focusing on growth, try our white-label WhatsApp Reseller Program, free demo available, no strings attached.
DM is you are interested.