Meta has three partner types for businesses that provide WhatsApp services to other businesses: Solution Partners, Tech Providers, and Tech Partners. If you build software that onboards other businesses, Tech Provider is the tier you can reach on your own: verify your business and pass Meta’s app review, and you can start signing up clients with direct support from Meta. Tech Partner is the upgrade once your app averages 2,500 messages or 200 calls a day and has at least 10 active clients, and it adds Meta Business Partner benefits such as training, analytics reports, and client matching. Solution Partner is the only tier with a credit line, so it is the one to look for if you want your provider to pay Meta and send you one invoice, with no payment method of your own and no bill from Meta.
Key Takeaways
- A software platform reaches Tech Provider status on its own through business verification and Meta’s App Review, and its clients pay Meta directly.
- Tech Partner adds training, analytics reports, and client matching from Meta once a Tech Provider reaches 2,500 daily messages or 200 daily calls, 10 active clients, and a 90% quality rating, still with no credit line.
- Only Solution Partners hold a credit line, so only they can pay Meta for your WhatsApp usage and invoice you for it.
- A Tech Provider’s clients can share a Solution Partner’s credit line through a Multi-Partner Solution.
- 360Dialog is an Official Meta Solution Partner: software platforms working with us can start onboarding numbers right away, register as a Meta Tech Provider once they pass 3 numbers, give their clients our credit line through a Multi-Partner Solution, and pay no markup on Meta fees.
What Are Meta’s WhatsApp Partner Tiers?
Meta’s WhatsApp partner tiers are the three ways a company can sell WhatsApp services to other businesses, and the tier your provider holds decides who sends you the bill for WhatsApp usage.[1]
- Solution Partner: a partner Meta has vetted, offering the full range of WhatsApp Business Platform services with a credit line, an arrangement in which the partner pays Meta for its clients’ usage and invoices them.
- Tech Provider: a company offering the same services, alone or with a Solution Partner, without a credit line, so clients add their own payment method, Meta bills them for API usage (the messages their software sends through WhatsApp), and the Tech Provider bills for its other services.
- Tech Partner: a Tech Provider that is, or is eligible to become, a “Meta Business Partner”, one of the companies Meta has vetted for technical skills and services.[2]
Meta calls the Solution Partner route a lengthy process and points companies that need no credit line, and no direct invoicing of clients for API usage, to the Tech Provider route.
360Dialog is an Official Meta Solution Partner and a WhatsApp business solution provider, so software companies on our Partner Platform work with a provider that holds a credit line. If your software onboards other businesses, talk to us about onboarding them on our Partner Platform with a credit line available through us.
Solution Partner, Tech Provider, and Tech Partner Compared
The credit line is the row that changes your bills: With a Solution Partner, your provider pays Meta and invoices you, and with a Tech Provider or Tech Partner, Meta bills you directly.
| Solution Partner | Tech Provider | Tech Partner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full WhatsApp Business Platform services | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit line | Yes | No | No |
| Clients skip payment method collection | Yes | No | No |
| Bills clients directly for API usage | Yes | No (Meta bills the client) | No (Meta bills the client) |
| Is a “Meta Business Partner” | Yes | No | Yes |
| Accelerator program eligibility | Yes | No | Yes |
| Direct Support from Meta | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Embedded Signup, Meta’s in-product sign-up flow | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Starts WhatsApp Business account creation for a client | Yes | No | No |
| Partner-led business verification | Select Solution and Premier Solution Partners only | No | No |
| Access tokens (credentials sent with API calls) | Business tokens; system token only when sharing the credit line | Business tokens only | Business tokens only |
If who pays Meta is what decides your provider, compare our pricing and see what you pay with no markup on Meta fees.
What a Tech Provider Is and What It Takes to Become One
A Tech Provider is a company whose app onboards other businesses to WhatsApp, and you reach the status yourself by verifying your business and passing Meta’s review of your app. You need a Meta app with the WhatsApp use case and a connected business portfolio, the Meta account that represents your company.[3]
- Business verification: Meta checks your business details, may ask for documents, and must finish before App Review; our business verification guide covers each stage.
- App Review: App Review is Meta’s check of your app before it grants permissions. You add an icon, privacy policy, and category, then submit two videos: a message sent from your app and received in WhatsApp, and your app creating a message template, a reusable message format Meta approves before you send it.
Approval grants Advanced access to whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management, so your app can send messages for clients and manage their WhatsApp Business accounts (WABAs), the accounts that hold each business’s WhatsApp numbers and billing.
Meta then asks you to choose “Onboard with a Solution Partner”, which adds a “Create a partner solution” step with the partner’s app ID, or “Onboard without a partner”. Confirmed Tech Providers get all support channels, onboard clients through Embedded Signup, set up webhooks (the address where WhatsApp delivers events to your app), and have each client add a credit card. Our step-by-step Tech Provider guide covers every screen.
Tech Partner: The Upgrade for Tech Providers at Scale
Tech Partner is the status a Tech Provider can apply for once its app carries real volume, and it gives your team training and support, analytics reports, client matching, and “access to additional WhatsApp messaging solutions and configuration options”. Meta sets four criteria:
- All Tech Provider setup steps completed;
- 2,500 or more average daily messages, sent or received, or 200 or more average daily calls, over the last 7 days;
- 10 or more active clients that sent at least 1 message through your app in the last 30 days;
- A business phone number quality rating of 90% or better.
The upgrade runs in the App Dashboard under WhatsApp > Quickstart > Become a Partner: apply to “Meta Business Partners” with the WhatsApp Specialty, sign up for the Partner Portal, and enroll in the Business Messaging Accelerate Program. Meta expects the approvals to take a few weeks. Meta makes the decision, so no provider can grant the status, and approved Tech Partners become eligible for the “Meta Business Partner SMB Accelerator Program” while still having no credit line.
Solution Partner: The Tier with the Credit Line
A Solution Partner pays Meta for its clients’ WhatsApp usage through its credit line and sends those clients one invoice, so a business working with one receives no WhatsApp bill from Meta. Clients onboarded through Embedded Signup get access to its credit line; they pay the Solution Partner, which receives an aggregated invoice and pays Meta.[4] As the “Bill To Party”, the partner is liable for all WhatsApp Business Platform spend of the businesses sharing its credit line. If a client unshares its WABA with the partner, Meta blocks all messaging on it to protect the credit line.
Only Solution Partners can start a WABA for a client in Meta Business Suite; invitations expire after 90 days, and the partner shares its credit line through the API because the client cannot add a payment method.[5] Meta’s approved Select Solution and Premier Solution Partners can also verify a client’s business, with decisions averaging 5 minutes; after three rejected submissions, the client verifies on its own.[6]
Clients of a Solution Partner skip accepting the WhatsApp Business Platform Terms of Service, because the partner accepts them.[7] Meta’s Solution Partner guide covers the technical setup, including registering Embedded Signup numbers within 14 days.
How Multi-Partner Solutions Connect a Tech Provider to a Solution Partner
A Multi-Partner Solution lets a Tech Provider team up with a Solution Partner, so the platform’s clients share the Solution Partner’s credit line and skip the separate bill from Meta.[8] Either partner creates it in the App Dashboard under WhatsApp > Partner solutions with the other’s app ID, and the other accepts or declines, a decision that becomes final once accepted. Apps that call the API need App Review approval for both permissions and an account_updates webhook subscription.
Either or both partners can host Embedded Signup, which shows both business portfolios. Tech Providers in a solution can onboard up to 200 new clients in a rolling one-week period, counting only clients new to the WhatsApp Business Platform.
As an Official Meta Solution Partner, 360Dialog lets the software companies it works with onboard numbers right away; registering as a Meta Tech Provider becomes a requirement beyond 3 numbers.[9] We approve each Multi-Partner Solution, credit lines are available through us, and WABAs created through it appear in our Partner Hub and Partner API. A solution cannot connect 360Dialog with another BSP (Business Solution Provider, a company providing WhatsApp Business API access to other businesses). Our Tech Provider Program documentation covers the setup.
Which Tier Do You Need?
The tier you need depends on whom you message and who should pay Meta, and a business messaging only its own customers needs none of them.
- You message only your own customers: Meta points you to its Cloud API Get Started guide. Whether to use the WhatsApp Cloud API directly or through a provider is a separate decision.
- You serve clients only through Meta Business Suite, without API access: you need a verified business portfolio, and clients share their WABA with you.
- You build software that onboards other businesses: start as a Tech Provider, with or without a Solution Partner; our guide on building WhatsApp into your SaaS covers the product side.
- You are a Tech Provider meeting the thresholds above: apply for Tech Partner to gain training, analytics reports, and client matching from Meta.
- You want a credit line and to invoice clients for API usage yourself: become a Solution Partner, or build a Multi-Partner Solution with one.
How to Check Which Tier Your WhatsApp Provider Uses
Your billing setup is the quickest check: If you added your own payment method after onboarding, your provider set you up without a Solution Partner’s credit line, and if you never entered one, a Solution Partner’s credit line covers your account. Three further checks confirm it:
- The sign-up screens: a Multi-Partner Solution’s Embedded Signup flow shows both partners’ business portfolios and states that you grant access to both.
- The Solutions API, for developers:
GET /<WABA_ID>/solutionslists the solutions that onboarded a WABA. - A direct question: ask your provider whether it is a Solution Partner, Tech Partner, or Tech Provider, and whether a credit line applies to your account.
If you want your number connected through an Official Meta Solution Partner that holds a credit line, get API access with 360Dialog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Meta Tech Provider the Same as a Tech Partner?
A Tech Partner is a Tech Provider that is, or is eligible to become, one of the partners Meta has vetted for technical skills and services, and Meta lists the two as separate partner types. Tech Partner status adds training, analytics reports, client matching, and access to additional messaging solutions and configuration options. Neither type holds a credit line.
Can a Tech Provider Give Me a Credit Line?
A Tech Provider has no credit line of its own, so it has none to extend to you. Its clients can share a Solution Partner’s credit line when both partners build a Multi-Partner Solution and onboard clients through Embedded Signup configured with that solution’s ID.
Who Bills Me for WhatsApp Messages If My Provider Is a Tech Provider?
Meta bills you for WhatsApp API usage through the payment method you add after onboarding, and the Tech Provider bills you for its own services. A provider that pays Meta and invoices you for usage is a Solution Partner, reached directly or through a Multi-Partner Solution.
Does a Tech Provider Get Support From Meta?
Tech Providers get Direct Support from Meta, which Meta lists for all three partner types in its comparison table. Once a Tech Provider is confirmed, it has access to all of Meta’s support channels, and that access continues after an upgrade to Tech Partner.
Can a Provider Make Me a Tech Partner?
Tech Partner status comes from Meta alone, through an upgrade flow in the App Dashboard and an application to Meta’s partner program with the WhatsApp Specialty. Your app must first meet Meta’s thresholds for messages or calls, active clients, and quality rating, and the process will likely take a few weeks.
Sources
[1] Meta for Developers, “Partners overview” (WhatsApp Business Platform). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/overview Accessed October 7, 2026.
[2] Meta for Developers, “Upgrading to a Tech Partner”. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/upgrade-to-tech-partner Accessed October 7, 2026.
[3] Meta for Developers, “Become a Tech Provider”. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/get-started-for-tech-providers Accessed October 7, 2026.
[4] Meta for Developers, “Managing credit lines”. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/share-and-revoke-credit-lines Accessed October 7, 2026.
[5] Meta for Developers, “Partner-initiated WABA creation”. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/partner-initiated-waba-creation Accessed October 7, 2026.
[6] Meta for Developers, “Partner-led Business Verification”. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/partner-led-business-verification Accessed October 7, 2026.
[7] Meta for Developers, “Get started as a Solution Partner”. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/get-started-for-solution-partners Accessed October 7, 2026.
[8] Meta for Developers, “Multi-Partner Solutions”. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/multi-partner-solutions Accessed October 7, 2026.
[9] 360Dialog Documentation, “Tech Provider Program”. https://docs.360dialog.com/partner/get-started/tech-provider-program Accessed October 7, 2026.
