WhatsApp Multi-Tenant System: BSP vs Meta Direct for Early Stage?

Hey everyone 👋

Building a WhatsApp booking chatbot for barbershops (N8N + Supabase). Each salon gets their own number, all routed to one centralized workflow. Currently using Meta Direct with Partner Shared model, but the onboarding is killing me - barbershop owners need to create Meta Business Manager, navigate WABA setup, grant partner access... and I'm still figuring out the credential management myself (system user tokens vs app tokens, rotation, which exact credentials to use for each client). It's intimidating non-tech clients, takes 3-14 days per salon, and honestly the credential complexity is a headache even on my end.

I'm pre-incorporation, trying to validate with my first 5-10 paying clients in the next 2 months. Considering switching to a BSP like Spoki for simpler client onboarding and clearer API credentials on my side. Worried about per-conversation fees, vendor lock-in, and rebuilding N8N integration from scratch though. All my messages are user-initiated responses (free with Meta), so messaging costs aren't the issue - it's the onboarding friction + credential confusion slowing me down right now.

Question: Would you eat the BSP costs/complexity for faster initial traction, knowing you might migrate to Meta Direct later? Or push through Meta's learning curve and accept painful onboarding for first clients? Anyone dealt with similar multi-tenant WhatsApp onboarding + credential management challenges?

Thanks! 🙏

10 comments