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WhatsApp · Choosing Your Setup

Business App vs Cloud API vs Coexistence

Three different ways a hotel's WhatsApp number can work with this CRM — what each one actually gives up and gains, sourced from Meta's own documentation, plus answers to the questions that come up most.

Quick comparison

 WhatsApp Business AppCloud API onlyCoexistence
Cost to run Free Free tier, then per-conversation pricing by template category Same pricing as Cloud API
This CRM sees messages? No Yes — every message Yes — every message, both directions
Staff can still use the phone app? Yes (it's the only option) No — number is fully moved to the API Yes — same number works on both at once
AI auto-replies / lead qualification No Yes Yes
Devices 1 primary phone + up to 4 linked Unlimited (server-side, no device concept) Up to 4 companion devices — Windows/WearOS apps unsupported, unlinked on connect
Throughput Normal person-to-person speed No fixed cap Capped at 20 messages/sec combined across app + API
Features disabled None — full app N/A (no app in use) Disappearing messages, view-once messages, live location, broadcast lists
Setup complexity None — install and go Moderate — Cloud API + webhook setup Highest — everything Cloud API needs, plus Tech Provider status, Business/Access Verification, and App Review for a third-party integrator

Sources: throughput cap, device restrictions, disabled features, and the 24-hour history-sync window are from Meta's own Onboard WhatsApp Business App users documentation. General Business App vs Cloud API framing (device caps, broadcast list limits, pricing model) is corroborated by third-party integrator docs (Infobip, bitbybit) where Meta's own docs don't state it directly.

Merits & demerits of each

WhatsApp Business App

Good for

  • A single person or very small team handling messages directly
  • Zero setup — install and start replying
  • No cost, ever

Gives up

  • No CRM visibility — messages live only on the phone
  • No automation, AI replies, or lead tracking
  • No way to see who on the team replied to what
  • Broadcast lists capped at 256 contacts who've saved your number

Cloud API only

Good for

  • A number dedicated purely to automation/CRM, no human app needed
  • Highest throughput, no companion-device limits
  • Simplest of the two API-based options to set up (no Coexistence-specific App Review hurdles)

Gives up

  • The number can no longer be used on the WhatsApp Business mobile app at all
  • Any existing app-based chat history stays on the old app installation — not recoverable via API, regardless of provider
  • Staff lose the native app UI unless the CRM fully replaces it

Coexistence

Good for

  • A number that's already live and trusted on the phone — no disruption, no lost history
  • Staff keep their familiar app while the CRM gains full visibility and automation
  • Gradual adoption — nothing forces an all-or-nothing switch

Gives up

  • 20 mps throughput cap — the tightest of the three at real scale
  • Disappearing/view-once/live-location messages and broadcast lists stop working after connecting
  • History sync must finish within 24 hours or the number is fully offboarded and the flow must restart
  • By far the most setup work — Tech Provider status, Business Verification, Access Verification, and App Review, if the connecting app belongs to a different business than the one being onboarded (the normal case for an agency like this one)

FAQ

The questions that came up most while setting this up for real.

Will I lose my existing chat history if I switch to Cloud API or Coexistence?

With plain Cloud API, yes — the number moves off the app entirely, and old app-side chat history isn't recoverable through any API, from any provider. That's not a limitation of this system specifically; Meta simply doesn't expose historical app chats through any integration path.

With Coexistence, no — the number keeps running on the app exactly as before, so nothing is lost. Coexistence can also sync up to 180 days of prior history into the CRM (in chunks, over up to 24 hours), separate from the ongoing live sync.

Do I need to become a "Tech Provider" for this?

Only for Coexistence when the connecting Meta App belongs to a different business than the hotel being onboarded — which is the normal case for an agency managing multiple hotel clients. Plain Cloud API doesn't require Tech Provider status if you're managing your own single number.

Can a hotel's own Meta App be used for its own Coexistence connection?

No — Meta blocks a business from sharing its WhatsApp account with an app that business already owns ("this business portfolio owns Developer APP, you can only select other business portfolios"). The connecting app must belong to a genuinely different business. See the Coexistence setup guide for the full walkthrough.

What happens if history sync doesn't finish in time?

Per Meta's own documentation, the business is fully offboarded from Coexistence and has to restart the connection flow from scratch. Keep the phone online and the app active during the sync window.

Does message history synced into the CRM automatically become leads?

No, deliberately not. Synced history mixes staff-sent messages, personal contacts, and possibly group chats — none of which safely indicate a real lead. It's stored raw for a future manual/assisted review pass, not auto-converted. Each hotel's Settings page has a "Coexistence event log" link showing what's actually captured (staff app messages and contact syncs).

Is 20 messages/second actually a meaningful limit?

For a single hotel's guest/lead conversations, almost never — that's over a thousand messages a minute. It only becomes relevant at genuine bulk-broadcast scale, which is exactly the scenario Coexistence isn't meant for; plain Cloud API is the right choice there instead.

Which option should a new hotel client actually pick?

Already has a trusted number live on the app, with real contacts/history staff don't want to lose: Coexistence.

Starting fresh, or fine with staff no longer using the app on that number: plain Cloud API — simpler to set up, no App Review hurdle, no throughput cap.

Further reading (Meta's own docs):

Onboard WhatsApp Business App users (Coexistence)
Embedded Signup implementation guide
Embedded Signup overview
WhatsApp Cloud API — Get Started