A BSP sits between Meta and the business. It handles onboarding, connects the business to the Cloud API and provides support, so the business does not have to integrate with WhatsApp directly.
The three partner types differ mostly on billing. Solution Partners hold a credit line with Meta that they can extend to their clients, and they invoice those clients for WhatsApp usage themselves. Tech Providers have no credit line: their clients add their own payment method and Meta bills them directly for messages, while the provider bills for its software. Tech Partners are Tech Providers that are also Meta Business Partners.
Many providers add software on top of the raw API: campaign builders, a shared team inbox, chatbots, analytics, and integrations with platforms like Shopify. This is the product most merchants actually interact with, and the business keeps ownership of its WhatsApp assets when it is onboarded through Embedded Signup.
A business can also use the Cloud API without any provider, with its own developers. For a Shopify store, the WhatsApp Business API for Shopify page explains how Kanal connects the store to the official API without code.
