WhatsApp has two integration paths and they are NOT interchangeable:
Cloud API — Meta-hosted, template-gated, conversation-priced.
Needs a WhatsApp Business Account and template approval. Send-only
without prior opt-in.
Pair-based gateway (what WhatIsUp is) — your own WhatsApp account
paired as a multi-device. Full primitive surface — groups, communities,
newsletters, stories, calls. No template gating.
Pick the column that matches your product reality.
Messaging
Primitive
Cloud API
WhatIsUp
Text, image, video, audio, document
✓
✓
Location, contact, sticker
✓
✓
Reaction, edit, delete
partial
✓
Reply / quote / forward
✓
✓
Read receipts (outbound)
✓
✓
Typing / recording indicator
✓
✓
Disappearing messages
partial
✓
Interactive (buttons / list)
✓
✓
Meta HSM templates
✓
not applicable
Plain messages without template-gating
✗
✓
Webhooks
Event
Cloud API
WhatIsUp
Inbound message
✓
✓
Delivery / sent / failed
✓
✓
Reactions
✓
✓
Read receipts (inbound)
✓
partial
Groups
Feature
Cloud API
WhatIsUp
Create / leave group
✗
✓
Update subject / picture / description
✗
✓
Manage participants / admins
✗
✓
Invite codes (get / rotate / accept)
✗
✓
Settings (announce / restrict / ephemeral)
✗
✓
Join applications (approve / reject)
✗
✓
Cloud API has no group surface. This is the headline differentiator.
Communities
Feature
Cloud API
WhatIsUp
Create community + sub-groups
✗
✓
Link / unlink existing groups
✗
✓
Newsletters (broadcast feeds)
Feature
Cloud API
WhatIsUp
Create / update / delete
✗
✓
Follow / unfollow / mute
✗
✓
Post message
✗
✓
Stories / Status
Feature
Cloud API
WhatIsUp
Send text / image / audio status
✗
✓
Send video status
✗
roadmap
List own / view tracking
✗
roadmap
Calls
Feature
Cloud API
WhatIsUp
Inbound call events (offered / terminated)
✗
✓
Reject inbound
✗
✓
Accept / outbound (audio plane)
✗
not supported
Business / Commerce
Feature
Cloud API
WhatIsUp
Catalogs (CRUD)
✓
✓
Products (CRUD + bulk import)
✓
✓
Inbound orders
✓
✓
Catalog messages (product list)
✓
partial
Carts
✓
roadmap
Collections
✓
roadmap
Meta Flows (structured forms)
✓
not applicable
Platform
Feature
Cloud API
WhatIsUp
OpenAPI 3.1 spec
✗
✓
llms.txt for agents
✗
✓
Webhook HMAC signing
✓
✓
Idempotency
partial
partial (header on roadmap)
Cursor pagination
✓
✓
Rate-limit headers
✓
✓
Channel-scoped API keys
not applicable
✓
Sandbox / test mode
✓
partial
When to choose what
Pick Cloud API if you need:
Meta-blessed compliance posture for regulated outbound (banking, healthcare).
Templates with structured fields that render natively on every WA client.
Click-to-WhatsApp ad referrals from Meta.
Pick WhatIsUp if you need:
Groups, communities, newsletters, stories, or call events.
Flat-rate pricing instead of per-conversation billing.
Sub-hour onboarding without Meta business verification.
Edit / delete on outbound messages.
A clean REST + signed-webhook surface that an agent can integrate against
in one session.