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Building a WhatsApp API with 0 markup on Meta pricing

Building a WhatsApp API with 0 markup on Meta pricing

by pguiraoc·Mar 25, 2026·7 points·6 comments
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AI Analysis

●●SolidSolve My ProblemSlick

Unified social API charging zero markup on Meta pricing while competitors add 20%.

Strengths
  • •Abstracts away complex WhatsApp Business verification and token management.
  • •Single OAuth flow for 14 platforms instead of individual dev apps.
  • •Proven traction with $1M ARR bootstrapped before Show HN launch.
Weaknesses
  • •Unified social API category already has established players like Ayrshare.
  • •Dependency on third-party platform API stability and rate limits.
Target Audience

SaaS founders and developers needing social media integrations

Similar To

Ayrshare · Twilio

Post Description

Hey HN, I'm Pau. We've been building Zernio for the past 9 months and we just crossed $1M in ARR (bootstrapped).

Zernio is a unified API for social platforms. One API for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, and 9 others. Today we're adding WhatsApp.

We've spent 3 weeks just getting a test message to send. Meta requires a developer app, a WhatsApp Business Account inside Business Manager, business verification (2-14 days), phone number OTP, webhook configuration with a two-step subscription, and token management for tokens that die every 60 days. Miss one step and messages vanish with no error.

So we built it so our users don't have to deal with any of that. Connect via Embedded Signup, get an API key, start sending. 37 endpoints covering messaging, broadcasts, templates, contacts, and phone number provisioning.

The pricing model: zero markup on Meta's per-message rates. Most BSPs add 20%+ on top. We charge per account, not per usage.

Docs: https://docs.zernio.com/platforms/whatsapp

Happy to answer questions about WhatsApp API integration or how we got to $1M ARR bootstrapped :)

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