Difference Between Shared and Non-Shared WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABAs)

If you're new to WhatsApp Business integrations, you might have heard the terms “Shared WABA” and “Non-Shared or OBO WABA”. Don’t worry, this article breaks them down in simple terms to help you understand what they mean and how they affect your setup with Vonage.

What is a Shared WABA?

When a business (like yours) creates a WhatsApp Business Account (or “WABA”) using the Vonage Embedded Sign-Up Flow or when your Partner (like Vonage) creates one for you using their Meta Business Manager UI, this account is considered a Shared WABA.

What does that mean?

• You, the end-business, are the official owner of the WABA

• It is generally also “Shared” with a partner, hence the name

• You have full control over the WABA, including:

  • Managing access.

  • Adding or removing team members.

  • Making configuration changes as needed

In short, this setup gives you ownership and flexibility to manage the account directly.

What is a Non-Shared WABA? (Also known as On-Behalf-Of Account)

In the past, when Vonage worked with Partners or Tech Providers to onboard WhatsApp numbers for their clients, they followed what was called the Managed Onboarding Process.

Here’s how it worked:

• Vonage would create the WhatsApp Business Account on behalf of the end-business.

• These accounts were technically owned by Vonage, but assigned for the use of a specific client.

• These were referred to as OBO (On-Behalf-Of) WABAs.

In this case, the partner accessed the WABA through Vonage’s Business Manager (BM) and the end-client did not own the WABA directly.

What's Changed?

As of Q2 2025, Meta has updated the onboarding process. Now, even when Vonage helps with the setup, the WhatsApp Business Account is always created as a Shared WABA, which means the end-business always owns the account, regardless of whether the setup is self-managed or done through Vonage. This further means that a new WABA is always owned-with-full-control by and housed under the end-business’s portfolio.
 

Meta provides further details about Shared and OBO WABAs in their official documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

• For how long will the managed process be operational?

  • Communication will be sent shortly to make sure everyone is updated on this matter

• Is it possible to transfer the ownership of an OBO WABA to Shared?

  • Yes, please check this article to know more details about it.  

Related Pages

• Embedded Sign-Up Flow