How Meta bills WhatsApp API messages
Since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per message, not per conversation. Every message your business sends to a customer has exactly one category, and that category sets its rate.
You pay only when a message is delivered. A message that is sent but never delivered costs nothing. Messages customers send to you are always free.
The rate depends on two things: the message category, and the country calling code of the person receiving it. A message to a +91 number is charged at the India rate.
- Marketing: template messages for offers, launches, reminders to buy and other promotions.
- Utility: template messages about something the customer already started, such as an order update, delivery status or appointment reminder.
- Authentication: template messages carrying a one-time password or login code.
- Service: any free-form reply your team or a third-party bot sends inside the 24-hour customer service window.
Source: Meta for Developers, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing page and its INR and USD rate cards (effective 1 October 2026). Rates checked 29 Oct 2026.
Meta's India rates per message
These are Meta's list rates for messages delivered to Indian (+91) numbers. Meta publishes the same card in rupees and in US dollars. GST and any provider fees are not included.
- Authentication-international only applies to large senders based outside India that send OTPs to Indian numbers. An India-based business pays the normal authentication rate.
- Utility and authentication messages get lower rates at higher monthly volumes. Meta sets these volume tiers per business portfolio and resets them each month. Marketing and service messages have no volume tiers.
| Category | Per message (₹) | Per message (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹0.8631 | $0.0118 |
| Utility | ₹0.1150 | $0.0014 |
| Authentication | ₹0.1150 | $0.0014 |
| Authentication-international | ₹2.4971 | $0.0304 |
| Service | ₹0.1150 | $0.0014 |
Source: Meta for Developers, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing page and its INR and USD rate cards (effective 1 October 2026). Rates checked 29 Oct 2026.
Which WhatsApp API messages are free
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens, and it resets each time they write again. Inside it you can reply with free-form messages. Outside it you can only send approved templates.
Since 1 October 2026 replies inside that window are no longer free by default. Meta now charges for service messages and for utility templates sent inside an open window, both of which had been free.
What stays free:
- The first 1,000 service messages each month, for each business phone number. They do not roll over, and Meta charges from the 1,001st.
- Marketing, utility, authentication and service messages in a free entry point window. When a customer messages you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad on the Android or iOS app and you reply inside the service window, that reply is free and opens a window of up to 7 days in which marketing, utility, authentication and service messages are all free.
- Every message a customer sends to you.
Source: Meta for Developers, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing page and its INR and USD rate cards (effective 1 October 2026). Rates checked 29 Oct 2026.
Who Meta bills, and the India currency change
Meta bills the WhatsApp Business Account that sends the message, through the payment method on that account in Meta Business Suite. Each account has its own payment method and spending limits.
From 1 October 2026, a WhatsApp Business Account with no payment method on file can still send its 1,000 free service messages each month, but Meta stops delivering its service messages after that. If your replies stopped going out in October, check the payment method first.
Businesses in India that Meta lists as eligible for billing localization must move every WhatsApp Business Account in their business portfolio to INR by 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027 Meta will not deliver messages from their non-INR accounts.
Source: Meta for Developers, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing page and its INR and USD rate cards (effective 1 October 2026). Rates checked 29 Oct 2026.
A worked example
A shop in India sends a festival offer to 2,000 customers and 1,800 are delivered. That is 1,800 marketing messages at ₹0.8631, about ₹1,553.58 before GST.
The same month its team sends 3,000 replies from one number inside customer service windows. The first 1,000 are free, so 2,000 are charged at ₹0.1150, which is ₹230.
If 500 of those customers had come from a click-to-WhatsApp ad, the replies to them inside their free entry point window would cost nothing.
Worked from the India INR rate card effective 1 October 2026. Rates checked 29 Oct 2026.
What Chatzyn costs on top
Chatzyn plans are a monthly or yearly platform fee for the inbox, automation, broadcasts and integrations. Current plan prices are on the Chatzyn Pricing page.
Meta's per-message charges are separate from the Chatzyn plan. You connect your own WhatsApp Business Account, and Meta bills the payment method on that account directly at the rates above.
If your plan includes Chatzyn's prepaid message wallet, Chatzyn also charges its own per-message fee from that wallet. This is in addition to Meta's charge, which Meta still bills to your own WhatsApp Business Account. The fee is shown on your Billing page, is held when a message is sent, and is only charged once WhatsApp delivers it. A message that fails, or that Meta does not bill, costs nothing.
Questions people ask
What is the WhatsApp API price per message in India?
On Meta's rate card effective 1 October 2026, a message to an Indian number costs ₹0.8631 for marketing and ₹0.1150 each for utility, authentication and service. Rates checked 29 Oct 2026.
Are WhatsApp API replies still free within 24 hours?
Not fully. Since 1 October 2026 Meta charges for service replies and for utility templates sent inside the 24-hour window. Each business phone number still gets 1,000 free service messages a month.
Does Meta charge for messages that are not delivered?
No. Meta charges only when a message is delivered. Messages customers send to you are also free.
Are messages from click-to-WhatsApp ads free?
Yes, inside the free entry point window. If a customer messages you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad on the Android or iOS app and you reply within the service window, your messages are free for up to 7 days.
Is WhatsApp API pricing still per conversation?
No. Meta ended conversation-based pricing on 1 July 2025. Every delivered message is now charged on its own, by category and country.
Who pays Meta when I use Chatzyn?
You do, directly. Meta bills the payment method on your own WhatsApp Business Account. The Chatzyn plan is a separate fee, listed on the Pricing page.
Do I need to pay Meta in rupees?
If Meta lists your business as eligible for India billing localization, every WhatsApp Business Account in your portfolio must be moved to INR by 31 December 2026, or Meta stops delivering its messages from 1 January 2027.