Meta charges for WhatsApp Business API messages per delivered message, by message category and the customer's country. For messages to India, Meta's rupee rate card lists these rates, as listed on 9 October 2026: marketing ₹0.8631, utility ₹0.115 and authentication (OTP) ₹0.115 per message. Service replies, which are free-form answers inside the 24-hour window, are ₹0.115 each after the first 1,000 free per business number per month. Taxes and your provider's fee come on top.
These are Meta's numbers, not a provider's. Confirm them on the rate card before you budget.
Meta's India rates
Meta's pricing page links a rate card per currency. The rupee card is titled "Cost per message in INR on the WhatsApp Business Platform, effective October 1, 2026". India row, as listed on 9 October 2026:
| Category | India, per delivered message | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹0.8631 | Template with an offer, promotion or other promotional aim |
| Utility | ₹0.115 | Template about an order, payment, delivery or appointment |
| Authentication | ₹0.115 | Template carrying a one-time password |
| Service | ₹0.115 | Free-form reply inside the 24-hour window, after 1,000 free a month |
Marketing costs about 7.5 times utility. Meta may change prices only on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October, with at least one month's notice for rate card changes.
How per-message pricing works
Since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per message, not per conversation.
- Delivered, not sent. Only business-to-user messages are charged, and only when delivered. Customer messages to you are never charged.
- Category. A template is marketing, utility or authentication. A free-form reply is a service message. Each message has one category and one charge. Check the category Meta gave your approved template, because you accept its charge when you use it.
- Country. The rate follows the recipient's country calling code. +91 numbers get the India row.
- The 24-hour window. A customer message opens a 24-hour window, and each new message resets it. Inside it you can send service messages. Outside it, only approved templates. See Meta's send-messages guide.
What changed on 1 October 2026
Meta's page on upcoming updates says two free things became charged on that date:
- Service messages, with the first 1,000 free each month per business phone number, no roll-over.
- Utility templates sent inside an open window.
With no payment method on file, Meta stops delivering service messages once the free 1,000 are used.
Meta's pages do not fully agree. Its marketing pricing page still says service messages are free. The developer pricing page, updated 30 September 2026, and the rupee rate card say otherwise. We follow the developer page.
What is still free
- Free entry point window. If a customer messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button and you reply within 24 hours, that reply is free and opens a window in which marketing, utility, authentication and service messages stay free. The developer page says up to 7 days, the marketing page says 72 hours. Plan on 72.
- The first 1,000 service messages each month, per business phone number.
OTP messages
The card also shows a higher "authentication-international" rate for India of ₹2.4971. Meta's page on it says it applies only to eligible businesses based in another country, after more than 750,000 messages outside the window in a moving 30 days. A shop in India sending OTPs to Indian numbers pays the normal rate.
A worked example
An illustration, not a quote: one business phone number, messages only to Indian numbers, no ad windows, no volume tiers.
| Message | Delivered | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing templates (offers) | 2,000 | ₹0.8631 | ₹1,726.20 |
| Utility templates (shipping updates) | 1,500 | ₹0.115 | ₹172.50 |
| Authentication templates (OTPs) | 300 | ₹0.115 | ₹34.50 |
| Service replies (2,500 delivered, first 1,000 free) | 1,500 | ₹0.115 | ₹172.50 |
| Total | ₹2,105.70 |
Meta's FAQ says applicable taxes, including GST, are included in your invoice. The rate card shows no tax, so expect the invoice to be higher.
What a solution provider adds
Meta's FAQ says there is no extra fee to access the Platform directly, and that partners may charge additional fees for value-added services. Ask for provider fees in writing, and ask whether Meta's charges pass through at cost. Meta bills a solution partner directly for your usage. With a tech provider you add your own payment method and Meta bills you.
Keeping the bill down
- Reply inside the window. Free for the first 1,000 a month, then ₹0.115. A template after the window closes costs the template rate.
- Pick the right category. A genuine order update is utility. A promotion in a utility template is misclassification, which Meta can penalise. See why WhatsApp templates get rejected.
- Market only to opted-in people. Blocks and reports lower your quality and can limit sending. Your limit starts at 250 people a day outside the window, per Meta's messaging limits page.
- Watch the currency date. Eligible businesses in India must move every account to INR by 31 December 2026, or Meta stops delivering messages from non-INR accounts from 1 January 2027. Ask your provider.
What Meta's rates leave out
They cover delivering messages, not building the bot, connecting your systems, writing templates, or a provider's inbox. Meta Business Agent has a separate token-based charge of $2.00 per million tokens, as listed on 9 October 2026, billed by Meta even with a provider. See WhatsApp Business API vs WhatsApp Business app, how to create a WhatsApp chatbot for business and WhatsApp AI agents for business.
Want a WhatsApp bot scoped against these rates? Tell us about your project.
Frequently asked questions
Is the WhatsApp Business Platform API free?
No. Meta charges no extra fee to access the Platform directly, but it charges for delivered messages, by category and country. In India, as listed on 9 October 2026, that is ₹0.8631 for marketing and ₹0.115 for utility and authentication. Service replies are free for the first 1,000 a month per number, then ₹0.115. Providers may add fees.
Why is WhatsApp API so expensive?
Marketing is the dear category, at about 7.5 times a utility message. Provider fees and the charge on service replies from 1 October 2026 add to it. Compare Meta's rates with any quote to see Meta's share.
How do I send 10,000 messages on WhatsApp?
Use the Business Platform, send approved templates to opted-in people, and mind your limit. A new portfolio can message 250 people a day outside the window, so 10,000 would take 40 days. Verifying your business raises it to 2,000. At Meta's India rates, 10,000 marketing messages are ₹8,631.00 and 10,000 utility messages ₹1,150.00, before tax and provider fees.