WhatsApp Business API pricing confuses many businesses because costs come from two places: Meta and your provider. Here is how it fits together.
1. Meta’s charges
Meta charges for template messages you send, based on the message category and the recipient’s country. The main categories are:
- Marketing: offers, announcements and promotions. The most expensive category.
- Utility: order updates, confirmations and reminders.
- Authentication: one-time passwords.
Replies within a customer service window, after the customer messages you first, are generally charged differently or free for many cases. Meta updates its pricing model and rates from time to time, so check the current India rates on Meta’s pricing page or with your provider.
2. Provider fees
You access the API through a Meta-approved provider. Providers usually charge a monthly platform fee, commonly around ₹1,000 to ₹5,000, for the inbox, automation and reports. Some add a markup on messages.
3. Setup costs
Setting up the account, business verification, templates and chatbot flows usually costs a one-time fee if an agency helps, commonly ₹5,000 to ₹15,000.
Estimate your monthly cost
Multiply the number of opted-in contacts by broadcasts per month and the per-message rate for your category. Our broadcast cost calculator does this and estimates the enquiries you might get.
Ways to keep costs down
- Segment your list so each message goes only to people it suits.
- Use utility templates for genuine updates, not disguised promotions.
- Clean your number list first with our phone number list cleaner.
See our WhatsApp API pricing guide.
Want the full picture? This article is part of WhatsApp marketing: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
