WhatsApp Business API pricing in India is per delivered message, and the price depends on the message category. These are Meta’s list rates for Indian phone numbers from 1 October 2026:
| Category | What it’s for | Rate per message (INR) | Rate (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, launches, cart reminders | ₹0.8631 | $0.0118 |
| Utility | Order, shipping and payment updates | ₹0.115 | $0.0014 |
| Authentication | One-time passwords | ₹0.115 | $0.0014 |
| Service | Your replies inside the 24-hour window | ₹0.115 (first 1,000 a month free) | $0.0014 |
Want a number for your own volumes? Use the free WhatsApp API pricing calculator.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- 1 July 2025: Meta stopped charging per 24-hour conversation and started charging per delivered template message.
- 1 October 2026: service messages (free-form replies to customers) are charged again at the utility rate, after the first 1,000 each month on each phone number.
- By 31 December 2026: businesses in India move to INR billing.
Meta only changes rates on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October.
What is still free
- The first 1,000 service messages a month per number.
- Chats that start from a click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action are free for up to 7 days, including marketing templates sent in that window.
Example monthly bill
A store sending 10,000 marketing messages, 5,000 order updates and 2,000 service replies to Indian customers pays Meta roughly:
- Marketing: 10,000 × ₹0.8631 = ₹8,631
- Utility: 5,000 × ₹0.115 = ₹575
- Service: (2,000 − 1,000 free) × ₹0.115 = ₹115
Total: about ₹9,321 a month plus GST, before any provider fees.
Provider fees and markups
Your WhatsApp tool (BSP) charges a monthly plan, and some also add a markup on each message. Compare a provider’s quoted per-message price with Meta’s rate above to see the markup. Hello24 plans start at ₹3,000 a month with 5,000 outbound messages and up to 8 agent logins; Meta’s charges are billed on top. See pricing or how we compare with Wati, Interakt and AiSensy.
How to keep costs down
- Use utility templates for transactional updates. They cost about a seventh of a marketing message. Keep promotions out of them, or Meta may re-categorise the template.
- Segment broadcasts. Message engaged buyers instead of your whole list; it costs less and protects your quality rating.
- Run click-to-WhatsApp ads to open free 7-day windows.
- Automate replies so service conversations close quickly.
