On 1 October 2026, Meta changed how it charges Indian businesses for the WhatsApp Business API. Replies to customers, which used to be free, now have a monthly free limit, and utility messages sent inside the 24-hour window are now charged.
If you use WhatsApp for enquiries, reminders or offers, this guide explains exactly what you’ll pay, in rupees, with worked examples for small businesses.
The short answer: Meta’s rates for India
Meta charges per message delivered. The rate depends on the type of message. These are Meta’s rates for Indian phone numbers from 1 October 2026, excluding 18% GST. To estimate your own bill, use our cost calculator.
| Message type | What it’s for | Rate per message |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, festive greetings, new arrivals, re-engaging old customers | ₹0.8631 |
| Utility | Order and booking confirmations, payment receipts, appointment reminders | ₹0.115 |
| Authentication | One-time passwords (OTPs) for login | ₹0.115 |
| Service | Your replies within 24 hours of a customer’s message | First 1,000 free each month, then ₹0.115 |
Messages your customers send to you are always free. You only pay for messages you send.
What changed on 1 October 2026
- Service messages now have a free limit. Each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages every month. From the 1,001st, each one costs ₹0.115. Unused free messages don’t roll over.
- Utility messages inside the 24-hour window are charged. Since July 2025, a utility template sent while a chat was open was free. Now it costs ₹0.115.
- Marketing rates went up in India this quarter, to ₹0.8631 per message.
What didn’t change: you can still only send free-form replies (text, images, documents) inside the 24-hour window that opens each time a customer messages you. Outside that window you need an approved template.
What’s still free
- Every message a customer sends you.
- Your first 1,000 replies each month per phone number, within 24 hours of the customer’s message.
- 72 hours of free messaging after a Click-to-WhatsApp ad. When someone messages you from a Facebook or Instagram ad that opens WhatsApp, every message you send them for the next 72 hours is free, templates included. How Click-to-WhatsApp ads work.
Start free with WaBot. Meta bills you directly, with no markup from us.
Worked examples: what a month actually costs
1. A travel agency handling enquiries
- 3,000 replies to customer enquiries: first 1,000 free, then 2,000 × ₹0.115 = ₹230
- 200 booking confirmations (utility): 200 × ₹0.115 = ₹23
- 500 season offers to past travellers (marketing): 500 × ₹0.8631 = ₹431.55
- Total Meta charges: ₹684.55 + GST ≈ ₹808
2. A clinic sending appointment reminders
- 800 reminders (utility): 800 × ₹0.115 = ₹92
- 600 replies to patients: all inside the free 1,000
- Total Meta charges: ₹92 + GST ≈ ₹109
3. A shop running a Diwali campaign
- 5,000 offer messages (marketing): 5,000 × ₹0.8631 = ₹4,315.50
- 1,500 replies to customers who respond: first 1,000 free, then 500 × ₹0.115 = ₹57.50
- Total Meta charges: ₹4,373 + GST ≈ ₹5,160
Marketing messages are where the money goes. Utility messages and replies cost very little, so a business that mostly answers enquiries pays a few hundred rupees a month to Meta.
Work out your own number with our free WhatsApp Business API cost calculator.
Meta’s charges vs your provider’s fee
Using the WhatsApp Business API has two separate costs:
- Meta’s message charges, per the table above.
- Your provider’s platform fee for the inbox, automation, campaigns and reports.
Some providers add a markup on Meta’s charges or make you prepay a message wallet. With WaBot, you pay Meta directly through your own Meta Business account, at Meta’s published rates, with no markup. You can create your WaBot account free, and paid plans start at ₹840/month + GST. See WaBot plans.
7 ways to keep your WhatsApp bill low
- Reply fast. Replies inside the 24-hour window are free up to 1,000 a month and cheap after that. Once the window closes, you’d need a paid template.
- Pick the right category. A booking confirmation is utility (₹0.115), not marketing (₹0.8631). Don’t put promotions inside utility templates, though: Meta re-categorises them.
- Segment your campaigns. Sending an offer to 500 interested customers costs a tenth of sending it to 5,000 people who don’t care.
- Use Click-to-WhatsApp ads for new leads. You get 72 hours of free messaging with each one.
- Automate first replies. An instant auto-reply keeps the chat inside the free window while you prepare a quote. Auto-reply messages you can copy.
- Clean your contact list. Remove numbers that never read your messages.
- Don’t send what you could say in one message. Three short marketing messages cost three times as much as one good one.
Frequently asked questions
Is the WhatsApp Business API free in India?
No. Meta charges per message delivered: ₹0.8631 for marketing, ₹0.115 for utility and authentication, and ₹0.115 for service replies after the first 1,000 free each month. Messages customers send you are free. Rates exclude GST.
Are replies within 24 hours still free?
Partly. From 1 October 2026, each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month. After that, each reply costs ₹0.115 plus GST.
Is the WhatsApp Business app also charged?
No. These charges apply only to the WhatsApp Business API (WhatsApp Business Platform). The WhatsApp Business app on your phone is still free.
Do I pay Meta or my provider?
It depends on the provider. With WaBot you pay Meta directly through your Meta Business account, at Meta’s rates with no markup, and pay WaBot only for your plan.
Does GST apply on WhatsApp message charges?
Yes. Meta’s rates exclude taxes, so 18% GST is added. A ₹0.115 message costs about ₹0.136 with GST.
Final thoughts
For most small businesses, the October 2026 changes add only a small amount each month. Replies and utility messages stay cheap. Marketing campaigns are the real cost, so send them to the right people.
If you’re still answering customers from one phone with the WhatsApp Business app, the API gives your team a shared inbox, instant auto-replies and campaigns, at Meta’s own rates.
