WhatsApp Business API Pricing in 2026, With the 1 October Changes
WhatsApp Business API pricing is per delivered message, set by the message category and the country of the person receiving it. Messages your customers send you are free. Since 1 October 2026, your replies are free only for the first 1,000 service messages a month on each business phone number, and utility templates sent inside an open chat are charged again.
How Meta charges for WhatsApp messages
Meta moved to per-message pricing on 1 July 2025 and retired conversation-based pricing at the same time. Every message you send falls into one category, and each category has its own rate per country. Templates are pre-approved messages you can send at any time. Non-template messages can only be sent while the customer service window is open.
| Message type | When it is used | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Customer messages to you | Any time a customer writes or calls | Free |
| Marketing template | Offers, promotions, announcements | Fixed rate per message, no free allowance and no volume tiers |
| Utility template | Updates the customer asked for, such as an order or booking update | Per message, with volume tiers. Charged inside an open window from 1 October 2026 |
| Authentication template | One-time codes and log-in checks | Per message, with volume tiers |
| Service message | Free-form replies inside the 24-hour window | First 1,000 a month per business phone number free, then per message |
| Meta Business Agent | Replies written by Meta’s own AI agent | Per token from 1 August 2026, US$2.00 per million tokens, on top of message fees |
Source: Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing, checked 31 October 2026.
Rates vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards. Meta changes rates only on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October.
What changed on 1 October 2026
Two things that were free became chargeable. Service replies had been free since 1 November 2024. Utility templates sent inside an open window had been free since 1 July 2025.
| Item | Until 30 September 2026 | From 1 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Service messages | Free, no limit | 1,000 free a month per business phone number. The allowance resets each month and does not roll over. The 1,001st message onwards is charged. |
| Utility templates inside an open window | Free | Charged per message |
| No payment method on the account | Service messages still delivered | Chargeable service messages are not delivered |
| Eligible governments and non-profits | Free service messages | Still free until 31 December 2027 |
Source: Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing, checked 31 October 2026.
The 24-hour customer service window
The window opens each time a customer messages or calls you, and runs for 24 hours from their last message. While it is open you can reply freely with service messages. Once it closes, you can only reach that customer with an approved template, and only if they have opted in to hear from you.
This matters more since 1 October. Every reply you send inside the window now counts towards the 1,000 free service messages on that number.
Free windows from click-to-WhatsApp ads
When a customer taps a click-to-WhatsApp ad on the Android or iOS app and messages you, you get a free entry point window, as long as you reply within the 24-hour customer service window. That reply is free, and the window then stays open for up to 7 days from it.
Inside that window, marketing, utility, authentication and service messages are all free. Meta Business Agent messages are still charged. Chats that start from an ad on desktop or web do not open this window.
Source: Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing, checked 31 October 2026.
Volume tiers
Utility and authentication templates get cheaper per message as your volume grows. The tiers are counted per market, across your whole business portfolio, and reset each month. Marketing templates have no tiers and stay at one fixed rate per message.
What this means for your business
A small business that answers customers mostly inside the window will often stay within the 1,000 free service messages a month on its number. A busy one will pay per reply once it passes that line. Either way, finishing a conversation in fewer replies now saves money.
Add a payment method to your WhatsApp account even if you expect to stay inside the free allowance. Without one, replies past the 1,000th are not delivered, and your customer simply hears nothing.
Write templates with one clear purpose. Meta classes mixed or unclear content as marketing, which has no free allowance, and it can re-categorise an approved template. If you run ads, click-to-WhatsApp ads give you up to 7 days of free messages with the customer who tapped.
How AeroChat handles it
AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp fees through at cost. AeroChat’s own plans are priced on AI responses, with a set number in each plan and top-ups if you need more. Free includes 100 AI responses a month, Starter 500, Growth 2,000 and Advanced 5,000.
Because AeroChat is chat infrastructure for customer service and sales workflows, it can finish a request in one or two replies instead of a long back and forth. It looks up the order, books the slot or sends the payment link in the same conversation. See how that works for order tracking, payment links in chat and click-to-WhatsApp ad conversations. Marketing messages go out as broadcasts to opted-in customers on Growth and above, and you can keep the list in Google Sheets or your CRM.
Questions
Are WhatsApp replies still free?
Partly. From 1 October 2026 each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month. From the 1,001st message onwards, each reply is charged at the service rate for the customer’s country.
Does Meta still charge per conversation?
No. Meta has charged per delivered message since 1 July 2025. Conversation-based pricing is retired, so any page that still quotes a price per conversation is out of date.
How much does one WhatsApp message cost?
It depends on the category and the recipient’s country. Meta publishes the rates in its rate cards and changes them only on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October. Messages written by Meta Business Agent cost extra per token, which Meta puts at about 4 to 5 US cents for a typical message.
Do unused free replies carry over to next month?
No. The 1,000 free service messages reset every month and do not roll over.
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Related guides: what the WhatsApp Business API is and WhatsApp messaging limits.