WhatsApp Message Cost Calculator

How WhatsApp message pricing works

Since Meta moved to per-message pricing, every template you send is billed by its category, not by conversation. There are four paid categories and one free one:

• Marketing: promotions, offers, product announcements, abandoned-cart nudges. The most expensive category because it drives revenue.
• Utility: order confirmations, shipping updates, payment reminders, appointment alerts - transactional messages tied to an existing order or account. Much cheaper than Marketing.
• Authentication: one-time passcodes and login verification. Priced separately for domestic and international recipients.
• Service: your own free-form replies to a customer inside the 24-hour window after they message you. These are free.

The 24-hour service window

When a customer messages your business, a 24-hour service window opens. Inside it you can reply freely (Service messages) at no cost. As of Meta's 2025 pricing change, Utility templates sent inside an open 24-hour window are also free - which is why a well-run order-updates flow can cost almost nothing. Marketing and Authentication templates are billed regardless of the window.

Wamafy's campaign builder estimates this for you: when you pick a Utility template, it counts how many of your recipients are inside an open window and shows those as free before you hit send.

FAQ

Does Wamafy charge per message?

No. Meta bills the per-message charges directly to your WhatsApp Business account. Wamafy charges a flat monthly plan for the platform - the calculator above shows Meta's cost, not ours.

Are these rates current?

The calculator pulls the India rate card we keep in sync with Meta's published pricing. The "updated" date under the table tells you when it was last reviewed. Rates exclude GST.

Why is Marketing so much more than Utility?

Meta prices Marketing higher because it's promotional and interruptive; Utility is transactional and expected by the customer. If a message can be framed as an order or account update, sending it as a Utility template (and inside the 24-hour window) costs a fraction of the Marketing rate.

What about international recipients?

Authentication has a separate, higher rate for international numbers. Marketing and Utility rates also vary by the recipient's country - the figures here are for India.