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 five categories:

• 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, whether you, your team or a chatbot sends them. Since 1 October 2026 each business number gets 1,000 free a month, and each one after that is charged.

The 24-hour service window

When a customer messages your business, a 24-hour service window opens. Inside it you can reply without a template (Service messages): the first 1,000 a number a month are free, then each one is charged. Since 1 October 2026, Utility templates are charged inside the window too, like Marketing and Authentication templates.

Wamafy's campaign builder shows the estimated cost before you hit send, and Analytics counts your service replies against the 1,000 free each month.

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.