How Meta charges
- Per delivered message: a message that's sent but not delivered isn't charged.
- By category: marketing, utility, authentication, or service (a reply inside the 24-hour window).
- By the customer's country, taken from the country code of their number, not where your business is.
- Service messages: free until 30 September 2026; since 1 October 2026, 1,000 free per business number each month, then charged.
- Utility templates sent inside an open window: free from July 2025, charged since 1 October 2026.
- Free entry point: when a customer messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad, messages are free for up to 7 days.
- Volume tiers: utility and authentication get lower rates once you send enough in one market in a month.
- Without a payment method on your WhatsApp account, service messages stop being delivered once the free ones are used.
Rates in key markets
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service (after the free 1,000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | $0.0118 | $0.0014 | $0.0014 | $0.0014 |
| Indonesia | $0.0411 | $0.025 | $0.025 | $0.025 |
| Brazil | $0.0625 | $0.0068 | $0.0068 | $0.0068 |
| Mexico | $0.0397 | $0.0085 | $0.0085 | $0.0085 |
| United States and Canada | $0.025 | $0.0034 | $0.0034 | $0.0034 |
| United Kingdom | $0.0635 | $0.022 | $0.022 | $0.022 |
| Germany | $0.1365 | $0.055 | $0.055 | $0.055 |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.0576 | $0.0157 | $0.0157 | $0.0157 |
| Saudi Arabia | $0.0576 | $0.0107 | $0.0107 | $0.0107 |
| Singapore | $0.0732 | $0.016 | $0.016 | $0.016 |
| Nigeria | $0.0516 | $0.0067 | $0.0067 | $0.0067 |
| Australia | $0.0842 | $0.0113 | $0.0113 | $0.0113 |
Australia is priced in Meta's Rest of Asia Pacific market, and the United States and Canada share the North America rate. Every market, including the regional ones and the countries in each, is in our WhatsApp API cost calculator.
In some markets, including India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, sign-in codes cost more when your business is based in another country: $0.0304 instead of $0.0014 in India. Meta: authentication-international rates
What a month costs: three examples
| Business | What it sends | Meta's charge |
|---|---|---|
| A clinic in India | 600 chats × 4 replies, 400 appointment reminders | $2.52 |
| A shop in the UK | 1,500 chats × 5 replies, 1,000 order updates, 2,000 offers | $292.00 |
| A small business in Singapore | 150 chats × 4 replies, no templates | $0.00 |
The Singapore business sends 600 replies, all inside the free 1,000, so Meta charges nothing. The UK shop pays $143.00 for replies beyond the free 1,000 and $127.00 for its offers. Work out your own in the cost calculator.
What calls cost
- Calls customers make to your business are free.
- Calls you make are charged per 6 seconds, by the customer's country and your monthly volume.
- A customer's call opens the 24-hour window, so you can reply with ordinary messages afterwards.
How to keep the bill down
- Answer while the window is open. An AI agent replies in seconds, so it never needs a template to answer.
- Send updates as utility, not marketing: a booking reminder is utility, and much cheaper in most markets. Keep offers out of it, or Meta treats it as marketing.
- Use Click to WhatsApp ads for launches: conversations they start are free for up to 7 days.
- Send marketing only to people who opted in, and less often: fewer, better messages cost less and keep your quality rating up.
- Each number gets its own 1,000 free replies a month.
Who you pay
Meta bills your WhatsApp Business Account directly, in USD or one of 15 other currencies. Your WhatsApp platform charges separately for its own service; some providers add a margin to Meta's fees, so check how yours bills.
With HeyKiko, Meta bills your WhatsApp account directly for messages and HeyKiko adds nothing to those fees. A HeyKiko plan covers the AI agent, the inbox and campaigns, with its own credits.
Sources
Checked on 5 November 2026. We make HeyKiko, which this guide uses as its example; Meta’s rules apply to every tool.
