In India, Meta charges ₹0.8631 for each delivered marketing message and ₹0.115 for each delivered utility or authentication message, plus 18% GST. Since 1 October 2026, service messages (your replies to customers) are also charged at ₹0.115 after the first 1,000 free each month per phone number. On top of Meta's charge, your WhatsApp software provider usually charges a separate platform fee.
Rates below are Meta's India rates as reported by WhatsApp Business Solution Providers in October 2026. Meta revises rates from time to time, so check the current rate card before planning a large campaign.
How WhatsApp Business API pricing works
Since 1 July 2025, WhatsApp Business Platform charges per message, not per conversation. Meta charges only when a message is delivered, not when it is sent, and the price depends on two things: the category of the message and the country of the person receiving it.
Your total cost has two parts:
- Meta's message charge, which is the same whichever provider you use.
- Your provider's platform fee, which pays for the software: the inbox, campaign tools, automation and support. This varies widely between providers.
India rates by message category
| Category | What it is for | Price per delivered message (India) |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, announcements, festival greetings, product launches, re-engagement | ₹0.8631 |
| Utility | Updates about something the customer started: order confirmations, appointment reminders, payment receipts, delivery updates | ₹0.115 |
| Authentication | One-time passwords (OTPs) for login or verification | ₹0.115 |
| Service | Your replies to a customer within 24 hours of their last message | First 1,000 per month free per phone number, then ₹0.115 |
All prices exclude 18% GST. Businesses registered for GST can usually claim input tax credit on it. India accounts are billed in Indian rupees.
What is free
- The first 1,000 service messages each month, per phone number. Unused messages do not carry over to the next month.
- All messages for 72 hours after a customer contacts you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action button. This free entry point window still applies.
- Messages that are sent but never delivered. Meta charges on delivery only.
What changed on 1 October 2026
Two things that used to be free are now charged:
- Service messages are charged at the utility rate after the free 1,000 per phone number each month. Before this, all service messages had been free since November 2024.
- Utility messages sent as a reply inside the 24-hour customer service window are charged at the utility rate. These had been free since July 2025.
When you can send a message has not changed. You still need an approved template to message a customer outside the 24-hour window.
Worked examples
A clinic sending appointment reminders
A clinic books 500 appointments a month and sends each patient a confirmation and a day-before reminder. Both are utility messages: 1,000 × ₹0.115 = ₹115, or ₹135.70 including GST. That is the Meta cost of reminding every patient twice for a month.
A shop sending a festival offer
A retailer sends a marketing message to 5,000 customers who opted in, and all are delivered: 5,000 × ₹0.8631 = ₹4,315.50, or ₹5,092.29 including GST.
A support team answering customers
A business sends 1,500 replies in a month from one phone number. The first 1,000 are free, and the remaining 500 cost 500 × ₹0.115 = ₹57.50, or ₹67.85 including GST.
How to keep your WhatsApp bill low
- Use the right category. An appointment reminder is a utility message. Do not add promotional content to it, or it will be classified as marketing and cost about 7.5 times more.
- Send marketing only to people who opted in. Untargeted campaigns waste money on people who ignore or block you, and blocks can lower your number's quality rating.
- Use Click-to-WhatsApp ads for new conversations. Everything you send in the first 72 hours after a customer taps your ad is free.
- Watch your volume. Meta offers volume-tier discounts on utility and authentication messages for businesses that send large numbers of them.
- Choose a provider that passes Meta's charges through at cost. Some providers add a markup on every message, which adds up quickly at volume.
How Wasavo charges
Wasavo runs on Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API. You pay a fixed monthly Wasavo plan for the software, and Meta's message charges are passed through at cost with no markup. Utility messages such as appointment reminders, fee alerts and service reminders make up most of what our clinic, school and garage customers send, which keeps their Meta costs low. See Wasavo plans or learn about the Wasavo WhatsApp Platform.
Frequently asked questions
How much does one WhatsApp marketing message cost in India?
₹0.8631 per delivered message, plus 18% GST, as of October 2026. You pay only for messages that are delivered.
Are WhatsApp Business API replies free?
Partly. Since 1 October 2026, each phone number gets 1,000 free service messages per month. After that, replies cost ₹0.115 each in India. Replies within 72 hours of a customer contacting you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad remain free.
Is the WhatsApp Business app free?
Yes. The WhatsApp Business app on a phone is free. The charges in this guide apply to the WhatsApp Business Platform (the API), which businesses use for bulk messaging, automation and shared team inboxes.
Is GST charged on WhatsApp Business API messages?
Yes. 18% GST applies to Meta's message charges and to your provider's platform fee. GST-registered businesses can usually claim input tax credit.
Is an appointment reminder a marketing or utility message?
Utility, as long as it only confirms or reminds the customer about an appointment they booked. If it also promotes an offer, it becomes a marketing message and costs more.