What WhatsApp will actually cost you, before anyone marks it up.
Meta charges per template message, by category and by the country your customer is in. This calculator uses Meta's published rates so you can budget honestly — including what a reseller markup would add on top.
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost?
Meta charges per template message delivered, priced by category and recipient country. Marketing messages cost the most, utility and authentication far less, and free-form replies inside an open 24-hour customer service window are not charged at all. Platform fees are separate and depend on your provider.
Key takeaways
- Since July 2025 Meta bills per message, not per conversation.
- Rates are set by the customer's country, not where your business is.
- Marketing costs several times more than utility in the same market.
- Replies inside the 24-hour window are free — earning a reply is a cost lever.
Your sending profile
Everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing is sent to us, and there is no form.
Meta prices by the recipient's country, not where your business is registered.
Enter the rates from Meta's rate card for your market, in USD per message.
USD per message
USD per message
USD per message
Cart recovery, win-back, promotions, browse follow-up.
Order confirmations, delivery updates, appointment reminders.
One-time passcodes. Leave at zero if you do not send them.
Utility templates sent while a customer service window is open are not charged. This is the single biggest lever you control.
Platforms that resell message credits typically add 10–25%. With ConvoHut this is zero, because Meta bills you directly.
What Meta charges you
Billed by Meta, to your own account, at Meta's rates. ConvoHut adds nothing to this.
$0
estimated Meta message cost per month
Marketing
$0
Utility (billable)
$0
Authentication
$0
Free inside the window
$0
Annual Meta cost
$0
Average cost per message sent
$0.0000
If your platform resells message credits
Markup added per month
$0
Extra you would pay per year
$0
Invisible on a pricing page, and it scales with your volume. With ConvoHut it is zero — you hold the Meta account.
Estimate only, using Meta's published rates as at August 2026. Meta revises rates quarterly and prices by recipient country. Check Meta's current rate card before you budget.
Rates for the six markets we are building for
USD per delivered template message, effective August 2026. Sorted cheapest to most expensive by marketing rate. The final column is how many times more a marketing message costs than a utility message in the same market — which is why template categorisation matters so much.
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Marketing vs utility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | $0.0140 | $0.0042 | $0.0014 | 3× |
| United States | $0.0500 | $0.0200 | $0.0315 | 2× |
| South Africa | $0.0603 | $0.0200 | $0.0345 | 3× |
| Australia | $0.0823 | $0.0300 | $0.0456 | 3× |
| United Kingdom | $0.0929 | $0.0350 | $0.0521 | 3× |
| Europe (EU/EEA) | $0.1131 | $0.0425 | $0.0636 | 3× |
Rates verified 18 August 2026, effective August 2026. Meta reviews rates quarterly — 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October — so a later card may supersede these. This table is not exhaustive; markets not listed here can be modelled with the custom rate option in the calculator. Always check Meta's current rate card before committing a budget.
Meta has also applied temporary cross-border messaging restrictions affecting some markets. If you send internationally, confirm your routes are permitted before you plan around them.
What is free
Replies inside the 24-hour window
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Free-form replies inside it are not charged. This is why a journey designed to earn a reply costs less to run than one designed to broadcast.
Utility templates inside that window
A utility template sent while the service window is open is not charged. Sequencing your order and delivery updates to land inside an open window is a genuine saving, not a trick.
The click-to-WhatsApp entry window
When someone starts a conversation from a click-to-WhatsApp ad or a page call-to-action, a longer free entry window opens. If you run paid acquisition, land the follow-up inside it.
Five ways to cut the bill without sending less
1. Categorise templates correctly
An order update submitted as marketing costs several times what it should. Getting the category right is free money, and misclassification is the most common expensive mistake.
2. Write first messages that earn a reply
A reply opens a free window. A question converts better and costs less than a statement — the same design choice pays twice.
3. Tighten entry conditions before widening audiences
Every message to a poor-fit contact is paid for and wasted. Raising the intent threshold usually lowers cost and raises conversion at once.
4. Always set a stop condition
Messages sent after the customer already converted are pure waste, and the fastest route to being blocked.
5. Model your real market mix
A single blended rate hides a ten-to-fifteen-times spread between cheap and expensive markets. Budget by country, not by average.
Questions this raises
Does ConvoHut charge me for messages?
No. You connect your own WhatsApp Business Account and Meta bills you directly at Meta's rates. We charge a platform subscription for the software and add nothing to your message costs.
Why do rates differ so much by country?
Meta sets rates per recipient country. The spread between the cheapest and most expensive markets for marketing messages is roughly ten to fifteen times, which makes your market mix a bigger budget factor than your volume.
What changed in July 2025?
Meta moved from per-conversation billing to per-message billing. Previously one fee covered all template messages in a 24-hour conversation. Now each delivered template message is billed individually.
Are these rates current?
They are Meta's published rates effective August 2026, verified 18 August 2026. Meta revises quarterly, so check Meta's own rate card before you commit a budget. We would rather show a dated figure honestly than an undated one that looks authoritative.
My country is not in the table. What do I do?
Choose the custom option in the calculator and enter the rates from Meta's rate card for your market. The table here covers common markets only and is not a complete list.
How does this compare with email or SMS?
Per message, WhatsApp sits above email and often below SMS in most markets. The comparison that matters is cost per conversion rather than cost per send, because a channel customers reply to behaves differently from one they do not.
Also useful
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The other side of the equation — what a cart recovery journey could be worth.
Explainer
How the WhatsApp account works
Templates, the service window and who holds the billing relationship.
Downloads
Playbooks and guides
Eight PDFs, no email gate, including the Shopify setup guide.
Now model the return, not just the cost.
The cart calculator estimates what one journey could recover. Put the two numbers side by side before you commit to anything.