Question 1

How does WhatsApp Business API pricing work?

Accepted Answer

Since July 1, 2025 Meta charges per delivered template message rather than per 24-hour conversation. The price depends on three things: the template category (marketing, utility, authentication), the recipient's country calling code, and your monthly volume — higher volumes unlock lower per-message rates that reset at the start of each month.

Question 2

Are incoming messages charged?

Accepted Answer

No. Every message a customer sends you is free, whatever the volume. You are only billed for the template messages you send.

Question 3

What is a message template?

Accepted Answer

A pre-approved message you need in order to start a conversation when the customer hasn't written first, or when the 24-hour window has closed. Templates are submitted to Meta for approval and fall into three categories: marketing, utility and authentication.

Question 4

What is the 24-hour customer service window?

Accepted Answer

When a customer messages you, a 24-hour timer starts and refreshes with every new message from them. While it is open you can reply with free-form messages at no cost. Once it closes you can only reach them again with a paid template.

Question 5

What changes on October 1, 2026?

Accepted Answer

Meta starts billing service messages — your own free-form replies inside the 24-hour window — in most markets, at the same rate as utility templates. Switch the rate card above to "From Oct 1, 2026" to see the impact on your volumes. Meta also publishes rates for more individual markets, including Morocco, Kuwait, Iraq and Bangladesh.

Question 6

Why is my country not in the list?

Accepted Answer

Meta prices a set of individual markets and groups everything else into regional buckets. Tunisia and Algeria, for example, are billed at the "Rest of Africa" rate. Pick the bucket your customers' calling codes fall into.

Question 7

What are international authentication rates?

Accepted Answer

In some markets, authentication templates sent from abroad are billed at a higher rate once a business exceeds 750,000 messages in 30 days. The higher rate then stays in effect. Volume discounts still apply on top.

Question 8

Does Unifunl add a markup on messages?

Accepted Answer

No. You pay Meta's rates directly — Unifunl adds no per-message fee, no setup fee and no hosting charge. Your Unifunl plan covers the platform, the AI agent and your team seats.

Question 9

How accurate is this estimate?

Accepted Answer

It uses Meta's published USD list rates for delivered messages and excludes taxes and volume discounts, so it is a ceiling rather than a floor. Real invoices are usually lower once monthly volume tiers kick in. For exact rates in your billing currency, check Meta's rate cards.

Question 10

How do I reduce my WhatsApp costs?

Accepted Answer

Reply fast so conversations stay inside the free window, use utility templates instead of marketing ones where the message is transactional, target broadcasts at segments that convert instead of your whole list, and let an AI agent handle the volume so you are not paying to re-open conversations your team let go cold.

Know what WhatsApp will cost before you send.

Four message types, four prices

The rule that decides most of your bill

Questions about WhatsApp pricing

Ready to grow your sales?