Messages customers send you
Every incoming message from a customer is free, however many you get.
Solutions › WhatsApp Business API › Pricing
Your WhatsApp API bill has two separate parts: Meta’s charge per delivered message, and your provider’s platform fee. Here are Meta’s current India rates, what is free, and real monthly cost examples.
Meta charges per delivered message. The price depends on the message category, and the category depends on what the message does, not on how long it is.
| Category | Used for | Meta rate (₹ per message) | With 18% GST (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, festival greetings, new launches, broadcast campaigns, re-engaging old leads | ₹0.8631 | ₹1.02 |
| Utility | Order confirmation, invoice, payment reminder, delivery update, appointment reminder | ₹0.115 | ₹0.14 |
| Authentication | Login and verification OTPs to Indian numbers | ₹0.115 | ₹0.14 |
| Authentication (international) | OTPs sent to Indian users by a business registered outside India | ₹2.4971 | ₹2.95 |
| Service | Free-form replies when a customer messages you first (within 24 hours) | First 1,000 free each month, then ₹0.115 | ₹0.14 after free tier |
Source: Meta rate card for India, effective 1 October 2026. Meta changes rates only on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October; always confirm on Meta’s official pricing page.
The WhatsApp Business App on your phone is free. The WhatsApp Business API is not free, but several things in it cost nothing:
Every incoming message from a customer is free, however many you get.
Each business number gets 1,000 free service messages a month. Unused ones don’t carry forward.
When a customer starts a chat from your Facebook or Instagram ad, messages you send in the next 7 days are free.
Meta charges only for messages that are delivered. Failed messages cost nothing.
Three typical Indian businesses. Figures are Meta’s charges only, including 18% GST. Your provider’s platform fee is added separately.
| Business | Messages per month | Meta charges | With GST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small shop or clinic | 2,000 marketing + 3,000 utility reminders | ₹2,071 | ₹2,444 |
| Growing trader or real estate team | 10,000 marketing + 10,000 utility + 3,000 service replies | ₹10,011 | ₹11,813 |
| Manufacturer or distributor | 50,000 marketing + 30,000 utility | ₹46,605 | ₹54,994 |
Marketing messages make up most of the bill. Sending genuine updates as utility templates, and replying inside the 24-hour window, keeps the cost down.
Meta does not give you software. The platform fee pays for the tools your team uses every day. On your Sukam Apps invoice, Meta charges and the platform fee are shown separately, so you always know what you pay for messages.
Several staff can reply from one WhatsApp number, and every chat is linked to the customer.
Send approved campaigns, auto-replies and simple chatbot flows without coding.
Leads from IndiaMART, TradeIndia, Justdial and Facebook get WhatsApp follow-ups automatically.
We help with Meta Business verification documents and template approval.
One named person who knows your account, not a call-center queue.
On-site in Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi NCR and Himachal; online across India.
There is no separate “WhatsApp ad” price. You run a Click-to-WhatsApp ad on Facebook or Instagram and pay Meta Ads for it, at a daily budget you choose (many small businesses start with a few hundred rupees a day). The benefit: every chat that starts from the ad gets a free 7-day messaging window on the API.
You pay Meta per delivered message: ₹0.8631 for marketing, ₹0.115 for utility and authentication, and ₹0.115 for service replies after 1,000 free each month (rates effective 1 October 2026, before GST). Your provider also charges a platform fee for the software, which should be shown separately.
No. Incoming customer messages, the first 1,000 service replies each month, chats started from Click-to-WhatsApp ads (for 7 days) and undelivered messages are free. Marketing, utility and authentication templates are charged per message. The WhatsApp Business App on your phone is free.
Yes. GST at 18% is generally applied on top of Meta’s per-message charge and on the platform fee. Confirm the treatment for your business with your CA.
A marketing message promotes something, like an offer or a new product. A utility message updates the customer about something they already did, like an order, payment or appointment. Meta decides the category when it approves your template.
No. Every message a customer sends to your business number is free.
Yes. Meta updates rate cards only on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October, with at least a month’s notice. We update this page when the India rates change.
No provider can. The verified badge is Meta’s decision. We help you prepare your business documents and profile so your application is as strong as possible.
Tell us how many messages you send a month. We’ll show Meta’s charges and our platform fee separately, so you can see exactly what goes to Meta.