Every WhatsApp provider in India passes on the same charge from Meta, per message, by category. What differs is the provider's plan price and the margin it adds. Here is what each part costs, what is free, and how to estimate your own month.
The four parts of your bill
- Meta's charge for each template message you send, set by its category.
- The provider's monthly plan — the software, inbox, chatbot and automations.
- The provider's margin on each message, if it adds one (most do; compare their rate cards).
- GST at 18% on top of all of it.
Meta's rates for India (from 1 October 2026)
| Category | What it is for | Meta's rate per message |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, launches, reminders to buy, re-engagement | ₹0.8631 |
| Utility | Order, booking, payment and account updates the customer expects | ₹0.115 |
| Authentication | One-time passwords and login codes | ₹0.115 |
| Service | Your replies inside the 24-hour window after a customer writes | First 1,000 a month free per number, then ₹0.115 |
Rates are before 18% GST and change from time to time; Meta publishes the current rate card on its pricing page. Large senders get volume discounts on utility and authentication messages.
What is free
- A utility template sent while a customer's 24-hour service window is open.
- The first 1,000 service messages each month on every WhatsApp number (from 1 October 2026; before that, all service replies were free).
- Receiving messages: customers writing to you costs you nothing.
A worked example
A business sends 5,000 marketing messages, 3,000 order updates and 2,000 replies in a month, on one number.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | 5,000 × ₹0.8631 | ₹4,315.50 |
| Utility | 3,000 × ₹0.115 | ₹345.00 |
| Service | (2,000 − 1,000 free) × ₹0.115 | ₹115.00 |
| Meta's charges | ₹4,775.50 | |
| GST 18% | ₹859.59 | |
| Total to Meta, with GST | ₹5,635.09 |
Add the provider's plan and any per-message margin to this. Marketing messages are almost the whole bill, so that is where to be careful.
Put in your own numbers:WhatsApp cost calculator →
How to keep the bill down
- Send marketing only to people who asked for it. Fewer, better-targeted messages cost less and keep your number's quality high.
- Send order and booking updates as utility templates, written as updates — Meta re-categorises a utility template that sells.
- Reply while the customer's window is open; that is when replies are free or cheapest.
- Stop messaging contacts who never read your messages.