WhatsApp Business API Pricing 2026: Service Messages No Longer Free
Since 2026-10-01 service replies are no longer free. Each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month, then pays the market's rate. Utility templates sent inside the 24-hour window are now charged. An account with no payment method stops delivering replies past 1,000. The next possible price change is 2027-01-01.
Prices read on Meta's pricing page (updated 2026-09-30) and its USD and BRL rate cards effective 2026-10-01, on 2026-10-10 and 2026-10-16. Meta's fees only, before any provider's markup and before tax.
What changed on 2026-10-01
Each row gives the rule until 2026-09-30 and from 2026-10-01.
| Message | Until 2026-09-30 | From 2026-10-01 |
|---|---|---|
| Service messages (non-template replies inside the 24-hour customer service window) | Free, with no monthly limit (since 2024-11-01) | 1,000 free per business phone number a month; from the 1,001st, the market's service rate. Unused free messages do not roll over |
| Service messages from eligible governments and non-profits | Free, with no monthly limit | Still free past the 1,000 through 2027-12-31, for organisations Meta deems eligible. Eligible: government departments and agencies, inter-governmental organisations, and community non-profits, including public health, crisis response, disaster relief and non-partisan civic engagement |
| Non-template messages from AI Providers' general-purpose AI assistants | Allowed only where Meta is legally required to permit them. Meta has charged $0.0625 per message in Brazil since 2026-03-11 | The 2026-10-01 changes do not apply to them, so they get no 1,000 free messages. Brazil: $0.0625 per message. Users in the EU and EEA (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden): no charge since 2026-05-13. Türkiye: permitted since 2026-10-15, no charge through at least 2027-04-11. |
| Utility templates sent in reply inside an open customer service window | Free (since 2025-07-01) | Charged at the market's utility rate |
| Service messages past the 1,000 free ones, on an account with no payment method | Delivered | Not delivered |
Webhook pricing.type of a charged service or in-window utility message | free_customer_service | regular |
| Rates | Meta updated 40 rates. Bangladesh, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Sri Lanka and Ukraine moved from a regional rate to their own. Marketing rose in Kuwait, Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Rest of Asia Pacific and Rest of Middle East |
Rates per message by market
Rates are per delivered message in US dollars, by the user's country calling code. Every country on Meta's rate card has a row in the table. Thirty-nine countries have their own rates. Regional countries show their region's rates, with the region named in brackets. Any country with no row pays the Other rate. At list rates, utility, authentication and service cost the same in each market. Past a monthly volume, utility and authentication cost less: in North America, past 80,000 utility or 100,000 authentication messages a month. Every business pays the table's rates, except AI Providers offering a general-purpose AI assistant. Meta permits these only in Brazil, the EU and EEA, and Türkiye. In Brazil they pay $0.0625 per non-template message. In the EU and EEA, including Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands, Meta does not charge them. In Türkiye, since 2026-10-15, Meta does not charge through at least 2027-04-11. A business using AI to answer its own customers pays the table's rates. For users in Brazil, BRL rates are R$0.3217 per marketing message and R$0.035 per utility, authentication or service message, when the account is billed in Brazilian reais.
| Market | Marketing | Utility, authentication, service |
|---|---|---|
| United States and Canada (North America) | $0.025 (charged on Canadian numbers; WhatsApp does not deliver marketing templates to US numbers) | $0.0034 |
| Afghanistan (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Albania (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Algeria (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Angola (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Argentina | $0.0618 | $0.026 |
| Armenia (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Australia (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Austria (Rest of Western Europe) | $0.0592 | $0.0171 |
| Azerbaijan (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Bahrain (Rest of Middle East) | $0.0392 | $0.0091 |
| Bangladesh | $0.0732 | $0.0037 |
| Belarus (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Belgium (Rest of Western Europe) | $0.0592 | $0.0171 |
| Benin (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Bolivia (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Botswana (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Brazil | $0.0625 | $0.0068 |
| Bulgaria (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Burkina Faso (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Burundi (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Cambodia (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Cameroon (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Chad (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Chile | $0.0889 | $0.02 |
| China (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Colombia | $0.0125 | $0.0008 |
| Costa Rica (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Croatia (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Czech Republic (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Denmark (Rest of Western Europe) | $0.0592 | $0.0171 |
| Dominican Republic (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Ecuador (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Egypt | $0.0644 | $0.0036 |
| El Salvador (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Eritrea (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Eswatini (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Ethiopia (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Finland (Rest of Western Europe) | $0.0592 | $0.0171 |
| France | $0.0859 | $0.03 |
| Gabon (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Gambia (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Georgia (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Germany | $0.1365 | $0.055 |
| Ghana (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Greece (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Guatemala (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Guinea-Bissau (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Haiti (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Honduras (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Hong Kong | $0.0732 | $0.026 |
| Hungary | $0.086 | $0.035 |
| India | $0.0118 | $0.0014 |
| Indonesia | $0.0411 | $0.025 |
| Iraq | $0.0341 | $0.0079 |
| Ireland (Rest of Western Europe) | $0.0592 | $0.0171 |
| Israel | $0.0353 | $0.0053 |
| Italy | $0.0795 | $0.03 |
| Ivory Coast (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Jamaica (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Japan (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Jordan (Rest of Middle East) | $0.0392 | $0.0091 |
| Kazakhstan | $0.0604 | $0.018 |
| Kenya (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Kuwait | $0.0792 | $0.044 |
| Laos (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Latvia (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Lebanon (Rest of Middle East) | $0.0392 | $0.0091 |
| Lesotho (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Liberia (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Libya (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Lithuania (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Madagascar (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Malawi (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Malaysia | $0.086 | $0.014 |
| Mali (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Mauritania (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Mexico | $0.0397 | $0.0085 |
| Moldova (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Mongolia (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Morocco | $0.0414 | $0.023 |
| Mozambique (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Namibia (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Nepal | $0.0732 | $0.0034 |
| Netherlands | $0.1597 | $0.05 |
| New Zealand (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Nicaragua (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Niger (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Nigeria | $0.0516 | $0.0067 |
| North Macedonia (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Norway (Rest of Western Europe) | $0.0592 | $0.0171 |
| Oman | $0.0341 | $0.0247 |
| Pakistan | $0.0473 | $0.015 |
| Panama (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Papua New Guinea (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Paraguay (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Peru | $0.0703 | $0.03 |
| Philippines (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Poland | $0.0366 | $0.0122 |
| Portugal (Rest of Western Europe) | $0.0592 | $0.0171 |
| Puerto Rico (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Qatar | $0.0341 | $0.012 |
| Republic of the Congo (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Romania | $0.086 | $0.029 |
| Russia | $0.0802 | $0.04 |
| Rwanda (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Saudi Arabia | $0.0576 | $0.0107 |
| Senegal (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Serbia (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Sierra Leone (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Singapore | $0.0732 | $0.016 |
| Slovakia (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Slovenia (Rest of Central & Eastern Europe) | $0.086 | $0.0212 |
| Somalia (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| South Africa | $0.0379 | $0.0095 |
| South Sudan (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Spain | $0.0707 | $0.02 |
| Sri Lanka | $0.0732 | $0.002 |
| Sudan (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Sweden (Rest of Western Europe) | $0.0592 | $0.0171 |
| Switzerland (Rest of Western Europe) | $0.0592 | $0.0171 |
| Taiwan (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Tajikistan (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Tanzania (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Thailand (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Togo (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Tunisia (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Turkey | $0.0109 | $0.0009 |
| Turkmenistan (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Uganda (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Ukraine | $0.086 | $0.0298 |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.0576 | $0.0157 |
| United Kingdom | $0.0635 | $0.022 |
| Uruguay (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Uzbekistan (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Venezuela (Rest of Latin America) | $0.074 | $0.0113 |
| Vietnam (Rest of Asia Pacific) | $0.0842 | $0.0113 |
| Yemen (Rest of Middle East) | $0.0392 | $0.0091 |
| Zambia (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Zimbabwe (Rest of Africa) | $0.0225 | $0.004 |
| Other (any country not named in another row) | $0.0604 | $0.0077 |
| Meta Business Agent (replies written by Meta's own AI agent) | |
|---|---|
| Rate | $2.00 per million tokens, every market |
| Typical message | 20,000 to 25,000 tokens, about $0.04 to $0.05 (Meta's estimate) |
| Free messages | None, including in the free entry point window |
A business that sends more than 750,000 messages outside customer service windows in a moving 30-day period to users in the 18 markets with an authentication-international rate becomes eligible. After 30 days' notice, its authentication messages to users in those markets cost the authentication-international rate, unless the business is based in the same country as the user. India's rate is $0.0304, against its list rate of $0.0014. Source: Meta's USD rate card, effective 2026-10-01. INR, EUR, BRL and 12 other currencies have their own cards.
What 10,000 replies a month cost
The table counts 9,000 charged messages after the 1,000 free ones, from one number, Meta's fee only. Twilio adds $0.005 per message sent or received, on top of Meta's fee, so a reply to a user's message costs $0.01 in Twilio fees: $0.005 for the user's message and $0.005 for the reply. For the table's 10,000 replies, answering 10,000 user messages, Twilio's fees add $100. Twilio also charges $0.001 per failed message.
| Users in | Service rate | 10,000 replies a month |
|---|---|---|
| United States or Canada | $0.0034 | $30.60 |
| India | $0.0014 | $12.60 |
| Brazil | $0.0068 | $61.20 |
| United Kingdom | $0.022 | $198.00 |
| Germany | $0.055 | $495.00 |
Free allowances and messaging limits
| Case | Applies to | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly free service messages | Service messages | 1,000 per business phone number a month, reset at midnight in the account's timezone; no roll-over |
| Free entry point window | Marketing, utility, authentication and service messages (not Meta Business Agent) | Up to 7 days, after a user messages from a Click to WhatsApp ad on Android or iOS and the business replies inside the customer service window |
| Messages from users | Every message a user sends to the business | Free, with no limit |
| Messaging limit (business-initiated messages) | Only messages delivered outside a customer service window, counted per unique user in a moving 24 hours and shared by all numbers in the business portfolio. Replies inside a customer service window are not limited | 250 unique users for a new business portfolio. From 250, the limit rises to 2,000 only after the business completes one scaling path: verify the business, or deliver 2,000 messages outside customer service windows to unique users in 30 days with high-quality templates; Meta then approves or denies the increase |
| Raising a limit of 2,000 or more | A business portfolio whose limit is already 2,000, 10,000 or 100,000 | Meta raises it automatically, one level within 6 hours (to 10,000, then 100,000, then unlimited), when messages are high quality and the business used at least half its current limit in the last 7 days. Nothing else is required |
Deadlines and when prices can change
Businesses whose Sold-To country in Meta's Billing Hub is India must move all Messaging accounts in their business portfolio to INR billing by 2026-12-31. From 2027-01-01 Meta stops delivering messages from their accounts that are not billed in INR. Brazil has the same rule for BRL with a 2027-06-30 deadline.
| Pricing calendar | |
|---|---|
| Dates Meta may change prices | January 1, April 1, July 1, October 1 |
| Notice for a rate change | At least 1 month |
| Notice for a pricing model add-on (such as new volume tiers) | At least 3 months |
| Notice for a change to the pricing model | At least 6 months |
| Next possible change | 2027-01-01 |
Why other pages say replies are free
Many third-party pages, and some copies of Meta's own page, still say service messages are free. That was Meta's rule from 2024-11-01 to 2026-09-30. The current rule applies from 2026-10-01.
Sources: developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing (updated 2026-09-30, read 2026-10-10); Meta's rate cards linked from that page, effective 2026-10-01; Meta's AI Providers page (updated 2026-10-15, read 2026-10-18), its authentication-international page (updated 2026-05-21) and section 4.7 of Meta's terms for the WhatsApp Business Platform, read 2026-10-11; Meta's messaging-limits page (updated 2026-05-21) and Twilio's WhatsApp pricing page (current as of September 2026), read 2026-10-18.