WhatsApp Business API Pricing in India (2026)
Meta's official per-message rates for Indian phone numbers, what changed on 1 October 2026, and how to estimate your monthly bill.
In India, Meta charges per delivered template message: ₹0.8631 for marketing, ₹0.115 for utility and ₹0.115 for authentication (₹2.4971 for authentication sent to numbers outside India), plus taxes. Replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are free for the first 1,000 per phone number each month, then cost ₹0.115 each (since 1 October 2026). On top of Meta's fee you pay your platform: many add a markup to every message, while BizBotify adds 0% markup and charges a flat plan from ₹1,499/month, billed annually.
Meta's WhatsApp rates for India
| Message type | When it is used | INR per message | USD per message |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, launches, re-engagement, anything promotional | ₹0.8631 | $0.0118 |
| Utility | Order updates, payment reminders, appointment confirmations | ₹0.1150 | $0.0014 |
| Authentication | One-time passwords (OTPs) | ₹0.1150 | $0.0014 |
| Authentication (international) | OTPs sent by an Indian business to numbers outside India | ₹2.4971 | $0.0304 |
| Service | Free-form replies inside the 24-hour window after the customer messages you | 1,000 free per number per month, then ₹0.1150 | Free, then $0.0014 |
Rates are Meta's rate card for recipients in India (effective 1 July 2026, unchanged on the 1 October 2026 card), excluding taxes. Source: Meta WhatsApp Business Platform pricing documentation, checked 27 September 2026. Meta revises rates periodically; the Meta pricing page is authoritative.
What changed on 1 October 2026
- Service replies are no longer free. Each phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month (they do not roll over). After that, each reply costs the utility rate, ₹0.115 in India.
- Utility templates sent inside an open 24-hour window are charged at the utility rate. They were free from July 2025 to September 2026.
- Keep a payment method on file. Without one on your WhatsApp Business account, Meta delivers service messages only until the month's 1,000 free ones are used, then stops.
- Still free: the 72-hour window that opens when someone messages you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad.
Other 2026 changes: businesses billed by Meta in India (Billing Hub Sold-To country India) must move all their WhatsApp Business accounts to INR billing by 31 December 2026; from 1 January 2027 Meta stops delivering messages from their non-INR accounts. Volume discounts apply to utility messages above 25 million a month and authentication above 750,000.
Worked example: a 5-person sales team
A business on BizBotify Growth sends 4,000 marketing messages and 3,000 utility messages a month, and replies to 6,000 service messages from customers on one number.
| Item | Calculation | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing templates | 4,000 × ₹0.8631 | ₹3,452.40 |
| Utility templates | 3,000 × ₹0.115 | ₹345.00 |
| Service replies | (6,000 − 1,000 free) × ₹0.115 | ₹575.00 |
| Meta total | paid to Meta, plus taxes | ₹4,372.40 |
| BizBotify Growth | 8 users, AI included, billed annually | ₹2,999.00 |
On a platform that marks up Meta's rates by 20%, the template messages alone would cost about ₹760 more each month, and the markup grows with every message you send.
Platform markup: what to check
Most WhatsApp platforms charge a subscription and resell Meta's messages at a higher rate. When you compare providers, look at the per-message rate they list, not only the plan price.
- Per-message rate vs Meta's. Compare the vendor's listed rate with Meta's rate card above.
- Who bills you for messages. With BizBotify, Meta bills your WhatsApp account directly, so the rate you pay is Meta's.
- What the plan caps. Check users, contacts, monthly messages, chatbot flows and campaigns. BizBotify caps users and monthly outgoing messages (10,000 on Starter, 25,000 on Growth). Contacts, chatbot flows and campaigns are unlimited.
- Paid add-ons. Chatbot builders, AI agents and CRMs are often extra. See how BizBotify compares with WATI, AiSensy and Interakt.
Frequently asked questions
How much does one WhatsApp marketing message cost in India?
₹0.8631 per delivered message on Meta's current rate card (US$0.0118), plus taxes. Platforms that add a markup charge more; BizBotify passes Meta's rate through with 0% markup.
Are WhatsApp service conversations free in India?
The first 1,000 a month are. Since 1 October 2026 each phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month, and each one after that costs ₹0.115. Until 30 September 2026 they were all free.
Is WhatsApp Business API pricing per conversation or per message?
Per message. Meta moved from 24-hour conversation pricing to per-message pricing on 1 July 2025, so each delivered template message is charged by its category.
Is GST charged on WhatsApp API fees?
Meta's rates exclude taxes. Applicable taxes, including GST for Indian businesses, are added to Meta's invoice.
What does BizBotify cost on top of Meta?
Starter is ₹1,499/month (2 users, 10,000 outgoing messages a month) and Growth ₹2,999/month (8 users, 25,000 messages, AI included), billed annually, both with unlimited contacts. The Sales CRM is a ₹750/month add-on. There is a 15-day free trial with no credit card.