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WhatsApp Business API cost calculator (India)

Enter your messages a month by category to see your WhatsApp Business API cost in rupees. It uses Meta's INR rate card effective 1 October 2026: ₹0.8631 per marketing message and ₹0.115 per utility, authentication or service message to an Indian number.

Last updated . An estimate, not a Meta invoice.

Meta charges by the country code of the number you message.

Offers, new stock, festival greetings, enquiry follow-ups.

Order, dispatch and payment updates. Charged inside the 24-hour window too, since 1 Oct 2026.

One-time passwords.

Free-form replies within 24 hours of a customer's message.

Each number gets 1,000 free service replies a month.

More options

Messaging several countries?

For exporters who message buyers in several countries.

Messages sent inside free entry point windows

Replies to people who wrote to you from a Click to WhatsApp ad. Meta does not charge these. Enter them for the country above.

Only if you use a partner that charges a monthly fee.

Only if your partner adds a margin on each message.

Meta adds applicable taxes. Enter the rate shown on your Meta invoice.

Optional. Shows how many days a campaign takes at the daily limit.

Turn on only if Meta has told you these rates apply to your business.

Rates: Meta INR rate card effective 1 Oct 2026.

Your monthly cost

Meta charges only for delivered messages, so your bill can be lower.

Rates: Meta's INR rate card effective 1 Oct 2026, checked 18 Oct 2026. Meta can change rates on 1 Jan, 1 Apr, 1 Jul or 1 Oct.

Rules, limits and 8 message samples

How is the WhatsApp Business API cost calculated?

Meta charges per delivered message, at a rate set by the message category and the recipient's country code. The calculator multiplies each category's count by its rate, takes off the 1,000 free service replies per business number and free entry point messages, then adds any partner fees and tax [1][2][3].

Marketing cost = marketing messages × marketing rate
Utility cost   = utility messages × utility rate
Auth cost      = authentication messages × authentication rate
Service cost   = (service replies - 1,000 × business numbers) × service rate, never below 0
Meta total     = marketing + utility + authentication + service

Worked example: a distributor sends 1,000 retailers two offers and two updates a month and answers 700 questions, all to Indian numbers.

  1. Marketing: 2,000 × ₹0.8631 = ₹1,726.20
  2. Utility: 2,000 × ₹0.115 = ₹230.00
  3. Service: 700 replies, all inside the free 1,000 = ₹0
  4. Meta total before tax: ₹1,956.20 a month, about ₹23,474 a year

Utility and authentication rates drop only above 2.5 crore utility or 7.5 lakh authentication messages a month to India [2].

FAQ

Which rates does this calculator use?

Meta's INR rate card effective 1 October 2026, read on 18 October 2026. For Indian numbers: marketing ₹0.8631; utility, authentication and service ₹0.115. Meta updates rates only on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October, and you can edit any rate under "More options" [1][2].

Are replies to customers free?

The first 1,000 service replies a month on each business number are free. After that, each costs ₹0.115 to an Indian number. Since 1 October 2026, utility templates sent within 24 hours of a customer's message are charged too [1][3].

Does the result include GST and partner fees?

Not unless you add them. Meta's rates are before tax, and Meta adds applicable taxes. If you use a partner, enter its monthly fee or per-message charge under "More options" [1][4].

Why could my Meta bill be lower than the estimate?

Meta charges only for delivered messages. WhatsApp sometimes holds back marketing messages to people who get many (error 131049), and those cost nothing. Messages inside a free entry point window, opened when a customer writes from a Click to WhatsApp ad, are also free [1][5].

Can I use it for customers outside India?

Yes. Pick their country, or add a row for each country you message. A marketing message costs ₹4.2114 to a UAE number and ₹4.6496 to a UK number. WhatsApp does not deliver marketing templates to US numbers [2][5].

Sources

All pages opened on 18 Oct 2026.

  1. Meta, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform, updated 30 Sep 2026 (per-message pricing, categories, 1,000 free service messages per number from 1 Oct 2026, free entry point windows, volume tiers, pricing calendar). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing
  2. Meta, "Cost per message in INR on the WhatsApp Business Platform, effective October 1, 2026": INR list rates (CSV), INR volume tiers (CSV) and INR rates and volume tiers (PDF), linked from https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing#rate-cards-and-volume-tiers
  3. Meta, Non-template messages (pricing), updated 28 Sep 2026 (service and in-window utility charges from 1 Oct 2026; service rate equals the utility and authentication rate; no volume tiers for service). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing/non-template-messages
  4. Meta, Prepaid billing (India, INR, UPI; balance checks include applicable taxes), updated 8 Sep 2026. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing/prepaid-billing
  5. Meta, Per-user marketing template limits, updated 17 Jun 2026 (error 131049; no marketing templates to US numbers). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits