WhatsApp API pricing
How WhatsApp Business API pricing works: Meta charges per template message by category and country, replies inside 24 hours are free, and IotaBot adds no per-message fee.
WhatsApp per-message pricing by category
Since 1 July 2025 WhatsApp charges per delivered template message. What you pay depends on the template's category and the recipient's country code.
| Category | When it is charged | Typical messages |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Always charged | Offers, product launches, abandoned-cart reminders, re-engagement. |
| Utility | Charged — free inside an open 24-hour customer service window | Order confirmations, shipping updates, payment reminders, account alerts. |
| Authentication | Charged | One-time passwords and login codes. |
| Service (non-template replies) | Free | Any reply within 24 hours of the customer's last message — text, images, documents. |
Source: Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing. Per-country rates, in INR, USD and other currencies, are in Meta's rate cards — Meta updates them quarterly.
When WhatsApp messages are free
24-hour customer service window
When a customer messages you, you can reply for 24 hours with any message at no charge. Utility templates sent inside the window are free too.
72-hour free entry point
When a customer writes through a Click to WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button and you reply within 24 hours, every message for the next 72 hours is free.
Webhooks and test mode
Receiving messages on your webhook is free, and IotaBot's test keys send nothing — build and test at no cost.
What IotaBot charges for the WhatsApp API
No per-message fee
IotaBot adds nothing per WhatsApp message. Meta's charges go to your own WhatsApp Business account.
Included in your plan
API access comes with IotaBot plans, each with a monthly allowance of API messages. Only messages the channel accepts count; a refused send gives its message back.
The rest comes with it
The AI assistant, the team inbox, webhooks, test mode and every channel — WhatsApp, Instagram, email and website chat — on the same plan.
What a message costs, by example
- A customer asks "where is my order?" and you reply an hour laterFree — a service reply inside the 24-hour window.
- You send a shipping update the next dayA utility template, charged at Meta's utility rate for the customer's country.
- You send a festive offer to past buyersA marketing template, charged at Meta's marketing rate.
- You send a login codeAn authentication template, charged at Meta's authentication rate.
Sending templates and replies with the API: Send a template · Text and media
WhatsApp API pricing: frequently asked questions
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost?
Meta charges per delivered template message, by category (marketing, utility, authentication) and the recipient's country. Replies within 24 hours of a customer's message are free. Meta publishes the rates per country in its official rate cards, which it updates quarterly.
Are WhatsApp API messages free?
Replies you send within 24 hours of the customer's last message (service messages) are free, and so are utility templates sent inside that window. Marketing templates are always charged; authentication templates are charged. After a Click to WhatsApp ad or Facebook Page button, responding within 24 hours opens a 72-hour window in which all messages are free.
Who bills me for WhatsApp messages?
Meta bills its per-message charges to your WhatsApp Business account. IotaBot does not charge per WhatsApp message — API access is part of your IotaBot plan.
What are the WhatsApp API rates in India?
Meta sets a separate rate per country and currency, including INR rates for India, and changes them from time to time. Use Meta's official rate card for the current figure rather than a copied number that may be out of date.
Do webhooks or test mode cost anything?
No. Webhooks never count against your plan's API messages, and test keys (ib_test_…) send nothing and use no quota.
How can I reduce WhatsApp API costs?
Answer inside the 24-hour window, where replies are free; use utility templates for genuine transactional updates rather than marketing ones; and never message customers who opted out — IotaBot blocks those sends for you.
Start with the WhatsApp API
Build and test for free in test mode, then send live on your own WhatsApp Business number.