The WhatsApp Business API in India costs ₹0.8631 per marketing message and ₹0.115 per utility, authentication or chargeable service message. Meta sets these rates and bills each delivered message. Your provider’s subscription and any markup come on top, and 18% GST applies to both.
WhatsApp API Pricing in India at a Glance
| Message type | Meta rate per delivered message (before GST) |
|---|---|
| Marketing template | ₹0.8631 |
| Utility template | ₹0.115 |
| Authentication (OTP) template | ₹0.115 |
| Authentication-international | ₹2.4971 |
| Service reply | First 1,000 free per number per month, then ₹0.115 |
| Messages customers send you | Free |
Monthly cost formula: (Marketing × ₹0.8631) + (Utility × ₹0.115) + (Authentication × ₹0.115) + (Service replies above 1,000 × ₹0.115) + provider subscription + provider markup, then add 18% GST.Messages sent inside a free entry point window, explained below, are not charged.
Rates checked in October 2026 against Meta’s pricing rules and provider rate cards for India. See how we checked these prices.
What Is the WhatsApp Business API?
The WhatsApp Business API, which Meta calls the WhatsApp Business Platform, lets a business send and receive WhatsApp messages through software rather than a phone. Messages flow into a shared inbox, CRM, online store or chatbot, so several agents can use one number and messages such as order confirmations can be sent automatically.
Most Indian businesses connect through a Business Solution Provider (BSP) such as Wati, AiSensy or Interakt, which provides the dashboard, broadcasts and automation on top of Meta’s Cloud API. To start, you need a Meta Business account, a phone number, a display name that matches your business, and approved templates for any message you initiate.
WhatsApp Business App vs WhatsApp Business API
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Meta per-message fees plus provider fees |
| Who uses it | One owner or a small team on a phone | Teams using an inbox, CRM or store |
| Broadcasts | Limited to small groups of saved contacts | Large template broadcasts to opted-in customers |
| Automation | Quick replies and greeting messages | Chatbots, triggered messages, integrations |
| Multiple agents | Limited | Built in through the provider’s inbox |
Stay on the app if you’re replying to customers yourself and broadcasting rarely. Move to the API when you need multiple agents, automated order or appointment messages, CRM or store integration, or broadcasts to large opted-in lists. Some providers support using the same number on both the app and the API, so ask about this if you don’t want to give up the app.
How the 24-Hour Customer Service Window Works
The customer service window decides what you can send and, since October 2026, part of what you pay.
- The window opens when a customer messages your business and lasts 24 hours from their latest message. Each new customer message restarts the 24 hours.
- Inside the window, you can send free-form replies (text, images, documents) as well as templates.
- Outside the window, you can only send pre-approved templates, charged by category.
- Messages customers send you are never charged.
A separate free entry point window opens when a customer messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action button and you reply within 24 hours. For the next 72 hours, all your messages to that customer are free, including templates. It runs independently of the 24-hour service window.
What Changed on 1 October 2026
Meta’s per-message rates for India did not change on 1 October 2026. What changed is which messages are billable:
| Message | Until 30 September 2026 | From 1 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Free-form service replies inside the 24-hour window | Free, unlimited | First 1,000 free per business number per month, then ₹0.115 each |
| Utility templates sent inside the 24-hour window | Free | ₹0.115 each |
| Utility templates outside the window | ₹0.115 | ₹0.115 |
| Marketing templates | ₹0.8631 | ₹0.8631 |
| Authentication templates | ₹0.115 | ₹0.115 |
The 1,000 free service replies don’t roll over. A small business answering a few hundred questions a month still pays nothing for replies. A support team sending 20,000 replies a month now pays Meta about ₹2,185 before GST.
These changes are published on provider rate cards, including AiSensy’s, and in provider notices to customers. Meta’s developer documentation has at times lagged behind its rate cards, so check the live rate card in your WhatsApp Manager or provider dashboard before budgeting.
India also moved to local INR billing in 2026. Providers report that India-billed accounts must switch to INR billing by 31 December 2026, and that INR billing needs a new WhatsApp Business Account because existing USD accounts can’t be converted. Confirm the steps with your provider.
Meta Fees vs Provider Fees
These are separate charges, and comparing providers only makes sense once you split them.
| Charge | Set by | How it’s billed | Same across providers? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Message fees | Meta | Per delivered message, by category | Yes, the base rate is the same |
| Platform subscription | Your provider | Monthly, quarterly or yearly | No |
| Per-message markup | Your provider | Added on top of Meta’s rate | No; some publish it, some don’t |
| Setup, numbers, add-ons | Your provider | One-time or monthly | No |
| GST | Government | 18% on Meta fees and provider fees | Yes |
A provider charging ₹1.09 per marketing message is adding about 26% to Meta’s ₹0.8631 before its subscription and GST. Ask every provider for Meta’s fee and its own fee as separate lines. Some, such as Interakt on its Enterprise plan, advertise no markup at all, which matters more than the subscription price once you send thousands of marketing messages.
GST on WhatsApp API Charges
GST at 18% applies to Meta’s message fees and to provider fees. With INR billing, you should receive a GST invoice, and GST-registered businesses can usually claim the tax as input tax credit, which brings the real cost close to the pre-GST figures above. Unregistered businesses pay the full 18%. If you are still on USD billing, the tax treatment can differ, so check with your accountant.
Meta Business Agent Is Billed Separately
Meta’s own AI agent for WhatsApp, Meta Business Agent, is priced differently from messaging. According to explainers published by Wati and Intelliconcierge, it is billed per token at US$2 per million tokens from 1 August 2026, which works out to roughly 4 to 5 US cents per AI reply, with no free window. Its availability in India has not been clearly announced.
This is not the same as an AI chatbot run by your provider. Replies from a provider’s chatbot or AI assistant are sent as normal messages and follow the standard service and template pricing above. If a provider pitches “AI replies”, ask which kind it is.
WhatsApp API Provider Pricing Compared
| Provider | Subscription (before GST) | Per-message pricing | Free option | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AiSensy | Paid plans; 5% off quarterly, 10% off yearly | Published: marketing ₹1.09; utility, authentication and service ₹0.145 | Free Forever plan, ₹50 starting credit | Chatbot builder ₹2,500/month extra |
| Interakt | Growth ₹2,499/month, Advanced ₹3,499/month | Prepaid wallet; Enterprise plan advertises no markup | Trial | 8% off quarterly, 20% off yearly |
| Wati | Not shown on the page; third-party reviews list Growth at about ₹2,499 to ₹2,699/month | Wati rate card by category | 7-day trial; ₹999 pay-as-you-go pack | Extra users from US$24/month on Pro |
| LimeChat | Custom quote | Depends on Meta category and AI resolution rate | Demo | Built for D2C brands |
| TeleCRM | CRM from ₹799/user/month (annual) | Meta rates; no extra TeleCRM fee for WhatsApp automation | No | ₹1,999 one-time WhatsApp API setup |
| Meta Cloud API, direct | None | Meta rates only | Not applicable | Needs a developer; no inbox or chatbot included |
The direct Cloud API is cheapest on paper, but most small businesses pay a provider for the inbox, templates and automation. If your team already works leads in a CRM, connecting WhatsApp there can replace a separate tool. Our guide to the best CRM software for small business in India covers which CRMs handle WhatsApp.
What a Month of WhatsApp Actually Costs
These examples use Meta’s October 2026 rates and AiSensy’s published per-message rates as a typical provider, with an illustrative ₹1,500 monthly subscription. Figures are monthly.
| Business | Monthly volume | Meta fees only | With GST | Through a provider | With GST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D2C store | 10,000 marketing, 3,000 order updates, 4,000 support replies | ₹9,321 | ₹10,999 | ₹13,270 | ₹15,659 |
| Coaching institute | 2,000 marketing, 6,000 reminders, 1,500 replies | ₹2,474 | ₹2,919 | ₹4,622 | ₹5,455 |
| Clinic | 3,000 appointment reminders, 800 replies | ₹345 | ₹407 | ₹1,935 | ₹2,283 |
| Broadcast-heavy brand | 20,000 marketing messages | ₹17,262 | ₹20,369 | ₹23,300 | ₹27,494 |
Marketing messages drive most of the bill for anyone who broadcasts. For low-volume senders like the clinic, the subscription costs more than Meta’s fees, so a cheaper plan or a CRM with built-in WhatsApp is worth comparing.
How to Cut Your WhatsApp API Bill
- Send order, payment and appointment updates as utility templates, not marketing.
- Keep promotions out of utility templates; Meta can reclassify them as marketing.
- Use Click to WhatsApp ads, so follow-ups within 72 hours are free.
- Send OTPs from an India-registered WhatsApp Business Account to avoid the international rate.
- Remove numbers that never read your broadcasts.
- Ask providers for their markup per category in writing.
- Pay quarterly or yearly once you’re settled on a provider.
Getting Started: Verification, Display Name and the Green Tick
These three are often confused:
- Business verification confirms your company with Meta. You can start without it, but it’s needed for higher daily messaging limits and more phone numbers.
- Display name approval is a review of the name customers see. It must reasonably match your business, or messages may be limited.
- The green tick (an official or verified business badge) is separate and optional. It isn’t needed to use the API or to get standard pricing.
New numbers start with a cap on how many customers they can message each day, which rises as you send messages that customers don’t block or report.
How We Checked These Prices
We compared Meta’s published pricing rules with provider rate cards and notices for India, including AiSensy’s per-message rates and Interakt’s and Wati’s plan pages, and cross-checked the October 2026 changes against several independent provider explainers. Where a provider doesn’t publish a price, we say so and label third-party figures. Prices were checked in October 2026. We have no commercial relationship with any provider in this guide.
