Two Separate Bills, One Confusing Invoice
The reason WhatsApp API pricing confuses people is that there are two completely separate cost layers — and they're often bundled into one number on your invoice without explanation.
Layer 1: Meta's per-message fee — what Meta charges for the message itself, regardless of which platform you use.
Layer 2: Platform fee — what you pay your BSP (like Tenreply, WATI, AiSensy) for the software that connects you to the API.
Some platforms also add a third layer: a markup on Meta's rates, charging you more per message than Meta actually bills them. We'll cover this in detail below.
Meta's Per-Message Pricing (Post-July 2025)
On July 1, 2025, Meta switched from per-conversation pricing (24-hour sessions) to per-message pricing. Every template message delivered now incurs a separate fee based on its category and the recipient's country.
India rates (approximate — check Meta's official rate card for exact figures)
| Message Category | Rate per Message (India) |
|---|---|
| Marketing | ~₹0.78 |
| Utility (order updates, reminders, transactional) | ~₹0.12 |
| Authentication (OTPs) | ~₹0.12 |
| Service (replies to customer-initiated messages) | Free (first 1,000/month) |
Key implication: if a customer messages you first, your replies are free for the first 1,000 per month. After that, a modest fee applies. The expensive category is marketing — promotional, campaign, and re-engagement messages.
What Does This Mean in Practice?
Support team (primarily inbound)
Most of your messages are customer-initiated service conversations — the cheapest category. If your volume is under 1,000 customer-initiated conversations per month, your Meta message cost is effectively zero. Above 1,000, a small per-message fee applies.
Monthly Meta cost for a support team handling 2,000 inbound conversations: the first 1,000 are free; the remaining 1,000 service replies cost a few rupees each. Very manageable.
Broadcast-heavy marketing
Marketing messages to Indian numbers: ~₹0.78 each. For 10,000 contacts: ₹7,800. For 100,000 contacts: ₹78,000 — just in Meta fees, before your platform costs.
This is where message category optimisation matters: if you're sending "Your order has been dispatched" messages as utility vs. marketing, you pay ₹0.12 vs. ₹0.78 per message — a 6x difference. Meta's category definitions are specific; make sure your templates are classified correctly.
D2C / ecommerce
A typical D2C WhatsApp flow might include: abandoned cart (marketing), order confirmation (utility), shipping update (utility), delivery confirmation (utility), post-delivery review request (marketing). The bulk of your volume is utility — cheap. The marketing messages (cart recovery, campaigns) carry the ₹0.78 rate.
Platform Fees
Your BSP charges a monthly platform fee for the inbox, automation builder, contact management, and API access. This ranges widely:
- ₹999/month — AiSensy entry
- ₹1,999/month — Tenreply Growth (unlimited agents)
- ₹2,499/month — Interakt entry
- $49–239/month — WATI (per-seat, USD)
The platform fee buys you the software. It doesn't cover Meta's message fees — those are separate.
The Hidden Markup: What to Watch Out For
Some BSPs don't pass Meta's rates directly to you. Instead, they buy messages from Meta at the official rate and charge you 15–25% more. This is often buried in the contract as "messaging credits" or "conversation credits."
Example: Meta charges ₹0.78 per marketing message. Your BSP charges you ₹0.94 per message. The difference (₹0.16) is pure margin to the BSP.
At 50,000 messages per month, that's ₹8,000/month extra — ₹96,000/year — for nothing additional.
How to check: ask your BSP directly: "Do you pass through Meta's rates or add a markup?" The honest answer is yes or no. If they hedge, that's your answer. Tenreply passes Meta's rates through without markup on the Growth and Pro plans.
Total Cost Calculator
Your actual monthly WhatsApp API cost is:
(Marketing messages × ~₹0.78) + (Utility messages × ~₹0.12) + Platform fee ± MarkupUse Tenreply's free Meta cost calculator to plug in your volumes and get an estimate — no signup required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the pricing change from what I read in older guides?
Yes. Meta shifted to per-message pricing on July 1, 2025. Pre-2025 guides describe the conversation-window model (24-hour sessions). The per-message model is what applies now.
Can I send unlimited messages?
New accounts start at 1,000 template messages per 24 hours. This limit scales up automatically as you send consistently and maintain quality. Most active accounts reach 100,000+/day within weeks.
Are service messages (replies) really free?
The first 1,000 per month are free. After that, a per-message service rate applies. For most support teams, staying under 1,000 isn't realistic — but the per-message rate for service is still significantly cheaper than marketing.
What counts as "utility" vs. "marketing"?
Utility messages have a functional, transactional purpose tied to a specific action the customer has already taken: order confirmation, shipping update, appointment reminder, payment receipt. Marketing messages are promotional — campaigns, new product announcements, win-back sequences, offers. The line matters a lot for cost; when in doubt, check Meta's template category definitions before submitting for approval.