WhatsApp Business API Pricing in India 2027: Every Rate, Checked 30 Oct 2026

If your business sends order updates, reminders or offers on WhatsApp, this is what Meta charges for them. WhatsApp Business API pricing in India changed on 1 Oct 2026, when replies beyond the first 1,000 a month stopped being free. The table below is the rate card in force, checked against Meta's rate card on 30 Oct 2026.

No 2027 rate card exists yet. The rates below are the rates in force since 1 Oct 2026. Meta changes rates only on the first of a quarter, so 1 Jan 2027 is the next possible date.

WhatsApp Business API pricing in India: the rates in force since 1 Oct 2026

Meta bills per delivered message, not per message sent. Source: Meta's WhatsApp pricing page.

Category	Per message, excl. GST	With 18% GST	Typical use
Marketing	₹0.8631	₹1.0185	Offers, launches, re-engagement
Utility	₹0.1150	₹0.1357	Order, delivery and payment updates
Authentication	₹0.1150	₹0.1357	OTPs and login codes
Service	₹0.1150	₹0.1357	Free-form replies inside the 24-hour window

Three notes on this WhatsApp Business API pricing:

• Marketing costs about 7.5 times utility. Category moves your bill more than almost anything else.
• Authentication-international is ₹2.4971. It applies only to an eligible business that sends more than 750K messages outside service windows in a moving 30 days and is not based in the user's country. An Indian business messaging Indian users should not pay it.
• Meta Business Agent is not a per-message rate. It costs $2.00 per 1M tokens, and Meta estimates about 4 to 5 US cents a message.

Provider charges and the worked bills come further down.

What changed since this post was last updated (27 Jul 2026)

The July version of this post told you rates were due by 1 Sep and that Meta's page did not yet show the service-message change. Both are out of date: the rates are out and the change is live.

We also removed claims we could not verify today. These include an illustrative wholesaler example built on estimated rates, a ₹1,500 to ₹2,500 provider fee range, a ₹2,000 to ₹5,000 all-in range, and a rule that calling needs the 2,000 messaging limit. The 72-hour free window is gone too, because Meta's page now says something different. If you budgeted from the old version, please redo the sum using the tables here.

WhatsApp service message charges: what 1 Oct 2026 changed

Service messages had been free since 1 Nov 2024. Since 1 Oct 2026, two things are charged:

• Service messages, per delivered message, at the utility and authentication rate. There is no volume tier.
• Utility templates sent in response inside an open window. These had been free since 1 Jul 2025.

The 24-hour window still decides when you may send free-form messages. It no longer makes them free. So reply count now shows up on your bill, which adds one small reason to look at automating the repeat questions.

One warning: whatsappbusiness.com/products/platform-pricing/, as fetched on 30 Oct 2026, still said service and in-window utility messages are not charged. Meta's dated documentation and rate card say they are, so we trust those. Check the date on any page quoting WhatsApp message charges.

What is still free

• Inbound messages from customers.
• The 1,000 free service messages per business phone number, per month. There is no rollover and charges start at the 1,001st. This covers service only, not in-window utility, and is worth ₹115 a month per number before GST.
• Free entry point windows, explained below.
• Messages sent from the Business app under Coexistence.

Eligible governments and non-profits keep free service beyond the 1,000 through 31 Dec 2027. If no payment method is on file, the free tier still delivers, and then delivery stops.

The free entry point now runs up to 7 days

Meta's page, last updated 30 Sep 2026, says "up to 7 days", no longer 72 hours. Many pages are stale on this. The window opens when a user messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad on the Android or iOS app, not desktop or web, and you reply within the customer service window.

Marketing, utility, authentication and service messages are free inside it. Meta Business Agent is still charged. These messages do not count toward volume tiers.

WhatsApp API cost per message in India: illustrative monthly bills

These are ILLUSTRATIVE sums, not client data. Each assumes one number, no ads and list rate, before any provider charge.

Illustrative business	Messages in the month	Before GST	With 18% GST
Distributor messaging dealers	3,000 utility + 2,500 service (1,500 billed)	₹517.50	₹610.65
Clinic, if reminders are categorised utility	2,000 reminders	₹230.00	₹271.40
D2C brand	5,000 delivery updates	₹575.00	₹678.50
Any business	1,000 offers	₹863.10	₹1,018.46

The "if" on the clinic row matters. Setting up appointment reminders for a clinic only stays at this price while the template stays in utility. In marketing, the same 2,000 would cost ₹1,726.20 before GST.

Now take reply count. On one number, 10,000 service replies in a month cost ₹1,221.30 with GST (9,000 billed), and 1,500 replies cost ₹67.85 (500 billed).

That difference is real, but it is not large. The stronger reason for automating them is the staff time they take, not Meta's charge.

WhatsApp utility message price vs marketing: the recategorisation risk

A cheap template can become an expensive one. Meta can move a utility template to marketing, normally with one day's notice. That moves the WhatsApp utility message price from ₹0.115 to ₹0.8631 on every send.

So keep a list of your templates and their current categories, and look at it before a big send. A delivery update with a discount code added is the kind of wording to watch. Template review takes "up to 24 hours", so allow for that before a dated send.

Marketing also has a cost beyond the rate. LocalCircles, reported by Storyboard18, found 96% of surveyed Indian WhatsApp users get unsolicited commercial messages daily, and 59% block the sender (base 13,748 for that question). If marketing is your largest line, comparing RCS with WhatsApp may be worth an hour.

Volume tiers: most readers pay list rate

Tiers are per month and per portfolio, and reset monthly in the account's timezone. Only charged messages count, and the discount applies to messages above each threshold. Marketing and service have no tier. Most businesses reading this will never reach the first threshold, so do not plan around these rates.

Rate	Utility, monthly volume	Authentication, monthly volume
₹0.1150	Up to 2.5 crore	Up to 7.5 lakh
₹0.1081	Up to 5 crore	Up to 1.5 crore
₹0.1012	Up to 10 crore	Up to 2 crore
₹0.0943	Up to 20 crore	Up to 5 crore
₹0.0874	Up to 30 crore	Up to 10 crore
₹0.0805	Above 30 crore	Above 10 crore

WhatsApp API GST in India and the INR billing deadline

GST. Facebook India invoices with 18%: IGST, or CGST plus SGST for a Haryana bill-to. An SEZ business with a valid certificate is exempt.

TDS. Customers on monthly invoices short-pay 10% and send certificates. Self-serve customers pay in full and claim a refund of TDS deposited above 10%. Have your accountant confirm this for your setup.

If you buy through a provider, we could not establish who invoices Meta's portion to you, or whether reverse charge applies. Ask your provider in writing.

The WhatsApp INR billing deadline. INR localization began on 1 Jan 2026 for India Sold-To customers. Meta says all accounts should move to INR by 31 Dec 2026, and non-INR accounts of eligible businesses stop delivering from 1 Jan 2027.

You migrate through Meta's process (the Currency Migration API, available from 1 Jun 2026) or through your provider. The old account cannot send after migrating, so choose a quiet day. If any invoice still arrives in dollars, raise it now.

What a BSP adds to Meta's price

A BSP (Business Solution Provider) is a company that resells access to the platform, usually with an inbox and tools on top. Choosing between them is a separate decision, covered in our guide to WhatsApp marketing software. This table only shows the price gap.

Rates and fees are as displayed on 30 Oct 2026. The gap is our arithmetic against Meta's list rate. Each provider's GST treatment on displayed rates is unclear, so do not read the whole gap as margin.

Provider	Plan fee	Marketing (gap)	Utility (gap)	Service and auth (gap)
Interakt Growth	₹2,799/mo + taxes	₹0.958 (+0.0949)	₹0.150 (+0.035)	₹0.128 (+0.013)
Interakt Advanced	₹3,799/mo + taxes	₹0.949 (+0.0859)	₹0.140 (+0.025)	₹0.127 (+0.012)
AiSensy	Not shown	₹1.09 (+0.2269)	₹0.145 (+0.03)	₹0.145 (+0.03)
Gallabox	See page	₹0.9926 (+0.1295)	₹0.1323 (+0.0173)	₹0.1323 (+0.0173)
WATI	₹2,699 / ₹5,799 / ₹16,799 a month, billed quarterly	Not on pricing page	Not on pricing page	Not on pricing page
DoubleTick	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published

AiSensy states 1,000 free service messages per number. Before you sign with anyone, ask for these in writing:

• Meta's rate and the provider's markup as separate lines.
• Whether displayed rates include GST.
• How marketing is routed and what it adds. One BSP states a 7% surcharge on marketing via Cloud API. Meta's docs mention none, so treat it as a provider charge.

Also ask where your customer history lives if you leave. Owning your customer database is a separate question from who sends your messages.

Going direct. Meta's pricing page lists no access, licence or platform fee for the Cloud API, only per-message charges, Business Agent tokens and separate Calling pricing. Our inference: the real cost of direct is building and running your own interface.

Calling is billed in 6-second pulses, call-permission requests are charged at per-message rates, and user-initiated calls are free.

Messaging limits and when to stay on the free app

Limits are not a price, but they cap what you can spend. Meta's limits run 250, 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and Unlimited. Since 7 Oct 2025 they sit at business portfolio level and are shared across numbers.

• 250 is the start for a new portfolio.
• 2,000 comes from verifying the business, partner verification, or 2,000 delivered messages outside service windows to unique numbers in 30 days with high-quality templates.
• Above that, increases are automatic with high quality and at least half the limit used in the last 7 days.

A quality drop no longer lowers the limit, though a banned number is a different problem.

Staying on the app. Messages sent from the WhatsApp Business app are not charged at these rates. If one person answers everything and no other system needs to trigger messages, the rate card above may simply not apply to you.

FAQs

How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost per message in India?

Marketing is ₹0.8631 and utility, authentication and service are ₹0.1150, excluding GST. These are Meta's rates in force since 1 Oct 2026, charged per delivered message. Any provider charge is extra.

Are WhatsApp replies free inside the 24-hour window?

No, not any more. Since 1 Oct 2026 service messages are charged per delivered message, after the first 1,000 per number each month. In-window utility templates are charged too, with no free allowance.

Is there a WhatsApp Business API rate card for 2027?

Not as of 30 Oct 2026. Meta changes rates only on the first of a quarter, so 1 Jan 2027 is the next possible date. Check Meta's pricing page on that date rather than relying on a forecast.

Do I need a BSP, or can I use Meta's Cloud API directly?

You can go direct. Meta's pricing page lists no access, licence or platform fee, only usage charges. You would then need your own interface for your team, and that is the cost to weigh against a provider's fee and markup.

Will I lose my chats if I connect my number to the API?

Coexistence lets one number use the Business app and the Cloud API together. It syncs 180 days of 1:1 chat, excluding groups. Media IDs are available only for media from the 14 days after onboarding. Business app messages stay free and do not open Cloud API windows.

Where Cybiqon fits

Cybiqon does not resell WhatsApp messages, so we earn nothing on your message count. What we would build is the layer around them: order and delivery updates fired from your own system, repeat questions answered in Hindi, Hinglish or English, and a handover to your team when a chat needs a person.

It is written for your business rather than configured from a template, and you own the code. WhatsApp automation starts at ₹19,999 one-time, scoped on the first call. Meta's message charges stay separate.

Send your monthly message count by category to support@cybiqon.in or +91 9250711473, and we will give you a straight answer on whether an owned setup would pay for itself. Sometimes it will not. Prefer talking? Book a 30-minute call.

Conclusion

WhatsApp Business API pricing in India is now simple to state: ₹0.8631 for marketing and ₹0.1150 for the rest, plus 18% GST, with the first 1,000 service messages free per number each month. Three things can change your bill: a template moved to marketing, a provider's markup, and missing the 31 Dec 2026 move to INR. Check your category mix and billing currency first. Then look at Meta's page on 1 Jan 2027, and send Cybiqon your counts if you want a second read.