Guide · rates checked 28 August 2026
WhatsApp Business API pricing in India, explained
You pay two things: Meta’s per-message charge and your platform’s software fee. Here is how each works, with every number linked to its source.
How Meta charges for WhatsApp messages
The API itself is free: no licence, no per-seat charge, no minimum. Meta charges per delivered message, and the price depends on two things.
1. The 24-hour customer service window
- When a customer messages you, a 24-hour window opens.
- Inside it you can reply without a template. The first 1,000 replies a month on each WhatsApp number are free; after that, Meta charges ₹0.115 a reply (since 1 October 2026).
- Once it closes, only an approved template can reach them, and templates are billed.
2. The template’s category
- Marketing: offers, promotions, re-engagement. The most expensive.
- Utility: order updates, reminders, receipts.
- Authentication: one-time passcodes.
Marketing costs about 7.5× utility. A template approved in the wrong category costs you that multiple on every send, so check your categories first.
The current India rates
Meta’s published per-message rates for India, effective 1 July 2026. They are the same on every platform. 18% GST applies on top.
If a provider quotes a different rate, the difference is theirs, not Meta’s.
Verified 28 AUG 2026 — Meta’s published India rate card. Opens in a new tab.
Per message, effective 1 July 2026. Identical on every platform.
| Message category | Meta charges |
|---|---|
| Marketing template Promotions, offers, re-engagement | ₹0.8631 |
| Utility template Order updates, receipts, alerts | ₹0.115 |
| Authentication template One-time passcodes | ₹0.115 |
| Your normal replies to a customer Free-form messages within 24 hours of their last message. First 1,000 a month free per number. | ₹0.115 |
Meta adds 18% GST to these charges. Zanoo’s own plan prices already include GST.
Rates last verified against Meta’s rate card on 28 August 2026. How this rate is set
A sample month
20,000 marketing, 5,000 utility and 1,000 authentication messages, and 3,000 replies on one number. Round numbers for illustration.
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing templates 20,000 × ₹0.8631 | ₹17,262 |
| Utility templates 5,000 × ₹0.115 | ₹575 |
| Authentication templates 1,000 × ₹0.115 | ₹115 |
| Free-form replies inside the 24-hour window 3,000 − 1,000 free = 2,000 × ₹0.115 | ₹230 |
| Subtotal | ₹18,182 |
| GST 18% | ₹3,272.76 |
| Meta’s invoice billed by Meta, to whoever holds the billing relationship | ₹21,454.76 |
Marketing is 95% of this bill. Cutting marketing volume, or moving a message to the utility category where it belongs, saves far more than any platform discount.
What changed on 1 October 2026
Two things that used to be free inside the 24-hour window are now billed:
- Free-form replies, beyond the first 1,000 a month on each WhatsApp number, at ₹0.115 each — the same as the utility rate.
- Utility and authentication templates sent inside the window, at the standard ₹0.115. These don’t use up the 1,000 free replies.
- Marketing templates were already billed, and still are.
Both work out at about ₹115 per thousand messages, plus GST. Conversations that start from a click-to-WhatsApp ad still get a free window, and messages you send from the WhatsApp Business app itself stay free (see using the app and Zanoo on one number).
Read the details: what the change means for replies and the utility-template arithmetic. Checked against Meta’s pricing page on 21 October 2026.
Who actually bills you
Every provider is one of three Meta partner types. The type decides whose rate is on your invoice.
Solution Partner
- Has a credit line from Meta, so it buys messages and resells them to you.
- One bill for software and messages, at rates the partner sets.
- Upside: one vendor, one GST line, no Meta billing setup.
Tech Provider
- No credit line, so it can’t resell messages.
- Meta bills you directly, at Meta’s published rates.
- Trade-off: two invoices, and about 15 minutes of billing setup on your side.
Tech Partner
- A Tech Provider also approved as a Meta Business Partner.
- Billing is the same: Meta invoices you.
A plain Tech Provider isn’t listed in Meta’s partner directory, so the two-minute check below is the reliable way to tell.
The same month, at reseller rates
One leading Indian platform publishes ₹1.09 per marketing message and ₹0.145 per utility or authentication message.
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing, at Meta’s published rate 20,000 × ₹0.8631 | ₹17,262 |
| Marketing, at a reseller’s published rate 20,000 × ₹1.09 | ₹21,800 |
| Utility and authentication, at Meta’s rate 6,000 × ₹0.115 | ₹690 |
| Utility and authentication, at a reseller’s rate 6,000 × ₹0.145 | ₹870.00 |
| Difference on messages alone about 26% more on marketing, before GST and software fees | ₹4,718 |
Reseller rates from a public pricing page, checked 28 August 2026. Verify Meta's side on Meta's pricing page.
Check yours in two minutes
- Open Meta Business Manager → Business settings → WhatsApp accounts.
- Select your account → Payment settings → Billing activity.
- Charges from Meta? You’re paying Meta’s rates. Empty? Someone else is reselling messages to you — ask them for their per-message rate.
Zanoo is a Tech Provider: Meta bills you for messages and we charge a flat plan fee, so we can’t mark up your messages. Read the full comparison.
You don’t need DLT registration for WhatsApp
- DLT is a TRAI rule for commercial SMS.
- WhatsApp doesn’t run on telecom SMS infrastructure, so DLT doesn’t apply.
- What does apply: Meta’s template approval, and its Business Messaging Policy, which requires opt-in before you message someone first.
Calculate your own bill
Enter your monthly volumes to see Meta’s charges, your plan fee and GST.
Compare with your current provider’s fee
Your monthly bill with Zanoo
₹24,454
Everything included: your plan, WhatsApp charges and GST.
- Zanoo Growth planPaid to Zanoo · GST included₹2,999
- WhatsApp message chargesPaid to Meta at its own rates · incl. 18% GST₹21,455
You save ₹5,517 a month — ₹66,204 a year.
See how we calculated this
With Zanoo Growth
- Zanoo Growthincl. GST
- ₹2,999
- Meta — marketing20,000 × ₹0.8631
- ₹17,262
- Meta — utility5,000 × ₹0.115
- ₹575
- Meta — authentication1,000 × ₹0.115
- ₹115
- Meta — replies beyond 1,000 free2,000 × ₹0.115
- ₹230
- GST on Meta charges (18%)
- ₹3,273
- Total
- ₹24,454
With a typical reseller
- Their platform feethe plan price you were quoted
- ₹2,499
- Marketing20,000 × ₹1.09
- ₹21,800
- Utility + authentication6,000 × ₹0.145
- ₹870
- Replies beyond the free allowance2,000 × ₹0.115
- ₹230
- GST (18%)
- ₹4,572
- Total
- ₹29,971
Meta’s India rates effective 1 July 2026, checked 28 August 2026 on Meta’s pricing page. Reseller rates are a leading Indian platform's published rates (₹1.09 marketing, ₹0.145 utility/authentication), checked 28 August 2026. Since 1 October 2026, Meta bills replies inside the 24-hour window beyond the first 1,000 a month per WhatsApp number, at ₹0.115 each; the calculator assumes one number.
Example: 20,000 marketing, 5,000 order updates and 1,000 login codes a month on Growth
₹24,454
Your monthly bill with Zanoo — plan, WhatsApp charges and GST.
- Zanoo Growth planPaid to Zanoo · GST included ₹2,999
- WhatsApp message chargesPaid to Meta at its own rates · incl. 18% GST ₹21,455
You save ₹5,517 a month — ₹66,204 a year.
Turn on JavaScript to enter your own numbers. Meta rates effective 1 July 2026, checked 28 August 2026: Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page. Reseller rates are a leading Indian platform's published rates, checked 28 August 2026.
Questions
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost in India?
Two costs. Meta charges per template message: ₹0.8631 marketing, ₹0.115 utility and ₹0.115 authentication (effective 1 July 2026), plus 18% GST. Your platform adds a software fee — Zanoo’s plans run from ₹0 to ₹6,999 a month, GST included.
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
There’s no licence fee. Meta bills per message: templates by category, and replies inside the 24-hour window beyond the first 1,000 a month per number at ₹0.115. Zanoo’s free plan covers the software side.
What changed on 1 October 2026?
Two things inside the 24-hour customer service window stopped being free on 1 October 2026: utility and authentication templates, now billed at the standard rate, and free-form replies beyond the first 1,000 a month on each WhatsApp number, billed at ₹0.115.
Do I need DLT registration for WhatsApp in India?
No. DLT is a TRAI requirement for commercial SMS. WhatsApp is outside it; Meta’s template approval is the equivalent gate.
What is the difference between a Tech Provider and a Solution Partner?
A Solution Partner buys messaging from Meta and resells it at its own rates — often around 26% more for marketing. A Tech Provider never handles your messages: Meta bills you directly at its published rate.
How can I check these claims?
Meta publishes the India rate card itself. Zanoo is run by Codexlab Enterprise Private Limited, CIN U62013MH2025PTC450983, which you can look up on the MCA portal. More checks you can run.
Sources
- Meta’s WhatsApp pricing, India rates and service-window rules: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing. Checked 28 August 2026.
- Meta’s partner types: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/overview .
- Reseller rates: a leading Indian platform’s public pricing page, checked 28 August 2026.
- DLT: TRAI’s Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations.
- Published by Codexlab Enterprise Private Limited, CIN U62013MH2025PTC450983.
Spotted something out of date? Email hello@zanoo.in.
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