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WhatsApp API charges from 1 October 2026: what changed in India
Service replies are no longer free after 1,000 a month, and utility templates inside the 24-hour window are charged again. Here are the new rates and what they mean for your bill.
The short version
Until September, replying to a customer inside the 24-hour customer service window cost nothing on the WhatsApp Business Platform. From 1 October 2026, Meta charges for those replies too. Every business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month. After that, each one is billed.
If you use the normal WhatsApp Business app on your phone, nothing changes for you. This is only for businesses on the API, whether you connect directly or through a CRM like RelayDesk.
What actually changed
Two things. First, service messages are now paid. A service message is any free-form reply you send inside the 24-hour window: an agent typing an answer, a chatbot reply or a reply from an AI tool. The first 1,000 each month are free per phone number. The allowance resets on the 1st, and unused messages don't carry over.
Second, utility templates sent inside the 24-hour window are charged again. Meta made them free in July 2025. That ended on 30 September 2026, so order updates, booking confirmations and reminders cost the utility rate wherever you send them.
The new rates for India
These are the per-message rates reported for messages to Indian numbers. Meta bills per delivered message.
| Message type | Meta rate | With 18% GST |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹0.8631 | ₹1.0185 |
| Utility | ₹0.1150 | ₹0.1357 |
| Authentication | ₹0.1150 | ₹0.1357 |
| Service (after 1,000 free) | ₹0.1150 | ₹0.1357 |
Per delivered message to an Indian number. Service messages are free for the first 1,000 per phone number each month.
What's still free
The first 1,000 service messages per number, every month.
Conversations that start from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button still get a 72-hour free entry window. If your leads mostly come from ads, much of your chat stays free.
Customers never pay anything to message you.
What it means in rupees
Say your team sends 5,000 replies a month from one number. The first 1,000 are free, and the other 4,000 cost ₹0.1357 each including GST. That's about ₹543 a month.
At 20,000 replies a month the extra cost is about ₹2,578. That's real money, but small next to what a missed lead costs. The bigger change is in habits: a chat that drags on with ten one-word messages now costs more than one clear reply.
Five ways to keep the bill down
1. Reply in fewer, fuller messages. One clear answer with the price, the link and the next step beats four short ones.
2. Let a chatbot ask the qualifying questions with buttons, so a lead gives you what you need in two taps instead of ten messages.
3. Use quick replies and saved answers so agents don't send half-answers and corrections.
4. Run Click-to-WhatsApp ads for new enquiries. The 72-hour free window covers the busiest part of a new conversation.
5. Watch the numbers. Check how many replies each agent sends per conversation. RelayDesk's team reports show this per agent.
Before you budget
Meta can update its rates, usually once a quarter, and rates differ by country. The figures here are the India rates reported at the start of October 2026. Check Meta's official rate card or ask your provider before you plan a large campaign. If you use RelayDesk, the cost of a broadcast is shown before you send it, and every charge appears in your wallet history.