The category sets the price
Meta charges for each message it delivers, at a rate decided by two things: the country the recipient is in, and the category of the message. Length does not come into it. You pick the category when you submit a template, and Meta confirms or changes it at review.
Templates — you start the conversation
A template is a message you send first, so it has to be approved before it can go out. Four categories, four rates.
Marketing
ChargedPromotions, offers, retargeting, product picks, abandoned-cart nudges.
“Your 20% discount ends tonight”
Utility
ChargedUpdates tied to something the customer already did.
“Order #1041 has shipped”
Authentication
ChargedIdentity checks and account access.
“Your login code is 4821”
Authentication-International
Separate rateThe same one-time code, at a separate rate Meta applies to selected countries.
An OTP to a number in another country
Service — the customer starts
When someone messages you, a 24-hour window opens. Anything you send back inside it that is not a template — a human reply, a support answer, a bot answer — is free, and the window reopens each time they write again.
Service
FreeFree-form replies to a customer who wrote to you first.
“Yes, we have it in blue — shall I hold one?”
What you actually pay
Meta's rate is only the first layer. The second is whatever your provider charges to sit in front of it, and the two arrive on one bill — which is what makes quotes hard to compare.
- Meta's per-message rate is the same from every official provider, and nobody can discount it
- The platform fee on top is the part you are actually choosing between
- Some providers re-sell Meta's messages on their own rate card instead of passing the rate through
- We pass Meta's rate through at cost, so the plan price is the whole of what we charge
Checked against the product on 2026-08-23. WhatsApp's own rules and charges are set by Meta and can change.
Good to know
Where this feature stops, in plain words — so nothing here surprises you after you buy.
- Meta sets these rates and changes them without notice. The rate card linked above is the current source — any figure written into this page would be stale within weeks.
- You propose a template's category, but Meta decides it at review. A utility template written like a promotion is re-categorised as marketing, and billed as marketing.
- Authentication-international is applied by Meta to selected countries, and only to businesses above its own volume threshold. Treat any country list you read as indicative and check the rate card.
- Messages in the 72 hours after someone reaches you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad are not charged. That is Meta's allowance, not ours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the same message cost different amounts?
Two reasons: the country the recipient is in, and the category. A marketing template to one country and an authentication template to another are different line items even when the text is identical.
Who decides the category — me or Meta?
You propose it when you submit the template. Meta confirms or changes it at review, and its decision is what you are billed on. Writing an offer into a utility template does not make it a utility message.
Are replies really free?
Inside the 24-hour window a customer opens by messaging you, yes — human or bot, as many as you need. Send a template instead and it is charged as a template.
What is authentication-international?
A separate, higher rate Meta applies to one-time passcodes sent to selected countries, for businesses above its volume threshold. If it does not apply to you, your codes bill at the ordinary authentication rate.
Do you add anything to Meta's rate?
No. Meta's published rate is passed through at cost and we make our money on the plan. Ask any provider to put the same in writing.