Is the WhatsApp Business API free?

The WhatsApp Business API is not free, but a good part of everyday messaging can be. Meta does not charge a subscription for the platform itself. It charges for each message your business sends that is delivered, at a rate set by the message category and the recipient's country. On top of that, most businesses pay a provider or CRM for the software they use the API through.

What is free on the WhatsApp Business API

According to Meta's pricing documentation, checked on 1 November 2026, these messages cost nothing:

• Messages from customers. Inbound messages are never charged, however many a customer sends.
• The first 1,000 service messages each month. Every business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages (free-form replies inside the 24-hour window) a month. They reset monthly and do not roll over.
• Free entry point windows. When someone messages you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad on the Android or iOS app and you reply inside the 24-hour window, your reply is free and opens a free entry point window that may stay open for up to 7 days. Marketing, utility, authentication and service messages in that window are free.
• Undelivered messages. You pay only when a message is delivered.

What you pay for

Message	Charged?
Marketing template (offers, launches, re-engagement)	Yes, per delivered message
Utility template (reminders, order updates), including inside an open window	Yes, per delivered message
Authentication template (one-time passcodes)	Yes, per delivered message
Service replies after the first 1,000 per number per month	Yes, from 1 October 2026
Replies written by Meta's own Business Agent AI	Yes, on tokens, even inside free windows

Two things changed on 1 October 2026. Service replies beyond 1,000 a month and utility templates sent inside an open customer service window became charged again. Many older guides still say these are free. Meta also says businesses with no payment method on their Messaging account may have service message delivery stopped once the free tier is used.

How to keep most messages free or cheap

• Let customers start the chat, with a WhatsApp link or QR code on your website, profile and invoices.
• Reply fast. A reply inside the window can be a free-form message instead of a paid template.
• If you run Click-to-WhatsApp ads, reply to every ad chat within 24 hours to open the free window, then send brochures, price lists and follow-ups during that week.
• Do not send a utility template inside an open window when a typed reply will do.

Rates differ a lot by country. Meta publishes its rate card on its pricing page, and our pricing guide walks through a worked monthly bill.

How salestrack helps

salestrack starts free; WhatsApp features need a paid plan (see pricing). WhatsApp message charges come from a prepaid WhatsApp wallet, and the app shows the exact rate and the cost of each broadcast before you send. The shared inbox shows a 24-hour window timer on every chat, so your team replies while a free-form message is still allowed. How message charges work explains the wallet.