Meta charges per delivered message. Templates are charged by category and country, and from 1 October 2026 so are service messages (replies inside the 24-hour window) once a phone number passes 1,000 a month. For a service business, the bill is driven by how many replies you send and how often you must restart a conversation with a template. Customer messages to you are free.
How Meta charges (checked 2 October 2026)
Since 1 July 2025 Meta has priced per message instead of per conversation, and the rules changed again on 1 October 2026. This is the table as Meta’s pricing page now states it:
| Message | Charged? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Service messages (non-template replies in an open window) | First 1,000 a month per phone number free, then charged | Charged at the market’s utility rate; the window opens for 24 hours when a user messages you |
| Utility templates inside an open window | Charged when delivered (was free until 30 Sep 2026) | Same utility rate; volume tiers apply |
| Marketing templates | Charged when delivered | Rate depends on the recipient’s country |
| Utility templates outside a window | Charged when delivered | Volume tiers can lower the rate |
| Messages from customers to you | Free | Never charged and never use the 1,000 |
| Authentication templates | Charged when delivered | Volume tiers can lower the rate |
| Conversations that start from a click-to-WhatsApp ad | Free while the entry point window is open (up to 7 days) | The window opens when you reply to the ad click |
Rates are published as rate cards by market and currency, as CSV and PDF files. Meta lists USD, AED, AUD, EUR, GBP, INR, SGD and several other currencies. The rate card is the one effective 1 October 2026, with the figures in our October 2026 guide. Volume tiers for utility and authentication messages are counted across all your WhatsApp Business accounts and reset at the start of each calendar month in the account’s timezone.
What changed on 1 October 2026
Meta’s page, updated 30 September 2026, confirms that service messages are billed again from 1 October, with 1,000 free per business phone number each month, and that utility templates sent inside an open window are now charged. We first checked this page on 1 October, before the rate cards were visible to us, and corrected this post on 2 October once we had read them. The numbers, with worked examples, are in WhatsApp service message charges from 1 October 2026.
A cost model for a service business
Your Meta cost for a month is: marketing templates × their rate, plus utility and authentication templates × their rates, plus service messages beyond the first 1,000 × the service rate. Customer messages and free-entry-point replies cost nothing. Rates differ by country and change quarterly; the message cost calculator applies the free tier to the rates you enter.
Take an example business with 300 new enquiries a month and six business replies per enquiry: 1,800 service messages. The first 1,000 are free; 800 are billed at the service rate. Replies that slip past 24 hours also need a template, which is charged on top. The cheapest conversation is the one resolved in fewer, clearer messages inside the window.
Questions to ask any provider
- 01Do you pass Meta’s rates through unchanged, and show them on the invoice?
- 02What do you charge on top, per seat, per month, or per message?
- 03Which rate card do you bill against, and when does it change?
- 04How do you count the 24-hour window, and does your inbox warn staff before it closes?
- 05Who pays Meta, you or the provider? Meta bills the business that holds the WhatsApp account unless a partner arrangement says otherwise.
Provixon is a registered Meta Tech Provider, so Meta bills your business directly and we do not mark up message fees. Our own fee for Provixon Connect is separate, and Connect is in pilot build. See how coexistence works if you already use the Business app.