JBMOnboard360 / Resources / WhatsApp API pricing India
Guide · updated 26 October 2026
WhatsApp Business API pricing in India, after the October 2026 changes.
Meta charges per delivered message, by category. On 1 October 2026 two things that used to be free started costing money: service replies beyond 1,000 a month, and utility templates sent inside the 24-hour window. And Indian accounts must move to INR billing by 31 December 2026. Here is what that means for a clinic or salon budget.
How it works
The per-message model in one paragraph
Since 1 July 2025, Meta bills the WhatsApp Business Platform per delivered message, not per 24-hour conversation. Messages from your customers to you are never charged. Messages from you to them fall into one of five categories, and each category has a rate that depends on the recipient's country code. For India (+91) numbers you pay the India rate, whatever country your business is in. Rates can only change on the first day of a quarter: 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October.
The five message categories
- Marketing templates. Offers, festive greetings, "we miss you" messages, new-service announcements. The most expensive category.
- Utility templates. Messages about something the customer already did or booked: appointment reminders, booking confirmations, invoice links, "your report is ready".
- Authentication templates. One-time passwords and login codes.
- Service messages. Free-form replies (typed by staff or written by an AI) sent inside the 24-hour customer service window that opens each time the customer messages you.
- Meta Business Agent messages. A category Meta added on 1 July 2026 for its own business AI.
Templates can be sent at any time, but each one has to be approved by Meta first. Free-form messages can only be sent within 24 hours of the customer's last message.
What changed
Before and after 1 October 2026
| Message | Until 30 Sep 2026 | From 1 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Customer messages you | Free | Free |
| Your free-form reply within 24 hours (service) | Free | First 1,000 delivered per number per month free, then charged |
| Utility template inside the 24-hour window | Free | Charged at the utility rate |
| Utility template outside the window | Charged | Charged |
| Marketing template | Charged | Charged |
| Authentication template | Charged | Charged |
| Any message within 7 days of a click-to-WhatsApp ad | Free (free entry point) | Free (free entry point), except Meta Business Agent messages |
The 1,000 free service messages are per business phone number per month; unused messages don't roll over. Meta asked businesses to add a payment method by 30 September 2026, or service messages stop being delivered once they become chargeable. Source: Meta, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform, checked 26 October 2026.
India rates
Roughly what each message costs in India
Meta publishes its rate card as a downloadable file that changes each quarter, so check it before you budget. Indian WhatsApp providers' published summaries for 2026 broadly agree on these approximate figures for +91 numbers:
- Marketing: about ₹0.86 per delivered message, after Meta raised India's marketing rate on 1 January 2026 (reported as moving from about ₹0.78).
- Utility and authentication: about ₹0.12 per delivered message.
- Service (beyond the free 1,000): per Meta's India rate card; most providers had not yet published a settled India figure when we checked.
Your provider (a Business Solution Provider such as Twilio, Gupshup or Wati) may add its own platform fee or markup on top of Meta's rate. Meta's own Cloud API, used directly, has no markup. Treat every figure here as an estimate from third-party sources; Meta's rate card is the only authority.
INR billing: the 31 December 2026 deadline
Meta launched billing in Indian rupees on 1 January 2026 for businesses and solution providers whose billing country is India. Eligible accounts must migrate their messaging accounts to INR by 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027, Meta says it will no longer deliver messages from eligible accounts that are still billed in another currency. If your WhatsApp account was set up years ago in US dollars, ask your provider now how they are handling the switch; some providers report that an existing USD account cannot simply be converted and a new account is needed.
Worked example
A month for a two-branch physiotherapy clinic
| Activity | Messages | Category | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointment reminders, a day before | 900 | Utility | ≈ ₹108 |
| Booking confirmations | 900 | Utility | ≈ ₹108 |
| Replies to enquiries and patients (staff and AI) | 1,600 | Service | First 1,000 free; 600 charged at India service rate |
| One festive offer to opted-in past patients | 2,000 | Marketing | ≈ ₹1,720 |
| Total, excluding service overage | ≈ ₹1,936 + GST |
Estimates using the approximate rates above, for illustration only. Marketing is where cost adds up, so send offers to people who opted in and are likely to care, not your whole list.
Keeping the bill down
Five ways clinics and salons spend less
- Reply fast. Answering inside the 24-hour window lets you send free-form replies instead of paid templates. An AI assistant that answers at 10 pm keeps the window useful.
- Use utility templates for utility. A reminder written like a promotion may be classified as marketing by Meta and charged at the higher rate.
- Segment broadcasts. Send the hair-fall package offer to hair clients, not everyone.
- Use click-to-WhatsApp ads deliberately. Conversations that start from those ads get a free entry window of up to 7 days.
- Respect opt-outs. Messages to people who don't want them get blocked and reported, and Meta rate-limits low-quality senders.
How JBMOnboard360 fits
JBMOnboard360 connects to your own WhatsApp Business Platform number through Meta's Cloud API or Twilio. Meta's message charges are paid to Meta or your provider; the JBMOnboard360 subscription (₹1,999 per user per month billed annually, plus GST) covers the software: the shared inbox, the AI assistant that answers from your knowledge base, approved templates, reminders through automations and opt-in broadcasts with an approval step. See WhatsApp CRM for clinics and WhatsApp appointment reminders.
Questions
WhatsApp API pricing questions
Is the WhatsApp Business API free in India?
No. Customer messages to you are free, and from 1 October 2026 the first 1,000 service replies per number per month are free. Templates (marketing, utility, authentication) are charged per delivered message, and service replies beyond 1,000 are charged too.
What is the WhatsApp marketing message price in India?
Third-party summaries put it at about ₹0.86 per delivered message in 2026, after Meta raised the India marketing rate on 1 January 2026. Check Meta's current rate card and your provider's markup.
Are appointment reminders marketing or utility?
A plain reminder about a booked appointment is a utility message. Adding promotional content can get the template categorised as marketing, which costs more.
Do I have to switch to INR billing?
If your account is eligible (billing country India), Meta requires migration to INR by 31 December 2026 and says it will stop delivering messages from non-INR eligible accounts from 1 January 2027. Ask your provider.
Is the WhatsApp Business app also charged?
No. The free WhatsApp Business app on a phone isn't billed per message. These charges apply to the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) used by CRMs and providers.
Keep reading
Related guides
Sources: Meta, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (per-message model, categories, 1 October 2026 changes, INR billing, quarterly updates); baat.ai and whautomate.com for approximate India rates (third-party, unverified against Meta's rate card). Checked 26 October 2026. Not affiliated with Meta.
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