Key numbers for the UAE, Meta's AED rate card effective October 1, 2026
- Marketing message
- AED 0.2115
- Utility or authentication message
- AED 0.0576
- Reply past the free 1,000
- AED 0.0576
- Sample month on one number
- AED 336.15
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost?
On an account billed in UAE dirhams, a WhatsApp Business API message to a UAE number costs AED 0.0576 for a utility or authentication message or a reply past the free 1,000, and AED 0.2115 for marketing, paid to Meta per message delivered. The first 1,000 replies a month on each number are free. A month of 3,000 replies, 2,000 order updates and 500 promotions on one number comes to AED 336.15.
Across every market, Meta's rates run from US$0.0008 to US$0.1597 a message in US dollars, and the table below lists them all.
Some messages cost nothing: those 1,000 service messages a month on each business phone number, the replies you send while a customer's 24 hour window is open, and every message in a free entry point window. Everything else is priced by the message's category (marketing, utility, authentication or service) and the country of the person receiving it, and Meta bills it to your WhatsApp Business account in that account's billing currency.
Your provider, the company that puts your number on the WhatsApp Business API, bills you separately for its software. That bill is not for the messages.
This guide covers how Meta bills, when each category is charged, every market's rates, what changed on October 1, 2026, and how to estimate your own monthly bill. The WhatsApp pricing calculator prices your own volume, and the WhatsApp calling pricing calculator prices calls.
How Meta bills WhatsApp messages
Meta has charged per delivered message since July 1, 2025, when per-message pricing replaced per-conversation billing. Four rules decide the bill:
1. You pay only for delivered messages. A message that fails to deliver is not charged.
2. The recipient's country sets the rate. Meta prices each message by the recipient's country calling code. A country without its own row on Meta's rate card is billed at its regional rate, such as Rest of Asia Pacific or Rest of Western Europe.
3. The category sets the rate within a market. Marketing is usually the most expensive category, and utility and authentication are priced identically in every market on the card.
4. The bill goes to your WhatsApp Business account. Meta charges the payment method in Billing Hub, or the provider that bills you on Meta's behalf.
The five message categories
| Category | What it is | When Meta charges it |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Promotions, offers, product announcements, re-engagement, and any template that mixes promotional and transactional content | Every delivered message, inside or outside the 24 hour window, except in a free entry point window |
| Utility | Following up on something the customer did or asked for: order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders, account alerts | Every delivered message. Utility templates sent inside an open 24 hour window were free from July 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, and are charged at the utility rate since October 1, 2026 |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes that verify a customer's identity | Every delivered message, at the same rate as utility |
| Authentication-international | An authentication message sent by a business to a market where Meta has made it eligible for the international rate | Only after Meta has notified the business, with 30 days notice. The rate is higher than the standard authentication rate in the markets where Meta quotes one |
| Service | Free-form replies sent while the customer's 24 hour window is open, in any format, with no template needed | The first 1,000 delivered each month on each business phone number are free. Past that, each one is charged at the market's service rate, which Meta has set equal to its utility rate |
Meta treats the category you submit for a template as a request and decides the final one. Since April 9, 2025, a template submitted as utility whose content reads as marketing is approved as marketing and billed at the marketing rate. How to write templates that pass in the right category covers this in detail.
When WhatsApp messages are free
Replies inside the customer service window
When a customer messages you, a 24 hour customer service window opens, and it resets every time they message again. While it is open you can send free-form messages without a template. The first 1,000 of these service messages delivered each month on each business phone number are free, and unused messages do not roll over. Meta's pricing page states:
Each business phone number has one shared free tier of 1,000 delivered service messages per month. Both 1:1 and group service deliveries draw from this same free tier. A 1:1 delivery consumes one unit; a group send consumes one unit per delivered recipient. Meta charges for service messages after the free tier has been used.
The allowance is per business phone number, not per WhatsApp Business account: two numbers at 800 replies each pay nothing, while one number at 1,600 pays for 600. Once the window closes, the only messages you can send are approved templates. The 24 hour rule explained covers how the window opens and closes.
Free entry point windows
A conversation started from a Click to WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button opens a free entry point window when you reply within 24 hours. Meta's pricing page says it can stay open for up to 7 days, and every message type sent in it costs nothing, templates included.
WhatsApp Business API rates by country
The table lists every market and regional rate on Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026, per message delivered, in US dollars. The service column is the rate for a reply past the free 1,000 a month on a number.
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Authentication-international | Service past 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | US$0.0618 | US$0.0260 | US$0.0260 | US$0.0260 | US$0.0260 |
| Bangladesh | US$0.0732 | US$0.0037 | US$0.0037 | US$0.0960 | US$0.0037 |
| Brazil | US$0.0625 | US$0.0068 | US$0.0068 | US$0.0068 | US$0.0068 |
| Chile | US$0.0889 | US$0.0200 | US$0.0200 | US$0.0200 | US$0.0200 |
| Colombia | US$0.0125 | US$0.0008 | US$0.0008 | US$0.0008 | US$0.0008 |
| Egypt | US$0.0644 | US$0.0036 | US$0.0036 | US$0.0650 | US$0.0036 |
| France | US$0.0859 | US$0.0300 | US$0.0300 | US$0.0300 | US$0.0300 |
| Germany | US$0.1365 | US$0.0550 | US$0.0550 | US$0.0550 | US$0.0550 |
| Hong Kong | US$0.0732 | US$0.0260 | US$0.0260 | US$0.0260 | US$0.0260 |
| Hungary | US$0.0860 | US$0.0350 | US$0.0350 | US$0.0350 | US$0.0350 |
| India | US$0.0118 | US$0.0014 | US$0.0014 | US$0.0304 | US$0.0014 |
| Indonesia | US$0.0411 | US$0.0250 | US$0.0250 | US$0.1360 | US$0.0250 |
| Iraq | US$0.0341 | US$0.0079 | US$0.0079 | US$0.1280 | US$0.0079 |
| Israel | US$0.0353 | US$0.0053 | US$0.0053 | US$0.0053 | US$0.0053 |
| Italy | US$0.0795 | US$0.0300 | US$0.0300 | US$0.0300 | US$0.0300 |
| Kazakhstan | US$0.0604 | US$0.0180 | US$0.0180 | US$0.1600 | US$0.0180 |
| Kuwait | US$0.0792 | US$0.0440 | US$0.0440 | US$0.1200 | US$0.0440 |
| Malaysia | US$0.0860 | US$0.0140 | US$0.0140 | US$0.0418 | US$0.0140 |
| Mexico | US$0.0397 | US$0.0085 | US$0.0085 | US$0.0085 | US$0.0085 |
| Morocco | US$0.0414 | US$0.0230 | US$0.0230 | US$0.0811 | US$0.0230 |
| Netherlands | US$0.1597 | US$0.0500 | US$0.0500 | US$0.0500 | US$0.0500 |
| Nepal | US$0.0732 | US$0.0034 | US$0.0034 | US$0.1120 | US$0.0034 |
| Nigeria | US$0.0516 | US$0.0067 | US$0.0067 | US$0.0750 | US$0.0067 |
| Oman | US$0.0341 | US$0.0247 | US$0.0247 | US$0.0600 | US$0.0247 |
| Pakistan | US$0.0473 | US$0.0150 | US$0.0150 | US$0.0750 | US$0.0150 |
| Peru | US$0.0703 | US$0.0300 | US$0.0300 | US$0.0300 | US$0.0300 |
| Poland | US$0.0366 | US$0.0122 | US$0.0122 | US$0.0122 | US$0.0122 |
| Qatar | US$0.0341 | US$0.0120 | US$0.0120 | US$0.0120 | US$0.0120 |
| Romania | US$0.0860 | US$0.0290 | US$0.0290 | US$0.0290 | US$0.0290 |
| Russia | US$0.0802 | US$0.0400 | US$0.0400 | US$0.0400 | US$0.0400 |
| Saudi Arabia | US$0.0576 | US$0.0107 | US$0.0107 | US$0.0598 | US$0.0107 |
| Singapore | US$0.0732 | US$0.0160 | US$0.0160 | US$0.0160 | US$0.0160 |
| South Africa | US$0.0379 | US$0.0095 | US$0.0095 | US$0.0200 | US$0.0095 |
| Spain | US$0.0707 | US$0.0200 | US$0.0200 | US$0.0200 | US$0.0200 |
| Sri Lanka | US$0.0732 | US$0.0020 | US$0.0020 | US$0.1440 | US$0.0020 |
| Turkey | US$0.0109 | US$0.0009 | US$0.0009 | US$0.0009 | US$0.0009 |
| Ukraine | US$0.0860 | US$0.0298 | US$0.0298 | US$0.0746 | US$0.0298 |
| United Arab Emirates | US$0.0576 | US$0.0157 | US$0.0157 | US$0.0510 | US$0.0157 |
| United Kingdom | US$0.0635 | US$0.0220 | US$0.0220 | US$0.0220 | US$0.0220 |
| North America | US$0.0250 | US$0.0034 | US$0.0034 | US$0.0034 | US$0.0034 |
| Rest of Africa | US$0.0225 | US$0.0040 | US$0.0040 | US$0.0040 | US$0.0040 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | US$0.0842 | US$0.0113 | US$0.0113 | US$0.0113 | US$0.0113 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | US$0.0860 | US$0.0212 | US$0.0212 | US$0.0212 | US$0.0212 |
| Rest of Latin America | US$0.0740 | US$0.0113 | US$0.0113 | US$0.0113 | US$0.0113 |
| Rest of Middle East | US$0.0392 | US$0.0091 | US$0.0091 | US$0.0091 | US$0.0091 |
| Rest of Western Europe | US$0.0592 | US$0.0171 | US$0.0171 | US$0.0171 | US$0.0171 |
| Other | US$0.0604 | US$0.0077 | US$0.0077 | US$0.0077 | US$0.0077 |
Authentication and utility are the same price in every market. Where Meta quotes no separate authentication-international rate, the table repeats the authentication rate. A country not listed is billed at its regional row.
Volume tiers on utility and authentication
Meta lowers utility and authentication rates in tiers as a business portfolio sends more of them in a month to a market, and the tiers reset monthly. Marketing and service messages have no volume tiers, so their rate does not fall with volume. Only charged messages count toward a tier. In-window utility templates were excluded while they were free, and since October 1, 2026 they count, which brings the next tier closer for a high-volume sender.
Tiers count across the whole business portfolio, so a second phone number splits the free service allowance without splitting the tiers.
What changed on October 1, 2026: No more free outbound messages within 24h
On October 1, 2026, from midnight in each WhatsApp Business account's own timezone, Meta made five changes:
From September 1, 2026 Meta also assesses authentication-international eligibility across 18 markets rather than 9. Rest of Asia Pacific, which prices Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, Japan, Cambodia and others together, is the rise to watch for a business messaging across Southeast Asia.
Billing currency and payment method
Meta bills each WhatsApp Business account in its own currency, from rate cards in 16 currencies, and a local card is not the US dollar card converted: a reply to a Singapore number costs S$0.0205 on the Singapore dollar card, where the US dollar card says US$0.0160. India must bill in rupees by December 31, 2026, and Brazil in reais by June 30, 2027.
An account with no payment method on file gets only each number's free 1,000 replies a month delivered, and Meta stops delivering the rest until the next month. Add one in Billing Hub, or ask your provider which account the charge lands on.
How often does Meta change prices?
No more often than once every three months. Meta changes rates only on the first day of a quarter. A rate card update carries at least one month's notice, three months for a pricing model add-on and six for a model change. Meta gave four months for the nine standalone markets, announcing them on May 27, 2026. Check Meta's own card before committing a budget.
Meta's fees and your provider's fees
A WhatsApp Business API bill comes from two companies. Meta bills your WhatsApp Business account for each message at the rates above. Your provider bills you for the software you run WhatsApp with: the inbox and seats, automation, integrations and support. A provider's plan price never includes Meta's message fees, so compare providers on their own fees and price Meta's side from the table above.
Volty
Volty is an AI helpdesk builder: one inbox for WhatsApp, web chat, email, Instagram and Messenger, with an AI agent that replies to customers and takes actions. Every plan carries every feature and includes seats, monthly active contacts, AI credits and Volty requests. Meta bills your WhatsApp Business account for messages separately.
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How to estimate your monthly bill
Meta's side of the bill is four lines, each priced at the recipient's market rate:
1. Marketing templates × the marketing rate
2. Utility and authentication templates, inside or outside the window, × the utility rate
3. Service messages on each number, minus 1,000 and never below zero, × the service rate
4. Nothing for messages in a free entry point window
Three examples at Meta's rates effective October 1, 2026, in each market's own currency:
Model your own bill
The WhatsApp pricing calculator prices Meta's side of the bill for your own volume and market.
How to keep WhatsApp costs down
1. Categorize templates correctly. A transactional message belongs in utility, which costs a fraction of marketing in most markets. A high-volume template in the wrong category is the most expensive mistake on the platform.
2. Answer inside the service window. The first 1,000 replies a month on each number are free, and a customer who messaged you first can be answered without a template.
3. Use free entry points. Click to WhatsApp ads and Facebook Page buttons open a window of up to 7 days in which every message is free.
4. Answer in fewer messages. Past the free 1,000 every reply is charged, so an enquiry settled in three messages costs less than the same one settled in eight. A vague reply that makes the customer ask again costs two messages instead of one.
5. Collect details in one form. A WhatsApp Flow gathers a customer's name, date and choice in one message, where a back-and-forth of questions charges a reply for each.
6. Keep one-to-one chats in the app. With coexistence, one number runs on the WhatsApp Business app and the API at the same time, and messages your team sends from the app are free.
7. Segment marketing sends. Marketing has no free path, so send to the customers most likely to respond rather than the whole list. Blasting an unsegmented list is also the behavior most likely to get a number restricted; if that has happened, see how to restore a blocked WhatsApp account.
8. Count per phone number. WhatsApp Manager's messaging insights give the count per number, which is how Meta allocates the free 1,000. A second number is worth it only if the split is operationally real, since tiers count across the portfolio.
9. Isolate in-window utility templates. Meta's status webhooks mark them with pricing type free_customer_service and category utility, or your provider can give you the count.
10. Keep a payment method in Billing Hub, so replies past the free 1,000 keep being delivered.
11. Recheck rates each quarter. Meta can change rates on the first day of any quarter, so reprice campaigns quoted on an older card.
Keep the bill down with Volty
Volty's AI agent answers in seconds, day and night, so customers are answered while their 24 hour window is open and a reply never needs a paid template. Volty tracks the window on each conversation and switches to an approved template only once it has closed, and it supports coexistence, so your team can keep replying from the WhatsApp Business app. A Volty broadcast sends one approved template to one segment of your contacts, leaving out those who opted out, so marketing goes only to customers likely to respond.
Businesses running WhatsApp on Volty:
Cake Inspiration75%fewer lost leads, and 91% of conversations resolved by Volty without a human
Yong Kang TCM Clinic+20%bookings, with booking resolution time during peak period down from 30 minutes to under 5 minutes on average
Prologue Clinic70%conversion rate from Volty replies
WhatsApp Solution Partners
Meta offers two ways to run WhatsApp for a business. The WhatsApp Business app runs on your phone, and messages sent from it are free. The WhatsApp Business API is reached through a provider, a Meta Solution Partner or a platform built on Meta's Cloud API. Volty runs on Meta's WhatsApp Business API, and one number can use the app and the API at the same time.
| Feature | WhatsApp Business app | Volty on the WhatsApp Business API |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations with your systems | The app's own business tools: catalog, labels, quick replies, greeting and away messages | Google Drive, Docs and Sheets, Shopify, Plato Medical and Microsoft Outlook, plus any system with an MCP server or an API key |
| Email as a second channel | WhatsApp only | A Microsoft 365 or Outlook mailbox, which Volty reads and replies from. Gmail is not supported |
| What it costs | Messages sent from the app are free | A monthly Volty plan (see pricing), plus Meta's per-message charges |
| Who replies | You and your team, on your phone and linked devices | Volty replies, or drafts replies for your team to send. A teammate can take over any conversation |
| Numbers and devices | Your phone, plus up to four linked devices | Several numbers in one workspace, a web inbox on any device, and the WhatsApp Business app still working on the same number |
| Templates and broadcasts | Broadcast lists and marketing messages from the app's messaging tools | Volty submits your message templates to Meta for approval. A Volty broadcast sends one approved template once to one audience (chosen contacts, segments, everyone, or a spreadsheet), leaving out contacts who opted out. When a customer's 24 hour window has closed, Volty follows up one to one with an approved template |
| The free 1,000 service messages | Does not apply: messages sent from the app sit outside the service window | 1,000 free a month per number, then the market's service rate |
The app suits an owner answering every chat from one phone, and Volty suits a team that wants WhatsApp tied to its mailbox and systems. Volty tracks the 24 hour window on each conversation and switches the composer to an approved template once the window closes, so a reply does not fail at the point of send.
Read about Volty's AI agent to see how you can automate your inbox, or Ask us questions to price your own volume before you pick a plan.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
Rates are from Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026, compared against the card effective July 1, 2026, and Meta's cards in each local currency. Meta may revise rates on the first day of any quarter, so confirm against Meta's own card before committing a budget.