WhatsApp Business changes from October 1: What is free, what is paid and how much?

Businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform in India will face changes to messaging charges from October 1, 2026, with previously free utility and some service messages becoming chargeable.

Meta is changing the pricing structure for businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform in India from October 1, 2026. The new system will charge businesses for certain messages that were previously free, while customers will continue to use WhatsApp to contact businesses without paying messaging charges.

The changes apply specifically to the WhatsApp Business Platform and do not apply to regular WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app.

One of the biggest changes concerns utility messages. These include messages such as order confirmations, delivery updates and other transactional notifications. Until September 30, utility messages sent during an active 24-hour customer service window were free. From October 1, Meta will charge businesses for these messages on a per-delivered-message basis.

The 24-hour customer service window begins when a customer messages or calls a business. Each new customer message or call resets the 24-hour period.

Businesses can continue sending non-template service replies during an open customer service window. However, Meta is also introducing charges for these service messages after a monthly free allowance.

From October 1, the first 1,000 service replies per month for each business phone number will remain free. Businesses will have to pay for service messages beyond that limit.

For example, a business sending 1,500 service replies in India in a month would pay for 500 messages after the free allowance. At the stated utility/service rate of Rs 0.115 per delivered message before GST, the additional 500 messages would cost Rs 57.50 before GST.

Meta's listed standard Indian rate for utility messages is Rs 0.115 per delivered message before GST. Including 18% GST, that works out to approximately Rs 0.136 per message.

Marketing messages remain chargeable. These include promotional offers, product announcements and sales messages. The stated rate for marketing messages in India is Rs 0.8631 per delivered message before GST.

Authentication messages, including one-time passwords, are also charged separately. The stated rate is Rs 0.115 per delivered message before GST.

Meta will continue to charge businesses when messages are successfully delivered rather than simply when they are sent.

What changes from October 1?

The main change is that utility messages sent inside an active 24-hour customer service window will no longer be free. Service messages will also become chargeable after the first 1,000 free service replies per month for each business phone number.

Messages sent by customers to businesses will remain free. Customers will also not be charged for receiving business messages.

The existing 72-hour free window for businesses receiving messages through Click-to-WhatsApp advertisements or call-to-action buttons on Facebook Pages will also remain in place.

Meta has additionally introduced a separate pricing model for its Business Agent messages, covering AI-powered, non-template interactions within the customer service window. The company says these messages use a token-based system covering both AI processing and message delivery.

Meta has set the global Business Agent rate at $2 per 1 million tokens, covering input and output tokens, while cached tokens are free. According to the company, a typical AI-generated message uses around 20,000 to 25,000 tokens, equivalent to approximately 4 to 5 US cents per delivered message.

Payment deadline for businesses

Businesses and solution providers using the WhatsApp Business Platform must add a payment method to their messaging accounts by September 30, 2026.

Meta has warned that businesses without a payment method on their messaging accounts could have their service messages stopped once the new charges take effect on October 1.

What this means for businesses

The pricing changes could particularly affect businesses that rely heavily on WhatsApp for order confirmations, delivery notifications, customer-service responses and other transactional communication.

Businesses that send large volumes of utility messages will have to account for the new per-message charges even when customers have recently contacted them. Companies using automated or AI-powered customer-service systems will also need to consider the separate Business Agent pricing model.

For customers, there is no new charge for messaging a business. The changes affect the way businesses are billed for communication through the WhatsApp Business Platform.

The key change is the move away from treating an active 24-hour customer service window as a period in which all business-to-customer utility communication is free. From October 1, utility templates will be billed even when the customer service window is open.

At the same time, Meta is retaining a limited free allowance for ordinary service replies. This means businesses that primarily answer customer questions may still send up to 1,000 such replies per month per business phone number without a messaging charge, while high-volume users will pay for additional messages.

The distinction between marketing, utility, service and authentication messages is therefore becoming more important for businesses using WhatsApp as a customer-service or sales channel. The cost impact will depend on the volume and type of messages each business sends.