WhatsApp Business API Pricing Explained (and How to Avoid Markups)
WhatsApp API costs confuse many businesses because two different bills are involved. Here is how it works.
Bill 1: Meta's message fees
Meta charges for template messages per delivered message. The rate depends on the template category (marketing, utility or authentication) and on the recipient's country code. Rates and rules change from time to time, so always check Meta's current pricing page.
What is free
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Free-form replies within that window are not charged. Meta also offers free entry points, such as conversations started from Click-to-WhatsApp ads, under the conditions described in its documentation.
Bill 2: the software
You also pay the provider whose software you use. This is a fixed plan price at Comzun.
Direct billing vs wallet markup
Some providers ask you to top up a prepaid wallet and charge Meta's fees from it, sometimes with a margin per message. With direct billing, Meta charges your own WhatsApp Business Account, using a card you add in WhatsApp Manager. Comzun uses direct billing and adds $0, and shows the cost of each chat and campaign.
Keep costs down
- Reply within 24 hours whenever possible
- Use utility templates only for real transactional updates
- Send marketing only to opted-in, interested customers
- Set a monthly Meta budget and alerts