New Per-Message Pricing

Effective Jan 1, 2026 — WhatsApp Marketing rates will increase in India and decrease in France & Egypt, while Utility/Authentication rates will be lower in North America.

Meta is rolling out an important update to its WhatsApp Business Platform pricing. This change affects how businesses will be charged for sending messages via WhatsApp.

This guide explains what’s changing, what stays the same, and how it impacts your business using Gallabox.

🔄 What’s Changing?

Per-Message Pricing Model

WhatsApp is moving from a per-conversation model to a per-message model.

You will now be charged for every message delivered, based on:

• Message Category: Marketing, Utility, or Authentication

• Recipient’s Country Code: Pricing may differ by region

If you send multiple message types in a single interaction, each message will be billed separately.

Example:

• 10:00 AM – Marketing template → Charged 💰

• 11:00 AM – Utility template → Charged 💰

• 12:00 PM – Marketing template → Charged 💰

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✅ What’s Free?

24-Hour Customer Service Window

When a customer sends a message to your business, it opens a 24-hour customer service window. During this window, you can respond at no charge using:

• Free-form messages (text replies, canned responses, bot replies)

• Utility template messages (now made free within this window)

💡 The 24-hour window resets with each new user message.

Free Entry Point Conversations (No Change)

If a customer messages your business through:

• a Click-to-WhatsApp Ad, or

• a Facebook Page button,

...you get a 72-hour free window to send any message types (including template messages) at no cost.

Conditions:

• You must respond to the user within 24 hours of their first message.

• After that, the 72-hour free entry point window begins.

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💡 Summary of What You’ll Pay For

Message Type	Within 24-Hour Window	Outside 24-Hour Window
Free-form (text, canned, bot)	✅ Free	Can't send a free-form message outside customer service window
Utility template	✅ Free	💰 Charged
Marketing template	💰 Charged	💰 Charged
Authentication template	💰 Charged	💰 Charged
Messages in 72-hour ad window	✅ Free	N/A

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💬 FAQs

1. Will I be charged for messages that are not delivered?

No. Meta only charges for messages that are successfully delivered.

2. Where can I see the pricing for each country and message category?

Effective January 1, 2026, WhatsApp Business Messaging rates have changed for certain countries. The updated prices are highlighted below.

Pricing in USD - Effective from Jan 1

Market	Marketing	Utility	Authentication
Argentina	0.0711	0.0299	0.0299
Brazil	0.0719	0.0078	0.0078
Chile	0.1022	0.0230	0.0230
Colombia	0.0144	0.0009	0.0009
Egypt	0.0741	0.0041	0.0041
France	0.1647	0.0345	0.0345
Germany	0.1570	0.0633	0.0633
India	0.0136	0.0016	0.0016
Indonesia	0.0473	0.0288	0.0288
Israel	0.0406	0.0061	0.0061
Italy	0.0795	0.0345	0.0345
Malaysia	0.0989	0.0161	0.0161
Mexico	0.0351	0.0098	0.0098
Netherlands	0.1837	0.0575	0.0575
Nigeria	0.0593	0.0077	0.0077
Pakistan	0.0544	0.0062	0.0062
Peru	0.0808	0.0230	0.0230
Russia	0.0922	0.0460	0.0460
Saudi Arabia	0.0523	0.0123	0.0123
South Africa	0.0436	0.0087	0.0087
Spain	0.0707	0.0230	0.0230
Turkey	0.0125	0.0061	0.0061
United Arab Emirates	0.0574	0.0181	0.0181
United Kingdom	0.0608	0.0253	0.0253
North America	0.0288	0.0039	0.0039
Rest of Africa	0.0259	0.0046	0.0046
Rest of Asia Pacific	0.0842	0.0130	0.0130
Rest of Central & Eastern Europe	0.0989	0.0244	0.0244
Rest of Latin America	0.0851	0.0130	0.0130
Rest of Middle East	0.0392	0.0105	0.0105
Rest of Western Europe	0.0681	0.0197	0.0197
Other	0.0695	0.0089	0.0089

Pricing in INR - Effective from Jan 1

Current Pricing in USD

Current Pricing in INR

Regional Update: Zimbabwe will move from the “Other” region to “Rest of Africa.” Messages sent to +263 numbers will now be charged at Rest of Africa rates.