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A thousand free replies per number, then every message counts
WhatsApp Business pricing changed on 1 October 2026 for anyone who messages customers through the WhatsApp Business API, the API integration behind chatbots, help desk tools and automatic notifications. A reply to a customer's question, a service message, used to be free without limit. Now each business phone number gets 1,000 free a month and pays from the 1,001st. Utility messages sent inside the open customer window, such as an order confirmation, became billable on the same day.
If your team only uses the WhatsApp Business app on a phone, nothing changes. If you run anything on the API, Meta asked you to add a payment method by 30 September. Without one, service messages above the free 1,000 are simply not delivered, and you tend to find out when a customer complains that nobody answered.
The rate depends on where your customer's number is from
Meta charges per delivered message, by message type and by the country code of the person who receives it. Messages customers send you are free. Where your company is registered does not matter: a Dutch SaaS messaging German users pays German rates. These are the euro rates in force since 1 October 2026, before VAT.
| Recipient's country | Marketing | Utility, service and authentication |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | EUR 0.1131 | EUR 0.0456 |
| Netherlands | EUR 0.1323 | EUR 0.0414 |
| France | EUR 0.0712 | EUR 0.0248 |
| Italy | EUR 0.0658 | EUR 0.0248 |
| Spain | EUR 0.0585 | EUR 0.0166 |
| United Kingdom | EUR 0.0526 | EUR 0.0182 |
| Austria, Ireland, Portugal, the Nordics, Switzerland, Belgium | EUR 0.0490 | EUR 0.0142 |
The last row is Meta's Rest of Western Europe zone, which prices nine countries as one. Utility and authentication get a volume discount, but only above 100,000 messages a month in Germany and in that zone, so a small or mid-sized business pays the list rate.
What changed for each kind of message
| Message type | Example | Until 30 September 2026 | Since 1 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service | A free-form reply within 24 hours of the customer's last message | Free, no limit | 1,000 free per number a month, then the utility rate |
| Utility inside the window | An order confirmation in the same chat | Free since 1 July 2025 | Billable |
| Utility outside the window | An appointment reminder you start yourself | Billable | Billable |
| Marketing | A promotion, a new collection | Billable | Billable |
| Authentication | A login code | Billable | Billable |
A service message is any non-template message you send while the customer service window is open: the 24 hours after a customer messaged or called you. Outside that window you can only send approved templates, which are marketing, utility or authentication.
One month for an online shop in Vienna
Take a sports nutrition shop with an AI chatbot on WhatsApp and customers in Austria. In October the bot answers 1,600 questions about delivery, flavours and returns. For 300 orders it sends a confirmation in the same chat. And the shop sends a promotion to 400 customers who opted in.
- 1,600 service messages minus 1,000 free leaves 600 billable, at EUR 0.0142: EUR 8.52.
- 300 utility messages inside the window at EUR 0.0142: EUR 4.26.
- 400 marketing messages at EUR 0.0490: EUR 19.60. Marketing was already billable.
That is EUR 32.38 for the month, of which EUR 12.78 is new. Run the same month for a shop in Munich with German customers and service plus utility come to EUR 41.04 and marketing to EUR 45.24: EUR 86.28 in total. The bigger lever is often the bot itself. One that splits every answer into three short messages pays three times above the free 1,000.
- 600 service messages above the free 1,000, at EUR 0.0142EUR 8.52
- 300 confirmations inside the customer window, at EUR 0.0142EUR 4.26
- 400 marketing messages, at EUR 0.0490EUR 19.60
- Total for the monthEUR 32.38
Meta's Rest of Western Europe rates (Austria, Ireland, Portugal, the Nordics, Switzerland and more), in euros before VAT. Until the end of September, service and utility inside the window were free.
Messages you still send for nothing
- After an adWhen a customer arrives through a Click to WhatsApp ad on the mobile app and you reply within 24 hours, everything is free for up to 7 days, marketing included.
- The first 1,000 repliesPer business phone number, per month. What you do not use expires at the end of the month.
- Public bodies and charitiesEligible governments and non-profits keep free service messages above 1,000 until 31 December 2027.
- Undelivered messagesMeta only bills messages that arrive. Messages your customers send you are free as well.
Keeping the monthly bill small
For most businesses the new service charges are smaller than the marketing line. Still, a review of your flows pays off:
- One answer, not three. Let your bot reply in full in one message. How a good AI customer service setup does that, and when it hands over to a person, is explained there.
- Pick the channel per message. An order confirmation can go by email at no cost per message. A client portal where customers check their own status removes the "where is my parcel" question before anyone asks it.
- Use the free window after an ad. If your Facebook and Instagram ads send people to WhatsApp, you get a week of free messages afterwards. What those campaigns cost is in Facebook ads cost.
- Count the language model too. A bot that answers with a large language model also costs tokens per conversation. The AI cost calculator puts both costs side by side, and what an AI chatbot costs covers the build.
Brussels and the AI assistants on WhatsApp
A separate case decides which AI may answer on WhatsApp. On 15 October 2025 Meta barred general-purpose AI assistants from other providers from the WhatsApp Business API, leaving only Meta AI. On 4 March 2026 it let them back in, but for a fee that the European Commission saw as the same ban in practice.
On 9 June 2026 the Commission imposed interim measures: those assistants had to get free access again within five working days, on the terms that applied before 15 October 2025, until the case is decided. Meta said it would appeal. For your messaging bill this changes little, since Meta excludes AI providers from the October pricing change. For your choice of assistant it matters: you are not limited to Meta AI. If you want one built and hosted in Europe, see is there a European chatbot.
Your WhatsApp invoice, question by question
Do I now pay for the WhatsApp Business app on my phone?
No. The free app stays as it was. The new pricing applies to the WhatsApp Business API, which you use through a provider or your own integration.
Is the free 1,000 for my whole company?
No, it is per business phone number and per month. A company with two numbers gets 2,000. Unused messages expire at the end of the month.
Why did a customer stop getting replies after 1 October?
Without a payment method on your account, Meta stops delivering service messages above the free 1,000. Add one, and check whether your provider handles billing for you.
Does my chatbot provider charge on top of Meta?
Usually. Meta bills the messages, the provider charges a subscription or a margin per message. Ask for both amounts separately.