How Meta charges for the WhatsApp messages your business sends, from 1 October 2026, explained with pictures and real examples.
The short version. Customers messaging you is always free. You pay Meta a few paise for each message you send that reaches the customer. Your first 1,000 normal replies every month are free, per WhatsApp number.
WhatsApp is owned by Meta, and Meta sets the price of every business message. These charges are separate from your Salesvora plan, and Salesvora doesn't add anything on top.
Your business
sends WhatsApp messages from Salesvora
pays two separate bills →
1. Salesvora plan
Your monthly plan. No change. Salesvora adds nothing per message.
2. Meta (WhatsApp) message charges
A few paise per message, billed by Meta to the card on your WhatsApp Business account.
Every message you send falls into one of four kinds. The kind decides the price. All prices are per message, in India, before 18% GST.
Service
₹0.115 / msg
First 1,000 every month are FREE
Normal replies you, your team or the Salesvora AI type while the chat is open.
e.g. “Yes, we deliver to Pune.” · a price list · a brochure PDF
Utility
₹0.115 / msg
Every message
An approved template that updates the customer about something they already did.
e.g. Appointment reminder · order confirmed · payment received
Authentication
₹0.115 / msg
Every message
An approved template that carries a one-time password.
e.g. “Your login code is 482913”
Marketing
₹0.8631 / msg
Every message
An approved template that promotes, offers or re-engages.
e.g. Diwali offer · campaign broadcast · “Still interested?” nudge
A template is a pre-written message Meta has approved. You can see the category of each one (Marketing, Utility or Authentication) on the Templates page in Salesvora.
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour window opens. While it's open you can reply however you like. Once it closes, WhatsApp only lets you send templates.
One customer, one day
Chat OPEN for 24 hours → normal replies
Chat CLOSED → templates only
Mon 10:00 AM · customer writes to you
Tue 10:00 AM · window ends
Inside the window
Reply freely: text, photos, PDFs. Each one is a Service message. A template sent here still costs its own rate.
After the window
WhatsApp only lets you send an approved template (Utility, Authentication or Marketing).
Every new message from the customer restarts the 24-hour clock.
Did they reach you by tapping a Click-to-WhatsApp ad in the last 72 hours?
YES →Free
NO
Is it an approved template?
YES →Its category rate: ₹0.115 or ₹0.8631
NO
It's a normal reply. Used fewer than 1,000 this month on this number?
YES →Free
NO
Service: ₹0.115
Click-to-WhatsApp ads come with 72 free hours. When a customer starts the chat by tapping a Click-to-WhatsApp ad on Facebook or Instagram, everything you send them for the next 72 hours is free, templates included.
Normal replies: 1,500 paid after 1,000 free₹172.50
Utility templates: 500₹57.50
Authentication templates: 0₹0.00
Marketing templates: 1,000₹863.10
GST 18%₹196.76
Estimated total / month₹1,289.86
An estimate at Meta's India rates. Chats that started from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad are free for 72 hours and aren't taken off here, so your real bill may be lower.
Meta bills the WhatsApp Business account you connected to Salesvora. Add a payment method in Meta Business Suite → WhatsApp Manager → Payment settings.
Add a card before you run out of free replies. Without a payment method, Meta stops delivering your paid messages. Your first 1,000 replies each month still go through, then your customers stop getting answers, including replies from the Salesvora AI.
Send one complete message, not three short ones. Each message is charged separately, however long it is.
Reply while the chat is open. A reply inside the window is ₹0.115 (or free). The same follow-up the next day needs a template, and a Marketing one is ₹0.8631.
Use Click-to-WhatsApp ads. Chats that start from them are free for 72 hours.
Send campaigns to the right people. Marketing is the most expensive kind, so filter your list before you broadcast.
