WaSparks “How much will it cost to send this to my customers?” is the first question almost every business asks before a WhatsApp campaign. The answer used to depend on conversations and 24-hour windows. Since 1 July 2025, it is simpler: Meta charges per delivered template message, by category and by the customer’s country.
This guide puts rupee figures on that rule for India, so you can work out a campaign in your head. It builds on our full explanation of how Meta charges per message in 2026, which covers the rules in more depth.
The rates, in plain numbers
These are Meta’s India rates from the rate card effective 1 July 2026, shown in the first volume band. Meta can change its rates at the start of any quarter, so check the pricing calculator for today’s figure before you commit to a budget.
| Category | What it covers | Rate per delivered message |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, announcements, festival greetings, re-engagement | ₹0.8631 |
| Utility | Order updates, appointment and payment reminders | ₹0.1150 |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes | ₹0.1150 |
| Authentication, international | One-time passcodes sent across borders | ₹2.4971 |
Three rules sit behind the table:
- Only delivered messages are billed. If a message does not reach the customer, Meta does not charge for it.
- Replies are free. When a customer messages you first, you can reply without a template for 24 hours at no Meta charge.
- Utility templates inside an open window are free. A utility template sent while the customer’s 24-hour window is open costs nothing.
Volume discounts exist, but they cover utility and authentication only. Marketing is charged at the same rate however much you send.
What it costs to send 1,000, 10,000 and 50,000 messages
Multiply the rate by the number of delivered messages. Here is the arithmetic at the first-band rates:
| Delivered messages | Marketing | Utility | Authentication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | ₹863 | ₹115 | ₹115 |
| 10,000 | ₹8,631 | ₹1,150 | ₹1,150 |
| 50,000 | ₹43,155 | ₹5,750 | ₹5,750 |
Taxes may apply on top, depending on how Meta invoices your account. Treat these as the base figures.
The gap is the point. Sending 10,000 marketing messages costs about the same as sending 75,000 utility messages. That is why Meta’s category rules matter so much, and why one promotional line inside an order update can change your bill.
Worked example: a store with a festive offer
A store has 4,000 customers who opted in. It sends one festive offer, and 3,600 are delivered.
- Marketing: 3,600 × ₹0.8631 = about ₹3,107
It also sends 3,600 order and delivery updates during the month, which are utility templates sent outside the window.
- Utility: 3,600 × ₹0.1150 = ₹414
The Meta bill for the month is about ₹3,521. The marketing offer is under 90% of that, even though the message counts are the same. If the team answers customer replies within 24 hours, those replies add nothing.
Where you can save, and where you cannot
Reply quickly. Replies inside the window are free, and so are utility templates sent inside it.
Keep utility messages clean. An appointment reminder with a discount line is treated as marketing. Our guide to utility vs marketing templates explains where Meta draws the line.
Send to people who want it. Undelivered and ignored messages cost you in quality rating even where they do not cost you in rupees.
Do not try to disguise marketing as utility. Meta approves a mis-categorised template as marketing, and repeated attempts can draw attention to your account.
You cannot negotiate the rate down on marketing. The lever is how many marketing messages you send, and to whom.
Meta’s charge is separate from your platform fee
Two bills make up the cost of WhatsApp messaging, and they are easy to confuse.
- Meta’s per-message charge. It is billed to your WhatsApp account by Meta, not through WaSparks.
- Your platform plan. A fixed monthly fee for the software.
WaSparks shows you the estimated Meta cost before every campaign sends, and the actual spend afterwards. The plans are Ember (free for 30 days), Spark (₹1,999 a month plus GST), Blaze (₹4,999 a month plus GST) and Inferno (custom). Our guide to the full monthly bill for a small business shows how the two fit together.
A quick way to estimate any campaign
- Count the customers who opted in.
- Estimate the delivery rate. Using 90% is a cautious starting point, but your real rate depends on your list.
- Pick the category. Is it an offer (marketing) or an update (utility)?
- Multiply delivered messages by the rate.
- Check the figure in the calculator, which covers 38 countries and handles the volume bands.
The takeaway
In India, a marketing message costs roughly seven and a half times a utility message, and only delivered messages are billed. Keep marketing for people who opted in, keep utility messages clean, and answer replies fast. Estimate every campaign before you send it. When you are ready to try it on your own number, start 30 days free.
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