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WhatsApp Business Platform messaging uses per-message pricing for delivered service and template messages. Do not estimate current costs using the former conversation-based pricing model. Effective October 1, 2026, service messages are chargeable after the first 1,000 free service messages per business phone number per month. Utility templates are charged per delivered message both inside and outside the 24-hour customer service window. Reaction messages are free. Separate Meta messaging charges from your YCloud plan, service charges, calling charges, advertising spend, and any applicable taxes. A Meta pricing exemption does not mean every part of your YCloud usage is free.

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What makes a message billable

A qualifying free-entry-point window is an exception described below. Rates also depend on the recipient market, category, and applicable pricing tier. For background on the change, see the October 2026 pricing update. Check YCloud pricing for your applicable rates. Sending eligibility and pricing are different questions. A message can have no Meta charge and still require an open service window, valid consent, or an approved template.

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The monthly free service-message allowance

Each business phone number receives 1,000 free service messages per month. This is a message allowance, not 1,000 conversations or 1,000 customers. Track usage separately for each sending business phone number. For example, if one number delivers 1,200 ordinary service messages in a month and no other pricing exemption applies, the first 1,000 are free and the remaining 200 are charged. Utility templates do not use this service-message allowance and remain chargeable inside the customer service window. Reaction messages have no message charge. The 24-hour customer service window determines whether you can send a non-template reply. It does not make all replies or utility templates free.

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The free-entry-point window

Qualifying customer contacts from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action can open a 72-hour free-entry-point window when your response is delivered within 24 hours. The free-entry-point window begins with that qualifying business response. During it, Meta waives message charges, including template charges. It does not extend the separate 24-hour customer service window. Once the service window closes, use an approved template even if the free-entry-point pricing window remains open. Check eligibility against Meta’s current rules. A normal website link, QR code, or an ad on another platform should not be assumed to qualify.

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Work through a messaging example

Suppose a customer messages you at 09:00 on Monday, without a qualifying ad entry point:
  • You answer with a free-form service reply: it is free if the sending number still has monthly free service messages available; otherwise, the applicable service rate applies.
  • You send a reaction to the customer’s message: no Meta message charge.
  • You deliver a utility order confirmation while the service window is open: the utility rate applies.
  • You send a marketing offer in the same window: the marketing rate normally applies.
  • You deliver another utility update on Tuesday after the window closes: the utility rate normally applies.
The number of messages matters. A paid template does not purchase a 24-hour period of unlimited paid-template sends.

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Estimate a campaign or notification workflow

Build an estimate from:
  1. Expected delivered messages, grouped by service messages and template category.
  2. Recipient markets and sending business phone numbers.
  3. Each number’s remaining monthly service-message allowance, free reactions, and messages expected to qualify for a free-entry-point exemption.
  4. Applicable volume tiers and authentication-international rules.
  5. Your YCloud commercial terms and other charges.
Treat this as an estimate. Actual delivery, timing, category, remaining service-message allowance, and recipient mix can change the final cost. A utility message arriving before the service window closes is still chargeable unless a separate free-entry-point exemption applies.

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Worked estimate without guessing a rate

Suppose one business phone number sends all messages below within one month, all recipients are in one pricing market, and no free-entry-point window applies. The number has its full 1,000-message service allowance available at the start, and the applicable rates do not change during the example: The estimated Meta messaging cost is 1,000 × marketing rate + 500 × utility rate + 800 × service rate. The 1,000-message allowance reduces only the service-message count. Add YCloud charges and other applicable costs separately. If volume tiers apply, calculate each part of the volume at its applicable tier rather than assuming one flat rate. If the marketing campaign was sent to 1,200 recipients but only 1,000 messages were delivered, do not substitute 1,200 for the delivered count in this example. Also do not treat a billable unit as a unique customer: two paid templates delivered to one person are two messages.

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Example: service window and free-entry-point window diverge

Assume a qualifying ad contact and all times in UTC: This is why “free conversation” is too imprecise for planning: the free pricing period and permission to send free-form content are different clocks.

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Reconcile an unexpected charge

Check the actual delivered message, not only the campaign draft:
  1. Was it a service message, a reaction, or a template? For templates, which language and category were used at sending?
  2. Was the category later changed by Meta?
  3. Which recipient market and rate applied?
  4. Did a free-entry-point exemption apply? For a service message, did the sending number have any of its monthly free allowance remaining? An ordinary customer service window alone does not waive the charge.
  5. Is the amount a Meta messaging charge, a YCloud service charge, or another cost?
  6. Are you comparing final delivered-message values with earlier estimates?
Keep the message ID, category, currency, timestamps, and billing reference together. A screenshot of an approved template does not establish the charge for a particular send.

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Read YCloud message pricing correctly

YCloud message records can include totalPrice, currency, pricingCategory, pricingModel, and pricingType. The API contract identifies price and category as estimates while a message is accepted or sent, and final after delivery. Historical records can contain a legacy pricing model; do not interpret that as the current model for a new send. Use Message delivery statuses alongside billing records. For your applicable YCloud rates, see YCloud pricing or your agreement.

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Frequently asked questions

Only within the applicable free allowance or a separate pricing exemption. From October 1, 2026, each business phone number receives 1,000 free service messages per month; additional delivered service messages are charged. Reaction messages remain free. The service window controls when you can send non-template replies, not whether every reply is free.
No. Utility templates are charged per delivered message both inside and outside the service window. The monthly 1,000-message allowance applies to service messages only. A qualifying 72-hour free-entry-point window remains a separate exception.
The ordinary 24-hour customer service window does not make marketing templates free. Check the delivered message’s category and whether a separate qualifying free-entry-point window applied. Do not use the agent’s open conversation as the billing rule.
No. It is a Meta messaging-pricing exception with specific entry and response conditions. Ad spend, calling, and applicable YCloud charges remain separate. It also does not extend the free-form service window to 72 hours.
Use the final delivered-message pricing and relevant billing record, including currency and pricing category. Accepted or sent values can be estimates. Keep message IDs and timestamps so that draft estimates, final deliveries, and legacy pricing records are not mixed in the same comparison.