The short answer
Meta charges per delivered message, not per conversation. It switched to this model on 1 July 2025. For messages to UK (+44) numbers, Meta's GBP rate card effective 1 October 2026 lists £0.0458 per marketing message and £0.0159 per utility, authentication or service message.
Messages customers send to you are not charged. Each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages (your replies inside the 24-hour customer service window) per month. After that, each reply costs the same as a utility message.
On top of Meta's fees you pay for whatever sends the messages: a platform subscription, a per-message platform fee, or a build with a monthly support fee. For a UK business sending around 1,000 messages a month, Meta's share can be under £30. The platform or build is usually the bigger line.
| Layer | What it is | Typical charge |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Business app | Free phone app for one business number | Free to download; optional Meta Verified subscription |
| Meta message fees | Charged per delivered message via the API | £0.0458 marketing; £0.0159 utility, authentication and service (UK, from 1 Oct 2026) |
| Platform or provider | Software that connects to the API (inbox, broadcasts, bots) | Monthly plan, per-number fee or per-message fee, often in USD or EUR |
| AI usage | If an AI agent writes replies | Billed by the AI provider, or by Meta per token for Meta Business Agent |
| Build and support | Done-for-you setup wired into your booking system or CRM | One-off setup plus a monthly fee |
Meta rates are from its GBP rate card effective 1 October 2026. Platform prices are from each company's own pricing page, checked 1 October 2026.
What changed on 1 October 2026
You may have read that WhatsApp moved to per-message pricing. That is true, but it happened on 1 July 2025, when Meta replaced conversation-based pricing. The bigger change for most businesses lands today.
Until 30 September 2026, Meta did not charge for replies sent inside the 24-hour customer service window. That covered free-form messages (free since 1 November 2024) and utility templates sent in response to a customer (free since 1 July 2025). From 1 October 2026, Meta's documentation says both are charged per message.
- Service messages (free-form replies inside the 24-hour window) are charged at the same rate as utility and authentication in each market. In the UK that is £0.0159.
- Each business phone number gets 1,000 free delivered service messages a month. Unused messages do not roll over.
- Utility templates sent inside an open window are now charged. They do not draw on the 1,000 free service messages.
- Reaction messages stay free and do not count towards the 1,000.
- If your WhatsApp account has no payment method, Meta says it will stop delivering service messages once the free 1,000 are used.
Meta's pricing calendar says it may only change rates on the first day of a quarter: 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October. For the UK, the last rate change was a higher marketing rate on 1 July 2026. UK marketing, utility and authentication rates did not change on 1 October.
Layer 1: the free WhatsApp Business app
The WhatsApp Business app is a separate app from personal WhatsApp. It is free to download. Its App Store listing describes a business profile, a product catalogue, quick replies, away messages, labels for sorting chats, and broadcasts to share an offer or news.
The listing says you can use the account on up to five web-based devices or phones, or ten with a Meta Verified subscription. Meta Verified is an optional in-app purchase; the UK App Store listing shows £11.99 and £39.49 options.
What the app does not give you is the API. There are no per-message fees, but you also cannot connect it to a booking system so reminders send themselves, plug it into a CRM, or have an AI agent answer customers through it. Everything happens by hand on a phone or linked device.
Layer 2: Meta's API message fees
Through the API, Meta charges only when a message is delivered, and the rate depends on the message category and the recipient's country code. Businesses send templates (pre-approved messages) to start a conversation. Inside the 24-hour customer service window, which opens and resets each time the customer messages you, they can also send free-form messages.
| Category | Used for | UK rate (GBP) | Free when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, newsletters, win-back messages | £0.0458 | Only inside a free entry point window |
| Utility | Reminders, order and booking updates | £0.0159 | Only inside a free entry point window |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes | £0.0159 | Only inside a free entry point window |
| Service | Free-form replies inside the 24-hour window | £0.0159 | First 1,000 per business number per month, and inside a free entry point window |
Source: Meta's GBP rate card effective 1 October 2026, linked from its pricing documentation. Rates apply to recipients with a +44 number.
Utility and authentication messages get volume discounts, but only at scale. For UK utility messages, the list rate applies to the first 100,000 in a month. From message 100,001 the rate drops to £0.0151, and the lowest tier, £0.0119, starts above 80 million. Meta does not offer volume tiers on service or marketing messages.
The free entry point window is the main way to make messages free. If someone messages you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad on the Android or iOS app and you reply within the customer service window, Meta opens a window of up to 7 days in which all messages are free. Messages from Meta's own AI agent are the exception (see below).
If an AI writes your replies, check which kind. Replies from a third-party AI count as service messages, and the AI provider bills you separately. Replies from Meta Business Agent, Meta's own AI agent, have been charged since 1 August 2026 at a global rate of $2.00 per million tokens. Meta estimates this at around 4 to 5 US cents per message. These charges apply even inside a free entry point window.
Worked example: one UK business, one month
Take a UK business with one WhatsApp number. In a month it sends 300 replies to customers who messaged first, 200 appointment reminders sent before the customer has messaged, and one marketing broadcast to 500 customers who opted in. All recipients have +44 numbers.
| Messages | Category | Count | Rate | Meta cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replies inside the 24-hour window | Service | 300 | £0.0159 after the first 1,000 free | £0.00 |
| Appointment reminders | Utility | 200 | £0.0159 | £3.18 |
| Marketing broadcast | Marketing | 500 | £0.0458 | £22.90 |
| Total | 1,000 | £26.08 |
200 × £0.0159 = £3.18. 500 × £0.0458 = £22.90. Assumes every message is delivered (Meta charges on delivery only) and no free entry point windows. Excludes platform fees, AI usage and any tax.
The 300 replies cost nothing because they sit inside the 1,000 free service messages. A busier month changes that. At 2,500 replies, 1,500 are charged: 1,500 × £0.0159 = £23.85 on top of the figures above.
Watch for in-window templates too. If a customer replies "yes" to a reminder and you send a booking confirmation as a utility template, that confirmation now costs £0.0159. A plain reply inside the window would draw on the free 1,000 instead.
Then add the platform. Twilio, for example, charges $0.005 per message, inbound or outbound, on top of Meta's fee. On the 1,000 outbound messages above, that is $5.00, plus $0.005 for each message customers send you.
Layer 3: platforms and providers
Few businesses connect to Meta's API directly. Most use a Business Solution Provider or a platform built on one. They charge in different ways, and most publish prices in US dollars or euros, so your pound cost moves with the exchange rate.
| Provider | Platform fee | Meta fees | Currency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twilio | $0.005 per message, inbound or outbound; $0.001 per failed message | Passed through to customers, per Twilio's pricing page | USD |
| WATI | Growth $60/month, Pro $149/month, Business $399/month billed monthly ($49, $99, $299 a month billed annually) | Charged per message; the pricing page does not state whether a margin is added | USD |
| respond.io | Starter $79/month, Growth $159/month, Advanced $279/month billed monthly | Not included in any plan; paid from WhatsApp credit you top up on the platform | USD |
| 360dialog | Regular €49, Premium €99, Scale €500 per number per month | Added on top with "no markup on Meta fees", per its pricing page | EUR |
Plans differ in users, contacts and automation limits; see each provider's page for what is included.
The headline plan price is only part of the comparison. Check what counts towards a limit (users, contacts, automation runs), whether inbound messages cost money, and whether Meta's fees reach you at Meta's rate or with a margin added.
Layer 4: done-for-you builds
A platform gives you the tools. A build gives you a finished system: WhatsApp wired into your booking system, CRM or job software, with templates approved and an AI assistant trained on your own information.
Logica HQ's published price for a WhatsApp AI assistant is £1,750 setup plus £99 a month, with Meta's message fees and AI usage passed through at cost with no markup. The details are on our pricing page and the WhatsApp automation page.
Whoever you talk to, ask for the same three numbers: setup, monthly fee, and how message and AI costs are billed. If a quote bundles messages into a flat fee, ask how many it covers and what happens when you go over.
Reminders are where the API most often earns its keep. If missed appointments are the problem, see reminders and no-shows. If you want an AI to answer questions on WhatsApp and your website, see chat agents.
UK rules: consent for marketing messages
Two sets of rules apply to marketing on WhatsApp: UK law and Meta's own policy.
Under PECR, the ICO's guidance on electronic mail marketing covers "direct messages via social media or any similar message that is stored electronically". To market to individuals this way you need their specific consent, unless the soft opt-in applies. Soft opt-in means they bought, or negotiated to buy, a similar product or service from you, and you offered a way to opt out when you collected their details and in every message since. You must not hide who you are, and you must give a valid way to opt out.
Meta's opt-in policy adds its own conditions. You must clearly state that the person is opting in to messages from your business, and name the business. Meta also says you must comply with applicable law, and recommends clear instructions for opting out of specific kinds of messages.
These PECR rules are about marketing. A reminder or booking update with no promotional content is not a marketing message, but Meta's opt-in requirement applies to it all the same. Keep promotional content out of utility templates; Meta categorises templates, and you pay the rate of whatever category it assigns.
Ways to keep the bill down
Reply in plain messages where you can
Inside the 24-hour window, a free-form reply draws on your 1,000 free service messages. A utility template sent in the same window is charged from the first message.
Use click-to-WhatsApp ads for inbound leads
Reply within the window and Meta opens a free entry point window of up to 7 days in which all messages are free, except Meta Business Agent token charges.
Get template categories right
UK marketing costs almost three times utility (£0.0458 against £0.0159). A reminder padded with an offer may be categorised as marketing.
Send broadcasts to people who want them
Every delivered marketing message is charged. A smaller list of engaged, opted-in customers costs less and keeps you inside PECR.
Cap marketing spend
Meta says businesses on its Marketing Messages API can set a maximum price per marketing message delivery, starting in 2026.
Check the platform's own fees
Per-message fees on inbound messages and charges for failed messages add up at volume.
Watch the quarter dates
Meta can only change rates on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October. Check the rate card when budgeting.
App vs API: which do you need?
The free app is enough if one person or a small team answers WhatsApp by hand, volumes are manageable, and you are happy to send reminders and offers manually. Quick replies, away messages, labels and a catalogue cover a lot. There are no message fees.
You need the API if any of these apply:
- Reminders or updates should send themselves from your booking system, CRM or job software.
- You want an AI agent to answer customers, out of hours or at volume.
- More people need to work the same number than the app's device limit allows.
- You need records of every message tied to customer records.
- You run click-to-WhatsApp ads and want replies handled automatically.
Sector examples: estate agents use WhatsApp for viewing bookings (estate agents, and our guide to AI partners for UK estate agents); gyms for class reminders and trial follow-ups (gyms); clinics for appointment reminders (clinics).
Questions to ask a provider
- Are Meta's fees passed through at Meta's rate, or with a margin? Can I see it on an invoice?
- Is your fee per message, per number, per user or per contact? Do inbound and failed messages count?
- Which currency do you bill in?
- How do you handle the 1 October 2026 change: do I get the 1,000 free service messages per number?
- Who owns the WhatsApp Business account and phone number, and can I move them if I leave?
- Who writes and submits templates, and what happens if Meta re-categorises one as marketing?
- If an AI writes replies, whose model is it and how is usage billed?
- How is opt-in recorded, and how do customers opt out?
FAQ
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
No. Meta charges per delivered message. Customers' messages to you are free, and each business number gets 1,000 free service messages a month from 1 October 2026.
How much does a WhatsApp marketing message cost in the UK?
£0.0458 per delivered message to a +44 number, on Meta's GBP rate card effective 1 October 2026, before any platform fee.
Is the WhatsApp Business app free?
Yes, it is free to download. Meta Verified is an optional paid subscription inside the app.
Does WhatsApp still charge per conversation?
No. Meta replaced conversation-based pricing with per-message pricing on 1 July 2025.
Can Meta bill me in pounds?
GBP is one of the billing currencies on Meta's rate cards. Many platforms bill in US dollars or euros, so check yours.
Do I need consent to send WhatsApp marketing?
Yes. PECR requires specific consent from individuals unless the soft opt-in applies, and Meta requires opt-in that names your business.