WhatsApp Business Pricing in India 2026

#How does Meta charge for WhatsApp messages in India?

Meta charges per delivered message, by category and by the recipient's country. According to Meta's pricing page (checked 26 Oct 2026), only messages from a business to a user are charged, and only when they are delivered.

Meta charges by category–market, and only for messages from businesses to users.

There are four categories a small business meets. Marketing covers offers and re-engagement. Utility covers updates about something the customer did, such as an order confirmation or a booking. Authentication covers one-time codes. Service covers any free-text reply you send inside the 24-hour window.

The category is decided by what the message says, not by what you call it. Meta's template categorisation page (checked 26 Oct 2026) says a template that mixes an order update with a promotion is marketing. That is why Chirpoo shows a utility or marketing pill on every template before you submit it. The longer explanation is in utility vs marketing templates and what each costs.

#What are Meta's rates for India in 2026?

The India rates effective 1 Oct 2026 are in Meta's INR rate card, linked from the pricing page. WhaBuzz, the gateway Chirpoo runs on, read the card and published the figures in its India pricing post (checked 17 Oct 2026). All amounts are rupees per delivered message, before tax.

A marketing message therefore costs about seven and a half times a utility message. For a shop, this is the number that matters most. An order confirmation that stays strictly an order confirmation costs ₹0.115. The same message with a "use code SAVE10 next time" line becomes marketing and costs ₹0.8631.

Meta changes prices only on the first day of a quarter, so the table above can move on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October. Check the page before you plan a year of spend.

#What changed on 1 October 2026?

Two kinds of message that were free are billed again. Meta's pricing page (checked 26 Oct 2026) says each business phone number has a free tier of 1,000 delivered service messages a month, and unused ones do not roll over. From the 1,001st service message in a month, you pay the service rate.

The page also says utility messages sent in response to users, free from 1 July 2025, changed from the free customer service type to regular pricing on 1 October 2026. In plain terms, replying with a utility template inside an open window now costs the utility rate.

For a small team this has a practical meaning. Free-text replies to customers are still cheap, and the first 1,000 a month per number cost nothing. A shop answering a few hundred chats will rarely cross it. A busy support desk might. Chirpoo shows the 24-hour reply window on every chat, and the 24-hour window explainer covers how it works.

If you have no payment method on your Meta account, service messages beyond the free tier are not delivered. Add a card to Meta billing before you switch your number over.

#Which messages are free?

Replies to a customer who messaged you first are not free any more beyond the 1,000 a month. One entry point is still free: the click-to-WhatsApp ad.

Meta's pricing page (checked 26 Oct 2026) says that when a user messages you through an ad that clicks to WhatsApp, on the Android or iOS app, and you respond inside the customer service window, a free entry point window opens. Per Meta, it "may remain open for up to 7 days", and during it marketing, utility, authentication and service messages are not charged. Desktop and web are not supported for the ad click.

This is a 7-day window, not 72 hours, on the page as it reads today. If you run ads, the first reply matters: the free week only starts if you answer inside the 24-hour window. Chirpoo saves the ad's headline and link on the contact so your team knows which ad the chat came from. The full setup is in the click-to-WhatsApp ads guide.

#What does Chirpoo charge on top of Meta, compared with other tools?

Tools usually charge a monthly plan fee, a per-user fee, add-ons, and sometimes a markup on Meta's rates. Whether a markup exists is often not stated on the pricing page. Here is what each vendor's own page showed on 26 Oct 2026.

Two things stand out. Most plans cap logins at 3 to 10, and extra logins are a separate fee. And AiSensy's listed per-message rates are higher than Meta's list rates of ₹0.8631 and ₹0.115, so you pay that gap on every message. Chirpoo includes five logins and passes Meta's rate through untouched.

For a head-to-head on any of these, see the compare pages, such as Chirpoo vs WATI and Chirpoo vs Interakt.

#What would a Shopify store pay in a month?

Take a shop that sends 2,000 utility messages (order confirmed, shipped) and 1,000 marketing messages (cart reminders, a festival broadcast) in a month. The volumes are an assumed example, not data from any account. Meta's charges, at the India list rates above:

On top of that, Chirpoo Commerce is ₹1,499 a month, which is ₹1,768.82 with 18% GST. The total is about ₹2,861.92 a month for the tool and Meta together, with Meta's part billed by Meta to you. If the shop does not need the Shopify store messages, the ₹999 Chirpoo plan is ₹1,178.82 with GST.

Now suppose the same volumes were billed at AiSensy's listed rates, ₹0.145 and ₹1.09. That is ₹290 plus ₹1,090, or ₹1,380 for messages, ₹286.90 more than Meta's own ₹1,093.10, before any plan fee. The gap grows with volume. Always ask a vendor for the monthly total at your own volumes.

#Which hidden costs matter for Indian small businesses?

The plan price is rarely the bill. Look for these before you sign.

• Extra logins. Chirpoo includes 5 team logins; each additional login is ₹250 a month, excluding 18% GST. On WATI's Pro plan an extra user is ₹1,299 a month, per its pricing page.
• Add-ons. A chatbot builder or an AI agent sold separately. On AiSensy these are listed at ₹2,500 and ₹1,350 a month. Chirpoo's flows and AI agent are in the plan.
• Lock-in. Quarterly or annual billing lowers the monthly figure but commits you. Chirpoo is billed monthly in rupees by invoice link, with no auto-debit.
• Extra numbers. A second WhatsApp number is ₹250 a month on Chirpoo, excluding 18% GST.
• A card for Meta. Meta needs a payment method on file. That cost is yours either way.

Rupee prices for Chirpoo exclude 18% GST. The Shopify App Store listing, which is coming later, will be $17.49 a month for Commerce with GST included.

#How do you pay Meta directly?

You add a payment method to the Meta business account that owns your WhatsApp Business Account. Meta then bills you for delivered messages. Chirpoo never sees that invoice and never charges for messages. The steps are:

1. Sign in to Meta Business Suite with the account that owns your WhatsApp number.
2. Open payment settings for the WhatsApp Business Account and add a card or other method Meta accepts in India.
3. Connect your number in Chirpoo. Chirpoo runs on the official WhatsApp Cloud API through the WhaBuzz gateway, so your number stays yours and you can take it elsewhere.
4. Watch the first week of charges in Meta's billing page against what Chirpoo shows as sent.

Meta's page (checked 26 Oct 2026) also notes that eligible India-based customers must move their messaging accounts to INR billing by 31 December 2026. If your account is still billed in dollars, plan that move. For the developer-level version of all this, WhaBuzz's pricing post has the rate card.

Open Chirpoo, connect your number, and run a week of real messages. Compare Meta's invoice with the sent count. Start free for 14 days with every feature and no card, then pick ₹999 or ₹1,499 a month.

Frequently asked questions about Chirpoo and this topic

How much does a WhatsApp message cost in India in 2026?

Per Meta's rate card, effective 1 Oct 2026, a marketing message is ₹0.8631 and a utility message is ₹0.115, before tax. Service messages are free for the first 1,000 a month per number, then ₹0.115. Check Meta's pricing page, because rates change only on quarter starts.

Does Chirpoo add a markup on Meta's charges?

No. Chirpoo costs ₹999 or ₹1,499 a month, excluding 18% GST, and adds nothing per message. You pay Meta directly for messages at Meta's rate. Chirpoo never bills for messages and never sees Meta's invoice.

Are click-to-WhatsApp ad conversations free?

Partly. Meta's pricing page says a free entry point window opens when a user messages you from an ad and you reply inside the 24-hour window. It can stay open up to 7 days, and messages in it are not charged. It needs the Android or iOS app.

Why is a marketing message more expensive than utility?

Meta prices by category. Marketing is ₹0.8631 and utility is ₹0.115 in India. Meta treats any template that mixes an order update with a promotion as marketing. Keep order messages free of offers if you want the utility rate.