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Highlights
- The new pricing could prompt businesses to review their messaging expenses.
- Telegram and Arattai could attract attention from businesses exploring alternative communication platforms.
- WhatsApp's established customer reach and existing business integrations could make switching more complicated.
Andrew Bonwick
Vice President of Product Development at Relm Insurance
Madhav Sheth
CEO of Ai+ Smartphone
Stephen Rose
CEO Render Networks
Meta introduced a new charging scheme for WhatsApp Business accounts. Starting October 1, 2026, Meta will charge Rs 0.115 per delivered service and utility message, while keeping marketing messages at the same rate. Meta also announced that businesses and solution providers with integrated WhatsApp Business accounts must add a payment method to the messaging account so per-message charges apply. If businesses do not add payment methods, Meta will close or suspend messaging services for those accounts.
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Key Highlights
- Meta is adding a free allowance of 1,000 service messages per business phone number each month.
- As per new Price update, additional service messages in India cost Rs 0.115 each.
- Utility messages sent during the 24-hour customer service window will also be chargeable.
Amid this change, businesses might move to alternative platforms such as Telegram and Zoho’s Arattai, which offer similar services.
Compared to WhatsApp, this will not be a smooth transition. Let’s take a look at what WhatsApp has announced.
Also Read: Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 Launches in India: Price and What is New
Meta Introduces Per-Message WhatsApp Business Pricing
Under Meta’s new pricing policy, businesses get 1,000 free messages per month.
After the free quota is used up, Meta will charge Rs 0.115 per delivered message. Service messages are non-template responses sent by a customer representative or an AI system when a customer contacts the business on WhatsApp.
In addition to service messages, Meta charges Rs 0.115 per delivered utility message. Account-related communication, shipping, and order details will also be charged.
