What's the WhatsApp pricing for businesses? Everything you need to know for 2023!

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by Jacob Solomon Jun 7, 2023 News
What

There are a lot of possibilities for companies to interact with customers on the platform. It isn't always free. We explain what you need to know about the business in the following paragraphs.

The most popular messaging app isWhatsApp. There are more than two billion people chatting on the platform. The messaging service is important for companies. If you want to take full advantage of WhatsApp's capabilities, you'll need to pay for the business version.

It is possible to use the WhatsApp Business platform for really large scale use. Businesses have to pay for things. How much you have to pay is explained.

WhatsApp Business pricing: This is how it works

The official version of the app is called the WhatsApp Business platform.

The app is free, but only for small businesses with up to five employees, as it doesn't offer anyScalable business options. You can only send out a limited number of messages per broadcast list. The version doesn't comply with the data laws in many countries.

That is the reason most businesses use the platform. You can scale up without a limit if you start with a minimum of 1000 messages. Track user data is also possible. Even if some fraudulent companies claim that this version is free, it's not. Businesses that use the business platform are charged based on the number and type of messages they send.

How does the WhatsApp Business pricing work?

On June 1, 2023, the messaging service changed its prices. Business-initiated messages were different from user- initiated messages. The rule was that user- initiated conversations were cheaper than business initiated conversations. Businesses had 24 hours to respond to a message. There was no charge for the first 1000 conversations.

The company was charged a rate based on local rates in India, the UK, and South Africa. The first 1000 messages were free.

The cost model for businesses was changed by the messaging service. It's now.

  • Conversations through the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) are divided into four message categories: utility, authentication, service, and marketing.
  • Companies will be charged based on the message category, rather than on who initiated the conversation.
  • The first 1,000 user-initiated conversations are free for companies per month and per WhatsApp Business account.

How do the message categories work for the WhatsApp Business Platform?

This is how the messaging service defines its messages.

  1. Utility conversations: Business-initiated conversations relating to a transaction, including post-purchase notifications and recurring billing statements to customers who have opted in.
  2. Authentication: Business-initiated conversations that enable businesses to authenticate users with one-time passcodes at multiple steps during the login process, such as account registration, account recovery, and integrity challenges.
  3. Marketing conversation: Business-initiated conversations to market a product or service to customers, such as relevant offers to customers who have opted in. Any business-initiated conversation that doesn't qualify as an authentication or utility conversation would also fall under this category.
  4. Service conversations: Any user-initiated conversation, such as to resolve a customer inquiry.

Utility conversations are less expensive, marketing conversations are more expensive, and service conversations are the same. The price is based on the phone number of the end user.

When you set up a new template on the business platform, the app will suggest a category. Free-form messages can only be used to open service messages.

Meta has category guidelines.

24-hour time window

All conversations are measured in 24 hour sessions that start when the first message is delivered to a user. If companies don't respond to user- initiated messages, they won't be charged.

The exception to this time frame is conversations that begin at a free entry point. Meta defines free entry points when users message businesses using call-to-action buttons on ads that are clicked on. Businesses won't have to pay for entry point conversations for 72 hours. The window was only open for 24 hours previously.

It's a big change for limited marketing campaigns.

Free tier conversations do not include business- initiated messages. The first 1000 conversations will be free. Messages from test phone numbers to recipients are free.

Reasons for changes in the WhatsApp Business costs

Prior to that, the message pricing was based on local rates. Meta's green messaging provider is changing their approach to reflect the value of a conversation.

Our pricing is changing to reflect the different value each of these experiences drives for businesses and people. Marketing conversations drive incremental sales, while utility conversations facilitate existing sales. Service conversations help resolve customer inquiries.

WhatsApp

A marketing conversation on the messaging app is more valuable than a marketing message. Marketing conversations should reflect this cost as WhatsApp makes the customer journey more attractive, from the first media-based coupon to an automated first chat.

A text message is more valuable to customers and businesses than an authenticating message, according to the messaging service. The price of marketing messages was increased while the price of utility messages was lowered.

WhatsApp Business pricing in the UK, India, US, and worldwide

There are different prices for a business chat on the internet. The cost is based on the country code of the phone number.

Pricing will not change for most markets. In most European countries, prices for marketing messages will not change from the previous messages.

Some markets, like Brazil or India, will notice the difference.

  • Brazil: from 0.05 USD to 0.0625 USD
  • India: from 0.0066 USD to 0.0099 USD
  • Italy: from 0.0643 USD to 0.0691 USD
  • Mexico: from 0.0349 to 0.0436 USD
  • South Africa: from 0.0280 USD to 0.0379 USD
  • UK: from 0.0647 USD to 0.0705 USD
  • Canada and the US: from 0.0147 USD to 0.0250 USD

Are you looking for a less expensive alternative? You can check out bulk messages on Telegram.

The first 1000 user- initiated conversations are free. Business-initiated conversations are not included in the free tier anymore.

If a user starts a conversation through a click-to-WhatsApp ad or click-to-chat ad, there are no business costs for the app. The conversation is free even if the call-to-action button on the Facebook Page is used.

New free opportunities for businesses

There are only minor changes in pricing for the vast majority of businesses that use a business solution provider.

Marketing messages will become more expensive in some countries but there are new opportunities and cost reductions as well.

It is now cheaper to communicate transactional messages. New opportunities can be found in the marketing messages. Setting up highly targeted ads is more likely to increase your conversion rates if you add more free messages to the free entry points.

You'll be able to track delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates a lot better in the future, thanks to the tools that will be improved by the company.

Pricing might not change if you work with Sinch Engage. Most Sinch Engage customers will not be affected by the price changes because their conversation prices are already included in their plans.

It's an all-in-one platform for marketing, sales, and service.

New pricing model for WhatsApp messages: Four examples

We have set up four different scenarios so that we can see what the new costs are like.

The first scenario is about opening a marketing conversation.

When a business responds to a customer message, a service conversation begins. A marketing template is also delivered at 4.30 PM. A separate marketing conversation has now been triggered by this.

A new conversation charge is triggered if the message category is changed.

There are two charges for a service conversation and a marketing conversation.

This rule does not apply to free entry point conversations. A template is not going to open a new conversation.

The second scenario is opening a utility conversation.

When a marketing template message is delivered a business opens a marketing conversation The business delivered a utility template a few hours later. This allows a separate conversation about utilities.

The cost example shows how much it would cost to start a utility message.

The business is charged for two conversations.

There are two templates of the same category and only one conversation charge.

The business delivered a utility message. The company delivered a second message at 11 AM.

There are two conversations of the same category.

The business did not change the message template type, so there is only a charge for one utility message.

There is one template with both marketing and utility content.

The business sent one template that included both marketing and utility content. Whenever a message is identified as marketing, it is categorized as marketing.

A business is charged for a marketing conversation if it is identified in a message.

One marketing conversation charge is the cost.

FAQs: New WhatsApp Business costs for messaging

There are costs.

Q: Why did WhatsApp change the pricing model for messaging? A: WhatsApp wants their conversation pricing to better reflect the value of the message (in comparison to a regular text message). Due to the more engaging, multimedia capabilities, and re-engagement options of the WhatsApp marketing messages, the company increased the price (slightly), while at the same time lowering the cost for utility messages.

Q: If a business sends more than one message template in an open 24-hour conversation session, will that result in more charges? A: It depends. If a business sends a new conversation of the same category in the 24-hour window, there will be no additional charges. However, if a company delivers two different types of templates, for example, it first sent a utility template, and then starts a marketing template, a new conversation is opened, and charged separately according to the message category.

Q: What if a business receives a message from a user, but doesn't reply. Will the business be charged for a conversation? A: No, conversations will only be charged after the first business reply to a user message is delivered.

Q: What if a business responds to a user message within the 24-hour conversation session, but the business’ message is not delivered until after the conversation session closes? Will the business be charged for another conversation? A: No. There will be no additional conversation charge if a message is sent to a user in an open 24-hour conversation session, but only delivered after the 24-hour conversation session closes.

The time window is not always open.

Q: Is there still a 24-hour window for replying to messages? A: Yes. However, WhatsApp has added an exception. If customers enter a conversation with a business through a free entry point, such as a click-to-WhatsApp ad, companies now have three consecutive 24-hour windows (a total of 72 hours) to reply.

Q: Do the free conversations from Click-to-WhatsApp ads or page CTAs on Facebook count toward a business’ 1,000 free conversations each month? A: No. The 1,000 free conversations are in addition to any free conversations from click-to-WhatsApp ads or Page CTAs on Facebook. Starting March 1, WhatsApp will allow more free conversations through this free entry point by extending the free conversation window from 24 hours to 72 hours.

There are other messaging applications.

Q: Are similar changes planned for other Facebook business messaging products, like the Messenger API and Messenger API for Instagram? A: These changes apply only to the WhatsApp Business Platform, and there are no plans to apply this pricing model to other Meta business messaging products at this time (2023).

Q: Does anything change for the 1,000 free conversations per month on the WhatsApp Business Platform? A: The first 1,000 user-initiated or service conversations each month will continue to be free. Also, messages sent from test phone numbers to test recipient phone numbers are still free.

Attacks that are malicious.

Q: What if a business is the victim of malicious attacks, unwanted messages or spam? Will I have to pay for receiving these unwanted messages? A: A conversation session does not initiate until the first business reply to a user message is delivered. Businesses will only be charged for a user-initiated conversation when their first reply to a user-initiated message is delivered.

You can find more information on the Facebook developers page.

Do you have any questions? We are happy to explain the details if you contact us.

You can chat with us.