WhatsApp conversation pricing in India: what it was and what replaced it
WhatsApp conversation pricing was Meta's old model of charging a business once per 24-hour conversation. Meta replaced it with per-message pricing on 1 July 2025. Today each delivered template is charged by its category: marketing, utility or authentication. The 24-hour customer service window still decides what you may send, and replies inside it are free until 30 September 2026. Meta will charge for them from 1 October 2026.
- Meta states that conversation-based pricing is deprecated and was replaced by per-message pricing on 1 July 2025.
- You are now charged for each delivered template message, according to its category and the recipient's country code.
- The 24-hour customer service window still exists, but it now controls what you can send rather than how you are billed.
- The four categories today are marketing, utility, authentication and service, and service replies become chargeable on 1 October 2026.
- On Convo360 you pay Meta directly at Meta's rates, with zero markup from the platform.
What conversation-based pricing used to mean
Until 30 June 2025, Meta billed the WhatsApp Business Platform per conversation. A conversation was a 24-hour session. The first message in a category opened it, one fee was charged, and further messages of that category inside the same 24 hours rode along without a fresh charge.
That is why older guides talk about "marketing conversations" and "utility conversations", and why they advise packing several messages into one window. Many older blog posts and rate sheets still use this language.
If you read a price quoted "per conversation" for India today, treat it as out of date. Meta's own documentation says conversation-based pricing is deprecated.
What replaced it: per-message pricing
On 1 July 2025 Meta switched to per-message pricing. The rules on Meta's pricing page are short:
- You are charged only when a template message is delivered.
- The rate depends on the template's category and on the country calling code of the recipient. For customers with +91 numbers, the India rate applies.
- Each template is its own charge. Three marketing templates to one customer in a day are three charges, not one.
- Lower rates unlock at very high monthly volumes for utility and authentication templates only.
This article does not list rupee figures, because Meta can revise its rate card at the start of any quarter. The current India rates, with the date we read them and a worked monthly example, are in our WhatsApp Business API pricing in India guide.
What "conversation" and "customer service window" mean today
The words survived the change, but their meaning shifted. This table shows how to read them now.
| Term | Under the old model | What it means today |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation | A 24-hour billing session with one fee | No longer a billing unit. It is simply the chat between you and a customer |
| Customer service window | The period in which replies counted as a service conversation | The 24 hours after a customer's last message. Inside it you may send free-form replies. Outside it you may send only approved templates |
| Business-initiated | A conversation you opened with a template | Any template sent outside the window. It also counts towards your messaging limit |
| Free entry point | A free conversation from an ad click | A window of up to 7 days with no Meta charge, opened when a customer comes from a Click to WhatsApp ad and you reply within 24 hours |
The customer service window opens and resets with every message the customer sends. With WhatsApp calling, Meta says a call from the customer, or a call the customer accepts, also starts or refreshes it. Our 24-hour window explainer goes deeper.
The four message categories today
- Marketing. Offers, announcements, cart reminders, renewal nudges and anything with mixed or unclear content. Always a template, and always charged when delivered, even inside an open window.
- Utility. Non-promotional updates tied to the customer's own order, account or request. Charged outside the window. Inside the window it has been free since 1 July 2025, and Meta has announced it will be charged from 1 October 2026.
- Authentication. One-time passcodes. Only this category may carry them, and it is charged when delivered.
- Service. Any non-template reply inside the window, whether typed by a person or written by an AI assistant. Free since 1 November 2024. From 1 October 2026 Meta will charge for service messages, after 1,000 free per business phone number each month.
You choose the category when you create a template, but Meta checks it and can change it. How that works is covered in marketing, utility and authentication templates and in the template approval guide.
Common misunderstandings
"One charge covers the whole day." That was the old model. Today every delivered template is billed, so sending a second promotional template the same evening doubles the cost for that customer.
"Replies will always be free." They are free as on 17 September 2026. Meta has published that service messages become chargeable on 1 October 2026 beyond the monthly free allowance, so a bot that sends many short replies will start to show on the bill.
"The window is a pricing rule." It is now mainly a permission rule. It decides whether you may send a free-form reply or must use a template. It is separate from your messaging limit, which counts how many unique customers you message outside the window.
"My chatbot subscription includes Meta's fees." Only if the vendor says so. Many platforms add a per-message markup on top of Meta's rate. Ask for Meta's charge and the vendor's charge as separate lines.
"Price is the only thing Meta changed." Limits, template enforcement and consent rules moved too. See new WhatsApp Business rules for the full list.
How this works on Convo360
Convo360 is a bring-your-own-keys platform. You connect your own WhatsApp Business Account through Meta's embedded signup, and Meta bills that account directly for every chargeable message. Convo360 adds zero markup on messages, minutes or AI tokens. Its own fee is the flat monthly plan shown in the pricing section.
In WhatsApp Studio each template shows its category, and the Send Template block in the Flow Builder uses that template as approved. You can therefore see which of Meta's rates an automation will trigger before you publish it.
Replies from your AI agent or your team in the live-chat inbox go out as free-form messages inside the customer service window. When the window has closed, the flow has to use a template instead. Because the platform fee is flat, the only cost that grows with volume is the one Meta charges you, and you can read it line by line in Meta's Billing Hub.
Example conversation
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Frequently asked questions
Does WhatsApp charge per message or per conversation?
Per message. Meta replaced conversation-based pricing with per-message pricing on 1 July 2025. Each delivered template message is charged according to its category and the recipient's country code. The 24-hour conversation is no longer the unit Meta bills.
What is the customer service window on WhatsApp?
It is the 24 hours after a customer's most recent message to your business. Inside it you may send free-form replies, and outside it you may send only approved templates. Every new message from the customer resets the 24 hours.
Is replying to a customer who messages me first free?
As on 17 September 2026, yes. Non-template replies inside the customer service window have been free since 1 November 2024. Meta has announced that from 1 October 2026 these service messages will be charged, after 1,000 free per business phone number each month.
What are the four WhatsApp message categories?
Marketing, utility and authentication are the three template categories, and service covers non-template replies inside the 24-hour window. Meta sets a separate rate for each category and market. Marketing templates are charged whenever they are delivered, including inside an open window.
Where can I find the current WhatsApp rates for India?
Meta publishes rate cards in INR and other currencies on its developer pricing page and updates them at most once a quarter. Our WhatsApp Business API pricing in India article lists the India figures with the date we read them and a worked monthly example.
Does Convo360 add a markup on top of Meta's WhatsApp charges?
No. Convo360 is a bring-your-own-keys platform. You connect your own WhatsApp Business Account, and Meta bills you directly at its published rates. Convo360 charges only its flat monthly plan and adds zero markup on messages, minutes or AI tokens.
Related reading
Available across India — see WhatsApp & AI calling automation by state and city.