Meta has updated its WhatsApp pricing model. The main change is that Service messages (the ones your business sends to reply to a user without using a template) will now have a cost. Marketing, Utility, and Authentication templates stay the same as before.

What's changing

• Service messages will now have a cost. Until now, they had no charge.
• Marketing, Utility, and Authentication templates are not changing: they'll continue to be charged per template sent, just as before.
• A Service message is any reply your business sends to a user without using a template, within the customer service window.

Key dates

• August 1, 2026: Meta begins charging for the Meta Business Agent.
• October 1, 2026: Service messages become paid.

Where to check official pricing

Since prices are set by Meta and may change by market, the always-current reference is Meta's official documentation:

• WhatsApp Business Platform pricing: developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing

What you can do

Here are two possible options for managing your conversations:

Keep using WhatsApp as you do now

You can keep the entire conversation on WhatsApp without changing anything. Keep in mind that, starting October 1, each Service message your business replies with will have a cost, so your WhatsApp spending may increase depending on your conversation volume.

Hand the conversation off to a Webchat

The first reply is sent over WhatsApp with a link for the user to continue the conversation in a Webchat, with an experience equivalent to WhatsApp. This way, you only pay for that first message and the rest of the conversation happens outside WhatsApp. In addition, the Webchat preserves the user's identity (their phone number and WhatsApp BSUID) and can be customized with your company's branding.

We explain how it works, step by step, in the article Smart Webchat Handoff.

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