free service messages a month, per number
One-to-one chats and groups share the allowance, and unused messages do not roll over.
Source: Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page and non-template messages page · checked 29 September 2026
1 OCT 2026 Meta’s service-message pricing update
WhatsApp API pricing from 1 October 2026 — what changed and how to control the cost
From 1 October 2026, Meta charges WhatsApp customer service replies after the first 1,000 free messages per number each month. This page explains exactly what changed, what stays free, and how LetsBot’s controls help you send only what you need.
Source: Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page and non-template messages page · checked 29 September 2026
Hi, is my order 4821 on its way?10:02
Hi Sara! Yes, your order is out for delivery and arrives today before 6 pm. Service message · inside the free allowance 10:03
Thanks so much10:04
Free · 312 of 1,000 this month
Tip: react instead of a thank-you text
Type your reply…
Before and after 1 October: service messages are now billed
A service message is any non-template message your business sends inside the customer service window — within 24 hours of the customer’s last message.
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Until 30 September 2026
Previous model- Customer service replies inside the 24-hour window are not charged.
- Templates are charged per delivered template by category (marketing, utility, authentication), except utility templates sent inside an open window, which have been free since July 2025.
- The number of replies in a chat does not change the bill.
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From 1 October 2026
According to Meta- Every non-template message you send inside the window is charged on delivery, at the utility rate of the recipient’s country.
- The first 1,000 delivered service messages are free each month, per business number.
- This covers replies from staff, rule bots, AI, the API and MCP, with no volume discounts.
- Utility templates sent inside an open window, free since July 2025, are charged from 1 October 2026.
Source: Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page and non-template messages page · checked 29 September 2026
Four rules that decide your service-message bill
Everything below is credited to Meta and dated. If anything differs, Meta’s official page is the reference.
Charged when the message is delivered
After the free allowance, each delivered service message is charged at the utility rate.
Source: Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page and non-template messages page · checked 29 September 2026
The rate follows the recipient’s country
There are no volume discounts on service messages; the rate is per message by the customer’s country.
Source: Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page and non-template messages page · checked 29 September 2026
Free window for Click-to-WhatsApp ads
A customer from an ad opens a 72-hour free window if you reply within 24 hours. It affects price only.
Source: Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page and non-template messages page · checked 29 September 2026
The 24-hour window and the 72-hour window are not the same thing
The customer service window (24 hours) decides what you can send: inside it you send free-form text; after it, only approved templates.
The free entry point window (72 hours) decides price only. It starts when a customer arrives from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad and you reply within 24 hours.
In a live test we ran, free-form text sent after 24 hours inside the 72-hour window failed with error 131047. So send a template once the 24-hour window has closed.
Regular conversation
Customer messaged you directly
Customer from an ad
You replied within 24 hours
Not billed
Billed
Templates only
Service message vs template message
Why does the price depend on the customer’s country? Because Meta prices each message by the recipient’s country. So we do not publish prices here; we point you to Meta’s official rate card.
| Item | Service message | Template message |
|---|---|---|
| When you can send it | Only inside the customer service window (24 hours from the customer’s last message). | At any time, including to start a conversation. |
| Meta approval | Not needed | Required |
| Charging from 1 October 2026 | On delivery At the utility rate of the recipient’s country, with no volume discounts. |
Per delivered template By template category (marketing, utility, authentication) and recipient country. This now includes utility templates sent inside an open window, free since July 2025. |
| When it is not billed | Within the first 1,000 each month per number, and inside the 72-hour window for ad customers. | Inside the 72-hour window for ad customers. |
| How LetsBot helps | Cost chip, multi-send confirmation, one reply per message, AI budgets. | Order updates can go out as a normal message while the 24-hour window is open, and free-form notifications are held back once it closes, avoiding error 131047 (opt-in). |
Meta’s rate card by country Estimate your bill with the calculator
What stays out of the service-message bill?
Your customers’ messages to you
Charges apply to messages your business sends. Incoming customer messages are not charged to you.
Source: Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page and non-template messages page · checked 29 September 2026
The first 1,000 service messages each month
Per business number. LetsBot’s cost chip tracks them as you go.
Source: Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page and non-template messages page · checked 29 September 2026
The 72-hour window for ad customers
Provided you reply within 24 hours. The “templates only after 24 hours” rule still applies.
Source: Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page and non-template messages page · checked 29 September 2026
Reactions: what we observed
In our tests on 23 September 2026, Meta attached no pricing to reactions; we will re-check after 1 October and update this page.
Source: LetsBot tests · 23 September 2026
Eight controls to send only what you need
Available to every LetsBot workspace since 27 September 2026 on official WhatsApp (Cloud API) channels. Every setting is off until you turn it on.
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Cost chip in the composer
Before you send, you see “Free · 312 of 1,000 this month”, then an estimate of billed messages once the free allowance is used.
Web + mobile app -
Confirm before sending several messages
When a reply would go out as several messages, LetsBot asks you to confirm and shows how many billed messages to expect.
Live chat -
Enter adds a new line
Each agent can make Enter insert a line break instead of sending, so one reply never turns into three billed messages.
Web composer · each agent’s choice -
One reply per incoming message
When several bot rules match a customer’s message, only one reply goes out instead of several.
Bot -
No paid replies to “thanks”
The bot skips a text reply to messages like “thanks” and “ok”, and can react to them instead.
Bot + reactions -
AI reply budget
Set how many AI replies a conversation gets, then hand it to a person on your team automatically.
AI assistant -
AI answers in one message
LetsBot keeps the AI assistant’s answer to one billed message instead of splitting it into several.
AI assistant -
Automation budgets and a monthly budget alert
Set send budgets for Zapier, MCP and the API, plus a monthly budget in billed service messages, with a notice at 80% and 100% (checked every hour, alert only).
Automations + alerts -
The Click-to-WhatsApp ad window, visible in the chat
LetsBot records the ad click when the customer arrives and shows the 72-hour free window in the composer, so you know when messages are free and when you need a template.
Web + mobile app
LetsBot budgets send alerts, slow the bot down and hand the chat to a person — they never stop an agent from replying to a customer.
Every control in one tab: “Message cost”
From the LetsBot dashboard or the mobile app, open Settings, then “Message cost”, and turn on what suits your team. Nothing changes in your account until you switch it on.
Start with the cost chip and multi-send confirmation, then add an AI budget if the AI assistant answers your customers.
Transparency
You pay Meta directly — LetsBot adds no markup on message fees
LetsBot is a Meta Business Partner. Your message bill comes from Meta, and your LetsBot subscription is separate from it.
- Billed by MetaMessage fees sit on your own WhatsApp Business account.
- Estimates, not pricesLetsBot shows how many billed messages to expect; the final amount is on Meta’s invoice.
- No markupWe add nothing on top of Meta’s message fees.
Free tool
What will your monthly bill look like?
Enter your message volume, category and customer country, and get an estimate built on Meta’s published rate card for 1 October 2026, with the 1,000 free messages applied.
WhatsApp API pricing 2026 — frequently asked questions
Are customer service replies still free after 1 October 2026?
Not entirely. According to Meta, from 1 October 2026 every non-template message a business sends inside the 24-hour customer service window is charged when it is delivered, at the utility rate of the recipient’s country. Each business phone number gets its first 1,000 delivered service messages free every month.
What are the 1,000 free service messages?
Per Meta’s pricing page, which we checked on 23 September 2026, each business phone number gets 1,000 delivered service messages free per month. One-to-one chats and groups share that allowance, and unused messages do not roll over to the next month.
Does the 72-hour Click-to-WhatsApp window let me send free text at any time?
No. The free entry point window only affects price: messages in it are free if you reply to the customer within 24 hours. Once the 24-hour window closes, only approved templates can be sent. In our test, free text sent after 24 hours inside the 72-hour window failed with error 131047.
Are AI and bot replies charged?
Yes. According to Meta, every non-template message the business sends counts, whether a staff member typed it or a rule bot, an AI assistant, the API or MCP sent it. That is why LetsBot gives you tools to keep an AI answer to one message and to set an AI reply budget.
Does LetsBot add a markup on message fees?
No. You pay Meta directly for messages, and LetsBot adds no markup on message fees. LetsBot is a Meta Business Partner, and your LetsBot subscription is separate from your Meta bill.
Will LetsBot block my agents when a budget is reached?
No. LetsBot budgets send alerts, slow down bot replies and hand the conversation to a person, but they never stop an agent from replying to a customer. The decision to reply always stays with your team.
Does this affect the unofficial QR connection?
The pricing on this page is Meta’s pricing for the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API), and LetsBot’s cost controls are built for it. We recommend the official API to every business for its approved templates, quality rating and reliable delivery.
Ready for 1 October? Turn on the cost controls now
Connect your official WhatsApp number to LetsBot, then switch on the controls that suit your team from one tab.
Settings Message cost
Read next
Last updated: 29 September 2026. We will review this page after 1 October 2026.