Which WhatsApp messages Meta charges for
Meta charges per delivered message, not per conversation. Since 1 October 2026 each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month, the replies sent inside the 24 hour customer service window, and Meta charges from the 1,001st. Templates are charged on delivery, utility ones included. Those charges go to the payment method on your own WhatsApp Business Account.
Free service messages per business phone number each month since 1 October 2026; Meta charges from the 1,001st.
How long that window stays open after a customer message.
The error returned when Meta cannot charge the account.
What exactly is free?
Up to 1,000 service messages a month per business phone number. A service message is any non-template message, and it can only be sent inside an open customer service window, which is the 24 hours following the customer's last message to you. From the 1,001st in a month Meta charges each one, and unused allowance does not roll over.
This matters more for integration design than it first appears. A support workflow that only ever answers people who wrote in stays free until it passes that allowance, then pays per message. A workflow that reaches out first pays for every template it delivers, and since 1 October 2026 that includes utility templates sent inside an open window.
So the cost of an integration is driven by how many messages it delivers and in which category, not by how many conversations it has. Two systems sending the same volume can differ enormously in what Meta charges.
Who does Meta bill?
The payment method on your own WhatsApp Business Account, set in WhatsApp Manager.
This is a direct relationship between the business and Meta. The charges do not pass through a Tech Provider, which is also why a provider cannot mark them up, bundle them, or resell them. Anyone offering discounted WhatsApp message rates is either a reseller with a different arrangement or describing something other than Meta's charges.
The practical consequence is that an account with no payment method can reply until its monthly free allowance runs out and fails the moment it sends a template or a reply beyond it, which is a confusing failure until the split is understood.
Common mistakes
- Assuming replies are always free. Since 1 October 2026 Meta charges service messages beyond 1,000 per number a month, and utility templates inside the window too.
- Expecting a provider invoice to include Meta's charges. They are billed directly and separately.
- Building workflows without a payment method on the account. Templates will not send, and replies stop once the monthly free allowance is used.
EasyCoexistence charges a flat monthly fee per connected number and nothing per message. Meta's message charges go straight to your own account, which is why there is nothing for us to mark up.
Frequently asked questions
Are all replies free?
Only the first 1,000 service messages per business phone number each month. After that Meta charges each one, and outside the 24 hour window you need a template, which is charged on delivery.
Does the category change the price?
Yes. Meta prices marketing, utility, authentication and service messages differently, and the rate also depends on the recipient's country.
Can a provider give me a better rate?
Not on Meta's charges, because those never reach the provider.
What happens if my payment method fails?
Sends that require charging stop and return error 131042. Receiving is unaffected.
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