WACA Pricing Changes Effective October 1, 2026
On October 1, 2026, Meta will change the rules for message pricing in the WhatsApp Business Platform.
The main change concerns ordinary outgoing messages within the 24-hour window: the first 1,000 service messages per month from each business number will remain free, while messages above this limit will become paid.
At the same time:
- incoming customer messages will remain free;
- the 24-hour window will remain;
- the free limit is calculated separately for each number;
- “Utility” templates inside the 24-hour window will become paid as of October 1 and are not included in the free quota.
The changes apply to the official WhatsApp Cloud API and affect messages that a company sends from the unified Scenario Dialogs window, CRM, chatbots, automations, and other integrations.
Briefly: what will change
| Until September 30 | From October 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming customer message | Free | Free |
| Service messages (1–1,000 per month per number) | Free | Free |
| Service messages (from 1,001st) | Free | Paid |
| “Utility” template inside the 24-hour window | Free | Paid |
| “Utility” template outside the 24-hour window | Paid | Paid |
| “Marketing” templates | Paid | Paid |
| “Authentication” templates | Paid | Paid |
Important clarification
1,000 free messages is not 1,000 free conversations.
The limit is counted by outgoing service messages (Service).
What does this mean?
If, in one dialog with a customer, an employee sent 5 separate messages, that counts as 5 messages from the monthly quota.
If a company has two connected numbers, the free volume is calculated separately:
- number 1 — 1,000 messages;
- number 2 — 1,000 messages.
Unused volume does not roll over to the next month.
What is a service message (Service)?
A service message is an ordinary message without a template that a company sends to a customer within an open 24-hour window.
For example:
Customer: “When will the delivery be?”
Employee: “The order has already been handed over for delivery. Expect it tomorrow.”
The employee’s reply is a service message.
A message sent by a chatbot, automation, or connected CRM is also considered a service message.
From October 1, the first 1,000 delivered service messages per month for each business number will be free. Billing begins from the 1,001st message.
Three typical scenarios
Scenario 1. A customer wrote to the company
A customer sent a message to the company.
The incoming message is free.
After it, a 24-hour window opens.
The employee replies with an ordinary message without a template.
The reply is a service message.
If the monthly quota has not yet been exhausted:
the message is free.
If more than 1,000 service messages have already been sent from this number:
the message is billed.
Scenario 2. Within one dialog, an employee sends several messages
The customer wrote:
“Can I change the delivery address?”
The employee sends three separate messages:
- “Yes, of course.”
- “Write the new address.”
- “After the change, I’ll send confirmation.”
These are three service messages.
Therefore, when handling a large volume of correspondence, it is worth combining related replies into one message where possible.
Important: billing is per delivered message, not per number of characters.
Scenario 3. The company wants to write to the customer first
Suppose an employee wants to write to the customer first:
“Hello! We would like to invite you for an interview. Would it be convenient for you to take part?”
If there is no open 24-hour window, an ordinary message cannot be sent.
To start such a dialog, an approved Meta template must be used.
Such a message does not fall under the free quota of 1,000 service messages.
What happens next depends on the category and content of the template.
Therefore, the company’s first outgoing message — an interview invitation, reminder, offer, notification, etc. — cannot automatically be considered service. First, the appropriate template type and category must be determined for it.
How the 24-hour window works
The 24-hour window remains.
It opens after a customer message and is updated after each new incoming message.
While the window is open, the company can send ordinary messages without a template.
From October 1, an open window determines the ability to send an ordinary message, but it no longer means that any such message will be free.
Whether it is free depends on whether the number still has free monthly volume remaining.
After the 24-hour window closes, the dialog can be continued via WACA only using an approved Meta template.
What will change for “Utility” templates
Until September 30, 2026, Utility templates sent within an open 24-hour window are not billed.
From October 1, they become paid regardless of whether the window is open or not.
At the same time, Utility templates do not consume the free 1,000 service messages.
For example:
- an employee sent 800 ordinary messages → 800 of the free quota used;
- then sent a Utility template → it is billed separately;
- then sent another 200 ordinary messages → the free quota reached 1,000;
- the next ordinary reply will be paid.
Cost of WACA messages from October 1
WACA paid messages are paid directly to Meta. The cost depends on the message category and the country of the recipient’s number, which is determined by the phone number code. Meta may update rates, so before calculating expenses, we recommend checking Meta’s current rate table.
Example calculation
Suppose that in one month, the following were sent from one business number:
- 1,500 ordinary service messages;
- 50 Utility templates;
- 100 Marketing templates.
Of the 1,500 service messages:
- 1,000 — free;
- 500 — billable.
50 Utility templates are billed separately.
100 Marketing templates are also billed separately.
Thus, the free quota does not apply to all outgoing messages. It applies only to the first 1,000 service messages without a template from a specific number.
How to prepare for the changes
1. Review your outgoing message volume
Estimate how many messages employees and automations send from each number during a month.
It is especially important to review the number of ordinary replies within 24-hour windows.
2. Check chatbot scenarios
If a bot sends several short messages in a row, consider whether they can be combined into one reply.
For example, instead of:
- “Hello!”
- “I’ll check the order now.”
- “Found it.”
- “It will be delivered tomorrow.”
you can send one substantive message.
3. Check templates
Separately estimate the number of Utility, Marketing, and Authentication templates.
Do not include Utility templates in the calculation of the free 1,000 service messages.
4. Check the connection type
Clarify whether you use WACA or WABA.
This determines where messages are paid for and which rate applies.
- WACA: payment directly to Meta.
- WABA: payment in ChatApp.
5. Check the payment method
For WACA, make sure a payment method is configured in the Meta business portfolio.
From October 1, paid messages will be charged to the linked payment method.
What is important to remember
- Incoming customer messages remain free.
- Each business number receives 1,000 free service messages per month.
- Billing begins from the 1,001st service message.
- Utility templates inside the 24-hour window become paid as of October 1 and are not included in the free quota.
- The 24-hour window remains.
- If a company starts a dialog first, an appropriate approved template is still required for this.
- WACA is paid directly to Meta.
- The cost depends on the message category and the country of the recipient’s number.
