WhatsApp Business API pricing, explained without the jargon

Conversation categories, the 24-hour window, and what you actually pay Meta per message in India.

Meta does not bill you per message. It bills per conversation, and which category the conversation falls into decides the rate.

The 24-hour window

When a customer messages you, a 24-hour service window opens. Inside it you can reply with anything — free text, buttons, catalogs, media. Outside it you may only send an approved template.

This single rule shapes every automation you will build. A follow-up thirty minutes after a chat goes quiet is free-form and cheap. A reminder three days after delivery has to be a template.

Getting templates approved

Utility templates about an order the customer placed sail through. Marketing templates get scrutinised. Write them the way you would write to one customer, keep the variables to the ones you can always fill, and never promise a discount you cannot honour.

What this means for your build

Design your flows so the important messages land inside the window, and reserve templates for genuine re-engagement. That is most of cost control right there.