Two separate costs sit behind every WhatsApp automation: what Meta charges per message, and what your tool charges on top. They are often mixed up, and tool vendors rarely explain the first.
How Meta charges
Since 1 July 2025, WhatsApp bills for template messages per message rather than per 24-hour conversation. Messages fall into categories: marketing, utility, authentication and service.
According to AiSensy’s published pricing notice (read 21 October 2026), India rates effective 1 October 2026 are:
| Category | Rate in India |
|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹1.09 per message |
| Utility | ₹0.145 per message |
| Authentication | ₹0.145 per message |
| Service | 1,000 free per month per number, then ₹0.145 per message |
Rates change. Check Meta’s current rate card, or your provider’s page, before you plan around them. Meta’s rates are the same whichever tool you use.
What the tool adds
On top of Meta’s per-message fee, a platform typically charges a monthly plan fee, and sometimes extra for additional agents, chatbots, AI features or contacts. Some also add a margin on messages. Ask every vendor three questions:
- What is the monthly fee at the plan I need, billed monthly?
- Is there a markup on Meta’s message rates?
- What is not included: extra agents, chatbot sessions, AI credits, setup?
A formula for your own bill
Monthly cost ≈ platform plan
+ (marketing messages × marketing rate)
+ (utility messages × utility rate)
+ extras (agents, bots, AI credits)Example with made-up volumes, only to show the shape: 500 marketing messages and 1,000 utility messages in a month, at the rates above, is 500 × ₹1.09 + 1,000 × ₹0.145 = ₹545 + ₹145 = ₹690 to Meta, before any platform fee.
Notice how much more expensive marketing is than utility. A campaign to your full list costs far more than a reminder to the same number of people. That is a good reason to keep reminders strictly informational.
The cost people forget
The cheapest platform plan can be the most expensive choice if it needs you or a staff member to run it every day. Include time. See what business automation really costs.
Want an honest cost comparison?
We maintain a plain-language page on where the money goes: vv vs the usual stack.