The WhatsApp Business API pricing India merchants pay is set by Meta, not by the software company you sign up with, and it is charged per message in a few categories rather than as a subscription. Replies to a customer who messaged you in the last 24 hours are currently free. Marketing broadcasts are the expensive category. Utility messages such as order confirmations sit in between and are often free when sent inside that 24-hour window.
For a restaurant, that structure means ordering traffic costs very little from Meta's side and campaigns are where the money goes. This post explains the categories, the 24-hour window, the free entry points, what a typical month looks like, and how providers add their own charges on top.
Who actually charges you: Meta versus your provider
There are two bills behind any WhatsApp Business API setup. Meta charges for certain messages delivered through the API, at rates it publishes per country and per category. Your provider, which is the platform running your ordering bot, campaigns or support inbox, charges a subscription, a per-order fee, a per-conversation fee or some mix, and may add a markup on Meta's rates.
When you compare quotes, separate the two. A provider that advertises "₹0.50 per message" may be passing Meta's rate through, or marking it up, or bundling it into a wallet. The post on what a WhatsApp ordering system should cost in India covers the provider side; this post is about Meta's side.
The four message categories and what each costs
Meta groups messages into categories, and the category decides the charge. Rates differ by country; India is among the lower-priced markets. Meta adjusts the model from time to time, so the table describes the structure at the time of writing, and the current figures are on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform pricing page.
| Category | What it is | Who starts it | Charge in India (at the time of writing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service | Your replies to a customer who messaged you, within 24 hours of their last message | Customer | Free |
| Utility | Transactional templates: order confirmation, out for delivery, payment received, reminders | Business | Low per-message rate; free when sent inside an open 24-hour service window |
| Marketing | Promotional templates: offers, new menu, win-back, festival pushes | Business | Highest per-message rate, listed at under one rupee per message in India |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes | Business | Low per-message rate, similar to utility; rarely used by restaurants |
Three details matter for food businesses. First, the ordering conversation is a service conversation: the customer says "Hi", the bot shows the menu, takes the order and confirms it, all within the free window. Second, a status update sent an hour after the order is also inside that window and, as a utility template, is free. Third, a marketing broadcast to someone who has not messaged you this week is a marketing message, and every recipient is charged.
The 24-hour customer service window
When a customer sends you a message, a 24-hour window opens. Inside it, you can send free-form messages (typed text, images, interactive lists and buttons) and the bot can run a full ordering flow, and none of it is charged by Meta. Each new message from the customer resets the 24 hours.
Once the window closes, you cannot send free-form text. You can only send a pre-approved template message, which falls into the utility, marketing or authentication category and is charged. That is why a "where is my order" reply typed by staff at 9 pm is free, while a "we miss you, here is ₹75 off" message to a customer who last ordered three weeks ago costs a marketing rate.
Free entry points: ads and page buttons
A conversation that starts from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad on Facebook or Instagram, or from a WhatsApp call-to-action button on a Facebook Page, is treated as a free entry point. At the time of writing, Meta does not charge for messages in that conversation for 72 hours from the customer's first message, including templates. For a restaurant running ads, that means the whole order flow after the click is free of message charges; the ad spend is the only cost. The Click-to-WhatsApp ads guide covers the setup.
What a restaurant pays in a month: a worked example
Take a restaurant doing 300 WhatsApp orders a month with 2,000 customers on its list. Its message traffic breaks down like this.
- 300 ordering conversations. Customer-initiated, bot-driven, confirmed within minutes. Service category: ₹0 from Meta.
- 600 status updates (preparing, out for delivery) sent within an hour of the order. Utility templates inside the open window: ₹0 at the time of writing.
- 300 rating requests sent after delivery, still inside the window: ₹0.
- Two marketing broadcasts to 2,000 customers, which is 4,000 marketing messages. At the India marketing rate listed by Meta, this is the only line with a real number on it; at under one rupee per message it comes to a few thousand rupees. Check the current rate and multiply.
- A win-back template to 400 lapsed customers. Another 400 marketing messages.
The pattern holds for almost every restaurant: order traffic costs nothing or close to it, and the Meta bill is a direct function of how many marketing messages you send. If the two broadcasts bring in 120 orders at ₹400, that is ₹48,000 of revenue against a few thousand rupees in message charges, which is the arithmetic that makes WhatsApp campaigns worth running. The per-message detail for campaigns, with how to estimate a budget, is in WhatsApp marketing cost in India.
Keeping Meta charges low
- Send status updates and confirmations promptly, inside the 24-hour window, so they are utility messages at no charge rather than templates sent a day later.
- Segment broadcasts. A message to the 500 customers who ordered in the last 60 days costs a quarter of a message to all 2,000 and usually brings more orders.
- Write templates that invite a reply ("Reply ORDER to see the menu"). The reply opens a free window for the rest of the conversation.
- Use ads for cold audiences; the 72-hour free entry point makes the follow-up conversation free.
- Keep quality high. Meta rates numbers on how often customers block or report them; a low rating cuts your daily messaging limit, which is a cost of a different kind.
Provider markups, wallets and what to ask
Providers handle Meta's charges in one of three ways. Some pass them through at cost and bill you monthly. Some mark them up, which is legitimate if disclosed. Many use a prepaid wallet: you top up, campaign messages are deducted as they are sent, and the balance is visible in the dashboard.
Ask every provider these questions in writing: What is your rate per marketing message in India, and is that Meta's rate or a marked-up one? Are utility messages and service conversations charged by you even when Meta does not charge for them? Is there a wallet, and does the balance expire? Is there a monthly minimum spend on messages? What happens to campaigns if the wallet is empty?
Also check what the provider is charging for beyond messages. A platform built for ordering typically bills a subscription and a per-order fee, with messages as a separate line. A chat tool typically bills per seat and per conversation, which means your cost rises with chat volume even when nobody orders. The choice between the two models is laid out in the WhatsApp Business app vs API comparison and the complete guide to WhatsApp ordering systems.
What this looks like on Tezzu
Tezzu's own pricing is a subscription plus a flat per-order fee: Starter ₹999, Growth ₹1,999 and Enterprise ₹3,999 a month, ₹100 a month off on yearly billing, unlimited orders, ₹10 per order and no commission, with a 7-day free trial. Ordering conversations on your number run inside the customer service window, as described above.
WhatsApp campaigns are a separate line, paid from a prepaid wallet in the dashboard. You top it up, choose the customer segment, send the broadcast, and the dashboard shows what was sent and what it cost, with orders traced back to the campaign. Click-to-WhatsApp ads and WhatsApp Status are included on the Growth plan. The billing explainer describes the plan charges, the wallet and the invoices in detail.
See what the plan includes
Three plans with unlimited orders and ₹10 per order. Campaign messages are billed separately from a wallet you control.
See pricingFrequently asked questions
Is the WhatsApp Business API free in India?
There is no subscription from Meta for the API itself, and service conversations, meaning your replies within 24 hours of a customer's message, are currently free. Meta charges per message for marketing templates and, in some cases, utility and authentication templates. Your provider's subscription or per-order fee is separate from Meta's charges.
How much does WhatsApp charge per message in India?
It depends on the category. Marketing messages carry the highest rate, listed on Meta's pricing page at under one rupee per message for India at the time of writing. Utility and authentication messages are a fraction of that, and utility messages sent inside an open 24-hour customer service window are free. Check Meta's page for the current figures, which change from time to time.
What is the 24-hour window in WhatsApp API pricing?
It is the period after a customer's most recent message during which you can send free-form messages, including bot flows, without Meta charges. Each customer message resets it. After it closes, only approved template messages can be sent, and those are charged by category. Order conversations usually complete inside the window, which is why ordering traffic is cheap.
Are order confirmation messages charged on the WhatsApp API?
If the confirmation goes out while the customer's 24-hour window is open, which is almost always the case for a fresh order, it is free at the time of writing. A confirmation or reminder sent after the window closes, for example a reminder about a pre-order placed three days ago, is a utility template and is charged at Meta's utility rate.