Conversation Pricing — Explained

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How Pricing Works
Conversation Categories
Free Tier
Rate Card
Optimising Costs
Billing and Invoicing

1. How Pricing Works

WhatsApp Business API uses conversation-based pricing. You are charged per 24-hour conversation window, not per individual message.

Key principles:

One conversation = one 24-hour window from the first message.
All messages within that window are included in the single charge.
Different conversation types have different prices.
The category is determined by the first message that opens the conversation.

2. Conversation Categories

Category	Initiated By	Common Uses	Relative Cost
Marketing	Business	Promotions, offers, launches	$$$$
Utility	Business	Order updates, reminders, receipts	$$$
Authentication	Business	OTPs, verification codes	$$
Service	Customer	Support, enquiries, complaints	$ (free first 1,000)

Category Is Set by the First Message

If a customer messages you (service window), and you reply with a utility template, you get charged for a utility conversation — not service. The template category determines the charge.

3. Free Tier

Every WhatsApp Business API account gets 1,000 free service conversations per month. This resets on the first of each month.

Only applies to service (customer-initiated) conversations.
Marketing, utility, and authentication conversations are always charged.
After the free 1,000, service conversations are charged at the lowest rate.

For many small businesses, the free tier covers most or all of their customer support conversations.

4. Rate Card

Exact prices vary by country and are set by Meta. Rates are typically listed in USD and converted to local currency.

Check our pricing page for the latest rates in your region. Rates generally follow this pattern:

Marketing: 2-5x the cost of service conversations.
Utility: 1.5-3x the cost of service conversations.
Authentication: 1-2x the cost of service conversations.
Service: Lowest rate (free for first 1,000/month).

5. Optimising Costs

Maximise the service window — reply within 24 hours to avoid needing a paid template.
Use utility over marketing — for transactional messages, utility templates cost less.
Batch marketing campaigns — a single marketing conversation includes all messages in 24 hours.
Encourage customer replies — CTWA ads and QR codes create free service conversations.
Use authentication templates for OTPs — cheapest category for verification messages.
Monitor spending — use App-ening analytics to track cost per conversation type.

6. Billing and Invoicing

WhatsApp conversation charges appear on your App-ening invoice. How billing works:

Charges are tracked in real-time as conversations open.
Invoices are generated monthly with a breakdown by conversation type.
App-ening’s wallet system lets you pre-load credits for seamless messaging.
Low-balance alerts notify you before your wallet runs out.

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You pay per 24-hour conversation, not per message.
Four categories: Marketing (highest), Utility, Authentication, Service (lowest/free).
1,000 free service conversations per month for every account.
The first message in a conversation determines the category and cost.
Optimise by maximising service windows, using correct categories, and batching campaigns.

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Cost dashboard — Real-time spending breakdown by conversation type.
Wallet system — Pre-load credits and get low-balance alerts.
Campaign cost estimator — Preview the cost of a campaign before sending.
Monthly invoices — Detailed invoices with conversation-by-conversation breakdown.
Auto-alerts — Notifications when spending exceeds your configured threshold.

Retail & Services

Food & Hospitality

Health & Wellness

Professional & B2B

WhatsApp Conversation Pricing — Explained