WhatsApp Business API pricing in India
Updated October 20, 2026
In India, the WhatsApp Business API costs ₹0.115 for a utility or authentication message and ₹0.8631 for a marketing message, on Meta's INR rate card effective 1 October 2026 — plus 18% GST on your Meta invoice, and whatever markup your provider adds on top. The messages your customers send you are free, and every business number gets the first 1,000 service messages a month free. For a restaurant, the only messages that cost money are order updates (utility) and promotions (marketing). Menuthere charges Meta's price with no markup.
In short
- Meta's India rates: ₹0.115 utility, ₹0.115 authentication, ₹0.8631 marketing, per delivered message to a +91 number.
- Free tier: the first 1,000 service messages a month per number are free; templates are always billed.
- 18% GST is added to your Meta invoice in India.
- A markup is common. Many providers resell Meta's messages above cost. Menuthere adds nothing to Meta's price.
Meta's India rate card, by message type
Meta prices each conversation by the message category and the country of the number that receives it. For an Indian (+91) number, the INR list rates effective 1 October 2026 are:
| Category | Price per message (INR card) | What it covers for a restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹0.8631 | Offers, festival menus, "come back" messages, cart reminders |
| Utility | ₹0.115 | Every order update: placed, accepted, ready, dispatched, completed |
| Authentication | ₹0.115 | A login or verification code |
| Service | ₹0.115 (first 1,000 a month free per number) | Free-form replies, including the bot's reply to "Hi" |
These are Meta's list rates, before the 18% GST that is added on your Meta invoice in India. For example, a marketing message of ₹0.8631 works out to about ₹1.0185 once 18% GST is applied.
The three rules that decide your bill
- The customer's number sets the price. A message to a +91 number uses the India row. If a family member in Dubai orders for parents in Kochi, the updates go to a +971 number, which the INR card prices at ₹1.1509 per utility message — about ten times the Indian rate.
- Only service messages have a free tier. Each business number gets 1,000 free service messages a month. Since 1 October 2026, utility templates sent inside an open service window are charged again, so a restaurant's order updates are billed from the first one.
- Marketing costs roughly seven times a utility message. ₹0.8631 against ₹0.115. Send promotions only to customers who opted in.
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
The software access is free — Meta does not charge a platform fee for the API itself. What you pay for is messages, at the rates above, and whatever a provider charges to give you access. Many Business Solution Providers (BSPs) resell Meta's messages at a markup, or bill a monthly platform fee on top. Menuthere includes WhatsApp ordering in the Pro plan (US$39 a month, invoiced in rupees) and passes Meta's per-message price straight through with no markup.
A restaurant's real monthly cost
Take a kitchen doing 600 WhatsApp orders a month, with four order updates per order and one promotion a month to 1,500 opted-in customers:
| Cost | Working | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| "Hi" replies (service) | 600, inside the 1,000 free | ₹0 |
| Order updates (utility) | 600 × 4 = 2,400 × ₹0.115 | ₹276.00 |
| One promotion (marketing) | 1,500 × ₹0.8631 | ₹1,294.65 |
| Meta messages, before GST | ₹1,570.65 |
Add 18% GST on the Meta invoice and the messaging bill is about ₹1,853 a month — a fraction of what the same orders cost in delivery-app commission. Model your own volumes in the WhatsApp cost calculator.
Where a markup hides
If a provider quotes "free" messaging, check two things:
- The per-message rate. Some BSPs charge more than Meta's ₹0.115 utility rate — a common markup is ₹0.145 to ₹0.160 per utility message, which is 26% to 39% above cost.
- The monthly platform fee. A fixed fee of a few thousand rupees a month is common, separate from message cost.
Neither is wrong, but both change your total. With Menuthere there is no per-message markup; you pay Meta's rate and the Pro plan.
Next steps
- Set up your own number and order updates on the India WhatsApp ordering page.
- Stay inside the rules for promotions in WhatsApp marketing for restaurants in India.
- Pair it with a QR code menu and your own India ordering system.
FAQs
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost per message in India?
On Meta's INR rate card effective 1 October 2026, a message to an Indian number costs ₹0.8631 for marketing and ₹0.115 for utility, authentication or service. The first 1,000 service messages a month per number are free; templates are always billed. 18% GST is added on your Meta invoice.
Is the WhatsApp Business API free in India?
The API access is free — Meta charges no platform fee for it. You pay only for messages, at the rates above, plus whatever your provider charges. Menuthere passes Meta's price through with no markup.
Is GST charged on WhatsApp Business API messages?
Yes. In India, 18% GST is added to your Meta invoice. A ₹0.8631 marketing message works out to about ₹1.0185 with GST, and a ₹0.115 utility message to about ₹0.1357.
Why do some providers charge more than ₹0.115 per message?
Many Business Solution Providers resell Meta's messages at a markup, often ₹0.145 to ₹0.160 per utility message, and some add a monthly platform fee. Menuthere adds no per-message markup; you pay Meta's rate.
What does a restaurant actually pay per month?
A kitchen doing 600 orders a month with four updates each and one promotion to 1,500 customers pays about ₹1,571 in Meta messages before GST, around ₹1,853 with GST — far less than delivery-app commission on the same orders.
Sources (3)
- Meta for Developers, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (1,000 free service messages per number per month; utility templates in the service window charged from 1 October 2026; 47 markets; India standalone INR market): https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
- Meta, "Cost per message in INR on the WhatsApp Business Platform, effective October 1, 2026" (India marketing ₹0.8631, utility/authentication/service ₹0.115; UAE utility ₹1.1509) — INR list rates file linked from the pricing page (as cited on Menuthere's India WhatsApp ordering page, accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Razorpay pricing (2% per successful transaction; 18% GST on the fee): https://razorpay.com/pricing/ (accessed 21 Oct 2026)