WhatsApp to Charge Businesses for Every Message Starting October 1

WhatsApp is ending its free messaging policy for large organizations and companies using its Business API, effective October 1. Previously, Meta, the parent company, charged businesses for each customer-initiated conversation but allowed free communication for 24 hours afterward. Under the new policy, businesses will be charged for every message sent, starting with the first one. The cost is set at approximately $0.0056 per service message, or about 1.7 agorot. However, Meta will continue to offer 1,000 free service messages per month, meaning charges will only apply from the 1001st message. This change is expected to primarily affect large corporations and businesses that utilize bots for extensive, rapid customer interactions, rather than small businesses with low message volumes. Incoming messages from customers will remain free. The new policy specifically targets companies using the WhatsApp Business API and does not impact the standard WhatsApp messenger or the WhatsApp Business app for small businesses. Companies are advised to optimize their bots and operators to send more comprehensive messages instead of numerous short ones to manage costs.