Meta charges per delivered message across four categories: marketing, utility, authentication, and service. Service conversations the customer starts are free within the 24-hour window; anything you initiate falls into a paid category. So your monthly bill isn't driven by how many conversations you have, but by how often you're the one starting them.
From conversations to individual messages
The old model charged per 24-hour conversation: one rate, no matter how many messages went out inside that window. The current model charges per delivered message. For anyone building short, focused flows, that's an improvement. For anyone splitting a story across five separate messages, it got more expensive.
The four categories
| Category | When | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Reply within 24 hours of the customer writing to you | Free inside the window |
| Utility | An order update, shipping information, an appointment reminder | Per message |
| Authentication | One-time codes | Per message |
| Marketing | Offers and promotions | Per message, highest rate |
Current amounts are in Meta's price list per country, and they adjust them periodically. That's why we don't quote figures here that would be wrong next quarter — see the knowledge base page on API costs for the mechanics and worked examples.
Three things that really decide your monthly bill
- 1Who starts the conversation. Aim your automation at incoming questions and you stay inside the free service window. A click-to-WhatsApp link or a QR code on your receipt is therefore a cost measure, not just marketing.
- 2How many messages you send per step. Three short messages cost you three times. One message with buttons costs once and reads better.
- 3Which category you choose. An order update is utility, not marketing. Put promotional copy in a utility template and Meta will recategorize it anyway — or reject the template.
What this means for your choice of platform
Meta's message costs are the same for everyone; no platform choice gets you around them. The difference is in what the platform charges on top: per-user licenses, message tiers, or a markup on message costs. We charge €50 per month, full stop — see pricing.
In short
- Per delivered message, across four categories
- Service is free within 24 hours of a message from the customer
- Make sure the customer starts the conversation as often as possible
- Bundle information into fewer messages
- Pick the right category, or Meta will do it for you