WhatsApp Business API cost calculator for India
Estimate a month's WhatsApp Business API bill in rupees from Meta's own India rates — marketing, utility, authentication and replies — with GST, and with the 1 October 2026 change that makes replies inside the 24-hour window chargeable.
Type a month's messages and see what Meta bills, in rupees, with GST — before and after 1 October 2026, when replies inside the 24-hour window go from free to ₹0.115 each. The Linkubit line beside it is the software fee; nothing is added to Meta's price.
Messages a month
What Meta bills your WhatsApp Business Account
| Marketing × ₹0.8631 | ₹1,726 |
| Utility × ₹0.1150 | ₹92 |
| Authentication × ₹0.1150 | ₹0 |
| Replies × ₹0.115 | ₹690 |
| GST 18% | ₹451 |
| Meta, per month | ₹2,960 |
What Linkubit would add
| Starter plan, 100 credits included | ₹499 |
| 4,480 credits needed (4,200 AI replies + campaign messages) → 2 × 2,500-credit pack | ₹3,998 |
| Linkubit, per month, before tax — the cheapest fit | ₹4,497 |
The numbers above are in the link, so it opens on the same month.
Linkubit adds nothing to Meta’s per-message price and never bills you for messages — Meta does, directly. The Linkubit line is the software: one credit is one AI reply, a campaign message is 0.1 of a credit. Bigger plans include more credits; see pricing.
Meta’s rates as published for India, checked 18 September 2026. The October change is on Meta’s own page, which also says a WhatsApp Business Account with no payment method on file by 30 September stops receiving service-message delivery from that date — add one in WhatsApp Manager before then.
Where the numbers come from: the pricing guide has Meta’s full India rate card, the volume tiers and three worked examples. Utility and authentication tiers apply automatically above 25 lakh and 7.5 lakh messages a month; marketing has no tiers in India.
How to use the calculator in 3 steps
- Enter a month of messages by type: replies to customers inside the 24-hour window, utility templates, marketing templates and authentication codes. The defaults are a small team's month; change them to yours.
- Set the switches. "After 1 October 2026" applies Meta's charge on replies inside the window (₹0.115 a message); "with GST" adds 18%. The AI share is how many of your replies the assistant writes.
- Read the two lines. Meta's bill, which Meta sends to your WhatsApp Business Account directly; and the Linkubit plan that covers the AI replies — the software line. Copy a link to the estimate to send it on.
What each field is
- Replies to customers — free-form messages inside a customer's 24-hour window: answers, questions, photos, an AI's replies. ₹0.115 each since 1 October 2026, no volume tiers.
- Utility templates — order confirmations, delivery updates, reminders, receipts, sent outside the window: ₹0.115 each, with volume tiers above 25 million a month.
- Marketing templates — offers, launches, broadcasts: ₹0.8631 each, always charged, opt-in required.
- Authentication codes — one-time passcodes: ₹0.115 each.
What is not in the calculator
The customer's own messages, which are free. The 72-hour free entry point after a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, in which everything is free — if most of your conversations start from ads, your Meta line is lower than the figure here. And any provider mark-up: the calculator prices Meta's published rate, which is what Linkubit passes through; a provider that bills on its own rate card charges more per message. The pricing guide has the full rate card and tiers; the October guide covers the new charge on replies.
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost per message in India?
₹0.8631 for a marketing template, ₹0.115 for a utility or authentication template, and from 1 October 2026 ₹0.115 for a free-form reply inside the 24-hour window, before 18% GST. The customer's messages are free.
How is the WhatsApp API bill calculated?
Messages you send, by category, times Meta's rate for the category and your country, plus GST. Meta bills the WhatsApp Business Account monthly; some providers bill you instead at their own rate.
Is there a monthly fee for the WhatsApp Business API?
Not from Meta. The software you use has a plan — from ₹0 on Linkubit's Free plan — and Meta bills per message.
What changes on 1 October 2026?
Replies inside the 24-hour window, free since November 2024, are charged at the utility rate, ₹0.115 in India, with no volume tiers; utility templates sent inside the window are charged too. The 72-hour free entry point stays free.
Does the calculator include GST?
With the switch on, yes: 18% on Meta's invoice, which Meta issues in rupees to Indian businesses.
Does Linkubit charge for WhatsApp messages?
No. Meta bills your own account at its rate and Linkubit adds nothing. Linkubit's line is the plan: one credit per AI reply.
Why is my real bill different from the estimate?
Volume tiers (utility and authentication get cheaper above 25 million a month), conversations inside the free entry point, and — if you are on a provider that marks up Meta's rate — the mark-up.
Can I share the estimate?
Yes. The numbers are in the page's link; copy it with the button and it opens on the same month.
How many credits do I need?
One per AI reply, and a fraction of one per campaign message. The calculator's AI share turns your reply count into credits and picks the cheapest plan that covers them.
Where do these rates come from?
Meta's published pricing for India, read on 18 September 2026; the date is printed under the calculator and the source is linked.
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