WhatsApp stays free for users; only businesses face new message charges from October 1

A claim is spreading fast on the internet and social media that from October 1, users will have to pay for every message sent on WhatsApp. The claim is not entirely false, but it is being misread. All that is true is that Meta has made some changes to the billing rules of the WhatsApp Business API.

The new billing rule applies only to corporate companies, banks, e-commerce platforms and enterprise-level business accounts. Only the companies that send customers automated messages, banking alerts, delivery updates or OTPs will have to pay under the new rules. All of this money will go directly to Meta.

Meta began charging per message from October 1, 2025, changing the 24-hour conversation-based model. Some more important changes have now come into force from October 1, 2026. Earlier, some utility messages sent within the 24-hour window after a customer messaged were free. These will now be charged too.

To give relief to small businesses, each business phone number will get 1,000 free service replies every month. Once this quota is used up, companies will have to pay per message for additional messages.

Many people may wonder whether ordinary users will have to pay to message friends, family or relatives, or to chat. The answer is no. WhatsApp will remain completely free for regular users, as before. Chatting with a business account will not cost you anything either.

Message rates on the WhatsApp Business platform differ by type. Marketing messages, meaning promotional offers, will be the costliest. Companies will have to pay about 86.31 paise per message for these, excluding GST.

Utility messages are order status, delivery updates and OTPs. The base rate for these is about 11.5 paise per message before GST. With 18 per cent GST added, the cost works out to roughly 13.6 to 14 paise per message.

In short, the entire change is for commercial use only. There has been no change in ordinary citizens' use of WhatsApp.