META’s are updating pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform to be simpler and more consistent with industry practices, encourage higher-quality messaging experiences for people, and better align with value delivered for people and businesses.  These changes will roll out starting in late 2024, and our goal is to ensure that businesses can continue delivering high-quality messaging experiences for their customers while maximizing value.

What’s Change in pricing model?

Starting April 2025, WhatsApp Business will transition to a per-message pricing model, moving away from the current per-conversation approach. This change simplifies comparison with other communication platforms, making it easier for businesses to track ROI and optimize their messaging strategy.

Alongside this change, we’re introducing authentication-international rates for seven additional countries: Egypt, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE. This update will take effect on February 1, 2025, and is consistent with industry pricing for authentication messages.

We’re also reducing utility rates to make our pricing more competitive, allowing businesses to engage customers effectively without overextending their budgets.

Encouraging Quality Messaging

To further enhance customer engagement on Whatsapp Business, we are making service conversations free starting November 1, 2024. This means businesses can be more available to their customers, including through AI-powered, conversational experiences, at no cost.

As part of the shift to per-message pricing in April 2025, utility templates (such as order confirmations or account updates) will also be free within the 24-hour customer service window. This will encourage businesses to continue investing in high-quality messages that deliver real value to customers.

We are also exploring new ways to offer richer utility experiences, especially for multi-message customer journeys, like order tracking and management updates.

A Pricing Model Aligned with Value

The move to per-message pricing allows businesses to align costs with the value delivered through each message. Whether it’s a marketing message driving conversions or a utility message protecting customer accounts (like a fraud alert), pricing will reflect the impact of each interaction.

This approach ensures businesses only pay for the value they create, making messaging more efficient and cost-effective.

Key Dates to Remember:

• November 1, 2024: Service conversations become free
• February 1, 2025: Authentication-international rates launch in 7 additional markets
• April 1, 2025: Utility templates within the 24-hour customer service window become free
• April 1, 2025: Phase 1 of per-message pricing rollout begins
• July 1, 2025: Phase 2 of per-message pricing rollout begins

Resources to Help You Prepare

We’re providing several resources to help you adjust to the new pricing model:

• Developer Documents: Information to help developers transition to per-message pricing, including key milestones.
• Rate Cards: Details on the updated rates, including those for service and authentication messages.

Our Commitment to You

These changes are designed to provide better value to both businesses and customers on the WhatsApp Business Platform. We are committed to making your experience with WhatsApp more effective and seamless as we move forward with these updates.

Stay tuned for more information, and feel free to reach out to EWAT support team if you have any questions.