WhatsApp Business Platform Pricing Changes in 2025: What Businesses Should Know

Starting July 1, 2025, WhatsApp is introducing a major update to its Business Platform pricing model. This update is a shift toward per-message billing for templates, affecting how businesses plan and budget for WhatsApp communications. If you rely on WhatsApp for customer engagement, marketing, or transactional updates, this change is critical to understand.

In this blog post, we’ll break down what’s changing, what remains free, and how you can optimize your messaging to maintain cost-efficiency and maximize ROI.

 

The Key Change: Per-Message Charges for Templates

Under the new model, businesses will be billed per template message sent. This includes: - Marketing templates (e.g., promotions, product launches) - Utility templates (e.g., order updates, payment confirmations) - Authentication templates (e.g., OTPs, login verifications)

Example: If you send one marketing and one utility template message to a customer, you’ll be charged for both separately.

 

What Stays Free: The 24-Hour Customer Service Window

Whenever a customer initiates a conversation, a 24-hour customer support window opens. During this period: - You can send unlimited free-form messages (not based on templates) - You can now also send utility templates free of charge

Each customer message resets the 24-hour window, allowing for ongoing free engagement.

 

Always-Charged Message Types

Not all messages qualify for free delivery. The following are always billed: - Marketing template messages - Authentication template messages - Utility templates sent outside the 24-hour window.

 

Extended Free Messaging: 72-Hour Window via Ads

If a conversation begins through a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action, WhatsApp grants a 72-hour free messaging window. All responses, whether free-form or template-based, are free within this period.

Tip: Use paid ads to trigger free messaging windows and reduce messaging costs.

 

Introducing Tiered Pricing (Volume Discounts)

To support high-volume communication, WhatsApp will introduce tiered pricing for utility and authentication messages. This means: - The more messages you send in a month - The less you pay per message

This helps enterprises scale without ballooning costs.

 

“Service” Messages Reclassified

Previously labeled as “Service” conversations, customer-initiated messages are now classified as free-form messages within the 24-hour window. These are not billed.

 

Quick Summary: Free vs. Paid Messaging

Message Type	Within 24h Window	Outside 24h Window
Free-form message	Free	Not Allowed
Utility template	Free	Charged
Marketing template	Charged	Charged
Authentication template	Charged	Charged
Click-to-WhatsApp Ad messaging	Free (72h window)	N/A

 

Final Thoughts: What Businesses Should Do Now

This pricing change is an opportunity to rethink your WhatsApp strategy. Here’s how to stay ahead: - Re-evaluate your template usage - Encourage more customer-initiated conversations - Use Click-to-WhatsApp ads to unlock 72-hour free messaging - Plan bulk messaging strategically to benefit from volume discounts

By understanding and adapting to these updates, your business can continue to deliver personalized, real-time service—without inflating your messaging costs.