WhatsApp marketing: the rules, the costs and what works
WhatsApp marketing means messaging people who opted in, with approved templates, through the WhatsApp Business Platform, at a per-message fee. Small audiences can start free in the Business app.
Free options first
Broadcast lists in the Business app: one message, delivered as individual chats, only to contacts who added your number to their address book.
Status updates: the stories of WhatsApp. Customers who saved your number see offers without being messaged at all.
Channels: a one-way feed people choose to follow; good for news, weak for sales.
Catalog and a click-to-chat link on your site, bio and packaging, so customers start the conversation. Make a link.
Most of this works from the phone and from WhatsApp Web; broadcast lists can only be created and viewed on the phone. It stops scaling at a few hundred contacts, by design. One step up, still inside the app: paid business broadcasts, which reach customers who have not saved your number and are charged per delivered message by the recipient's country.
The rules for marketing at scale
Opt-in. The person must have opted in to messages from your business, and the opt-in must name your business. Since late 2024 it does not have to mention WhatsApp specifically, as long as you follow local law.
Customers can switch you off. Under "Offers and announcements" a customer can stop marketing messages from your business without blocking you.
Approved templates. Every message you send first is a template Meta reviewed and classed as marketing.
Messaging limits. A new business can start conversations with 250 different people per 24 hours. The next levels are 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited, shared by all numbers of the business. Verifying the business lifts you to 2,000; after that the limit rises by itself when quality is high and you use at least half of it.
Quality rating. Templates are rated from customer feedback and read rates. Low-rated templates are slowed, paused and finally disabled, and repeated policy violations lead to blocks of days or weeks.
Per-user limits. WhatsApp may limit how many marketing templates one person receives from businesses overall, depending on how much they read. A message that hits the limit is not delivered and not charged; wait a day before retrying. The limit is not applied to users in the EEA, the UK, Japan or South Korea.
United States. WhatsApp currently does not deliver marketing templates to United States numbers (+1 with a US area code). Utility and authentication templates and replies to US customers still work, and Canadian numbers are not affected.
What it costs
Meta charges per delivered marketing template, by the recipient's country; see the rate examples. Add your platform's subscription and, with some vendors, a markup per message. WhatsApp is therefore far more expensive per send than email, and it is only worth it because far more of the messages are opened. It suits messages with a clear value per recipient: a restock the customer asked for, an expiring offer to past buyers, a renewal reminder. It does not suit a weekly newsletter to everyone.
What works
Segment hard. Send to people for whom the message is relevant today. Blocks and reports lower your quality rating and then your limits.
Make replying the goal. A reply opens a 24-hour window in which your team or bot can write freely. From 1 October 2026 the first 1,000 such replies a month per number are free and the rest cost the utility rate, a fraction of the marketing rate.
Use buttons: quick replies and links lift response, and an "unsubscribe" button beats a block.
Click-to-WhatsApp ads turn ad spend into conversations. When the customer comes in from the phone app and you answer within 24 hours, a 72-hour window of free messaging opens.
Pair with utility messages. Customers who get useful order updates on WhatsApp accept an occasional offer there.
Collecting opt-ins
A checkbox at checkout or on forms: "Send me order updates and offers on WhatsApp."
A click-to-chat link or QR code with a pre-filled "Subscribe" message, in store and on packaging.
A keyword in an existing chat: "Reply YES to get our monthly offers here."
Store when and how each person opted in. You will need it if WhatsApp or a regulator asks.
Tools for WhatsApp campaigns
respond.io
Best for: A shared team inbox with CRM-style contact records
A team inbox that pulls WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, email and web chat into one place, with contact records, assignment rules, workflows and AI agents. It states plainly that it adds nothing to Meta's message fees.
Starts at
Starter $79 a month, billed yearly; 5 users included
Free trial
7 days, no credit card
Message fees
Meta's fees, passed on without a markup (vendor's statement)
Meta status
States it is an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, and supports coexistence with the Business app
Good at
Assignment, internal notes and reporting per agent
Workflows and AI agents from the Growth plan
Users are included in the plan price rather than charged per seat
Check before you pay
The Starter plan has no broadcasts, workflows or AI agents; those start at Growth ($159 a month, billed yearly)
Growth and Advanced are priced on monthly active contacts, with overage per 100 contacts
Prices read on respond.io's own pricing page on 18 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; the vendor's page is the one that counts.
WATI
Best for: Small teams that want inbox, broadcasts and a bot in one WhatsApp-first tool
One of the best-known WhatsApp-first platforms: shared inbox, broadcast campaigns, a no-code chatbot builder and shop integrations, sold as flat plans with users included.
Starts at
Growth $59 a month billed annually, or $69 monthly; 3 users included
Free trial
7 days
Message fees
Extra and prepaid, from WATI's own rate card; WATI does not publish how it compares with Meta's
Meta status
Shows Meta partner badges and offers the official WhatsApp API
Good at
Quick to set up for a first WhatsApp API number
Broadcasts and automation triggers included from the entry plan
Flat plan pricing with several users included
Check before you pay
Ask for the message rate card before you commit; it is only shown after login
The Growth plan has no webhooks and caps broadcasts and automation triggers per month
Prices read on WATI's own pricing page on 18 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; the vendor's page is the one that counts.
ManyChat
Best for: Chatbots and marketing flows across WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger
A chat-marketing platform with a visual flow builder, popular with creators and small online businesses. WhatsApp is available from the Pro plan, which is priced on the number of active contacts.
Starts at
Pro $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly; up to 2,500 active contacts
Free trial
14 days on Pro
Message fees
Extra, from a prepaid wallet; ManyChat's published rates were about 15% above Meta's list rates when we compared the two rate cards
Good at
The most approachable flow builder in this list
One bot logic across WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger
Low entry price for small contact lists
Check before you pay
The Free and Essential plans do not include WhatsApp
Price rises with active contacts, and extra inbox seats are charged
Built for flows and campaigns; the team inbox is basic
Prices read on SleekFlow's own pricing page on 18 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; the vendor's page is the one that counts.
HighLevel
Best for: Agencies and local businesses that want CRM, funnels and messaging in one
An all-in-one marketing CRM widely used by agencies in North America. WhatsApp is an add-on to a platform that also does funnels, email, SMS, calendars and reviews.
Starts at
Starter $97 a month, plus a $10 a month WhatsApp add-on per sub-account
Free trial
14 days; billing starts automatically afterwards
Message fees
Extra; HighLevel says it removes its 5% processing fee on WhatsApp messages from 1 October 2026
Good at
Unlimited users and contacts on every plan
Replaces several tools if you also need funnels, SMS and booking
Check before you pay
WhatsApp is one feature among many, not the centre of the product
A large platform to learn if you only need a WhatsApp inbox
Yes, when people opted in. WhatsApp requires businesses to obtain opt-in before messaging people, and privacy laws such as GDPR in Europe and the TCPA in the United States add their own consent rules. Buying phone lists or messaging strangers breaks both.
Can I send bulk messages from WhatsApp Web?
Not safely. WhatsApp's terms forbid bulk and automated messaging from the apps and WhatsApp Web, and bulk-sender extensions get numbers banned. Broadcasts at scale go through the WhatsApp Business Platform as approved marketing templates.
How much does a WhatsApp marketing message cost?
Meta charges per delivered marketing template, and the rate depends on the recipient's country: a few cents in most markets, more in parts of Western Europe. Your software may add a markup. Example rates are in the API guide on this site.
What is a broadcast list and is it free?
A broadcast list in the WhatsApp Business app sends one message to many contacts as individual chats. It is free, but it only reaches people who saved your number in their address book. The app also has a paid option, business broadcasts, that reaches customers who have not saved your number and is charged per delivered message.
Why did my marketing template not get delivered?
Common causes: the person blocked or reported your business, your quality rating dropped, you hit your messaging limit, or WhatsApp's per-user cap on marketing messages applied, which limits how many promotional messages one person receives from all businesses in a period.