WhatsApp pricing // free tool

Real monthly cost in GBP.
Post-July-2025 per-message pricing.

Meta moved from conversation-based to per-message pricing on 1 July 2025. Every other calculator on the internet still shows stale rates. This one is current, UK-specific, and gives you a defensible monthly number to budget against.

  • Per-message rates by category (Marketing / Utility / Authentication / Service).
  • UK GBP output by default; pick any country.
  • Service messages are free; the tool reflects that.
  • Compare against NuvenarHub Pro at £480/mo + VAT.
01 // Run it
Country
Currency
Presets
BSP markup (%)20%

Business Solution Providers typically add 15-25% on top of Meta's base rates. Direct Cloud API access has 0% markup.

Monthly total
£17.79
/ month
Annual: £214
Breakdown by category
  • Marketing
    200 msgs · £0.0501 each
    £10.03
  • Utility
    800 msgs · £0.0076 each
    £6.07
  • Authentication
    50 msgs · £0.0339 each
    £1.70
  • Service (free)
    1,500 msgs · £0.0000 each
    £0.00
BSP markup cost
You are paying £2.97/mo (£35.59/year) just to the BSP. Direct Cloud API access (what NuvenarHub uses) removes this markup.
vs NuvenarHub Pro
NuvenarHub Pro is £480/mo + VAT and includes the full WhatsApp + CRM + AI stack at 0% markup on Meta rates. Your total stays at £498/mo with NuvenarHub vs £22.24/mo with a typical agency reselling at 25% markup.
Rates last reviewed 2026-06-10 · 1 GBP ≈ 1.27 USD
02 // What the number means

What the number really represents

The monthly figure shown above is your raw Meta API spend at current per-message rates. It does not include the cost of your CRM, your inbox software, AI replies, broadcast scheduling, consent management, or the engineering time to wire all of that together. Most teams budget the API spend correctly and then under-budget the surrounding stack by 5-10x.

The pricing model that changed on 1 July 2025

Before July 2025, Meta billed in 24-hour conversation windows. A single conversation could cost £0.05-0.10 depending on category, but it covered an unlimited number of messages within that window. After July 2025, every template message is billed individually. Non-template Service messages within the 24-hour customer-initiated window are free; everything else is per-message.

The practical impact for a clinic sending appointment reminders: the cost dropped by 60-70%. For an e-commerce business doing marketing broadcasts: the cost stayed roughly flat or rose 5-10%. For an auth provider sending OTPs: rates went down meaningfully.

When the BSP markup is worth paying

If you are sending fewer than 5,000 messages a month and do not have engineering resource, the 15-25% BSP markup buys you: hosted templates, deliverability dashboards, no Meta-side billing setup, and a ready-made web inbox. Below that volume threshold the absolute pound amount of the markup is small, and the engineering cost of going direct is real.

Above 10,000 messages per month, the markup starts to bite. A 20% markup on £400/mo of Meta spend is £80/mo or £960/year. NuvenarHub Pro at £480/mo gives you the same direct Cloud API access and a full CRM, AI replies, broadcast scheduling, and an audit-ready consent layer.

What this calculator does not estimate

  • Quality rating downgrades. If your number gets marked "Low" quality, Meta caps your daily message limit. Volume calculations assume Green / Medium quality.
  • Conversation limits. Lower-tier accounts cap at 1,000 unique customers per 24 hours. Plan for that ceiling separately.
  • Template approval delays. A 48-hour template review can cost more in missed campaign timing than three months of API spend.
  • Twilio / BSP support fees. Some providers add a flat monthly platform fee on top of per-message rates. Set BSP markup higher to approximate.
03 // FAQ

Are these rates up to date for 2026?

Yes. They reflect Meta's per-message pricing model that replaced conversation-based pricing on 1 July 2025. We review the rate table every 60 days and after every published Meta rate change. The exact review date is shown at the bottom of the calculator output.

Why are service messages free?

Meta made service messages (replies sent within a 24-hour window after a customer-initiated message) free starting 1 November 2024. This was a major shift; many calculators still bill them as utility. We do not.

What is the BSP markup?

Business Solution Providers (BSPs) like Wati, Respond.io, AiSensy, and Twilio resell Meta's WhatsApp API and add a markup of 15-25% on the underlying message rates. If you use the Meta Cloud API directly (what NuvenarHub Pro does), the markup is 0%. Adjust the slider to your provider's actual rate.

Why is the UK rate higher than the US?

Meta uses a per-country rate table reflecting carrier fees and regulatory cost. The UK falls into Meta's higher-cost tier for Marketing and Authentication, similar to Germany and France. India and South-East Asia are in the lower-cost tier.

Does this include VAT?

No. Meta does not charge VAT directly on API usage when you bill via the developer console. Your BSP may apply UK VAT if billed through them. NuvenarHub Pro is billed at £480 + VAT.

What happens if I send a Marketing template inside the 24-hour service window?

Meta still bills it as Marketing, even though the conversation was customer-initiated. The 24-hour free service window only applies to non-template Service messages. The calculator reflects this.

Run WhatsApp at 0% markup, with the rest of the stack.

NuvenarHub Pro is £480/mo + VAT for direct Cloud API access plus full CRM, AI replies, broadcast scheduling, and audit-ready consent. 7-day free trial.

See NuvenarHub Pro