specification: API Commons Plans
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/Plans
provider: WhatsApp
providerId: whatsapp
created: '2026-05-04'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-04, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-05'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Messaging
  - Business
  - Communications
  - Conversation-Based Pricing
description: WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API and historical On-Premises API) is billed on a conversation basis - charges accrue per 24-hour conversation window opened by a business message, not per individual API call. Conversations are categorized as Marketing, Utility, Authentication, or Service, and per-conversation rates vary by recipient country / market. Service conversations include a monthly free allotment, and certain entry points (ads-that-click-to-WhatsApp, Facebook Page CTA) open free entry-point conversations. The Business Management / Account Management / Flows APIs themselves are not charged per call; messaging conversations are the billable unit.
sources:
  - https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing
  - https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing/conversation-based-pricing
  - https://business.whatsapp.com/products/platform-pricing
notes: Per-country / per-category dollar rates are published on Meta's pricing rate card and change frequently; treat them as 'see published rate card' rather than hard-coding numbers. The Business Management / Account Management / Flows APIs are free per-call - the conversation is the billable unit.
plans:
  - id: whatsapp-conversation-pricing
    name: Conversation-Based Pricing
    type: usage-based
    description: Pay-per-conversation across the four message categories. Each conversation is a 24-hour window opened by a business-initiated or user-initiated qualifying message. Per-conversation prices vary by recipient country / market and are published on the WhatsApp pricing rate card.
    entries:
      - label: Marketing Conversation
        name: marketing_conversation
        type: metered
        metric: conversation
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: varies
        unit: 1
        price: see published rate card (per-country)
        userMultiplied: false
      - label: Utility Conversation
        name: utility_conversation
        type: metered
        metric: conversation
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: varies
        unit: 1
        price: see published rate card (per-country)
        userMultiplied: false
      - label: Authentication Conversation
        name: authentication_conversation
        type: metered
        metric: conversation
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: varies
        unit: 1
        price: see published rate card (per-country, includes International Authentication rates)
        userMultiplied: false
      - label: Service Conversation
        name: service_conversation
        type: metered
        metric: conversation
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: varies
        unit: 1
        price: see published rate card (per-country, free monthly allotment applies)
        userMultiplied: false
      - label: Free Entry-Point Conversation
        name: free_entry_point_conversation
        type: quota
        metric: conversation
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: '0.00'
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: WhatsApp Cloud API
      - name: WhatsApp Business Management API
      - name: WhatsApp Account Management API
      - name: WhatsApp Flows API
      - name: Free entry-point conversations (ads-that-click-to-WhatsApp, Facebook Page CTA)
      - name: Monthly free service-conversation allotment per WABA
      - name: Templates (subject to category and approval)
  - id: whatsapp-on-premises-deprecated
    name: On-Premises API (deprecated)
    type: enterprise
    description: The legacy WhatsApp Business On-Premises API is being deprecated in favor of the Cloud API. Existing deployments continue under their existing BSP / Meta agreement; new integrations should migrate to the Cloud API on the conversation-based pricing model.
    entries:
      - label: BSP / Meta Agreement
        name: on_premises_agreement
        type: flat
        metric: varies
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: contact sales / migrate to Cloud API
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: WhatsApp On-Premises API (deprecated)
      - name: BSP-Hosted Coreapp
      - name: Migration path to WhatsApp Cloud API
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com
x-canonical:
  generated: '2026-10-08'
  vocabulary: all/0-working/economics/plans-canonical.yml
  models:
  - metered
  - subscription
  units:
  - negotiated
  plans:
  - name: Conversation-Based Pricing
    access: other
    model: metered
    model_how: stated
    units:
    - other
    periods:
    - per-use
  - name: On-Premises API (deprecated)
    access: enterprise
    model: subscription
    model_how: derived
    units:
    - negotiated
    periods:
    - per-use