Who starts the conversation
If you start it, you pay per message. If the customer starts it, your reply counts as a service message and is mostly free.
Costs per message
WhatsApp Business API pricing
In the Netherlands, Meta charges € 0.1323 per marketing message and € 0.0414 per utility message, such as an order confirmation. On top of that you pay for the software you send with: at Tobachat that's €29, €99 or €199 a month, with no markup on Meta's message fees. Below are all the rates and what changed on October 1, 2026.
WhatsApp rates · Netherlands
Official Meta Tech ProviderWhat Meta charges per message
On top of your Tobachat subscription, Meta charges a fixed rate for every message you send. You pay Meta directly: add a payment method there once, and it stays separate from what you pay us.
Marketing
€ 0.1323/ message
Promotions, offers, newsletters, product launches.
Utility
€ 0.0414/ message
Order confirmations, status updates, and reminders tied to a transaction.
Authentication
€ 0.0414/ message
Verification codes and one-time login codes (OTP).
Service
€ 0.0414/ message
Replies to a customer within the 24-hour service window. From October 1, 2026, charged per message after the first 1,000 per phone number each month.
Good to know: the category rates apply to messages you start. A reply to a customer who messaged you first is a service message, and from October 1, 2026 Meta charges for those per message too, after the first 1,000 per phone number each month.
Effective 1 October 2026 · checked 27 October 2026. Amounts exclude VAT. The service-message rates apply since October 1, 2026. Source: developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricingBilled by Meta · separate from your Tobachat subscription
Since October 1, 2026
What changed on October 1, 2026
Meta started charging again for two kinds of messages that had become free. Rates for Dutch numbers stayed the same.
| Until September 30, 2026 | Since October 1, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Replies within 24 hours (service) | Free, no limit | First 1,000 per number each month free, then € 0.0414 per message |
| Utility templates within 24 hours | Free | Charged at the utility rate of € 0.0414 |
| No payment method on file | No effect on service messages | After 1,000 service messages in a month, Meta stops delivering them until the next month |
| Rates for the Netherlands | Marketing € 0.1323, utility and authentication € 0.0414 | Unchanged |
The 1,000 free service messages are per phone number, don't roll over to the next month, and have no volume discount.
How billing works
Four things decide your bill
Meta picks the category
When Meta approves a template, it decides whether it's marketing, utility or authentication. You don't get to choose, and the rate depends on it.
1,000 free per number, per month
The free service messages are counted per WhatsApp number per month. Two numbers means two times 1,000.
Meta bills you directly
You attach a payment method to your own WhatsApp Business account. That money never passes through us, so we can't add anything to it.
What's free
What Meta doesn't charge for
The WhatsApp Business app
The app costs nothing. Per-message rates only apply on the platform that software connects to.
Messages from customers
Whatever customers send you is free, however many messages that adds up to.
Chats that start from an ad
When a customer messages you from an ad that clicks through to WhatsApp and you reply within 24 hours, everything you send for the next 72 hours is free.
Submitting a template
Meta doesn't charge to review a template. You only pay once a message is delivered.
Our price
What we add on top
A fixed monthly amount for the platform and the setup. Nothing per message, nothing per seat.
- No markup on Meta's message costs. What Meta charges, you pay Meta.
- No minimum number of seats to pay for.
- No setup fee, and you can cancel month to month.
Worked example
One month, calculated
A business with 1 WhatsApp number that sends a newsletter every month, pushes order updates, and otherwise mostly answers questions.
| 2,000 marketing messages (newsletter) | 2,000 × € 0.1323 | € 264.60 |
|---|---|---|
| 400 order updates (utility) | 400 × € 0.0414 | € 16.56 |
| 900 replies within 24 hours (service) | within the free 1,000 | € 0.00 |
| Meta, per month | € 281.16 | |
| Growth plan, per month | € 99.00 | |
| Total | € 380.16 |
All amounts exclude VAT. Send less marketing and more replies and Meta's share of that bill drops sharply.
Common questions
About WhatsApp Business API costs
More guides
Other questions about WhatsApp
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