WhatsApp costs
What you pay Meta for WhatsApp, what changes on October 1, 2026 and what Grostify covers for the assistant.
On this page
There are two separate costs: the WhatsApp messages, which you pay to Meta, and the use of Claude by the assistant, which Grostify pays up to a cap.
Meta: you pay directly, with no markup
Your WhatsApp Business account is yours, so Meta bills your company directly, with your card. Grostify does not add anything on top.
- Add a card to your WhatsApp Business account in Meta's Billing & payments, in the WhatsApp Business accounts tab. See Connect your number.
- Meta only accepts Visa or Mastercard.
- Without a payment method, Meta rejects paid sends with the error
131042.
Prices depend on the country of the customer and the category of the message. Check them on Meta's pricing page (opens in a new tab).
What changes on October 1, 2026
Until then, replying inside the 24 hour window did not cost anything. From October 1, 2026, Meta charges:
- Service messages: your free text replies inside the 24 hour window.
- Utility templates sent inside that window.
| Still free | Notes |
|---|---|
| The first 1,000 service messages of each number, each month | The allowance resets each month and does not carry over. |
| Messages your customers send you | Receiving is never charged. |
| The free entry point window | Replies after a customer arrives from a click to WhatsApp ad or the button on your Facebook Page. |
Service messages cost the same as utility templates in each market, per delivered message, with no volume discounts. Past the 1,000 free ones, without a payment method, Meta stops delivering replies.
Tip
The WhatsApp assistant only answers messages that start with your keyword, and it does not need several messages to ask the customer who they are. That keeps the number of replies down.
Claude: Grostify pays up to a cap
The assistant's use of Claude is paid by Grostify, up to 10 USD per calendar month per integration by default.
| Model | Approximate cost per question |
|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | About 1.5 US cents |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | About 3 US cents |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | About 5 to 6 US cents |
When the cap is reached, the assistant answers with a limit notice until next month. Only Grostify can change the cap. Write to us at connect@grostify.com if you need more.