WhatsApp Business API Pricing in the UK (2026)
Meta charges per message in the UK, billed in GBP: marketing £0.0458, utility £0.0159, authentication £0.0159 per message (plus 20% VAT). Here's the full breakdown, volume discounts, and the October 1, 2026 changes.
WhatsApp Business API Rates in the UK (per message)
Meta's per-message rates for the UK, effective October 1, 2026, from Meta's official GBP rate card.
| Category | Rate (GBP / message) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | £0.0458 | Charged on every delivery |
| Utility | £0.0159 | Free inside an open 24-hour customer service window; charged outside it. Volume discounts apply. |
| Authentication | £0.0159 | Charged outside the service window. Volume discounts apply. |
| Service | £0.0159 | Replies inside the 24h window. First 1,000 per phone number each month are free, then charged. No volume tiers. |
VAT: Rates are exclusive of 20% VAT, added on your invoice in the UK.
From October 1, 2026, Meta charges for service messages (free-form replies inside the 24-hour customer service window) after 1,000 free per business phone number each month. If your WhatsApp Business Account has no payment method in Meta Billing Hub, service messages beyond the free 1,000 are not delivered, so add one in Billing Hub. Utility templates delivered inside an open customer service window are free, per Meta's current pricing page. Verify against Meta's official rate card.
UK Volume-Tier Pricing (Utility & Authentication)
Utility and authentication rates fall as monthly volume grows, up to 25% off. Marketing is not tiered.
Service messages are not tiered; every billed service message is charged at the list rate.
| Discount | Utility & Auth rate (GBP) |
|---|---|
| List rate | £0.0159 |
| -5% | £0.0151 |
| -10% | £0.0143 |
| -15% | £0.0135 |
| -20% | £0.0127 |
| -25% | £0.0119 |
Tiered rates apply to the messages within each tier. See Meta's volume tiers for exact thresholds.
What It Costs to Send WhatsApp Messages in the UK
Meta's fee for marketing messages at £0.0458 each, including 20% VAT.
| Marketing messages / month | Meta fee (GBP) | + 20% VAT | With ChatMaxima ($19 flat) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | £45.80 | £54.96 | £54.96 + $19 |
| 10,000 | £458 | £549.60 | £549.60 + $19 |
| 100,000 | £4,580 | £5,496 | £5,496 + $19 |
Service replies: from October 1, 2026, 5,000 service replies in a month on one phone number means 1,000 free and 4,000 billed × £0.0159 = £63.60 (£76.32 with 20% VAT).
Utility and authentication cost far less (£0.0159 each), and utility templates are free inside an open 24-hour customer service window. Use the pricing calculator for your exact mix.
Setup & Providers for the WhatsApp API in the UK
Setup fees
Meta charges nothing to set up. Some BSPs add a one-time setup fee. ChatMaxima has no setup fee.
Providers in the UK
BSPs active in the UK include 360dialog, Sinch, and Twilio, plus Meta Cloud API partners. Meta's per-message rate is identical across all, only the platform fee differs, and the green tick is free from Meta.
No-markup provider
Meta's rate is fixed, so the cheapest provider adds the least. ChatMaxima is flat $19/mo with no markup.
Get started with ChatMaxima's WhatsApp API, onboarding help included.
How per-message billing works
Since July 1, 2025, Meta bills per message delivered. Utility templates are free inside an open 24-hour customer service window. From October 1, 2026, service replies are billed after 1,000 free per phone number each month. Everything stays free for 72 hours inside a Click-to-WhatsApp free entry point window.
Read the full per-message model »2026 pricing changes
Since August 1, 2026, AI replies from the Meta Business Agent are billed per token ($2.00 USD per 1M tokens). From October 1, 2026, service messages are billed after 1,000 free per phone number each month; with no payment method in Meta Billing Hub, service messages beyond the free 1,000 are not delivered. ChatMaxima's WhatsApp usage page (Settings > Usage > WhatsApp) shows each number's service messages against the free 1,000 and the estimated cost.
See the full 2026 changes »Predictable WhatsApp Costs in the UK
ChatMaxima charges a flat $19/month. You pay Meta's direct per-message rates with no markup, plus the full omnichannel inbox, AI agents, and WhatsApp integration.
See ChatMaxima Pricing Global (USD) PricingPer-message GBP rates from Meta's official rate card, effective October 1, 2026. Verify at Meta's WhatsApp pricing page.
WhatsApp API Pricing UK: FAQs
Meta charges per message: marketing £0.0458, utility £0.0159, authentication £0.0159 (effective October 1, 2026), plus 20% VAT. Utility templates are free inside an open 24-hour customer service window. From October 1, 2026, service replies cost £0.0159 each after 1,000 free per phone number each month.
Yes. 20% VAT applies on top of Meta's per-message rates and your BSP's platform fee.
From October 1, 2026, each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages per month (free-form replies inside the 24-hour customer service window), shared by 1:1 and group sends. Unused messages do not roll over. After that, each service message costs £0.0159 plus 20% VAT. If your WhatsApp Business Account has no payment method in Meta Billing Hub, service messages beyond the free 1,000 are not delivered, so add one in Billing Hub. Messages from customers to your business stay free.
Meta's per-message rate is identical across BSPs, so the cheapest adds the least. ChatMaxima charges a flat $19/month with no per-message markup.
Yes, for utility and authentication messages, from -5% down to -25% as monthly volume grows. Marketing and service messages are not tiered.