Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, announced that it will start charging businesses for some messages sent through WhatsApp starting Oct. 1, 2026.
But not all businesses using WhatsApp Business will have to pay the new charges.
The fees are aimed at companies that use the WhatsApp Business Platform, which is Meta’s system for businesses to communicate with customers in bulk through automation, customer service tools and other integrated platforms.
Small businesses using the normal WhatsApp Business app on their phones and chatting manually with customers won’t be affected by the new per-message charges.
Meta will introduce new pricing for some service messages used by businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform starting October 1. The company will also charge for some utility messages sent during an open 24-hour customer service window.
Service messages are the responses businesses send to customers during customer-service conversations, and utility messages are transactional messages such as payment confirmations, order updates and delivery notifications.
The new service and utility messaging rate for Nigerian businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform will be around $0.0101 per delivered message (about ₦14 depending on the exchange rate).
Promotional messages sent to customers are charged separately at a higher rate.
The new fees are therefore more likely to impact businesses that rely heavily on WhatsApp to manage large volumes of customer interactions rather than small businesses that simply use the WhatsApp Business app as a free messaging tool.
The changes from Meta will also mean that companies using the platform will need to have a valid payment method associated with their account. If a business isn’t set up with a payment method by 30 September, its service messages might get turned off when the new pricing takes effect.
The company has been moving toward a more structured pricing model for business messaging as WhatsApp becomes an increasingly important channel for businesses to talk to customers.
