You were told that answering customers on the WhatsApp Business API costs nothing, and for almost two years that was close to true. Then on 1 October 2026 Meta started charging for replies again, and now every provider's pricing page seems to show a different number.
This guide sets out what Meta itself charges a UAE business, in dirhams and US dollars, as checked on 24 October 2026, with a worked month for a salon and a clinic. If you are still deciding whether you need the API at all, start with WhatsApp Business app or API: when should a UAE business switch?
What changed in WhatsApp pricing on 1 October 2026?
Two kinds of message that had been free became chargeable again, and the UAE marketing rate went up. According to Meta's developer pricing page, Meta "resumed charging, on a per-message basis, for messages that were previously free": service messages (free since 1 November 2024) and utility messages sent in reply to users inside the customer service window (free since 1 July 2025).
| What | Until 30 September 2026 | From 1 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Free-form replies to customers (service messages) | Free | First 1,000 per business number each month free, then charged per message |
| Utility templates sent inside the 24-hour window | Free | Charged at the utility rate |
| UAE marketing rate | USD 0.0499, as reported by Flowcall | USD 0.0576 or AED 0.2115 (Meta's rate tool) |
| Messages customers send to you | Free | Still free |
Meta's pricing page lists UAE marketing rate rises on 1 October 2025 and again on 1 October 2026, but not the old rate, so the previous figure above comes from a provider, not from Meta.
Note: Without a payment method on file, Meta stops delivering service messages once the 1,000 free ones are used up. If replies stopped going out in October, check Meta's Billing Hub first.
How does Meta charge for WhatsApp messages now?
Meta charges for each message it delivers from your business to a customer, priced by the message's category and the country calling code of the customer's number. This model has applied since 1 July 2025, and undelivered messages are not charged, according to Meta's pricing documentation.
There are five categories, and every message falls into exactly one, so it carries at most one charge:
| Category | What it is used for | When you can send it |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, promotions, abandoned cart reminders | Any time, as an approved template |
| Utility | Booking confirmations, reminders, order and payment updates | Any time, as an approved template |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes | Any time, as an approved template |
| Service | Free-form replies from your team or your own third-party AI tool | Only inside an open 24-hour window |
| Meta Business Agent | Replies written by Meta's own AI agent | Only inside an open 24-hour window |
The 24-hour customer service window opens when a customer messages or calls you and resets each time they do so again. Outside it you can send only templates, and only to people who have opted in.
The market is set by the customer's country calling code, not by where your business is: a tourist in Dubai on a +44 number is charged at UK rates.
Marketing costs about 3.7 times as much as utility for UAE numbers, so categories matter. Meta can move a utility template with marketing content into the marketing category, and repeated misuse can cap utility messages for at least 7 days. Keep confirmations and reminders free of promotions.
What does each message type cost in the UAE, in USD and AED?
For messages to UAE (+971) numbers, Meta charges AED 0.2115 (USD 0.0576) per marketing message and AED 0.0576 (USD 0.0157) per utility, authentication or service message. These are Meta's list rates effective 1 October 2026, taken from the rate tool on Meta's WhatsApp Business pricing page and checked on 24 October 2026. Both columns are Meta's own figures, not our conversions.
| Message type (to +971 numbers) | USD per message | AED per message | Free allowance or discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | 0.0576 | 0.2115 | None |
| Utility | 0.0157 | 0.0576 | Lower rate from the 100,001st message a month |
| Authentication | 0.0157 | 0.0576 | Lower rate from the 300,001st message a month |
| Authentication-international | 0.051 | 0.1872 | Only for very large senders based outside the UAE |
| Service | 0.0157 | 0.0576 | First 1,000 per business number each month free, no volume tiers |
| Meta Business Agent | 2.00 per 1 million tokens, about 0.04 to 0.05 per message | One global USD rate only | None |
Per 1,000 messages to UAE numbers, that is AED 211.50 for marketing and AED 57.60 for utility, authentication or service.
Meta confirms that in every market service messages cost the same as utility and authentication messages and have no volume tiers. The first utility discount, to AED 0.0547, starts at the 100,001st UAE utility message in a month across your whole business portfolio, so most small businesses pay the list rate.
The authentication-international rate applies only to businesses based in another country that send more than 750,000 messages outside customer service windows in a moving 30-day period, so a UAE business sending passcodes to UAE customers pays the normal rate.
What do messages to foreign numbers cost?
They cost whatever Meta charges in the customer's own market, which can be far cheaper or dearer than the UAE. These AED figures come from the same Meta rate tool, checked on 24 October 2026.
| Customer's number | Marketing (AED) | Utility, authentication and service (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| UAE (+971) | 0.2115 | 0.0576 |
| Saudi Arabia (+966) | 0.2115 | 0.0393 |
| India (+91) | 0.0433 | 0.0051 |
| Pakistan (+92) | 0.1737 | 0.0551 |
| Egypt (+20) | 0.2364 | 0.0132 |
| Philippines (+63, charged at the Rest of Asia Pacific rate) | 0.3091 | 0.0415 |
| United Kingdom (+44) | 0.2330 | 0.0808 |
Are replies to customers still free?
Only partly: the first 1,000 service replies on each business number each month are free, and each one after that is charged. Unused free messages do not roll over, and the count resets at midnight in your Messaging account's time zone at the start of each month, according to Meta's pricing documentation.
| Still free | Now charged inside a conversation |
|---|---|
| Every message a customer sends you | Service replies after the first 1,000, at AED 0.0576 each to UAE numbers |
| Your first 1,000 service replies per number per month | Utility templates, such as a booking confirmation sent straight after the customer books in the chat |
| Most messages inside a free entry point window (next section) | Meta Business Agent replies, which are never free |
Meta says a free-form reply with promotional content inside the window carries one charge, as a service message, not a marketing template.
Note: Older pages are out of date. On 24 October 2026, Meta's own consumer pricing page still said service messages are free, and so does this UAE guide from 26 May 2026, which was correct when it was written.
When are messages free for up to 7 days, and when only 72 hours?
Messages are free for up to 7 days when the customer reaches you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad on the WhatsApp phone app and you reply within 24 hours. Meta calls this the free entry point window, and its developer documentation sets out the steps:
- The customer taps your Click-to-WhatsApp ad and messages you from the Android or iOS app. Desktop and web WhatsApp do not qualify.
- That opens the normal 24-hour customer service window.
- You reply inside that window with a marketing, utility, authentication or service message. That reply is free and opens the free entry point window from the moment you sent it.
- While the window is open, which may be up to 7 days, Meta does not charge for marketing, utility, authentication or service messages to that customer. Meta Business Agent messages are still charged.
The window belongs to your business number and that customer, so every Messaging account sending on that number shares it, even one that did not pay for the ad.
The free window changes what you pay, not what you may send. Free-form replies still need an open 24-hour window, so if the customer goes quiet after day one, your follow-ups must be approved templates, which stay free until the window closes. Setting up the ads that open this window is covered in Click-to-WhatsApp ads in the UAE.
Note: Sources disagree on Facebook Page buttons. Meta's developer documentation describes the free window only for Click-to-WhatsApp ads. Meta's consumer page still describes a 72-hour free window after an ad or a Page button, and respond.io says Facebook Page WhatsApp button windows last 72 hours while Click-to-WhatsApp ad windows last up to 7 days. Do not budget on free Page button messages until Meta's developer documentation confirms them.
The ad itself is paid separately; see our guide to ad budgets in Dubai. If ad chats come in but rarely turn into bookings, see how UAE businesses get real enquiries from Meta ads.
What could a month of WhatsApp cost a salon or a clinic?
For the volumes below, Meta's charges come to about AED 304 a month for a salon and AED 374 for a clinic, before any provider fees or VAT. These are illustrative volumes, not client data, priced at Meta's AED rates for UAE numbers as of October 2026, on one business number each.
A Dubai salon
| Messages in the month | Count | Charged | Meta rate (AED) | Cost (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking confirmations sent in the chat (utility, inside the window) | 400 | 400 | 0.0576 | 23.04 |
| Day-before reminders (utility template) | 400 | 400 | 0.0576 | 23.04 |
| Two offers to 500 opted-in clients (marketing) | 1,000 | 1,000 | 0.2115 | 211.50 |
| Replies typed by staff (service) | 1,800 | 800 | 0.0576 | 46.08 |
| Total | 303.66 |
Before 1 October 2026, the in-chat confirmations and all 1,800 replies would have been free, so AED 69.12 of this bill is new. The marketing line also rose, because the UAE marketing rate went up the same day.
An Abu Dhabi clinic
| Messages in the month | Count | Charged | Meta rate (AED) | Cost (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appointment reminders (utility template) | 2,500 | 2,500 | 0.0576 | 144.00 |
| Confirmations sent in the chat (utility, inside the window) | 1,000 | 1,000 | 0.0576 | 57.60 |
| Replies from the reception team (service) | 4,000 | 3,000 | 0.0576 | 172.80 |
| Replies to 200 patients who came from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, inside the free window | varies | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Total | 374.40 |
How salons, spas and clinics set up the bookings and reminders behind these lines, with Arabic and English templates, is covered in WhatsApp bookings and reminders for UAE salons and clinics.
Work out your own month
Fill in your monthly counts for UAE numbers and multiply. Use the foreign-number table above for customers on other country codes.
| Line | Your count | Meta rate (AED) | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing templates | A | 0.2115 | A x 0.2115 |
| Utility templates, inside or outside the window | B | 0.0576 | B x 0.0576 |
| Authentication templates | C | 0.0576 | C x 0.0576 |
| Service replies, minus 1,000 per business number (not below zero) | D | 0.0576 | D x 0.0576 |
| Messages inside a free entry point window, except Meta Business Agent | E | 0 | 0 |
| Meta Business Agent replies | F | about 0.15 to 0.18 | F x 0.15 to 0.18 |
Then add your provider's platform fee and any per-message markup, plus VAT where it applies. Questions about your own volumes? Get in touch.
What does Meta Business Agent cost on the API?
Meta Business Agent costs one global rate of USD 2.00 per million tokens, which Meta estimates at about 4 to 5 US cents per message, with no free messages and no volume tiers. Meta introduced it as a message category on 1 July 2026 and has charged for it since 1 August 2026, according to its pricing and non-template messages pages.
At the dirham's fixed peg of AED 3.6725 to the US dollar (Gulf News), that is roughly AED 0.15 to 0.18 per message. Meta says a message typically uses 20,000 to 25,000 tokens, and its own examples put a four-message opening-hours enquiry at about 16 to 20 US cents.
These messages are charged even inside the free window after an ad, do not use the 1,000 free service messages, and need a payment method in Billing Hub, unless the agent is set to answer only an allowlist of contacts.
If the clinic above let Meta Business Agent write its 4,000 replies, Meta's charge would be about USD 160 to 200 (about AED 590 to 735) instead of AED 172.80 in service charges.
As Meta itself warns, that is not like for like: service replies still need your staff or a third-party AI tool, paid for separately. Hoorax builds WhatsApp AI assistants for UAE businesses, and our breakdown of what a WhatsApp AI chatbot costs to build and run covers those other costs.
Should you be billed in AED or USD?
For most UAE businesses AED is the simpler choice, because Meta's AED and USD rates for UAE numbers come to the same money and AED keeps your invoices in the currency you earn in. AED became a billing currency on 1 April 2026, and Meta says the currency is chosen when the Messaging account is created and "cannot be changed" after that (Meta pricing documentation).
The two sets of rates line up at the peg: USD 0.0576 x 3.6725 = AED 0.2115 for marketing, and USD 0.0157 x 3.6725 is about AED 0.0577 against Meta's AED 0.0576. So the choice is about bookkeeping and any foreign-currency fee your card adds, not price.
If you are already billed in USD, Meta's Currency Migration API creates a new Messaging account in the new currency and copies your templates; your phone numbers stay put. The same page notes that lines of credit are always in USD.
How can you tell whether your provider adds a markup?
Compare the per-message rate your provider charges with Meta's list rate for the same message type and country; the gap is the markup. How you are billed depends on the kind of partner you use, as Meta's partner documentation explains:
| Partner type | Who pays Meta for messages | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Solution Partner | The partner, which can extend its credit line to you | One invoice from the partner for API usage, so ask what share is Meta's rate |
| Tech Provider | You, with your own payment method | Meta's charges billed by Meta, with any provider fees billed separately |
Published estimates of markups vary and come from vendors, not Meta. Tawasel says markups range from 10% to over 100% of Meta's base rate, while Message Central says specific rates vary 10 to 30 percent depending on the provider's markup. Some providers, such as ChatMaxima, say they pass on Meta's rates and charge a flat platform fee instead.
Before you sign, ask:
- Who pays Meta for my messages, you or me?
- What is your price per UAE marketing, utility and service message, and what is Meta's rate for each this quarter?
- Is the platform fee separate from message charges?
- Are your prices before or after 5% VAT?
When can WhatsApp prices change next?
Meta can change WhatsApp prices only on the first day of a quarter, so the next possible date is 1 January 2027. Under its pricing calendar, a change to a rate needs at least one month's notice, a new add-on such as volume tiers needs three months, and a change to the whole pricing model needs six months. A model change announced today could not take effect before 1 July 2027.
The government and non-profit exemption for service messages runs until 31 December 2027, so eligible organisations should check what replaces it before then.
We update this page each quarter. The title date moves forward; the address stays the same.
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 24 October 2026 | First published. UAE and foreign-number rates checked against Meta's rate tool and developer documentation. |
Can someone set up a WhatsApp assistant for you?
Yes. Hoorax is a web studio in Al Barsha 1, Dubai, that builds WhatsApp AI assistants on the official WhatsApp Business Platform. The assistant answers in Arabic and English with your prices and booking link, and hands the chat to your team when a customer asks for a person. Hoorax does not resell messages: Meta bills its message fees to your own Meta account with nothing added by us, so your message costs are Meta's own rates from this guide. Our monthly plan and setup prices are on the services page. To work out which of your messages Meta would charge for, message us on WhatsApp with your business and rough monthly chat volume.