WhatsApp fees
What Meta charges for WhatsApp messages, which messages are free, and how much it costs in Malaysia.
Your NexusBot plan covers the software. Meta, the company that runs WhatsApp, charges a separate fee for some of the messages you send. This page explains what is free, what costs money and how to estimate your bill.
How Meta charges
Meta charges per message delivered. It does not charge per chat. Each message is one of these types, and the type decides the price.
| Message type | What it is | Do you pay? |
|---|---|---|
| Customer messages | Anything your customer sends you | Free |
| Service replies | Normal messages (text, photos, files) you or your AI agent send inside the 24-hour window | Free for the first 1,000 per number each month, then charged |
| Utility templates | Updates about something the customer asked for or bought, such as an order update | Charged every time |
| Authentication templates | One-time login or verification codes | Charged every time |
| Marketing templates | Promotions, offers, new products, event invites | Charged every time, and the most expensive |
What it costs in Malaysia
Meta bills Malaysian businesses in Malaysian ringgit (RM). These are the rates per delivered message in October 2026.
| Message type | Price per message |
|---|---|
| Marketing template | RM 0.3467 (about 35 sen) |
| Utility template | RM 0.0564 (about 6 sen) |
| Authentication template | RM 0.0564 (about 6 sen) |
| Authentication template, sent from an account registered outside Malaysia | RM 0.1685 |
| Service reply (after the first 1,000 free each month) | RM 0.0564, same as utility |
- Meta gives lower prices to high-volume senders on utility and authentication templates. Service replies and marketing templates have a flat price.
- The price depends on the customer's country code, not yours. Messages to other countries are priced differently.
- Meta can change prices. The rate card on Meta's website is always the final word.
Examples
| What you do in a month | Meta fee |
|---|---|
| Send a promotion to 500 customers | 500 × RM 0.3467 = RM 173.35 |
| Send a promotion to 1,000 customers | 1,000 × RM 0.3467 = RM 346.70 |
| Send 300 order updates as utility templates | 300 × RM 0.0564 = RM 16.92 |
| Reply to customers 800 times on one number | Free, under the 1,000 allowance |
| Reply to customers 2,500 times on one number | (2,500 − 1,000) × RM 0.0564 = RM 84.60 |
Every message counts, not every customer. If your AI agent sends three messages in one chat, that is three replies.
When messages are free
- Chats started from an ad or button. When a customer starts a chat by tapping a Click to WhatsApp ad or the WhatsApp button on your Facebook Page, you get a free window of 72 hours (up to 7 days for some ads). In that time every type of message to that customer is free, templates included.
- Messages sent from your phone. If you connected the WhatsApp Business App, messages you type in the app on your phone are free. Only messages sent through NexusBot, including AI replies, follow the rates above.
- Telegram. Telegram doesn't charge per message.
Add a payment method to your WhatsApp account
Meta only sends paid messages if your WhatsApp Business account has a payment method.
- Open Meta Business Settings. Log in to Meta with the account that manages your business portfolio.
- Find your WhatsApp account. Open the payment settings for your WhatsApp Business account.
- Add a card. Add a credit or debit card.
Your invoices and usage are in the billing section of Meta Business Settings, not in NexusBot. NexusBot's own invoices (Settings → Billing) only cover your NexusBot plan.
Keep your costs down
- Reply inside the 24-hour window. Replies are the cheapest message. Ask a question at the end of your message so the customer answers and the window stays open.
- Pick the right category. Order updates and reminders are utility messages, which cost far less than marketing. But don't disguise a promotion as an update. Meta checks the content and can change the category or reject the template.
- Send broadcasts to the right people. Use tags and custom fields to avoid paying for customers who won't be interested. Messages to people who block or ignore you also cost money.
- Test on a small group first. Send to your staff before sending to everyone.
- Use ads that open WhatsApp. The free window helps if you already run Facebook or Instagram ads.