WhatsApp Business API in India: how to get it and what it costs
What the API is, the ways to get it, what Meta asks for, the rules you work within and what messages cost in rupees.
All Meta rules and rates below were checked on Meta's own pages on 1 November 2026.
The API and the WhatsApp Business app
The WhatsApp Business app is for one-to-one chats on a phone. The WhatsApp Business Platform, usually called the WhatsApp Business API, connects WhatsApp to your own software, such as a CRM. Meta says the app is meant for small businesses whose main need is chatting with customers one-on-one.
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business Platform (API) | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | One-to-one chats in the mobile app | Linking WhatsApp to your software and workflows |
| What you get | Catalogue, quick replies, away messages, labels and a business profile | Connections to CRM and marketing systems |
| Scale | One-on-one conversations | Thousands of agents and bots, Meta says |
| Cost | Free to download | Charged per delivered message |
The platform runs on Meta's Cloud API, which Meta hosts, so there are no WhatsApp servers to run yourself.
Three ways to get access in India
Every route uses the same Meta rules and the same message rates. What changes is who does the setup and who bills you.
- Direct, through Meta's Cloud API. A developer creates a Meta app with the WhatsApp use case, links your business portfolio and connects your number. Meta bills you for messages.
- Through a Solution Partner, often called a BSP. The partner onboards you and can invoice you directly for the platform. Solution Partners can also extend credit to the clients they bring on.
- Through a Tech Provider, such as software with WhatsApp built in. You sign up through the provider's flow and add your own payment method. Meta bills you for messages, and the provider bills for its own services.
Partners can onboard you through Meta's Embedded Signup flow, which creates the WhatsApp assets you need as you complete it. If you have no developer, a provider takes the technical setup off your hands.
What you need before you start
- A Meta business portfolio. This holds your WhatsApp accounts and controls who can use them.
- A phone number you own. It needs a country and area code, so short codes will not work. It must be able to receive a verification code by SMS or voice call.
- A number that is not on WhatsApp. Meta says a number already in use with WhatsApp must be deleted from WhatsApp first. Some providers can instead connect a WhatsApp Business app number, so it keeps working in the app.
- A display name. It must clearly relate to your legal business name, and cannot be generic, promotional or include words such as "Official". Meta reviews it when your messaging limit goes up, and only an approved name shows at the top of chats.
- A payment method in Billing Hub. Without one, Meta stops delivering service replies once the monthly free tier is used up.
- Business verification, when you want to grow. You can start without it, at lower limits. Our guide to Meta business verification with a GST certificate covers the documents.
A new business portfolio can register two phone numbers. Meta raises the cap to 20 once your business is verified or reaches a messaging limit of 2,000.
From business portfolio to first message
On the direct route, setup runs in this order. With a provider, its signup flow handles steps 2 to 5.
- Create or choose your business portfolio.
- In the Meta App Dashboard, create an app with the "Connect with customers through WhatsApp" use case.
- Create your WhatsApp Business account and send a test message from the test number Meta gives you.
- Add your own number, confirm it with the code Meta sends, and set its display name.
- Have your developer create a permanent access token through a system user, because the test token expires quickly.
- Add a payment method, then submit your first templates for review.
- Start business verification in Security Centre when you are ready to raise your limits.
Message templates and their review
Templates are the only messages you can send to a customer outside the 24-hour window, and each needs Meta's approval first. Every template is marketing, utility or authentication. You choose the category, and WhatsApp checks it against the content.
Review uses automated systems and manual checks, and a decision can take up to 24 hours. If a template is rejected, you can edit and resubmit it, or appeal.
Watch the category of your utility templates, because marketing messages cost more. Since 9 April 2025, a template submitted as utility that Meta judges to be marketing is approved as marketing. Meta can also move an approved utility template to marketing with one day's notice, and you have 60 days to ask for a review.
Utility templates must be non-promotional and specific to the customer, such as an update on their order or booking. An unverified business portfolio can hold 250 templates per WhatsApp Business account. A verified one, with a number whose display name is approved, can hold 6,000.
The 24-hour customer service window
Each message from a customer opens or resets a 24-hour customer service window. Inside it, you can reply freely with text, images and other non-template messages. Outside it, you can only send approved templates.
The window also affects cost. Each business number gets 1,000 free service replies a month, then pays ₹0.115 per reply in India. Since 1 October 2026, utility templates sent inside the window are charged at the normal rate.
Click-to-WhatsApp ads give you a longer free window. When a customer messages you from one on the WhatsApp phone app, reply within 24 hours. Your messages to them are then free for up to 7 days.
Messaging limits
Messaging limits cap how many different customers you can message outside the service window, in any moving 24-hour period. The limit belongs to your business portfolio and is shared by all its numbers. Replies to customers who message you first are not capped.
| Limit | How you reach it |
|---|---|
| 250 customers | Where every new business portfolio starts |
| 2,000 customers | Verify your business, have your partner verify it, or deliver 2,000 messages outside the window to different customers within 30 days, using high-quality templates |
| 10,000, then 100,000, then unlimited | Automatic, when message quality is high and you have used at least half your limit in the last 7 days |
Meta checks your message quality before it raises a limit. When you qualify for the next level, the increase comes within 6 hours.
Opt-in rules
You need a customer's opt-in before you message them on WhatsApp. It can be a general opt-in rather than one for WhatsApp alone, as long as you follow local law.
Every opt-in must clearly say the person is agreeing to receive messages, and must name your business. You can collect it on your website, by SMS, through an IVR call, or in person on paper.
Meta also suggests separate opt-ins for each type of message, and clear steps to opt out. People can block or report a business, and Meta only raises limits while message quality stays high.
What it costs in India
Meta charges for each delivered message, by category and by the customer's country code. These are the India rates in rupees, effective 1 October 2026.
| Category | India rate per delivered message |
|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹0.8631 |
| Utility | ₹0.115 |
| Authentication | ₹0.115 |
| Service | ₹0.115, after 1,000 free per number each month |
If Meta bills you directly, Facebook India invoices you in rupees and adds 18% GST. In that case, all your WhatsApp accounts must be in INR by 31 December 2026.
Providers may add their own fees on top. Our WhatsApp pricing calculator turns your monthly volumes into a rupee estimate.
Connecting the API to a CRM
The API gives your team a business number, and a CRM decides who owns each chat and what happens next. A WhatsApp CRM puts each conversation on the contact's record, next to the deal and its stage. Read what a WhatsApp CRM is for what to look for.
Superlane, the CRM we build at Growth Escalators, has a shared WhatsApp inbox built in next to the sales pipeline. Connecting WhatsApp numbers for new workspaces is coming once Meta completes its app review. Join the waitlist for early access, opening in Jaipur first.
Sources
All checked on 1 November 2026.
- Differences between the WhatsApp Business platform and app, Meta Business Help Centre
- Get started and Partners overview, Meta for Developers
- Business phone numbers and Onboard WhatsApp Business app users, Meta for Developers
- Display names, Meta for Developers, and Display name guidelines for the WhatsApp Business platform, Meta Business Help Centre
- Template fundamentals, Template review and Template categorization, Meta for Developers
- Messaging limits, Meta for Developers, and Scale your WhatsApp Business account capabilities, Meta Business Help Centre
- Get opt-in for WhatsApp, Meta for Developers
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta for Developers, with the INR rate card effective 1 October 2026
- About billing localisation in India for WhatsApp Business Messaging customers that use monthly invoicing, Meta Business Help Centre
Common questions
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
No. The WhatsApp Business app is free to download, but on the platform Meta charges for each delivered message. In India a marketing message costs ₹0.8631 and a utility message ₹0.115, at rates effective 1 October 2026.
Do I need business verification before I start?
No. A new business portfolio can start at a limit of 250 customers in 24 hours outside the service window, with two phone numbers. Verifying your business is one way to raise that to 2,000 customers and 20 numbers.
Can I use the number that is already on my WhatsApp Business app?
Meta says a number already in use with WhatsApp must be deleted from WhatsApp before you register it. Some providers can instead connect a WhatsApp Business app number so it keeps working in the app too.
How long does setup take?
It depends on your route and your paperwork. Meta says template review can take up to 24 hours, and business verification up to 14 working days.
Give every lead a lane.
Superlane is opening to teams in stages, starting in Jaipur. Join the waitlist and we will set up your workspace with you. Every new business gets a 14-day free trial.