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WhatsApp Conversation-Based Pricing

Starting on February 1st, 2022, Facebook will implement a new conversation-based pricing model for all businesses globally sending WhatsApp messages. WhatsApp Business Accounts will be charged per conversation depending on who initiates a conversation, you (business-initiated) or your customer (contact-initiated). This new pricing structure includes free benefits such as Message Templates and 1000 monthly conversations. Message Templates currently charge a fee.

Basics of Conversation-based Pricing Model

Depending on who initiates a conversation, WhatsApp conversations are divided into two categories: Business-Initiated and Contact-Initiated.

Business-initiated: A business starts a conversation by sending a message to the contact for the first time, or 24 hours after the contact's last message (24-hour messaging window). Business-initiated conversations must be sent via a Message Template.

Contact-initiatedservice conversations will still only be initiated when no other conversation window is open and a business responds to a user with a free form message within the 24-hour customer service window. If a business replies to a user with a template message or sends a template message in an open service conversation, this opens a new conversation based on the template category.

All conversations are measured in fixed 24-hour sessions.

A single Conversation is a messaging session that lasts 24 hours and starts when either of two events happens:

  1. Business proactively messages contact that is outside the 24-hour messaging window (“Business-initiated conversations”)
  2. Business responds to contact’s inquiry within 24 hours (“Contact-initiated conversations”).

The first message in the session is paid.The following messages sent within the 24-hour session are free.

The final price for a single conversation of either type depends on the country code of the contact’s number. The list of country-specific price rates can be found here.

⚠️ NOTE! The charges will vary depending on who initiated the conversation: the business or the contact. Replying to contact-initiated conversations will cost less.

How do I pay? Similar to Message Templates, use your Manychat Wallet to load funds and maintain your WhatsApp automation without interruptions. Funds will be deducted from your Wallet immediately after the conversation starts. 1 transaction record in your usage history = 1 conversation.


Conversation Examples

Business-initiated (outbound conversation)

Business initiates the conversation using a Message Template.

  1. When a flight is delayed or its status changes, Commercial Air alerts customers who have opted in to receive notifications using a message template. This starts a business-initiated conversation.

  2. Commercial Air can send as many messages as needed during this single 24-hour conversation session. It will result in only one business-initiated conversation charge.

In this scenario, Commercial Air notifies Anne that her flight is delayed by 30 minutes. Commercial Air will be charged for one business-initiated conversation for the delivery of these two Message Templates as they were both delivered to Anne within one 24-hour conversation session.

Contact-initiated (inbound conversation)

Customer care or general support inquiries in a single 24-hour conversation session.

  1. The customer messages the business with a question about an upcoming reservation. When Commercial Air’s reply message is delivered, it starts a customer-initiated conversation.
  2. There is no charge for individual messages within a 24-hour conversation, and no limit on the number of messages that can be exchanged in a single conversation.
  3. If the business continues to exchange messages with the customer after the initial 24-hour conversation session, WhatsApp will charge a fee to start a new business-initiated conversation. The business is required to use the Message Template.

In this scenario, customer gets the info about their reservation and the business pays for one contact-initiated conversation.


Free Conversations

The first 1,000 conversations per month are free for your business. Each WhatsApp Business Account gets 1000 free tier conversations. Free conversations can only be contact-initiated. 

⚠️ NOTE!  If you have several Manychat accounts connected to one WhatsApp Business Account the number of free conversations will still be 1000 per month and distributed among all connected Manychat accounts on a first-come, first-served basis.

Besides receiving 1000 free WhatsApp conversations a month, conversations will not be charged when contacts message you using call-to-action buttons on Click-to-WhatsApp Ads or to a Facebook Page call-to-action button. Subsequent messages are charged.

Free conversations can only be contact-initiated. They're free for 72 hours if the business answers within 24 hours of receiving a message from the customer through an Ad or a direct message. It's called 'Free entry point conversation'. They're free for any subsequent messages per user / per account as long as all the criteria (user started — business answered in 24 hours) are met.

Those conversations are as free as long as there are some free conversations left in your account.


How Will This Impact Your Business?

  1. If you are sending multiple messages or Broadcasting messages on WhatsApp  you will now pay for a single conversation per contact for starting the conversation.
  2. If you are sending messages over multiple 24-hour periods (e.g. 7-day challenge sequence or similar drip campaigns), you will now pay for each conversation.
  3. If your Automation is responding to incoming contact-initiated messages, then you will be charged for contact-initiated conversation per the price list. 

⚠️ NOTE! If you are using the Default Reply feature for your WhatsApp business, then you will also be charged for a contact-initiated conversation when you respond to incoming contact-initiated messages with a Default Reply.