What is Conversation-Based Pricing?
Conversation-based pricing is how Meta charges for the WhatsApp Business API: you pay per 24-hour conversation window, or per template message under the newer per-message model, rather than a flat monthly fee. Conversations are priced by category — marketing costs the most, utility much less, authentication is cheapest — and rates vary by country, with India among the lowest-priced markets globally.
In practical Indian terms, a marketing message costs roughly ₹0.78 to ₹0.88, utility around ₹0.12, and replies to customer-initiated chats within the 24-hour service window are free. So a business sending 10,000 Diwali promotions budgets about ₹8,000, while answering support queries all month may cost nothing. Understanding these categories helps owners route order updates as utility rather than accidentally paying marketing rates.