In 2026 the WhatsApp Business API in India costs Meta's fixed rate of ₹0.8631 per marketing message and ₹0.115 per utility or authentication message, and since 1 October 2026 the first 1,000 service replies per number each month are free, with later ones billed at the utility rate. On top of that, providers (BSPs) add either a monthly plan of roughly ₹500 to ₹2,799 (MSG91, Wati, Interakt) or a per-message markup of about ₹0.09 to ₹0.23 per marketing message (Gupshup, Interakt, AiSensy, RichAutomate), so a business sending 10,000 marketing messages pays roughly ₹9,100 to ₹13,000 or more a month before 18% GST.
Disclosure: this comparison is published by RichAutomate, one of the providers listed. Competitor figures below were checked on their public pricing pages on 29 October 2026 unless labelled otherwise; where we could not verify a number we say "see their pricing page" instead of guessing.
WhatsApp API pricing comparison table (India, 2026)
All prices exclude 18% GST. Meta's message fee applies to every provider; the table shows what each provider charges on top, or the all-in per-message price where the provider quotes one.
| Provider | Plan fee / month | Per marketing message | Per utility message | Notes | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta (rate card, no BSP) | n/a | ₹0.8631 | ₹0.115 (auth also ₹0.115) | First 1,000 service replies/number/month free since 1 Oct 2026, then utility rate | 29 Oct 2026 |
| Interakt | ₹2,799 (Growth) | ₹0.949–₹0.970 | See their pricing page | Per-message rate quoted all-in | 29 Oct 2026 |
| Wati | ₹2,699 (Growth, 3 users, billed quarterly) | Template charges extra | Template charges extra | See their pricing page for the template rate | 29 Oct 2026 |
| AiSensy | See their pricing page | ₹1.09 | ₹0.145 (also auth and service) | Low utility rate | 29 Oct 2026 |
| Zoko | US$49.99 / $79.99 / $139.99 | See their pricing page | See their pricing page | Billed in USD | 29 Oct 2026 |
| MSG91 | ₹500 per number | Meta rate, 0% markup | Meta rate, 0% markup | July 2026 figure | July 2026 |
| Gupshup (self-serve) | ₹0 | Meta fee + US$0.001 | Meta fee + US$0.001 | US$0.001 also applies to incoming session messages | Oct 2026 (our Gupshup post) |
| RichAutomate Client Pay | ₹0 (optional plans ₹499 / ₹899 / ₹1,199) | Meta + ₹0.10 ≈ ₹0.96 | Meta + ₹0.10 ≈ ₹0.215 | ₹0 setup; 14-day trial with 100 credits | 29 Oct 2026 |
| RichAutomate SaaS Pay | ₹0 | ₹1.50 all-in | ₹0.50 all-in | No Meta card or billing setup needed | 29 Oct 2026 |
Interakt pricing 2026
Interakt's Growth plan costs ₹2,799 a month and charges ₹0.949 to ₹0.970 per marketing message in India, so 10,000 marketing messages come to about ₹12,289 to ₹12,499 a month before GST. That makes Interakt one of the pricier options at low volume because the plan fee is fixed whether you send 500 messages or 50,000. Interakt's per-message rate is only about ₹0.09–₹0.11 above Meta's ₹0.8631, so the gap narrows as volume grows. For a full plan-by-plan breakdown read Interakt pricing India 2026, or see the Interakt alternative for Indian businesses if the monthly fee is the problem.
AiSensy pricing 2026
AiSensy charges ₹1.09 per marketing message and ₹0.145 per utility, authentication or service message in India, plus its monthly plan fee. On marketing it is the most expensive per-message rate in this table, but its ₹0.145 utility rate is cheaper than RichAutomate's ≈₹0.215, so a business that mostly sends order updates, OTPs and reminders may genuinely pay less on AiSensy. Plan details are in AiSensy pricing India 2026, and our AiSensy alternative guide covers when switching makes sense.
Wati pricing 2026
Wati's Growth plan costs ₹2,699 a month for 3 users, billed quarterly, with template message charges added on top. Because billing is quarterly you commit to about ₹8,097 per quarter before GST and before any message is sent. Wati's per-template charge is listed on its own pricing page; we have not repeated it here because we could not confirm it on the date of checking. See Wati pricing India 2026 for the plan tiers or the Wati alternative for India comparison.
Gupshup pricing 2026
Gupshup's self-serve WhatsApp API costs a flat US$0.001 per message (about ₹0.09 at ₹88 to the dollar) on top of Meta's fee, with no setup fee or monthly subscription. The catch is that the US$0.001 applies to incoming session messages as well as outgoing ones, and the wallet is in US dollars. Full worked examples are in Gupshup pricing India 2026.
MSG91 and Zoko pricing 2026
MSG91 charged ₹500 a month per WhatsApp number with 0% markup on Meta's message rates (figure checked July 2026), which makes it the cheapest option in this table at high volume. Details in MSG91 pricing India 2026. Zoko sells USD plans at US$49.99, US$79.99 and US$139.99 a month; check Zoko's pricing page for its per-message charges.
Get the India 2026 WhatsApp BSP price comparison
Wati vs AiSensy vs Interakt vs RichAutomate: Meta rates, platform fees and hidden costs, side by side. We send it to your WhatsApp in a minute.
RichAutomate pricing 2026
RichAutomate charges no platform fee and no setup fee: on Client Pay you pay Meta's rate plus ₹0.10 per message (about ₹0.96 per marketing and ₹0.215 per utility message), and on SaaS Pay a flat ₹1.50 per marketing and ₹0.50 per utility message. Monthly plans at ₹499, ₹899 and ₹1,199 are optional, and every new account gets a 14-day trial with 100 credits. See the full rate card on RichAutomate's WhatsApp API pricing page.
Worked monthly bill: 10,000 and 50,000 marketing messages
Assumptions: marketing templates only, India numbers, prices before 18% GST, ₹88 per US dollar, lowest listed plan. Meta's own charge is 10,000 × ₹0.8631 = ₹8,631 and 50,000 × ₹0.8631 = ₹43,155.
| Provider | Maths | 10,000 msgs | 50,000 msgs |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSG91 (July figure) | ₹500 + Meta at cost | ₹9,131 | ₹43,655 |
| Gupshup | Meta + US$0.001 × msgs (≈₹880 / ≈₹4,400) | ≈₹9,511 | ≈₹47,555 |
| RichAutomate Client Pay | (₹0.8631 + ₹0.10) × msgs, no plan | ₹9,631 | ₹48,155 |
| AiSensy | ₹1.09 × msgs + plan fee | ₹10,900 + plan | ₹54,500 + plan |
| Wati | ₹2,699 + Meta + template charges | at least ₹11,330 | at least ₹45,854 |
| Interakt | ₹2,799 + ₹0.949–₹0.970 × msgs | ₹12,289–₹12,499 | ₹50,249–₹51,299 |
| Zoko | US$49.99 (≈₹4,399) + Meta + any Zoko fee | at least ₹13,030 | at least ₹47,554 |
| RichAutomate SaaS Pay | ₹1.50 × msgs, all-in | ₹15,000 | ₹75,000 |
What the maths says, honestly: MSG91 is the cheapest at both volumes because it passes Meta's rate through at cost and only charges ₹500 a month. Gupshup and RichAutomate Client Pay sit close behind at 10,000 messages. At 50,000 messages, Wati's lower bound looks competitive, but its template charges are not included, so check its page before comparing. RichAutomate's SaaS Pay is the most expensive per message; you pay for not having to set up a Meta payment method. If most of your traffic is utility messages (order updates, OTPs), AiSensy's ₹0.145 and MSG91's at-cost ₹0.115 both beat RichAutomate's ≈₹0.215: 10,000 utility messages cost ₹1,450 on AiSensy, ₹1,650 on MSG91 (with the ₹500 fee) and ₹2,150 on RichAutomate Client Pay.
Where RichAutomate wins is low or uneven volume with no fixed fee: 2,000 marketing messages cost ₹1,926 on Client Pay against ₹4,697 or more on Interakt (₹2,799 + ₹1,898). For more volume scenarios, see our guide to the cheapest WhatsApp Business API in India.
How to pick a provider by volume
- Under about 5,000 messages a month or uneven sends: avoid fixed plan fees; Gupshup or RichAutomate Client Pay keep the floor near zero.
- Steady high volume, mostly marketing: an at-cost model such as MSG91 wins on price; compare features you actually need (inbox, chatbot, campaigns) before switching.
- Mostly utility and OTP traffic: compare the utility column, not the marketing one; AiSensy and MSG91 are cheaper there.
- No Meta billing setup wanted: an all-in rate such as RichAutomate SaaS Pay costs more per message but needs no card on Meta.
Moving providers has its own cost. The BSP migration cost calculator covers the overlap month and re-approving templates, and our October 2026 WhatsApp API rate changes post explains the new service-reply billing.
Comparing a developer CPaaS too? Read our Plivo WhatsApp API pricing in India guide with a 30,000-message worked example.
Comparing a single provider in depth? Our Fast2SMS vs RichAutomate pricing page works through support-heavy and marketing-heavy bills side by side.
GST and fine print for India
- 18% GST applies on top of every figure above.
- Business verification: going live needs Meta Business Verification; budget time for it.
- Consent: India's DPDP framework expects opt-in and an easy opt-out. No provider can promise your number will never be restricted; quality and opt-in are the sender's responsibility.
Head-to-head feature comparisons: Interakt vs RichAutomate, AiSensy vs RichAutomate and Wati vs RichAutomate. Ready to test with real messages? Start a 14-day RichAutomate trial with 100 free credits.
Pricing is only half the decision. Our breakdown of self-serve versus managed WhatsApp BSPs covers what a retainer adds on top of the message rate.
Also read: MyOperator WhatsApp alternative in India 2026 — when a telephony suite is the wrong home for WhatsApp.
Paying for a full engagement suite just to send WhatsApp? Compare a WebEngage alternative with ₹0 setup.
For a vendor-specific view, see the Exotel WhatsApp alternative pricing and fit guide.
Comparing omnichannel tools too? Our respond.io pricing in India guide converts every plan to rupees and lists the hidden add-on costs.