Conversation-Based Pricing is a pricing model in which businesses are charged per conversation, which covers all messages delivered on the WhatsApp Business Platform throughout a 24-hour session.

Conversations on the WhatsApp Business Platform are interactions between a business and customers via the WhatsApp Business Platform. These conversations are initiated by the user or the business and can include both free-form and pre-written template messages.

Utility conversations are conversations that assist customers with a specific request or transaction, such as updates on an ongoing transaction, post-purchase notifications, or recurring billing statements.

Authentication conversations allow businesses to verify the identity of users with one-time codes. This can happen in multiple steps during the login process, such as when setting up a new account or recovering a lost password.

Marketing conversations are used by businesses to promote their products or services, provide updates or offer special deals to customers. These types of conversations are not related to specific requests or authentications, but rather are initiated to engage customers and encourage them to take action.

All user-initiated conversations are categorized as service conversations. Service conversations are a type of conversation that is initiated by the customer to seek assistance or resolve issues. Examples of service conversations include customer or technical support and general inquiries. As of November 2024, service conversations are free of charge on WhatsApp.

Businesses won't be charged for inbound conversations that occur within the 24-hour customer service window. This means that businesses can respond to users with free-form messages without incurring any costs during this time. However, if a business uses a template message in response to a user or initiates a conversation with a template message, it will open a new conversation based on the template category and incur charges.

Businesses are charged for outbound conversations based on the number of messages they send to users outside of the 24-hour customer service window. The cost of these messages varies by country and can be affected by factors such as message length and destination. Businesses can also use messaging tools provided by the platform to manage and optimize their outbound messaging strategy and costs.

A 24-hour session is a fixed period of time during which businesses and customers can send and receive any number of messages, including template messages, without paying additional fees. Each 24-hour session results in a single fee, which begins when the communication is initiated by either the business or the user.

The cost of a WhatsApp Business API conversation varies depending on the recipient's country code. You must consider the rates for utility conversations, marketing conversations, service conversations, and the country where your clients are located when calculating the cost. To estimate the charges, use the respond.io free WhatsApp Business API pricing calculator.

When users message businesses using call-to-action buttons on Ads that Click to WhatsApp or Facebook Page call-to-action buttons, their conversations are not charged. The first conversation that the user initiates is free, but subsequent conversations with the user are charged. Free entry-point conversations can only be initiated by the user. Free conversations are extended from 24h to 72h when users message businesses through these entry points.