How accurate is this calculator?

It applies Meta’s published rate card for 1 October 2026 and the 1,000 free service messages per business phone number. It estimates service messages only. Utility, authentication and marketing templates are billed separately and are not included, so your total Meta invoice will be higher than the figure shown here if you also send templates.

Why does the calculator ask how many WhatsApp numbers I have?

Because the free allowance is per business phone number, not per company. A business with three numbers receives 3,000 free service messages a month, one thousand on each. Unused messages do not transfer between numbers and do not carry into the next month.

What counts as a "long conversation"?

Anything that needs a real back and forth: a return, a complaint, a custom order, a size or address change. These typically run six to ten replies. Simple questions such as order status or opening hours usually close in one or two.

Which exchange rate does the calculator use?

PKR 280 and AED 3.67 to the US dollar. Meta bills in US dollars, so your actual rupee figure moves with the rate on your invoice date.

Does DialogPay add anything on top of these numbers?

No. Meta’s charges are passed through at cost and shown as a separate line on your invoice. The DialogPay platform fee is separate and is not included in this calculator.

My business sends fewer than 1,000 replies a month. Do I pay anything?

No service message charge, as long as you stay under 1,000 on each number. You would still pay for any utility, authentication or marketing templates you send.

WhatsApp API cost calculator: what your replies will cost from 1 October 2026

Estimated reading: 3 minutes 361 views

From 1 October 2026, Meta charges businesses for every reply sent through the WhatsApp Business API inside the 24 hour window, after the first 1,000 replies per business number each month. This planner turns that rule into a monthly number for your business, in rupees or dirhams, and shows how the same conversations cost less when an AI CoWorker closes them in fewer replies and long conversations continue on your own channel.

Use the planner

Enter four things: how many customer conversations you handle a month, how many replies each one takes today, how many WhatsApp numbers you run, and roughly what share of conversations are a real back and forth (returns, complaints, custom orders). Switch between Pakistan and UAE at the top.

Open the planner in a new tab

What the four results mean

Everything on WhatsApp. Your conversations multiplied by your current replies per conversation, minus the free 1,000 per number, at Meta's service rate. This is what most businesses will pay if they change nothing.

AI CoWorker on WhatsApp. Simple conversations close in 2 replies because menus, buttons and WhatsApp Flows let the customer pick instead of typing. Long conversations still take about 6 replies, even with a good AI, because a return or a complaint needs a real exchange.

AI CoWorker plus your own channel. The long conversations get one WhatsApp reply with a Continue on Live Chat button. It opens inside WhatsApp itself, so the customer never leaves the app. The rest happens on your own channel, in the same inbox, with the ticket and the payment inside. No per message platform charge applies there.

Phone calls. Shown for scale at PKR 20 per call. Even the most expensive WhatsApp setup is normally cheaper than a call centre.

Example: a Lahore clothing brand

5,000 conversations a month, 5 replies each today, one number, one in five conversations is a long one.

Setup	Replies a month	Billable	Meta charge
Everything on WhatsApp	25,000	24,000	about PKR 100,800
AI CoWorker on WhatsApp	14,000	13,000	about PKR 54,600
AI CoWorker plus your own channel	9,000	8,000	about PKR 33,600

A two thirds reduction, with WhatsApp still the front door for every customer. A business under 1,000 replies a month pays nothing in all three rows.

Assumptions and sources

Rates are from Meta's rate card "Cost per message in USD on the WhatsApp Business Platform, effective October 1, 2026": Pakistan USD 0.015 per service reply, UAE USD 0.0157. Rupee figures use PKR 280 per US dollar and dirham figures AED 3.67; your invoice uses the interbank rate on the invoice date. Utility, OTP and marketing templates are billed separately and are not in the planner. Every WhatsApp provider pays the same Meta rate. DialogPay adds no markup.

Start at zero

Setup, migration and your AI CoWorker build are free. Your trial runs until the setup is complete, and billing starts when you tell us it works.

Questions? WhatsApp us on +92 317 3337425 (Pakistan), +1 669 336 4913 or +44 745 614 5340 (International), or email support@dialogpay.com, or reply from the planner.