WhatsApp Business API Messaging Limits
For businesses using the WhatsApp Business API, it’s useful to know how many new customer conversations you can start each day. Meta controls this with a tiered limit system to keep things fair and spam-free.
Step 1: Know Your Starting Point
- A newly connected business number typically begins at 250 unique conversations per 24 hours
- After proper verification and setup, this often increases automatically to 1,000 unique conversations per day
Step 2: Understand the Tier Structure
WhatsApp has four main messaging tiers for business-initiated messages (new conversations):
- Tier 1: 1,000 unique users/day
- Tier 2: 10,000 unique users/day
- Tier 3: 100,000 unique users/day
- Tier 4: Unlimited
Step 3: How to Level Up Tiers
To move up a tier, two things must happen consistently over about a week:
- Your quality rating must be “High” or “Medium” (green or yellow—avoid low/red).
- Initiate conversations at least twice your current daily limit within 7 days.
Upgrades generally happen within 48 hours after meeting these conditions.
Step 4: Watch Your Quality Rating
Your messaging limit depends heavily on how users engage with your messages—blocks or spam reports drag down quality. If your quality drops too low, you can be downgraded or even restricted from starting new conversations.
Step 5: Limits Don’t Apply to Replies
Good news! Messaging limits only apply to business-initiated conversations. If a customer messages you first, you can continue replying—without limits—within that conversation.
Why This Matters
When setting up WhatsApp business automation, bots, or CRM integrations—knowing your messaging limits helps you plan smarter. You’ll avoid failed messages, scale safely, and maintain high-quality communication.
Frequently Asked Questions – WhatsApp Business API Messaging Limits
WhatsApp Business API messaging limits by tier explained?
Answer: Businesses progress through these tiers in a 24-hour rolling window: Tier 1 – 1,000; Tier 2 – 10,000; Tier 3 – 100,000; Tier 4 – Unlimited. Movement relies on maintaining quality and sending twice your current limit in 7 days.How do I increase my messaging limit on WhatsApp Business API?
Answer: Keep your quality rating high (avoid spam reports), and over 7 days initiate conversations with at least double your current limit—WhatsApp will upgrade you automatically, typically within 48 hours.Will replying to customers count against messaging limits?
Answer: No—only business-initiated chats count toward your limit. Replies to customer-initiated messages (within the session) are unlimited.
