The WhatsApp Business API is the official way for a business to message customers at scale — with an AI assistant, multiple agents, and notifications. But its pricing is among the most confusing in the market, because two different parties get paid: Meta and the platform you use.
Meta's part
- Customer-initiated conversations are practically free — when a customer messages you first, you have 24 hours to reply with no Meta fee at all. For most service businesses, that covers nearly everything.
- Business-initiated messages (templates) are paid per message by category: utility (order updates, reminders) are cheapest; marketing costs more. Rates depend on the customer's country.
- Meta bills these directly to you, at cost — an honest platform adds nothing on top.
The platform's part
This is where surprises live. Many international platforms charge a base price + a fee per conversation + a fee per agent + a markup on Meta's rates. The result: a monthly bill that grows out of control.
The right question for any platform: "Do you add any percentage on top of Meta's fees?" If the answer isn't a clear NO, keep looking.
How Toong does it
- The subscription is a flat price — €49, €129 or €299 per month by size, with the AI, the channels and the team inbox included.
- Meta's fees pass directly from Meta to you, with zero markup from us.
- You connect your WhatsApp number yourself in a few clicks (Meta's official Embedded Signup) — no setup fee.
To calculate the exact cost for your volume, use our WhatsApp API fee calculator — enter your conversation numbers and see the real figure, split clearly between Meta and subscription.
Bottom line
The WhatsApp API isn't expensive — middlemen make it expensive. With a fair pricing structure, a small business in Kosovo or Albania keeps the total cost under €60/month in most real cases. Try it free for 7 days and see for yourself.
