WhatsApp broadcasts:You pay for delivered messages. Send fewer, send kinder.
WhatsApp’s business broadcasts on the Business app are sent for a fee. Here is what the Help Center says about price, review and permission, and how to send one people welcome.
By Madhur Tyagi
· 9 min read · Facts checked 6 Nov 2026
Quick answer
How do WhatsApp business broadcasts work and what do they cost? WhatsApp says business broadcasts are sent on the WhatsApp Business app alone, for a fee, in limited countries. You pay for each message delivered within five days, priced by the recipient country code with an INR rate card listed. WhatsApp holds an amount for everyone you pick and credits back undelivered messages. Meta reviews the broadcast before it is sent, and you need opt in and an easy way to stop.
In short, for busy readers and AI answers
- Who sends?
- Business app users in limited countries.
- What is paid?
- Each message delivered within five days.
- How is price set?
- By recipient country code. An INR rate card is listed.
- Is it reviewed?
- Yes, by Meta before sending.
- Rule?
- Opt in required. Honour stop requests.
Key takeaways
- Business broadcasts are sent on the WhatsApp Business app alone, for a fee.
- You pay for messages delivered within five days. An amount is held for everyone you pick and credited back for undelivered messages.
- Price depends on the recipient country code. WhatsApp lists an INR rate card.
- Meta reviews broadcasts before you send them.
- WhatsApp says businesses need opt in and must honour requests to stop.
- Use The Three Yeses: Who, What, Stop.
Written by Madhur Tyagi, founder of The Human Algorithm. 8+ years, 25+ brands, since 2017.
Scope note: WhatsApp says business broadcasts are available in limited countries and might not be available to you. We read the Help Center pages and did not read the INR rate off the rate card.
Picture Meera, who runs a boutique. She has 1,200 numbers in her phone and a new Diwali collection to announce.
She could message them all. Or she could ask herself three questions, because WhatsApp now charges for broadcasts and reviews them.
WhatsApp’s Help Center says business broadcasts are sent for a fee, charged on messages delivered within five days. It also says Meta reviews them and that you need opt in.
Below is how the pricing works, a tool to estimate one broadcast and five messages that people actually welcome.
How business broadcasts work, per WhatsApp
Business broadcasts are a feature of the WhatsApp Business app, not the API. WhatsApp’s Help Center says it is sent for a fee, available in limited countries and might not be available to you yet.
| Question | What the Help Center says |
|---|---|
| Who can send | Just on the WhatsApp Business app. It is available in limited countries |
| What do you pay for | Each message delivered to a contact within five days of sending |
| How is price set | By the country code of each recipient. WhatsApp lists an INR rate card among its rate cards |
| What is held | An amount equal to the total number of contacts you pick. Credited back for messages not delivered |
| Is it reviewed | Yes. Meta reviews your broadcast before you send it in WhatsApp chats |
| What can it hold | Text, media and one optional action button: Catalog, Custom reply, Phone call or Website |
| What about spam | You must have opt in and honour requests to stop. Breaking the rules can suspend the broadcast feature |
Reality check
“A broadcast costs what I send.”
WhatsApp says you pay for messages delivered within five days. It also holds an amount for everyone you pick and credits back what was not delivered. So the final bill depends on delivery.
The Three Yeses
A broadcast is worth sending when you can answer yes three times. Who, What, Stop.
Save this framework
The Three Yeses: Who, What, Stop
Who agreed · what helps · stop is easy
Save it, or send it to a founder friend
Send on WhatsApp
Tool: what will one broadcast cost?
Type your numbers. See what is held and what you pay. One minute.
Tool · What will one broadcast cost?
What will one broadcast cost?
Type your own numbers. The rate is your input, check the INR rate card in the app.
Our planning tool. The rate is yours to type, not a quote.
5 broadcast messages to copy
Free kit: 5 broadcast messages
1 · New arrival
Hi {name}, you asked to hear when [item] was back. It is here: [catalog button]. Reply STOP any time and we will stop.
2 · Date reminder
Reminder: [event] starts [day, time]. A seat is held for you. Tap below to confirm. Reply STOP to stop these.
3 · Thank you
Thank you for ordering from us, {name}. If [item] reached you well, a reply makes our day. Reply STOP to stop these.
4 · Restock
[Item] is back in stock in [sizes]. Tap below to see it. Reply STOP to stop these.
5 · Re-permission
We have not been in touch for a while. Would you like news from us about [topic] about [how often]? Reply YES to stay. Reply STOP and we will not message again.
Message 5 is the one most brands skip. It cleans your list and costs less than a broadcast to people who no longer care.
Questions owners ask about business broadcasts
Are WhatsApp business broadcasts paid?
WhatsApp says you can send business broadcasts for a fee, and you pay for each message delivered within five days.
How is the price set?
WhatsApp says it is based on the country code of each recipient. It lists rate cards for several currencies, including INR.
What gets held when I send?
WhatsApp says it reserves an amount equal to the number of contacts you select and credits your funds for any broadcast that cannot be delivered.
Does Meta review my broadcast?
Yes. WhatsApp says broadcasts are reviewed by Meta before you send them in chats, and Meta cannot access messages once they are sent.
What buttons can I add?
Catalog, Custom reply, Phone call or Website, according to the Help Center.
Do I need permission to send?
WhatsApp says businesses must secure opt in and honour requests to stop. Breaking the terms can suspend access to the feature.
Is it on the API too?
WhatsApp says business broadcasts are exclusively on the Business app. The API has separate pricing, see our guide on service messages.
The broadcast is cheap if people want it. It is expensive if they do not.
About this guide: sources, all checked 6 Nov 2026. WhatsApp Help Center, “About pricing for business broadcasts” (fee, five day delivery, country code pricing, INR rate card, limited countries). WhatsApp Help Center, “How to create and send a business broadcast” (Business app alone, buttons, Meta review, funds held and credited back, opt in and spam rules). The Three Yeses, the tool and the messages are ours. We did not read the INR rate and did not test a broadcast on a live account. Madhur Tyagi is the founder of The Human Algorithm., a growth and automation practice in New Delhi that helps Indian founders, coaches and creators reply faster, follow up kindly and earn trust in their DMs and WhatsApp. 8+ years, 25+ brands, since 2017.
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