If you send WhatsApp messages to customers through the official WhatsApp Business Platform (the API), Meta charges per delivered template message. The app you use on top, such as TalkEZY, adds its own subscription. Knowing how the two parts fit together is the easiest way to avoid surprise bills.
The four message categories
Every template you send is approved by Meta into one category. The category decides the rate.
Marketing: offers, launches, re-engagement. The highest rate.
Utility: order updates, payment reminders, delivery alerts tied to something the customer did.
Authentication: one-time passwords and login codes.
Service: free-form replies inside the 24-hour window after a customer messages you. These are free.
What you actually pay in India
Meta publishes a rate card per country and category, and updates it a few times a year, so always check the current figures on Meta's official pricing page. On top of Meta's rate, 18% GST applies. Platforms then either pass the Meta charge through at cost or add a small markup.
In TalkEZY, every category's full per-message rate (Meta base + GST + our fee) is shown in your wallet before you send, and the exact cost of a broadcast is estimated on the review step. Nothing is billed for messages that fail.
How to estimate a monthly bill
Count the template messages you plan to send per category (for example 5,000 utility updates and 2,000 marketing messages).
Multiply each count by its per-message rate including GST.
Add your platform subscription. Customer-initiated conversations you reply to within 24 hours cost nothing extra.
Ways to keep costs down
Use utility templates for genuinely transactional updates instead of marketing ones.
Reply fast: answering inside the 24-hour customer service window is free.
Send broadcasts only to opted-in contacts. Low engagement and blocks can lower your quality rating and messaging limits.
Segment audiences with tags so you don't pay to message people who aren't interested.
TalkEZY uses a prepaid wallet in INR with a GST invoice, so you always see the balance before a campaign goes out.