WhatsApp chatbot pricing: free to start, fair when you grow.

Only conversations the agent handles entirely on its own, within a 24-hour window. If you or your team reply within 48 hours, it doesn't count — no matter how many messages were exchanged.

On AssistantLabs it starts at zero: the Free plan includes 20 automated conversations a month with every feature. The Paid plan is a flat monthly price plus a small fee per automated conversation — current rates are in the plans above. No setup fee, no per-seat fees.

It can be. The AssistantLabs Free plan gives you 20 automated conversations a month with every feature and channel open — no credit card needed.

An AssistantLabs agent answers WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and your website like a receptionist, around the clock. It is free for 20 automated conversations a month; after that, the Paid plan is a flat monthly price plus a per-conversation fee, with no setup fee.

Nothing breaks — the agent simply pauses automated replies once you hit the monthly limit, and you can still reply yourself. Upgrade to Paid anytime to keep it running.

No. All channels, all integrations, and your whole team are included on both plans. You only ever pay for automated conversations.

No. Zero setup fees on any plan.

Yes. There's no annual lock-in — the Paid plan is month to month, so you can change plans or drop back to Free whenever you like.

All major credit cards. Payments are processed securely.

Meta charges per message delivered, based on the category and the recipient's country. Representative ranges: Marketing ~$0.025–$0.14, Utility ~$0.004–$0.05, Authentication ~$0.004–$0.05. Since October 1, 2026, ordinary replies (service messages) are charged too, at the utility rate. Messages your customers send you are always free.

When a customer messages you first, a 24-hour customer service (CS) window opens. Inside it you can reply with any message — no template needed; since October 1, 2026, Meta charges those replies as service messages at the utility rate. Outside the window, you need an approved template message.

Yes. When a user starts a conversation via a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, a 72-hour Free Entry Point (FEP) window opens. Any message you send during that window — including templates — is free.

Yes, since October 1, 2026 — inside or outside the customer service window, at the utility rate. The one exception is the 72-hour free entry point opened by a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, where every message is free.

Yes. Meta offers tiered pricing for utility and authentication messages. Higher monthly volume unlocks lower per-message rates. Tiers reset monthly and are tracked per country and category.

Meta can change rates up to 4 times a year — on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 — with advance notice. The latest change took effect on October 1, 2026.

No. We pass Meta's WhatsApp messaging fees through at cost with no markup.

A template message is a pre-approved message format used to start or re-open a conversation. Templates must be submitted to Meta for approval before use. They are how businesses reach out to customers first — or continue a conversation after the 24-hour window closes.

Marketing templates are promotional — offers, announcements, campaigns. They cost more because Meta restricts how often businesses can send them. Utility templates are transactional — order confirmations, appointment reminders, shipping updates. They cost less and have fewer restrictions.

To prevent spam. Without a cost attached to outgoing messages, businesses could blast unlimited promotions to every phone number. The fee — combined with template pre-approval — is Meta's way of keeping WhatsApp a high-trust channel where people actually want to receive messages.