If pricing feels confusing, it’s usually because two separate bills get mixed into one. Once you see them apart, it’s simple. Let’s use three real businesses to make it concrete.
A clothing store runs a Diwali sale and sends “Flat 40% off on men’s collection” to 1,000 opted-in customers. That’s a marketing conversation — the priciest kind.
A dental clinic in Ahmedabad sends a patient “Your appointment is tomorrow at 11 AM.” That’s a utility conversation — cheap, because it’s a useful update the customer expects.
A bank sends a one-time password (OTP) when a customer logs in. That’s an authentication conversation — a special low-cost category for security codes.
Same WhatsApp, three different prices. Here’s why.
The two bills: Meta and your provider
Every WhatsApp Business API setup has two costs:
You send a message
↓
Your provider (ChatMitra) → small platform fee
↓
Meta → per-conversation charge
↓
Customer's WhatsApp- Meta’s charge — Meta bills you for each conversation (more on that below). This goes to Meta, not to your provider. Every provider pays the same Meta rates.
- Your provider’s fee — the company whose app you use to send messages (like ChatMitra) charges a platform fee. This is where providers differ a lot.
A conversation is a 24-hour window. Once it opens, every message you exchange with that customer for the next 24 hours is part of the same conversation — you’re not charged per message.
What Meta charges per conversation
Meta sets a different price for each message category. Approximate India rates in 2026:
| Conversation category | What it’s for | Approx. Meta price |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, promotions, re-engagement | ₹0.86 |
| Utility | Order updates, reminders, alerts | ₹0.11 |
| Authentication | One-time passwords, login codes | ₹0.11 |
The takeaway: the category decides the price. A reminder costs a fraction of a sale offer. If you want to understand categories in depth, read our guide on marketing, utility and authentication messages.
What ChatMitra charges on top
ChatMitra has three plans. Here’s how they compare:
| Plan | Monthly fee | Per conversation | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Free | ₹0.20 | Small businesses, getting started |
| Pro | ₹999/month | ₹0.20 | Teams that want automation (auto-reply, AI chatbot) |
| Enterprise | ₹2,499/month | ₹0 platform fee | High volume, where flat beats per-conversation |
On Starter and Pro you pay ₹0.20 per conversation to ChatMitra, plus Meta’s charge above. On Enterprise, ChatMitra’s per-conversation fee drops to zero — you only pay Meta.
A real monthly bill, worked out
Say the dental clinic sends 600 appointment reminders in a month (all utility):
- Meta: 600 × ₹0.11 = ₹66
- ChatMitra (Starter): 600 × ₹0.20 = ₹120
- Monthly plan fee: ₹0
- Total: ₹186 a month.
That’s the whole bill — no setup fee, no subscription. A store sending 1,000 marketing conversations would pay more because marketing is ₹0.86, which is exactly why targeting matters.
How to keep your bill low
- Send the right category. Don’t dress up a useful update as a promotion — utility is far cheaper than marketing.
- Target your broadcasts. Fewer, more relevant marketing messages beat blasting everyone.
- Use the free Starter plan until you genuinely need automation.
- Estimate first. Plug your numbers into the calculator below before you commit to a plan.