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Message Categories

Updated June 2026 1 min read

Every business-initiated message is one of three types — marketing, utility or authentication — and the type decides the price. This section explains all three.

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WhatsApp sorts every business-initiated message into one of three categories: marketing (promotions), utility (transactional updates) and authentication (OTPs and login codes). The category decides the price and the rules. This section covers each category, plus the one-tap, zero-tap and copy-code authentication formats.

The single most important pricing idea on WhatsApp is the message category. Every message you start is marketing, utility or authentication — and Meta charges a different rate for each. Get the category right and you control your bill.

Guides in this section:

  • Marketing vs utility vs authentication — the overview, with real examples and prices.
  • Marketing messages — onboarding and how to send promotions correctly.
  • Marketing messages: errors & languages — common send errors and supported language codes.
  • Utility messages — order updates, reminders and other transactional messages.
  • Authentication messages — OTPs and login codes.
  • One-tap autofill — the OTP button that fills the code automatically.
  • Zero-tap — OTP delivery with no taps at all.
  • Copy code — the simple copy-the-code authentication format.
Published: June 2026 Last reviewed: June 2026 Reviewed by: ChatMitra WhatsApp API Team

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the WhatsApp message categories?

Three: marketing, utility and authentication. Marketing promotes something — offers, launches, re-engagement. Utility reports on something already in motion, like an order update or a payment receipt. Authentication delivers one-time passcodes.

Which category is cheapest?

Authentication and utility are cheaper than marketing. That is why it is worth checking honestly which category a message belongs to — an order confirmation filed as marketing costs more than it needs to and is reviewed more strictly.

Who decides the category of my template?

You choose it when you submit, and Meta confirms or reclassifies it during review based on the actual wording. Picking a cheaper category for a message that is clearly promotional does not work — it gets reclassified or rejected.

Can one template mix categories?

No, and you should not try. A delivery update that also pitches a discount reads as marketing and will be treated as such. Keep the utility message clean and send the promotion separately to people who opted in for it.

What is a service conversation?

A conversation the customer starts by messaging you. Replies within the 24-hour window that opens are free for the first 1,000 each month (then ₹0.115 each), which is why encouraging customers to message first is usually cheaper than reaching out with templates.

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