India's fastest-growing businesses use WhatsApp Cloud API to automate sales, support, and marketing. Get started with On Cloud API — Meta Verified, 0% markup, live in 10 minutes.
Meta Verified Tech Provider
Official WhatsApp Business APIOn Cloud API provides the official WhatsApp Business API in India with 0% markup on Meta’s rates, INR billing, and local payment via UPI, netbanking and cards. You pay Meta’s per-message fees exactly as published, plus a flat platform fee — no per-message surcharge. DLT registration is not required for WhatsApp (that requirement applies to SMS), so most businesses are live within 10 minutes.
| Conversation type | Meta rate (INR) | Our markup | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹0.8631 | 0% | ₹0.8631 |
| Utility | ₹0.1150 | 0% | ₹0.1150 |
| Authentication | ₹0.1150 | 0% | ₹0.1150 |
| Service (replies within 24 h · first 1,000/mo free) | ₹0.1150 | 0% | ₹0.1150 |
Per-message rates charged by Meta, billed to you at cost — On Cloud API adds a flat platform fee and 0% markup, with no per-message surcharge. Rates shown are Meta’s standard tier; higher volumes qualify for Meta’s volume discounts. Verified against Meta’s official rate card on 2026-10-03 — rates are set by Meta and subject to change.
| Messages / month | Marketing | Utility | Meta cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small team | 2,000 | 3,000 | ₹2,071 |
| Growing business | 10,000 | 15,000 | ₹10,356 |
| High volume | 40,000 | 60,000 | ₹41,424 |
Estimates at Meta’s standard rates above, before volume discounts, and assuming every utility message is sent outside a free window. Add your On Cloud API plan from $9.99/month — there is no per-message surcharge on any of these messages.
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Since 1 October 2026, each business number gets 1,000 free replies inside that window per month; after that, and for any utility template sent inside the window, Meta bills its utility rate.
If a customer reaches you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button and you reply within 24 hours, every message to them for the next 72 hours is free.
Meta applies volume tiers to utility and authentication messages, counted across your whole business portfolio each month — the more you send, the lower the rate.
Billed locally — no foreign-currency account or exchange-rate surprises.
Built on Meta’s official Cloud API — opt-in based, template-approved sending.
No DLT registration is needed for WhatsApp — that requirement applies to SMS. Meta approves your WhatsApp templates instead.
Most businesses finish the first three steps in about 10 minutes.
| Unofficial bulk tools | Official WhatsApp Business API | |
|---|---|---|
| Ban risk | High — numbers are routinely blocked | Low when you follow Meta’s opt-in and template rules |
| Green tick eligibility | No | Yes — Meta grants it to notable businesses |
| Several agents on one number | No | Yes, from a shared inbox |
| Chatbots and CRM integration | Limited, unofficial hacks | Native — REST API, webhooks, no-code flows |
| Bulk messaging | Sends from a personal-style number | Approved templates, limits rise with quality |
| Cost | Cheap until the number is lost | Meta’s published rates + platform fee |
New to the official platform? Start with what the WhatsApp Cloud API is and how to keep a business number from getting banned.
Every provider in India is a Meta partner of some kind — a Business Solution Provider (BSP) or a Tech Provider. The difference that shows up on your bill is the per-message markup: many platforms add a margin on top of Meta’s INR rates. On Cloud API passes Meta’s rates through at 0% and charges a flat platform fee. Compare the models on WhatsApp Cloud API explained and see a side-by-side in On Cloud API vs AiSensy.
Bulk sending on the API starts with a messaging limit that rises automatically as your quality rating stays high, so large lists are sent in stages rather than all at once. Keep marketing templates for opted-in customers and use utility templates for order and payment updates — they cost a fraction of a marketing message. For OTPs, see WhatsApp OTP vs SMS OTP costs and WhatsApp API for banking and fintech.
No. DLT is a TRAI framework for SMS and voice on Indian telecom networks. WhatsApp is an internet service and sits outside it, so there is no DLT scrubbing, no header registration and no separate template approval with the telcos. Meta's own template review is the only approval in the loop.
Ask them for the INR figure for marketing, utility and authentication separately, then hold it against Meta's published card. The gap is the margin. The second thing worth asking is what the subscription excludes. In this market chatbot builders and extra agent seats are very often billed on top, so a low headline price and a low total bill are different things.
Then the number to model is the authentication rate, not the marketing one, and India is one of the markets where the authentication rate is low enough that WhatsApp competes seriously with SMS on price. Run your real monthly OTP volume through the rate table below before you compare. The answer usually turns on delivery rate rather than unit cost.
Most WhatsApp API platforms are BSPs — they add markup on Meta rates. On Cloud API is a Tech Provider — direct Meta access, 0% markup, same features.
Integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Indian platforms. Send order updates, COD confirmations, and cart recovery via WhatsApp.
Build WhatsApp chatbots for customer support, lead gen, and sales automation without any coding knowledge.
India has 500M+ WhatsApp users. Reach them instantly with broadcast campaigns that bypass email spam filters.
Every provider uses these words on day one and almost none of them explain what they mean. Here they are, in the order you’ll run into them.
Billed in INR via UPI, netbanking or card
Compare three things, in this order. First, the per-message rate: ask for the INR figure for marketing, utility and authentication, and check it against Meta’s published card — a provider that will not show you this is adding a margin. Second, what the subscription actually includes; chatbot builders and extra agent seats are commonly priced separately. Third, whether you keep ownership of your WABA, which decides how easily you could leave. On Cloud API publishes Meta’s INR rates and charges 0% on top of them.
WhatsApp Cloud API is the newer, Meta-hosted version of the Business API. It is faster, more reliable, and cheaper than the old on-premise API. On Cloud API provides direct Cloud API access.
On Cloud API plans start from $9.99/month. Meta charges separately for conversations in INR — marketing conversations, utility conversations etc. We charge 0% on top.
Yes. On Cloud API offers the same WhatsApp Cloud API features — bulk broadcast, chatbot, team inbox, API integration — at a lower total cost because we are a Tech Provider with 0% markup, unlike BSP middlemen.
A BSP (Business Solution Provider) is a Meta partner that gives businesses access to the WhatsApp Business Platform, usually adding a markup on Meta’s per-message rates. On Cloud API works as a Tech Provider on the official Cloud API, passing Meta’s INR rates through with 0% markup.
Upload an opted-in contact list, get a template approved by Meta, and schedule a broadcast from the dashboard. New numbers start with a messaging limit that rises automatically while your quality rating stays high, so very large lists are sent in stages.
Yes. GST applies at the prevailing statutory rate on the platform fee, and a GST tax invoice is issued.
No. The free product is the WhatsApp Business App. The API has Meta per-message charges plus a platform fee, in exchange for bulk messaging, chatbots, a multi-agent shared inbox and CRM integration that the free app cannot provide.
The technical connection takes about 10 minutes through Meta’s Embedded Signup. Meta business verification is reviewed separately and is usually back within a couple of days, though it can take longer if your documents need a second look.
Business verification confirms your company’s identity in Meta Business Manager, using your registration documents. It is what raises your messaging limits. The verified badge (the blue tick) is a separate thing: Meta grants it at its own discretion based on how notable your brand is, so no provider can issue one or promise you one. We prepare and submit both applications with you.
Yes. Your platform plan is billed in INR via UPI, Netbanking, Credit / debit cards, so you do not need a foreign-currency account for the subscription.
Not necessarily. If you migrate a number onto the API it leaves the WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business apps. If you use Coexistence instead, your number runs on the API and stays usable in the WhatsApp Business app, with recent chat history carried over. A fresh number is only needed when you want your current one left untouched.
Broadcasting is a supported feature of the official API, so you are not working against Meta the way an unofficial bulk tool does. What governs your number is your own sending: message only people who opted in, keep templates inside Meta’s Business Messaging Policy, and watch your quality rating. Meta can still restrict any account that breaks those rules, so we surface your quality rating rather than promise it can never happen.
Join 5,000+ businesses. Go live with Official WhatsApp Cloud API in 10 minutes.