UK businesses use the official WhatsApp Cloud API to automate sales, support and marketing. On Cloud API — Meta Verified, GDPR-friendly, 0% markup — serving London, Manchester, Birmingham & beyond.
Meta Verified Tech Provider
Official WhatsApp Business APIOn Cloud API provides the official WhatsApp Business API in the UK with 0% markup on Meta’s rates and GBP billing via cards and bank transfer. You pay Meta’s per-message fees exactly as published, plus a flat platform fee — unlike most UK resellers, our pricing is published rather than quote-only. UK businesses are typically live within 10 minutes.
| Conversation type | Meta rate (GBP) | Our markup | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | £0.0458 | 0% | £0.0458 |
| Utility | £0.0159 | 0% | £0.0159 |
| Authentication | £0.0159 | 0% | £0.0159 |
| Service (replies within 24 h · first 1,000/mo free) | £0.0159 | 0% | £0.0159 |
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 | £139.30 |
| Growing business | 10,000 | 15,000 | £696.50 |
| High volume | 40,000 | 60,000 | £2,786 |
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.
Meta publishes a GBP rate card for the UK, so the per-message rates in the table above are exactly what you pay.
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.
Under PECR, marketing messages to individuals need prior consent; UK GDPR then governs how you store and use their data, with the ICO as regulator. In practice that means an explicit WhatsApp opt-in at the point of collection, a record of when it was given, and an opt-out that works. Service conversations a customer starts are not marketing. On Cloud API’s opt-in templates and consent tracking are designed to support these obligations.
You don’t need a new number to move providers — an existing API number can be migrated through Meta’s phone number migration process, so customers keep messaging the number they know. Before you switch, check how much of your current bill is per-message markup: On Cloud API vs Twilio shows the difference at UK rates, and the markup layer nobody publishes explains where it hides.
Marketing messages to individuals need consent under PECR, and the usual lawful basis for the rest is legitimate interest with a clear opt-out. In practice that means a consent record you can produce on request, a stop mechanism that works, and a retention period you have actually decided on. The platform is designed to support those obligations. Your own DPO still signs off the lawful basis, and we would not claim otherwise.
Then compare what a whole exchange costs, not a single message. SMS bills per segment, so a three-message exchange is three charges. On WhatsApp you pay for the template that opens the conversation, and your first 1,000 replies a month inside the 24-hour window are free. For one-way alerts SMS often still wins in the UK. For anything with a reply, the comparison usually flips.
You get a verified business name, a profile with your logo and description, and templates that render with headers, buttons and media rather than plain text. What you do not get on request is the verified badge. Meta grants that on its own assessment of brand notability, and no provider can promise it. Worth saying before your brand team expects one.
Built for compliant messaging. Opt-in templates, consent tracking and data controls help you stay aligned with UK-GDPR and PECR.
Perfect for retail, e-commerce, professional services, healthcare and finance across London, Manchester, Birmingham and beyond.
Connect WhatsApp to your CRM, Shopify or custom tools via our open REST API, webhooks and Zapier.
Connect your card to Meta and pay official Meta rates. On Cloud API only charges the platform subscription — 0% extra.
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.
GBP pricing available on request
Yes, WhatsApp Cloud API is available in the UK. On Cloud API is a Meta Verified Tech Provider providing official API access for UK businesses.
With proper opt-in and consent, WhatsApp messaging can be used in line with UK-GDPR and PECR. Our platform supports compliant opt-in templates and consent tracking.
Platform plans start from $9.99/month (GBP pricing on request). Meta message fees apply separately at standard rates — we add 0% markup.
Meta publishes GBP rates for the UK — the marketing, utility and authentication rates in the table on this page are billed at cost with 0% markup. On top of that you pay a flat platform plan from $9.99/month; there is no per-message surcharge.
Yes. On Cloud API connects to HubSpot, Salesforce, Shopify and custom systems via REST API, webhooks and Zapier, so conversations and contacts sync with the tools your team already uses.
No. Messages customers send you are free. Your replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are free for the first 1,000 each month per number, then billed at the utility rate. Meta charges for template messages you send outside that window.
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 GBP via Credit / debit cards, Bank transfer, 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.
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