WhatsApp Business API Pricing in Singapore: 2026 SGD Rates
WhatsApp Business API pricing in Singapore works per message. Meta charges each time it delivers one of your messages, at a rate set by the message category and the country of the number it goes to. For Singapore numbers that's S$0.0937 per marketing message and S$0.0205 per utility or authentication message, on Meta's Singapore-dollar rate card effective 1 October 2026. Since 1 October 2026, Meta also charges for the replies you send after a customer messages you first, at the utility rate, once a number has used its 1,000 free replies for the month. The provider that connects you to WhatsApp then adds its own fee.
Prices checked on 5 October 2026 against Meta's rate cards, which Meta publishes as downloadable files on its developer pricing page. Two WhatsApp providers, Voltade and SleekFlow, quote the same Singapore rates. Meta can change rates on the first day of each quarter, so confirm the rate in your provider's dashboard before you budget.
We build WhatsApp chatbots for Singapore SMEs, so we have a stake in how this is priced, and there's a section below on when you don't need the API at all. Our AI chatbot cost guide covers build fees and grants. This post stays on the per-message mechanics.
We'll use the same example as that guide. It's made up for illustration and isn't a client: an eight-person aircon servicing company that gets about 40 WhatsApp enquiries a day, mostly price questions and requests for a Saturday slot.
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost per message in Singapore?
A marketing message to a Singapore number costs S$0.0937, and every other category costs S$0.0205, on Meta's rate card. Meta sorts every message into one of four categories.
| Category | What it's for | Singapore rate (SGD) | Singapore rate (USD) | When Meta charges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, announcements, bringing back past customers | S$0.0937 | US$0.0732 | Every delivered message |
| Utility | Updates the customer asked for or expects, such as a booking confirmation or reminder | S$0.0205 | US$0.0160 | Every delivered message. Since 1 October 2026 this includes ones sent while the customer is chatting with you |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes that confirm who someone is | S$0.0205 | US$0.0160 | Every delivered message |
| Service | Free-form replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message | S$0.0205 | US$0.0160 | Since 1 October 2026, after the first 1,000 a month on each number |
The category descriptions paraphrase Meta's template categories page. Marketing, utility and authentication messages must use a template, which is a pre-written message Meta has approved. Service messages are ordinary replies.
Three rules decide what you pay:
- You pay for delivered messages. Meta's platform pricing page says it charges when a message is delivered, not when it's sent.
- The customer's number sets the rate. Meta's developer pricing page bases each charge on the country calling code of the person receiving it, so a reply to a +60 number is billed at Malaysia's rate.
- Volume discounts apply to utility and authentication only. Meta lowers those rates in tiers as your business sends more in a month, counting across every WhatsApp account your business owns, and resets the count at the start of each month. Meta's page on non-template messages says there are no volume tiers for service messages. In Singapore the first discount starts after 150,000 utility or 100,000 authentication messages in a month, per Meta's Singapore-dollar volume tier file, so every example here uses the list rate.
The WhatsApp Business Platform is Meta's name for what most people call the WhatsApp Business API, the version of WhatsApp that software such as a chatbot connects to. Whether you search for WhatsApp API pricing, WhatsApp Business pricing or WhatsApp Cloud API pricing, you end up at the same rate card. Cloud API is the version Meta's own onboarding guides connect businesses to, and its coexistence guide says messages sent through Cloud API are billed at Cloud API pricing. Meta's pricing pages list charges per delivered message and no separate fee for access to the API itself.
If a quote or guide talks about paying per "conversation", it's describing the old model. Meta's pricing page says per-message charging took effect on 1 July 2025.
What changed for Singapore on 1 July 2026?
Singapore got its own rates. Meta previously priced Singapore as part of a wider Rest of Asia Pacific region. Its pricing page lists Singapore as moved out of that region from 1 July 2026, with higher utility and authentication rates and volume tiers specific to the Singapore market.
Any Singapore pricing guide written before July 2026 that quotes a regional Asia Pacific rate is out of date. The rate also depends on your customer's number, so the July change affects messages to Singapore numbers, whichever country your business is registered in.
What changed on 1 October 2026?
Two kinds of message that used to be free now cost money. Meta's non-template pricing page says that from 1 October 2026 it charges per message for:
- service messages, the replies you send within the 24-hour window that opens each time a customer messages you, which Meta hadn't charged for since November 2024
- utility messages sent in reply while that 24-hour window is open, such as a booking confirmation sent during the chat
Meta charges service messages at the same rate as utility and authentication messages in each market. In Singapore that's S$0.0205 on Meta's rate card. It makes no difference whether a person or a bot writes the reply. Meta's page describes service messages as coming from either a customer service representative or a third-party AI tool.
Is there a free allowance of 1,000 replies a month?
Yes. Meta's pricing page says each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month from 1 October 2026. Unused ones don't carry over, and the count resets at the start of each month. The allowance covers service messages only, so utility messages sent during the chat are charged from the first one.
Meta's business-facing pricing page hasn't caught up. On 5 October 2026 it still said Meta doesn't charge for service messages. The developer pricing page, updated 30 September 2026, describes the October change, and it's the one to go by.
Which WhatsApp messages are still free?
Four kinds, as of 5 October 2026:
- Messages your customers send you. Meta charges for messages it delivers to customers. Some providers charge for incoming messages, which is a separate fee (see below).
- Messages in a free entry point window. When a customer messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad (an ad that opens a WhatsApp chat with you) and you reply within 24 hours, Meta's developer pricing page says your messages stay free while the window is open, for up to 7 days.
- Replies from the WhatsApp Business app, including on a number that is also connected to the API. Meta's coexistence guide says messages sent from the app continue to be free.
- The first 1,000 service messages a month on each number.
What does a month of WhatsApp cost a small business?
For the aircon company, Meta's share works out at about S$237 a month from October, up from about S$153 in September. Its 40 enquiries a day come to about 1,200 a month. We've assumed the bot sends four replies per enquiry, confirms 300 bookings in the chat, sends 600 day-before reminders after the chat has closed, and sends one monthly "servicing due" offer to 1,500 past customers.
| Message | Category | Volume | September 2026 | From October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replies to enquiries | Service | 4,800 | S$0 | S$77.90 (1,000 free, 3,800 charged) |
| Booking confirmations during the chat | Utility | 300 | S$0 | S$6.15 |
| Day-before reminders | Utility | 600 | S$12.30 | S$12.30 |
| Monthly servicing offer | Marketing | 1,500 | S$140.55 | S$140.55 |
| Meta's fees | 7,200 | S$152.85 | S$236.90 |
All volumes are assumptions for the example. Rates are from Meta's Singapore-dollar rate card, and the provider's fee comes on top.
The single marketing send costs more than all 4,800 replies put together. For a business that sends offers, the marketing rate decides the bill more than the October change does. If you're weighing whether those offers pay for themselves, our post on bringing back lapsed customers over WhatsApp works through the numbers.
What do WhatsApp API providers charge on top of Meta?
Providers add their own fee, usually in one of three shapes: a monthly subscription, a fee per phone number, or a fee per message. You can also connect to the API without a provider. Meta's comparison of the app and the platform says businesses can build their own connection or work with one of its Business Messaging Partners, the companies often called BSPs (Business Solution Providers). Building your own still needs a developer to set it up and keep it running.
| Provider | Published price, 5 October 2026 | Meta's message fees |
|---|---|---|
| respond.io | US$79 to US$279 a month across Starter, Growth and Advanced | Not included in any subscription, per respond.io |
| SleekFlow | Pro plan S$199 a month billed yearly (S$2,388), with 3 users and 500 monthly active contacts | Its FAQ says Meta sets a fee for each template message, but not how SleekFlow bills it |
| 360dialog | From €49 a month per phone number | Charged on top, per 360dialog |
| Twilio | US$0.005 per message, sent or received, plus US$0.001 per failed message | Charged on top |
These are list prices from each provider's own page, shown as examples of each fee shape rather than a ranking.
Per-message fees add up quickly because some providers count both directions. If the aircon company used Twilio and its customers sent four messages per enquiry, that's 7,200 messages out and 4,800 in. At US$0.005 each, 12,000 messages add US$60 a month before Meta's fees.
Also check whether a provider passes Meta's fee through at cost or bills from its own rate card, which can be higher than Meta's. Ask, and get the answer in writing.
Is the WhatsApp Business app free, and when do you need the API?
The WhatsApp Business app is free to download and carries no per-message fees, and it runs one phone number. Meta lists chatbot features and connections to your other systems as Business Platform features.
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business Platform (API) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to download, no message fees | Meta's per-message fees plus a provider's fee |
| Phone numbers | One | Several numbers and display names |
| Automation | Away messages, greeting messages and quick replies | Chatbots and pre-set message sequences |
| Connects to your customer database (CRM), calendar or booking system | No | Yes |
| Who sets it up | You, on your phone | A developer or a Business Messaging Partner |
The table draws on Meta's app and platform comparison and its business app features page.
You don't have to choose one. Meta's coexistence option lets a business keep the app on a number that is also connected to the API. Replies sent from the app stay free, and anything sent through the API is charged. For the aircon company, that could mean the bot handles enquiries through the API while the owner still replies to a few regulars from their phone.
What happens when a message fails, a customer goes quiet or a person takes over?
These are the cases that change a bill without changing your volume.
- A message isn't delivered. Meta charges on delivery, so an undelivered message costs nothing in Meta's fees. Your provider may still charge for it. Twilio charges US$0.001 for each message that ends in a failed status.
- The customer replies after 24 hours. Meta's non-template page says free-form replies can only go out while the 24-hour window is open, and the window resets each time the customer messages you. Once it closes, you can only send an approved template, charged at its category rate. A reminder to someone who went quiet three days ago is a utility or marketing message.
- The bot hands over to a person. Your staff member's replies are still service messages at the same rate, so moving the chat from bot to human doesn't make it cheaper.
- The customer has an overseas number. The rate follows the country calling code, so a reply to a Malaysian or Indonesian number is billed at that country's rate, not Singapore's.
- You run two numbers. Meta gives each number its own 1,000 free service messages, so two branches on two numbers get 1,000 each. Volume tiers for utility and authentication count across the whole business instead.
- You use Meta's own AI agent. Meta's non-template page says it has charged for Meta Business Agent messages since 1 August 2026, at US$2.00 per million tokens (the chunks of text an AI model reads and writes), which it estimates at about 4 to 5 US cents a message. That's billed separately from the per-message fees above. A third-party bot doesn't incur it, although your provider may charge for its own AI features.
How can you keep your WhatsApp API bill down?
Most of the saving comes from sending fewer, better-aimed messages.
- Send one reply instead of four. Each separate bubble is a separate message. If the aircon company's bot answered in two messages instead of four, it would send 2,400 fewer service messages and save S$49.20 a month.
- Send offers only to customers who are due. Sending the servicing offer to the 750 customers due for a service, instead of all 1,500, cuts the marketing line from S$140.55 to about S$70.28.
- Count the free ad window only if you'd buy the ads anyway. Messages in the free window after a Click to WhatsApp ad cost nothing, but you still pay for the ad.
- Keep low-volume personal chats on the app. With coexistence, the replies the owner sends from their phone cost nothing.
- Check your provider's dashboard monthly. You want service, utility, marketing and authentication counts shown separately, so a jump in one category is visible before the invoice.
What should you ask a WhatsApp provider before you sign?
Get written answers to these eight questions:
- Do you pass Meta's per-message fees through at cost, or charge from your own rate card?
- Which currency is Meta's fee billed in, and who bears any exchange-rate difference?
- Do you charge per incoming message, per failed message or per phone number?
- Does your dashboard show each category separately, and how much of the 1,000 free service messages each number has used?
- Who owns the WhatsApp Business account and phone number if we leave, and can we move them to another provider?
- Can we keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number through coexistence?
- How many users and contacts does the plan include before the price changes?
- If the plan includes AI replies, what do they cost on top of Meta's fees, and where are the chat logs stored? Our PDPA checklist for AI chatbots covers the data questions.
A provider who can't answer the first three in writing hasn't given you a full price.
Do you need the WhatsApp Business API at all?
Many small businesses don't. If one or two people answer WhatsApp, you get fewer than about ten enquiries a day, and nothing needs to connect to a calendar or CRM, the free app does the job. Its away messages and quick replies cover after-hours replies and common answers at no cost.
You need the API when several staff need to answer from one number, when a bot needs to look up bookings or prices in your own systems, or when you send reminders and confirmations at a volume nobody wants to type by hand. In the example, the aircon company's "are you free on Saturday?" questions need its job calendar, which is what moves it onto the API.
Be careful if the main reason is promotional broadcasts. At S$0.0937 each, 5,000 marketing messages a month cost S$468.50 in Meta's fees alone, and that's before the provider. Work out what one booking is worth to you first. If you're also budgeting for a chatbot build, our guide to AI grants after PSG explains what the EDGE Grant, which replaced the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG), does and doesn't fund.
Where Cortex Lab AI fits
We're a Singapore consultancy, and we build WhatsApp chatbots inside tools you already license, working to the PDPA, Singapore's data protection law. Meta's fees and your provider's subscription are separate bills from ours, and we'll set out all three before you commit. We're not on the EDGE pre-approved vendor list, so our builds don't qualify for the EDGE chatbot activity.
If the free app covers your enquiries, we'll say so. Bring a month of your WhatsApp volumes to a free 30-minute consultation and we'll work out what the API would cost you.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the WhatsApp Business API per message in Singapore?
S$0.0937 for a marketing message and S$0.0205 for utility, authentication and service messages to Singapore numbers, on Meta's rate card effective 1 October 2026. Meta's US-dollar rate card lists the same rates as US$0.0732 and US$0.0160. Your provider's fee is extra.
Is the WhatsApp Business API free?
No. Meta charges for the marketing, utility and authentication messages it delivers, apart from those in the free window after a Click to WhatsApp ad. Since 1 October 2026 it also charges for replies, after the first 1,000 a month on each number. The WhatsApp Business app is the free option.
Is there a price for a WhatsApp Business account?
The WhatsApp Business app is free to download. On the Business Platform, Meta's pricing pages list no fee for the account itself, only charges per delivered message. Any fixed monthly cost comes from your provider, if it charges a subscription.
Are incoming WhatsApp messages charged?
Meta charges only for messages it delivers to your customers, so their messages to you carry no Meta fee. Some providers do charge for them. Twilio, for example, charges US$0.005 per message in either direction.
Do I pay Meta in Singapore dollars or US dollars?
Meta publishes rate cards in 16 currencies, including SGD and USD. The currency is chosen when the WhatsApp account is set up, so ask your provider which one applies before you compare quotes.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app after moving to the API?
Yes, through Meta's coexistence option. Replies from the app on that number stay free, and messages sent through the API are charged at the normal rates.
Sources checked 5 October 2026: Meta WhatsApp pricing and its SGD and USD rate cards and SGD volume tiers effective 1 October 2026, non-template message pricing, template categories and coexistence (developer documentation); WhatsApp Business platform pricing and app and platform comparison and business app features; provider pricing pages for respond.io, SleekFlow, 360dialog and Twilio. Provider guides quoting the same Singapore rates and allowance: Voltade (updated 1 October 2026), SleekFlow (updated 4 September 2026) and respond.io (updated 1 October 2026).