# New WhatsApp pricing: what changes on October 1, 2026

**Starting October 1, 2026, Meta charges for every reply a law firm sends to a customer through the official platform within the 24-hour window.** Until now, those replies were free. There are 1,000 free messages per month, per phone number, and R$ 0.035 per message delivered after that (R$ is the Brazilian real). Messages the customer sends to the firm remain free.

::: destaque
There is one deadline that is not about money, it is about still being able to talk to your clients: **the WhatsApp account must have a payment method on file by September 30, 2026.** Without it, starting October 1 Meta stops delivering replies sent through the platform, including those that would fall within the free tier.
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The three numbers that sum up the change:

- **1,000** free replies per month, per phone number. Charging starts at the 1,001st.
- **R$ 0.035** per reply delivered beyond the free tier. No volume discount tiers.
- **72 hours** of free conversation when the customer arrives through an ad on Facebook or Instagram.

## What changes on October 1

| Message type | Today | Starting October 1, 2026 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free-form reply to the customer within 24 hours of their last message (text, audio, image, document) | Free | R$ 0.035 per delivered message, after the month's 1,000 free ones |
| Utility template message (reminder, confirmation) sent within the 24-hour window | Free | R$ 0.035 per message, with no free tier |
| Utility template message sent outside the window | R$ 0.035 | R$ 0.035 (no change) |
| Marketing template message | R$ 0.3217 | R$ 0.3217 (no change) |
| Message the customer sends to the law firm | Free | Free |
| Any message in the 72 hours after the customer arrives through an ad on Facebook or Instagram | Free | Free |
| Message the law firm sends directly from the WhatsApp Business mobile app | Free | Free |

Figures from Meta's official rate card for Brazil, in Brazilian reais, effective October 1, 2026. **Each delivered bubble counts as one message:** a reply split into three bubbles counts three times.

## How much a law firm will spend

::: infografico tarifas-conta-en

The bill depends on how many replies the firm sends per month through the official platform. The free tier of 1,000 messages is monthly and per phone number: it adds up every conversation on that number, resets every month and does not roll over.

| Replies sent in the month (one number) | Messages charged | Monthly cost with Meta |
| --- | --- | --- |
| up to 1,000 | 0 | R$ 0.00 |
| 2,000 | 1,000 | R$ 35.00 |
| 3,000 | 2,000 | R$ 70.00 |
| 5,000 | 4,000 | R$ 140.00 |
| 10,000 | 9,000 | R$ 315.00 |

Simulation of Meta's rates only, for one phone number, not counting marketing template messages (R$ 0.3217 each) or reminders sent as template messages within the window (R$ 0.035 each).

The quick math is: **(replies sent in the month − 1,000) × R$ 0.035**, plus whatever template messages the firm uses.

## Official platform or unofficial connection

There are two ways to connect a WhatsApp number to a customer service system, and the difference between them became more visible now that one of them has a per-message rate.

**Official platform (Meta)**

- Authorized and maintained by Meta itself.
- Protected number: no risk of being blocked because of automation.
- Verification badge, approved template messages, integration with ads.
- Guaranteed delivery and history, with official support.
- Rules: 24-hour window for free-form replies and a per-message rate starting October 1.

**Unofficial connection**

- Connects the number through a route Meta neither authorizes nor supports.
- No per-message rate and no 24-hour window rule.
- Real risk of the number being blocked, temporarily or permanently, at WhatsApp's discretion.
- May stop working when WhatsApp updates the app.
- No verification badge, no template messages and no free ad window.

RIA's recommendation is to use the **official platform on the main number** (the one clients know, where cases come in and where the history matters) and to keep the unofficial connection, when it makes sense, for secondary uses where a block would cause no harm: internal notices to the team, high-volume routine reminders, a second number. For law firms served by Lia, this hybrid setup is offered starting October 1, always with the firm's express authorization and awareness of the risks.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is it worth paying for the official platform?

For the firm's main number, yes. Most firms stay within the free tier or pay a few dozen reais a month. What that money buys is assurance: the number is not blocked because of automation, messages are delivered, the firm keeps its verification badge and can run ads with 72 hours of free conversation. A channel where clients follow their own case is no place to save a hundred reais a month at the risk of losing the number.

### How much will I spend per month?

Use the formula: (replies sent in the month − 1,000) × R$ 0.035, plus whatever template messages the firm uses. A firm that sends 2,000 replies a month pays R$ 35.00. With 5,000 replies, R$ 140.00. Below 1,000 replies, nothing.

### Is it worth the risk of an unofficial connection?

It depends on what is at stake on that number. It is cheaper and has fewer rules, but it operates outside WhatsApp's terms of use. WhatsApp can block the number without notice, and when that happens the firm loses the channel, the history and, often, the very number its clients know. There is no official appeal to reverse it. For a law firm, going days without talking to clients in the middle of deadlines and hearings costs more than years of Meta's fees.

### Will conversations that start from an ad be charged?

No. When a customer clicks an ad on Facebook or Instagram and the firm replies within 24 hours, a 72-hour window opens in which every message is free. After that, the normal rules apply.

### If I reply from my phone, am I charged?

No. Messages sent directly from the WhatsApp Business mobile app remain free. Charges apply only to what goes out through the platform, that is, through automated customer service or the dashboard.

### Is the 1,000-message free tier per conversation?

No. It is per phone number and per month, adding up every conversation. A single client who exchanges many messages draws from the same free tier as everyone else. A firm with two numbers has two free tiers.

### What do I need to do now?

Make sure the firm's WhatsApp account has a payment method on file before September 30, 2026, and decide whether to keep only the official platform or adopt the hybrid setup, and for which uses. Nothing changes in the way you serve clients. Law firms served by Lia will be contacted by the RIA team to check that the account is in order.

## Sources

All figures, dates and rules come from Meta's official documentation for the WhatsApp Business Platform, consulted on September 2, 2026.

1. **Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (Meta).** Schedule of rate changes, current rate cards and the October 1, 2026 rate cards for Brazil, the monthly free tier of 1,000 service messages and billing in Brazilian reais. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing
2. **Pricing updates for service and utility messages (Meta).** Charging for replies within the 24-hour window starting October 1, 2026, utility messages within the window, the free 72-hour window and the requirement of a payment method by September 30, 2026. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing/non-template-messages
3. **Rate cards effective October 1, 2026 (Meta).** Section "Rate cards effective October 1, 2026". Brazil row: marketing R$ 0.3217; utility, authentication and service R$ 0.035.
4. **Using the WhatsApp Business app alongside the platform, in coexistence (Meta).** Messages sent from the mobile app remain free and do not affect platform billing. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/embedded-signup/onboarding-business-app-users
5. **Official WhatsApp Business pricing site.** Interactive lookup of rates by country and category. https://business.whatsapp.com/products/platform-pricing

*Figures in Brazilian reais as published by Meta, which may revise rates on the first day of each quarter, with at least one month's notice. The simulations assume one phone number and Meta's rates only.*