How does WhatsApp Business Platform pricing work?
On the WhatsApp Business Platform, the official route for automated messaging, Meta charges businesses per message, and only when a message is delivered, not when it is sent. The price depends on two things: the country of the person receiving the message, and the message category. There are four categories: marketing (promotions and offers), utility (updates about something the customer already did, such as an order confirmation), authentication (one-time passcodes) and service (replies to customer questions). Rates vary by market and category pair, Meta publishes them in several currencies including Malaysian ringgit, and businesses sending more utility and authentication messages can unlock volume tiers. Meta also offers free entry points: when a customer messages you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action button, your messages for the following 72 hours are not charged.
What are Meta's WhatsApp rates for Malaysia?
These are Meta's list rates for recipients in Malaysia, effective 1 October 2026 (checked 6 October 2026). Messages are free for 72 hours after a customer reaches you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button. Free-form replies are only allowed within 24 hours of the customer's last message; after that you must use an approved template. Example: 1,000 marketing messages to Malaysian customers cost 1,000 × RM0.3467 = RM346.70 in Meta fees, before your provider's charges.
| Message category | Rate per delivered message (MYR) | Rate (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing (offers, promotions) | RM0.3467 | US$0.086 |
| Utility (order and booking updates) | RM0.0564 | US$0.014 |
| Authentication (one-time passcodes) | RM0.0564 (international: RM0.1685) | US$0.014 |
| Service (replies to customers) | RM0.0564, first 1,000 per month free per number | US$0.014 |
| Meta Business Agent | US$2.00 per 1 million tokens | US$2.00 per 1 million tokens |
What does each route cost?
| Route | What you pay | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Business app | Free | Small teams: greeting and away messages, quick replies |
| WhatsApp Business Platform (API) chatbot | Meta per-message fees + provider platform fee + set-up | High volume, marketing templates, fully sanctioned automation |
| Terabot AI worker on WhatsApp Web | Terabot monthly plan (unlimited workers; prices at launch) | Replying to customer chats and doing the follow-up work |
| Staff answering manually | Salaries and overtime | Complex or sensitive conversations |
What hidden costs should you check?
- Provider platform fees per month or per user, on top of Meta's message fees.
- Set-up and flow-building fees, and the cost of changing flows later.
- Marketing templates that need approval before use.
- Integration work to connect your store, CRM or booking system.
- Staff time still needed for the questions a simple bot can't answer.
How do you estimate your monthly cost?
- Count the chats you receive per month and when they arrive (office hours vs nights and weekends).
- Split them: simple questions, look-ups (orders, stock, bookings), and sensitive cases.
- For the Business Platform: estimate messages per category and check Meta's published rate for Malaysia, then add the provider fee.
- For staff: count the hours spent answering and the chats missed after hours.
- Compare the totals, and the speed of reply each option gives your customers.
Where does Terabot fit on price?
Terabot is one monthly plan with unlimited digital workers; plans differ by AI and computer usage, and prices are announced at launch. Because the worker uses WhatsApp Web on its own computer, there are no per-message platform fees from Terabot. It replies to customer chats only and never sends bulk messages, which WhatsApp's terms prohibit.