WhatsApp API Cost Calculator in SAR
Calculate your monthly WhatsApp API messaging cost in Saudi riyals based on Meta's official Saudi rates for each message category. Enter your marketing, utility, verification-code and customer-service volumes to see what you'll pay Meta before you send.
Enter your monthly messages
- Marketing0
- Utility0
- Authentication0
- Service replies (after free)0
Source: Meta’s SAR rate card for Saudi Arabia, effective 1 July 2026. Meta may change rates — see Meta’s pricing page.
- The calculator multiplies the delivered messages in each category by Meta's Saudi rate: SAR 0.1877 for marketing, SAR 0.0401 for utility and SAR 0.0401 for authentication, then adds them up.
- From 1 October 2026 it adds service messages (team and chatbot replies inside the 24-hour window) at SAR 0.0401, after the first 1,000 free messages per business number each month.
- Incoming customer messages are not counted, and neither are messages inside the free entry point window (72 hours for conversations started from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button).
- The result is a base-rate estimate before volume tiers and any taxes, and covers Meta's fees only; your Watily plan is a separate subscription sized by your proactive message quota.
Meta's WhatsApp API rates for Saudi Arabia in SAR
Meta charges for every template message that is delivered to the customer, not every send attempt, and the price depends on the template category and the recipient's country. This per-message pricing model has applied since 1 July 2025, and the rates below come from Meta's SAR rate card effective 1 July 2026 for Saudi numbers:
| Message category | Examples | Price per delivered message |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Seasonal offers, greetings, abandoned-cart reminders | SAR 0.1877 |
| Utility | Order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders, invoices | SAR 0.0401 |
| Authentication | Verification codes for login and transaction confirmation | SAR 0.0401 |
| Service messages (from 1 October 2026) | Team and chatbot replies inside the 24-hour window after the first 1,000 per number per month | SAR 0.0401 |
A marketing message costs more than four times a utility message (SAR 0.1877 vs SAR 0.0401), so template category is the biggest driver of your bill. Utility and authentication messages also have monthly volume tiers with lower rates at higher volumes, so the calculator gives an estimate at the base rate, which is the upper limit for those two categories. Verification codes sent from a business account registered outside Saudi Arabia are billed at the higher authentication-international rate (about SAR 0.22).
For the official details see Meta's WhatsApp pricing page, and for a fuller explanation with examples read our guide to WhatsApp API pricing in Saudi Arabia.
What changes on 1 October 2026?
From 1 October 2026, service messages, meaning free-form replies inside the customer-service window (24 hours from the customer's last message) whether written by an agent, a chatbot or a third-party AI, are billed at the market's utility rate, which is SAR 0.0401 in Saudi Arabia. The following rules apply:
- 1,000 free service messages per business phone number per month, resetting monthly with no rollover.
- Utility templates sent inside the service window are also billed from the same date.
- Incoming customer messages remain free.
- Messages inside the free entry point window (72 hours for conversations started from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action button) remain free.
Meta also requires a payment method on file in Billing Hub by 30 September 2026; otherwise it stops delivering service messages beyond the free 1,000 from 1 October 2026.
Worked example: an online store for one month
Take a Saudi store using one WhatsApp number that, in a month after 1 October 2026, sends the following messages, all delivered and priced at base rates without volume tiers:
| Category | Messages | Calculation | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing (seasonal campaign and cart reminders) | 2,000 | 2,000 × 0.1877 | SAR 375.40 |
| Utility (order and shipping updates) | 3,000 | 3,000 × 0.0401 | SAR 120.30 |
| Authentication (login codes) | 500 | 500 × 0.0401 | SAR 20.05 |
| Service messages (team replies) | 1,800 | (1,800 − 1,000) × 0.0401 = 800 × 0.0401 | SAR 32.08 |
| Total | 7,300 | 375.40 + 120.30 + 20.05 + 32.08 | SAR 547.83 |
The marketing campaign alone accounts for more than two-thirds of the cost (SAR 375.40 of SAR 547.83), and the 1,000 free service messages saved SAR 40.10 (1,000 × 0.0401). This figure covers Meta's fees only, before any applicable taxes, and the subscription to the platform you send through comes on top.
How does your Watily plan quota relate to Meta's fees?
Your Watily plan and Meta's fees are two separate items: Meta's fees are charged per delivered message as shown above, while a Watily plan is a fixed monthly subscription that includes every system: WhatsApp API, online store, e-invoicing, booking and loyalty cards. Watily never caps customer conversations; the team inbox, chatbot, AI replies and contacts are unlimited on our side.
The monthly plan quota counts only proactive automated messages: campaigns, Watily Notify alerts for orders, shipping and verification codes, and event invitations. In the example above the store sent 2,000 + 3,000 + 500 = 5,500 proactive messages, so it fits the Growth plan with a 6,000-message monthly quota at SAR 249 per month excluding 15% VAT, while the Basic plan's 200 messages would not be enough. The 1,800 team replies don't count toward the Watily quota.
Compare each plan's limits on the Watily pricing page.
How to lower your WhatsApp messaging cost
- Categorize templates precisely: an order confirmation with no promotion is billed as utility at SAR 0.0401, but adding a discount code makes it marketing at SAR 0.1877. Use our ready-made WhatsApp template library, sorted by category.
- Segment your campaigns: sending offers only to people who care about them cuts paid marketing messages and protects your number's quality rating.
- Use the free entry point window: conversations started from Click-to-WhatsApp ads give you 72 hours of free messaging.
- Shorten chatbot flows: after the first 1,000 service messages per number each month every reply is billed, so menus and interactive buttons that resolve requests in fewer messages cost less than scattered replies.
- Watch the volume tiers: if you send many utility and authentication messages, your actual rate may be lower than the calculator's base rate.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a WhatsApp API message cost in Saudi Arabia in SAR?
According to Meta's SAR rate card effective 1 July 2026: a marketing message is SAR 0.1877, a utility message SAR 0.0401 and an authentication message SAR 0.0401, and a message is billed only when it is delivered.
Are customer-service replies on WhatsApp free?
From 1 October 2026 you get 1,000 free service messages per business phone number per month; after that, every reply inside the 24-hour window is billed at the utility rate (SAR 0.0401 in Saudi Arabia), whether written by an agent, a chatbot or an AI.
Does the Watily plan price include Meta's message fees?
No, they are separate. A Watily plan is a fixed monthly subscription (for example, Basic at SAR 49 excluding VAT), and its quota counts only campaigns, alerts and event invitations, while Meta's fees are charged per delivered message according to its category.
Are there lower rates for high volumes?
Yes. Meta has monthly volume tiers for utility and authentication messages, with lower rates as volume grows. The calculator shows the base rate, so your actual cost at high volumes may be lower. Marketing messages are billed at their published rate.
Why might a verification code cost more than SAR 0.0401?
If codes are sent to Saudi numbers from a WhatsApp Business account registered outside Saudi Arabia, they are billed at the higher authentication-international rate of about SAR 0.22. A locally registered account keeps you on the local rate.
Can I send WhatsApp messages without fees?
Yes, in specific cases: incoming customer messages are always free, messages inside the free entry point window (72 hours for conversations started from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button) are free, and the first 1,000 service messages per number each month are free from 1 October 2026.