What does a WhatsApp chatbot cost? WhatsApp chatbot pricing comes in two separate costs: Meta charges a fee per delivered message, and the chatbot platform charges a monthly plan that grows with your conversations or contacts. With MAGIA Solo, your assistant is built once, in 15 days, and stays in your name.
On Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026, a service message delivered to a number in Mexico costs 0.0085 USD once the month's 1,000 free service messages are used. On the platform side, Botpress lists its Team plan at $750 a month billed annually or $939 billed monthly, and Respond.io lists its Advanced plan at $279 a month billed yearly or $349 billed monthly, according to their pricing pages checked on October 28, 2026.
WhatsApp chatbot pricing starts with Meta's fee per delivered message
Meta's developer documentation, checked on October 28, 2026, says Meta has charged "on a per-message basis" since July 1, 2025, and that businesses "are only charged when a message is delivered". Meta does not charge for the messages your customers send you.
The rate depends on two things: the message category and the country calling code of the person who receives it. Meta's categories include marketing, utility and authentication, which are template messages, the pre-approved texts that are the only kind a business can send outside the 24-hour customer service window. Meta's categories also include service messages, the non-template replies your chatbot sends while that window is open, and the window opens and resets with each customer message.
Our guide on how to automate WhatsApp replies for business with AI covers the rest of Meta's rules, such as opt-in and the handoff to a person.
Service replies are free up to 1,000 a month per number, then charged
Since October 1, 2026, Meta charges for service messages again. Each business phone number gets 1,000 free delivered service messages a month, which do not roll over, and Meta charges from the 1,001st. Only eligible government and non-profit organizations keep service messages free beyond that tier.
There is one more free window. When a customer writes to you from a Click to WhatsApp ad on WhatsApp's Android or iOS app and you reply within the customer service window with a marketing, utility, authentication or service message, that reply is not charged and opens a free entry point window that may remain open for up to 7 days. While the free entry point window is open, Meta does not charge for marketing, utility, authentication or service messages, but it still charges for Meta Business Agent messages.
Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026 lists these rates per delivered message:
| Recipient's market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 0.0397 USD | 0.0085 USD | 0.0085 USD | 0.0085 USD |
| North America | 0.025 USD | 0.0034 USD | 0.0034 USD | 0.0034 USD |
Meta's volume tiers can lower utility and authentication rates based on how many messages a business sends in a month, and the tiers only apply to utility and authentication.
Chatbot platforms charge a monthly plan that grows with your conversations or contacts
Botpress lists its Team plan at $750 a month billed annually or $939 billed monthly, with 1,500 conversations a month and $150 of AI usage included. Extra conversations come in packs of 100 for $50, which Botpress shows as $0.50 per conversation. Its Enterprise plan has custom conversation volume and custom pricing.
Respond.io lists its Advanced plan at $279 a month billed yearly ($3,348 a year) or $349 billed monthly, and it includes the AI Agents of its Growth plan, while its Enterprise plan is custom. If you pass your monthly active contact limit, Respond.io bills $15 per 100 extra contacts on Advanced. Respond.io's pricing page also says "WhatsApp fees are not included in any respond.io subscription" and "Meta charges these fees based on your usage".
If your bot is there to sell, see how to choose the best AI sales bot for WhatsApp Business.
How to estimate your WhatsApp chatbot cost: a sample month
Take a business whose customers are in Mexico, on Botpress Team, with 3,000 conversations in a month. With Botpress's annual price, that is $750 plus 15 packs of $50, or $1,500 for the platform, before any AI usage beyond what the plan includes.
Say the chatbot delivers 9,000 service replies in those conversations, about three per conversation. The first 1,000 are free and the other 8,000 cost 0.0085 USD each, or 68 USD. Add 500 delivered marketing templates at 0.0397 USD and Meta's part comes to 87.85 USD.
These totals are our calculation from the published lists, not a quote from Botpress or Meta. In this example the platform plan is most of the monthly bill, and the plan keeps billing for as long as you stay on it.
MAGIA Solo builds your WhatsApp assistant once and leaves it in your name
When you work alone, every unanswered message is a sale going cold. MAGIA Solo is our package for professionals and small businesses: in 15 days we hand you a system that answers, books and gets you paid. Its assistant handles WhatsApp day and night, with your voice and your prices.
The assistant offers your slots, books them, sends the reminder and shares a payment link right in the chat. You also get your professional page and a panel with clients, appointments and sales on a single screen.
MAGIA Solo is a one-time payment of 4,500 USD, with training and 6 months by your side included. Code, data, domain and accounts are in your name from day one.
Monthly operations (keeping the system online and the AI that answers) are paid at cost, directly to the providers and in your name. If you want your system to stay hosted and operated by Catalizadora, that requires an active plan, from 99 USD a month.
With a platform, the plan is a recurring charge that grows with your conversations or contacts. With MAGIA Solo, the build is paid once, operations are paid at cost in your name, and what we build is yours.
See everything that is included and how the 15 days work on the MAGIA Solo page.