The two costs in every WhatsApp API bill
Every provider in India, Growcord, Wati, AiSensy, Interakt, all of them, charges you the same two things, whether or not the pricing page says so plainly.
The first is the platform fee: what you pay the software for the inbox, campaigns, bots and reports. The second is Meta's conversation charge, which Meta collects for the messages themselves. No provider can waive Meta's part; the honest ones just pass it through visibly.
Meta charges by 24-hour conversation, and the rate depends on the category. In India, as of August 2026: a marketing conversation runs roughly ₹0.78–0.88, utility conversations (order updates, payment reminders) roughly ₹0.115–0.13, authentication (OTPs) about the same, and service conversations, replying to a customer who messaged you first, inside the 24-hour window, are free. The conversation pricing guide walks through each category with examples.
The practical upshot: a store that mostly answers enquiries and sends order updates pays very little to Meta. The Meta bill only becomes significant when you broadcast marketing messages at volume, and even then, at under a rupee per customer, it undercuts what a courier call or an unanswered lead costs you.
Every plan, and what each one covers
To try it on real customers
- 1 WhatsApp number
- 50 conversations a month
- The complete platform
or ₹299/month, month to month
- 1 WhatsApp number
- 200 conversations a month
- 0% markup on Meta charges
or ₹799/month, month to month
- 2 WhatsApp numbers
- 1,000 conversations a month
- 0% markup on Meta charges
or ₹1,999/month, month to month
- 4 WhatsApp numbers
- 5,000 conversations a month
- 0% markup on Meta charges
or ₹5,999/month, month to month
- 15 WhatsApp numbers
- 25,000 conversations a month
- 0% markup on Meta charges
Not sure which one fits?
Answer five questions about your team size, monthly volume and what you want automated. We'll name the plan that covers it, and say so plainly if none of them do.
Prices exclude GST. Meta's per-conversation charges are billed separately from a credit balance at Meta's published rate, we add nothing to them on any plan.
Add-ons: pay for the ceiling you hit, not a whole new tier
Most platforms force a plan jump the moment you outgrow one limit. Growcord sells the limits separately, so the upgrade stays proportional to the problem:
- Extra team member, ₹149/month. One more login in the shared inbox.
- Extra WhatsApp number, ₹299/month. A second brand, branch or region in the same workspace.
- 1,000 extra conversations, ₹399/month. For a festival season, without moving up a tier.
What you'd actually spend: three worked examples
A boutique answering enquiries and confirming orders. Basic billed yearly is ₹99/month. Say 150 of the 200 included conversations are customer service (free on Meta's side) and utility confirmations at roughly ₹0.12 each, about ₹18 in Meta fees. Total: around ₹117/month plus GST.
A D2C store broadcasting monthly. Startup billed yearly is ₹399/month. A marketing broadcast to 800 opted-in customers at roughly ₹0.85 each is about ₹680, plus perhaps 500 utility order updates for about ₹60. Total: around ₹1,139/month plus GST, with a team inbox, chatbots and scheduling included.
A multi-brand seller on Commerce. ₹999/month billed yearly, four numbers, catalog and pipelines. 3,000 marketing conversations (~₹2,550) plus 2,000 utility (~₹240) lands the whole channel around ₹3,789/month plus GST. The dashboard shows the credit estimate before every send, so none of this arrives as a surprise.
Entry prices across Indian providers
| Platform | Entry price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Growcord | ₹299/mo, or ₹99/mo billed yearly | ✓ Free tier first; Meta's rates passed through unchanged; add-ons instead of forced upgrades |
Wati | Growth listed at ₹2,499/mo | 3 users included; extra users are a paid add-on |
AiSensy | Basic listed at about ₹1,500/mo | Chatbot builder priced as a separate add-on on their pricing page |
Interakt | From about ₹0.97 per conversation | Charged per conversation rather than as a flat monthly platform fee |
Competitor prices as listed on their public pricing pages, checked August 2026. All platforms add Meta's conversation fees on top; verify current figures on their sites before deciding.
How billing works in Growcord
Start on the free tier
Sign up, connect a number, and use 50 conversations a month at no cost. No card needed to begin.
Pick a plan when you're ready
Monthly or yearly, paid through Razorpay, UPI, cards or netbanking, with a GST invoice for your books.
Top up credits for Meta's fees
Conversation charges deduct from a prepaid wallet at Meta's own rates. Every deduction shows its category, so the bill explains itself.
Add capacity only when a limit pinches
More seats, numbers or conversations bolt on for ₹149–₹399 a month instead of forcing the next tier.
If it isn't right, you get your money back
Every Growcord subscription carries an unconditional 7-day money-back guarantee. Run the platform on real customers, and if it doesn't suit the business, ask within seven days and the subscription fee comes back in full, no form, no retention call. After that you can cancel renewal yourself at any time from the dashboard. Nobody has to be emailed for permission.
Message credits are the one exception, for a reason that is not ours: credits buy conversations from Meta, and once a conversation has been delivered Meta has charged for it. Unused credit stays in your wallet rather than expiring.
Managed plans, if you would rather not run it yourself
Not every business wants to learn a new tool. The Managed tiers start at ₹9,999/month and put our team on the work instead: we build the campaigns, write and submit the templates, set up the chatbot flows, and send the broadcasts to your schedule. You approve; we operate.
That is the honest split. Self-serve plans from ₹99/month if you have someone who will run it, managed plans if you would rather buy the outcome than the software.
See your own numbers before you spend a rupee
Start on the free tier, send real messages, and watch what they cost in the wallet. Upgrade only when the maths already works.
Start free, no card neededWhy Growcord
What you get here that you don't get elsewhere
Frequently asked questions
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost in India?
Two parts: a platform fee and Meta's conversation charges. On Growcord, plans run ₹299–₹5,999/month (₹99–₹2,999/month billed yearly), and Meta charges roughly ₹0.78–0.88 per marketing conversation and ₹0.115–0.13 per utility conversation in India, billed as prepaid credits at cost. A small business doing mostly support and order updates typically spends a few hundred rupees a month in total.
What are WhatsApp conversation charges?
Meta bills API messaging by 24-hour conversation, priced by category. In India that's roughly ₹0.78–0.88 for marketing, about ₹0.115–0.13 for utility and authentication, and ₹0 for service conversations, replies to customers who messaged you first. Growcord passes these through as credits with no markup, and shows the category on every deduction.
Which is the cheapest WhatsApp API provider in India?
On entry price, Growcord's ₹99/month billed yearly (₹299 month-to-month) sits well under Wati's ₹2,499/month Growth plan and AiSensy's roughly ₹1,500/month Basic, as listed on their pricing pages in August 2026. Interakt charges per conversation instead, from about ₹0.97. Compare what's included too, chatbots and extra seats are paid add-ons on some platforms, which moves the real total.
Is there a completely free WhatsApp API?
No provider can make the API fully free, because Meta charges per conversation regardless of platform. What exists is free platform access: Growcord's free tier includes 1 number and 50 conversations a month, and service conversations cost nothing on Meta's side. Anyone advertising unlimited free bulk WhatsApp is using unofficial tools that get numbers banned.
Do I pay GST on top of these prices?
Yes. Plan prices, add-ons and credit top-ups attract GST at the prevailing rate, as with every registered provider in India. Growcord issues a GST invoice for every payment made through Razorpay, UPI, card or netbanking, so the expense sits cleanly in your books and your accountant can claim input credit on it.
What happens if I cross my plan's conversation limit?
Sending pauses at the ceiling rather than silently billing you more. You can add 1,000 extra conversations for ₹399/month as an add-on, or move up a plan, whichever is cheaper for your volume. The usage meter in the dashboard shows how close you are before it happens.
Why businesses pick Growcord
Official WhatsApp Business API
Built on Meta's Cloud API, the sanctioned channel, not a modded app. No number-ban roulette.
Indian pricing, GST invoice
Plans from ₹99/month billed yearly. Paid in ₹ via Razorpay, with a proper GST invoice every time.
Free tier, no card needed
1 number and 50 conversations a month to prove it on real customers before paying anything.
Support from New Delhi, in IST
A real team on email and WhatsApp, Monday to Saturday 10:00–19:00 IST, not a ticket void.
Talk to us
Get set up on WhatsApp this week
Tell us what you sell and how many customers you message. We'll reply on WhatsApp with the plan that fits and, if you want it, walk you through the Meta approval step.
- No sales call unless you ask for one
- Answers from the team that builds it, in IST hours
- Free tier available. You can start before you decide
Keep reading
Related guides and comparisons
Last updated: 2026-08-07