# WhatsApp campaign cost calculator (India)

A WhatsApp campaign costs recipients × messages × the rate for each template type: about ₹1.10 for marketing and ₹0.25 for utility, ex-GST. For 1,000 people and eight messages, half of them marketing, that is about ₹5,400\. Keeping marketing on WhatsApp and sending the utility messages as free push to app users brings it to about ₹4,800.

Recommended blend

₹4,800

₹0.79 per message read · +₹864 GST

Replies inside the 24-hour service window are free for the first 1,000 a month per number. Meta changes rates; edit the unit rates if yours differ.

All on WhatsApp

₹5,400₹0.79 per read

Blend saves

₹600against all-WhatsApp

WhatsApp credits to add

On actuals₹4,400

Messages read

- WhatsApp6,800
- SMS1,600
- Email2,000
- App push2,640
- Blend6,080

__Breakdown__
| WhatsApp: 6,800 reads₹0.79 per read | ₹5,400 |
| ----------------------------------- | ------ |
| SMS: 1,600 reads₹1.25 per read      | ₹2,000 |
| Email: 2,000 reads₹0.20 per read    | ₹400   |
| App push: 2,640 readsfree           | ₹0     |
| Blend: 6,080 reads                  | ₹4,800 |

Estimate. Messaging is billed on actuals, GST extra.

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## How we calculate

Channel cost

`recipients × messages × unit rate`

WhatsApp uses the blended rate from your marketing/utility mix.

Messages read

`recipients × messages × read rate`

Push only reaches people with the app installed.

Cost per read

`channel cost ÷ messages read`

The fairest way to compare a cheap channel nobody reads with a dearer one people do.

Recommended blend

`marketing messages on WhatsApp + utility messages as push (app users) or WhatsApp utility (everyone else)`

Your marketing share stays on WhatsApp; reminders and arrangements go as free push to people with the app and as utility to everyone else.

### Assumptions

- Unit rates are Sociana’s on-actuals prices, ex-GST: WhatsApp marketing ₹1.10 (observed ₹0.95–₹1.20), utility ₹0.25, SMS ₹0.25, email ₹0.05, push free.
- Meta’s India marketing rate was ₹0.8631 per delivered message in 2026, before GST and the provider fee; it changes, so every rate is editable.
- Read rates (WhatsApp 85%, SMS 20%, email 25%, push 55%) are planning assumptions, not measurements.
- Credit bundles: 5,000 for ₹5,750 · 25,000 for ₹26,250 · 1,00,000 for ₹99,000.

Prices as of 23 Oct 2026.

## Worked examples

| Scenario                    | Result                      | In one line                                                                                                                          |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Conference, 1,000 delegates | **₹4,800**Recommended blend | WhatsApp campaign: 1,000 recipients × 8 messages. All-WhatsApp ₹5,400; recommended blend ₹4,800 + GST. Credits: On actuals (₹4,400). |
| Wedding, 800 guests         | **₹3,630**Recommended blend | WhatsApp campaign: 800 recipients × 12 messages. All-WhatsApp ₹4,440; recommended blend ₹3,630 + GST. Credits: On actuals (₹2,640).  |

Example inputs are illustrative, not client data. Tap “Start from” above to load either one.

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## Questions about this calculator

How much does a WhatsApp marketing message cost in India?

Meta charged about ₹0.86 per delivered marketing message in India in 2026, before 18% GST and the provider’s fee. Sociana bills about ₹1.10 per message on actuals. Utility messages cost far less, about ₹0.25 through Sociana.

Is WhatsApp cheaper than SMS?

Per message, no: DLT SMS is about ₹0.25\. Per message read, usually yes, because far more WhatsApp messages are read. Compare cost per read, not cost per send.

What is the difference between marketing and utility templates?

Marketing templates promote or invite. Utility templates confirm something the person already asked for: a reminder, an arrangement, an OTP. Meta prices utility much lower.

Are replies free?

Replies within the 24-hour customer service window are free for the first 1,000 a month per number; after that they are charged at the utility rate.

## Related calculators

- [A three-day Pune wedding app (planned)→](https://sociana.in/pricing/weddings-and-social/)
- [Scheduled announcements→](https://sociana.in/features/scheduled-announcements/)

[All calculators](https://sociana.in/calculators/)

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