--- title: "WhatsApp Business API pricing in the UAE" description: "Meta's WhatsApp rates in the UAE from 1 October 2026, in dirhams and dollars: marketing, utility, authentication and service messages, and what replies cost." canonical: "https://www.aivastark.com/uae/whatsapp-business-api-pricing" source: "https://www.aivastark.com/uae/whatsapp-business-api-pricing.md" updated: "2026-10-28" --- # WhatsApp Business API pricing in the UAE > Meta's WhatsApp rates in the UAE from 1 October 2026, in dirhams and dollars: marketing, utility, authentication and service messages, and what replies cost. What Meta charges a UAE business for each WhatsApp message since 1 October 2026, in dirhams and dollars, what changed this year, and what it costs when an AI agent answers your customers. ## How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost in the UAE? Meta charges per delivered message. In the UAE, from 1 October 2026, a marketing message costs AED 0.2115 and a utility, authentication or service message costs AED 0.0576. Each WhatsApp number gets its first 1,000 service messages a month free, and nothing is charged inside a free entry point window, which a click-to-WhatsApp ad opens for up to 7 days. The platform you use, such as Aivastark, charges its own fee on top. ## Meta's rates in the UAE, per message From 1 October 2026, checked 28 October 2026. The first 1,000 service messages a month on each WhatsApp number are free. | Category | What it is | Dirhams | US dollars | |---|---|---|---| | Marketing | Templates you start to promote something: offers, launches, abandoned-cart reminders. | AED 0.2115 | $0.0576 | | Utility | Templates tied to something the customer did: order, delivery and booking updates. | AED 0.0576 | $0.0157 | | Authentication | One-time passcodes for sign-in and verification. | AED 0.0576 | $0.0157 | | Service | Free-form replies inside the 24-hour window after the customer's last message. Every reply an AI agent sends is one. | AED 0.0576 | $0.0157 | ## What changed in 2025 and 2026 - **1 July 2025: Per-message pricing** — Meta stopped charging per conversation and started charging per delivered template message. - **1 April 2026: Billing in dirhams** — AED became one of the currencies Meta bills in. An account's currency can't be changed once it is chosen. - **1 October 2026: Replies are charged** — Every service message is charged at the utility rate after 1,000 free a month per number, with no volume discounts. Utility templates sent inside an open window are charged again too. - **1 October 2026: UAE marketing rate up** — Meta's change log lists an increase for marketing messages in the UAE, to AED 0.2115. ## Free messages, windows and limits - **The 24-hour window** — When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Inside it you can reply freely with service messages; outside it you can only send approved templates. - **1,000 free replies a month** — Each WhatsApp number gets 1,000 free service messages a month. Unused ones don't roll over, and number 1,001 is charged. - **Free entry points** — A chat that starts from a click-to-WhatsApp ad opens a window of up to 7 days in which Meta charges nothing for marketing, utility, authentication or service messages. - **Volume tiers** — Utility and authentication messages get cheaper past 100,000 and 300,000 a month. Service messages have no volume tiers. - **Price changes** — Meta changes rates only on the first day of a quarter, with at least a month's notice. - **Templates you start** — A new business portfolio can message 250 customers in 24 hours outside an open window. Verifying your business can raise that to 2,000, once Meta has reviewed your message quality. Replies inside a customer service window don't count. ## What an AI agent costs on WhatsApp An AI agent answers customers who message you, so everything it sends is a service message inside the 24-hour window: no templates, no marketing fees. Your Meta bill for the agent is the replies beyond the first 1,000 a month, at the UAE service rate. Aivastark's plan is separate, billed in US dollars, and includes WhatsApp from Starter; Aivastark doesn't resell or mark up Meta's fees. | One WhatsApp number, one month | Messages | Meta's fee, dirhams | US dollars | |---|---|---|---| | A boutique answering 600 questions | 600 service | AED 0.00 | $0.00 | | A store sending 3,000 replies | 3,000 service | AED 115.20 | $31.40 | | A busy shop sending 10,000 replies | 10,000 service | AED 518.40 | $141.30 | | One promotion to 2,000 customers | 2,000 marketing | AED 423.00 | $115.20 | ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does a WhatsApp Business API message cost in the UAE in 2026? From 1 October 2026 Meta charges, per delivered message in the UAE: AED 0.2115 for marketing, and AED 0.0576 each for utility, authentication and service messages. Service messages are free for the first 1,000 a month per WhatsApp number. ### Are WhatsApp replies to customers free in the UAE? Only the first 1,000 a month per number. Since 1 October 2026 Meta charges every service message, the free-form replies inside the 24-hour window, at the utility rate, which is AED 0.0576 in the UAE. Replies inside a free entry point window, opened by a click-to-WhatsApp ad, aren't charged. ### Can Meta bill a UAE business in dirhams? Yes. Meta added AED as a billing currency on 1 April 2026. You choose it for your WhatsApp Business account, and it can't be changed afterwards. ### What is a free entry point conversation? When a customer starts a chat from a click-to-WhatsApp ad, Meta opens a free entry point window that can stay open for up to 7 days. While it is open, Meta charges nothing for marketing, utility, authentication or service messages to that customer. ### Does Aivastark charge for WhatsApp messages? No. Meta bills its message fees to your own WhatsApp Business account; Aivastark doesn't resell or mark them up. Aivastark's plan covers the AI agent, is billed in US dollars, and includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger from Starter. ### Is VAT added to WhatsApp fees in the UAE? UAE VAT is 5%. Under the Federal Tax Authority's e-commerce guidance, when a VAT-registered UAE business buys a service from a supplier with no residence in the UAE, the reverse-charge mechanism applies. Check your Meta invoice and ask your accountant; this isn't tax advice. ### Do the rates change? Meta can change rates only on the first day of a quarter and gives at least a month's notice. The figures here were checked on 28 October 2026 against Meta's rate tool for the United Arab Emirates. ### What is Aivastark? Aivastark is an AI customer-support agent that answers your customers on your website, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and email from your own content, in 80+ languages, and hands the chat to your team when a customer asks for a person. ## Sources - [Meta: WhatsApp Business Platform pricing](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing) - [Meta: service (non-template) message pricing](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing/non-template-messages) - [Meta: rates by market (choose United Arab Emirates)](https://whatsappbusiness.com/products/platform-pricing/) - [Meta: messaging limits](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messaging-limits) - [UAE government: data protection laws](https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/digital-uae/data/data-protection-laws) ## Related - [WhatsApp AI agent for UAE businesses](https://www.aivastark.com/uae) — Arabic and English answers from your own store and policies. - [Arabic AI chatbot](https://www.aivastark.com/arabic-ai-chatbot) — Arabic script, Arabizi and voice notes. - [WhatsApp integration](https://www.aivastark.com/integrations/whatsapp) — Connecting your number and keeping the Business app. - [Aivastark vs WATI](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-wati) — Message fees resold vs billed by Meta directly. ## Pricing Aivastark has 6 public plans. Free is permanent and needs no card (300 credits/month). Paid plans start at $12/month (Solo). Enterprise is custom and sales-led. Full plan table: https://www.aivastark.com/pricing.md · live page: https://www.aivastark.com/pricing --- *Aivastark · https://www.aivastark.com · updated 2026-10-28* This document is machine-readable documentation for AI assistants and search engines. The complete index is at https://www.aivastark.com/llms.txt and the full corpus at https://www.aivastark.com/llms-full.txt. The human-readable version of this page is https://www.aivastark.com/uae/whatsapp-business-api-pricing. Questions: support@aivastark.com · Security: security@aivastark.com