Summary
This article explains the upcoming changes to Meta's pricing model, effective November 1st, 2024. It details which conversations are free, which are paid, and how to estimate the cost of your conversations. You'll also find information on the new country-specific rates and how to manage your credits within WATI.
Instructions
Meta is updating its pricing model, effective November 1st, 2024. Here's what the changes mean for your WATI account: Conversation-based pricing.
Free Service or User-Initiated Conversations
Service Conversations (also known as User-Initiated Conversations) will remain free. These are the conversations that users initiate, and they will not be charged under the new pricing model. This applies to all active months in WATI, as well as all new plan types.
:::info If you are on one of the older plans (Standard, Professional, or Enterprise), Service Conversations will still be charged. However, you will still get 1000 free Service Conversations each month.
:::
Business-Initiated Conversations
Business-Initiated Conversations will now be split into three categories:
Marketing Conversations
Utility Conversations
Authentication Conversations These will all be paid conversations and will not count toward your free tier.
How are Business-Initiated Conversations tracked?
The WATI dashboard will show the total number of Service-initiated and Business-initiated conversations separately.
Referral (Entry Point) Conversations
Referral Conversations (or Entry Point Conversations, also known as CTWA Conversations) will remain free. These will not be subject to any charges under the new pricing model.
New Pricing Rates for Business Conversations
New pricing rates will apply for Business-Initiated Conversations based on new template categories. Be sure to check the country-specific rates for your plan:
Updated Rate Cards
Growth/Pro - INR rate card | USD rate card
Business - INR rate card | USD rate card
Estimating the Cost of Conversations
To estimate the cost of Business-Initiated and Service Conversations, make sure your WATI account has a minimum USD 10 credit top-up. This credit will be used for both Service Conversations and Business-Initiated Conversations. If your credit balance is exhausted, you will need to top up your account with more credits. To learn how to do this, visit the following link: Learn more about top-up.
Service Conversations are now free in the Growth, Pro, and Business plans.
You will need to input the correct number of Utility, Authentication, and Marketing Broadcasts.
To get a better understanding of the different types of templates, check this article: Learn more about template messages. You can use the WATI Cost Calculator to estimate your costs based on your conversation numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
==General Questions==
1. What changes are happening to Meta's pricing model?
→ Meta is updating its pricing model starting November 1st, 2024.
Service Conversations (User-Initiated Conversations) will remain free.
Business-Initiated Conversations will be split into three categories (Marketing, Utility, and Authentication) and will be charged.
2. How do these changes affect my Wati account?
→ The changes will affect how conversations are categorized and charged.
Service Conversations will remain free.
Business-Initiated Conversations will now be paid and will not count toward your free tier.
==Service Conversations==
3. What are Service Conversations?
→ Service Conversations (or User-Initiated Conversations) are conversations that are started by users.
These will remain free under the new pricing model.
This applies to all active months in Wati and all new plan types.
4. Will I still get free Service Conversations if I'm on an older plan?
→ Yes, if you are on one of the older plans (Standard, Professional, or Enterprise), Service Conversations will still be charged.
However, you will continue to receive 1,000 free Service Conversations each month.
==Business-Initiated Conversations==
5. What are Business-Initiated Conversations?
→ Business-Initiated Conversations are conversations initiated by your business, such as:
Marketing Messages
Utility Messages
Authentication Messages
These conversations will now be split into three categories and will be paid under the new pricing model.
6. How are Business-Initiated Conversations tracked?
Business-Initiated and Service-Initiated Conversations will be displayed separately in the Wati dashboard.
This allows you to monitor the number of conversations in each category.
==Referral Conversations==
7. Are Referral Conversations free?
→ Yes, Referral Conversations (also known as Entry Point Conversations or CTWA Conversations) will remain free under the new pricing model.
==Pricing and Estimating Costs==
8. How will Business-Initiated Conversations be priced?
New pricing rates will apply for Business-Initiated Conversations based on new template categories.
Rates vary by country, so check the country-specific rates for your plan:
Growth/Pro - INR rate card | USD rate card
Business - INR rate card | USD rate card
9. How can I estimate the cost of my conversations?
→ To estimate the cost of Business-Initiated and Service Conversations:
Ensure your Wati account has a minimum USD 10 credit top-up.
This credit can be used for both types of conversations.
10. What happens if I run out of credit?
If your credit balance is exhausted, you will need to top up your Wati account with more credits.
You can find more information on how to top up your account here.
==Additional Information==
11. How do I learn more about template message categories?
→ For more information about the different types of templates and how they affect your costs, check out this article: Template Message Categories.