WhatsApp Business API pricing in the UAE
One subscription in USD plus a published price for each WhatsApp message you send. Here is what each part costs, with AED equivalents and a worked example.
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Simple, Predictable Plans for United Arab Emirates
Zero setup fees, no per-agent penalties, and full access to the official Meta Cloud API.
Starter
Essential WhatsApp API for growing teams
- Official Meta Cloud API Connection
- Bulk WhatsApp Broadcast Campaigns
- 1 Chatbot Flow & Basic Automation
- Contact Tags & Custom Fields
- Basic Webhook API & Export
- 6 Months Chat History Storage
Growth
Multi-channel automation & campaigns
- Everything in Starter
- 5 Chatbot Flows & 3 Workflows
- 3 Native WhatsApp Flows
- Recurring & Scheduled Campaigns
- Instagram Automation (DM + Comments)
- 12 Months Chat History Storage
Professional
Advanced commerce, payments & AI agents
- Everything in Growth
- 10 Chatbot Flows & 10 Workflows
- AI Agent Node (Smart GPT replies)
- WhatsApp Commerce & Product Catalogs
- Payment Gateway Integrations
- Unlimited Chat History Storage
Business
Enterprise scale, SLA & dedicated manager
- Everything in Professional
- Unlimited Chatbot Flows & Workflows
- Team Task Management & SLA Rules
- Custom Webhooks & REST API Access
- Dedicated Account Manager
- Priority Phone & WhatsApp Support
Calculate Your Monthly UAE (+971) Meta Rates
WhatsApp Business API pricing in the UAE with Ownchat has two parts: a USD subscription from $12 per month (billed annually) and Ownchat per-message prices. From 1 October 2026 these are $0.0691 per marketing message and $0.0188 per utility, authentication or service message to UAE numbers. Ownchat is made by Ieyal Solutions, an official Meta Business Partner.
At a Glance
- Plans from
- $12/month, billed annually
- UAE marketing message
- $0.0691
- UAE utility / authentication / service
- $0.0188
- Free service messages (Meta rule)
- 1,000 per number per month
- Free trial
- 14 days, no credit card
- Meta Business Partner
- Yes, official
How is WhatsApp Business API pricing calculated in the UAE?
WhatsApp API costs have two parts. The first is your Ownchat subscription, which pays for the inbox, chatbots, broadcasts, CRM and support. The second is a charge for each message your business sends.
Since 1 July 2025, Meta has charged for each delivered message. The price depends on the message category and the recipient's country code. Messages your customers send to you are free. Ownchat publishes its per-message prices openly, bills them in USD and updates them when Meta changes its rates; Meta changes rates only on the first day of a quarter.
Marketing
offers, launches, abandoned-cart reminders, newsletters.
Utility
order confirmations, delivery updates, booking reminders, invoices.
Authentication
one-time passwords (OTPs) for login or payment.
Service
free-form replies inside the 24-hour window that opens when a customer messages you.
Official Meta Cloud API Verified · Ownchat Production Workspace
How much are Ownchat's plans for UAE businesses?
Plans are priced in USD for the UAE. AED figures are approximate, converted at the official peg of 1 USD = 3.6725 AED, and are shown for reference only; you are billed in USD. Every plan includes call support, onboarding and green tick assistance.
Starter
3 user logins, 20,000 contacts, bulk WhatsApp campaigns, 1 chatbot flow, segmentation and tags, 6 months of chat history.
Growth (most popular)
5 user logins, 50,000 contacts, 5 chatbot flows, 3 workflows, 3 WhatsApp Flows, recurring campaigns, Instagram team inbox, comment-to-DM and Instagram chatbot, 12 months of chat history.
Professional
10 user logins, 100,000 contacts, 10 chatbot flows, 10 workflows, AI agent chatbot node, WhatsApp commerce flow, payment integrations, unlimited chat history.
Business
unlimited users, contacts, chatbot flows and workflows, task management with SLA, attendance management, custom webhooks, dedicated account manager and priority call support.
Instagram Pro
$12 per month billed annually, for Instagram-only brands and creators (no WhatsApp).
Official Meta Cloud API Verified · Ownchat Production Workspace
Plan | Billed annually (USD) | ≈ AED | Billed monthly (USD) | ≈ AED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $12 | AED 44.07 | $18 | AED 66.11 |
| Growth | $53 | AED 194.64 | $62 | AED 227.70 |
| Professional | $91 | AED 334.20 | $115 | AED 422.34 |
| Business | $180 | AED 661.05 | $220 | AED 807.95 |
| Instagram Pro | $12 | AED 44.07 | — | — |
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What does each WhatsApp message cost to a UAE number?
These are Ownchat per-message prices for messages delivered to +971 numbers, effective 1 October 2026. AED figures are approximate at 1 USD = 3.6725 AED.
Official Meta Cloud API Verified · Ownchat Production Workspace
Message category | USD per delivered message | ≈ AED | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | $0.0691 | AED 0.2538 | Promotions, offers, product launches |
| Utility | $0.0188 | AED 0.0690 | Order, delivery and booking updates |
| Authentication | $0.0188 | AED 0.0690 | OTPs sent by UAE-based businesses |
| Authentication-international | $0.0612 | AED 0.2248 | OTPs to UAE numbers sent by businesses based outside the UAE |
| Service | $0.0188 | AED 0.0690 | Replies in the 24-hour window, after 1,000 free per month |
The Old Manual Way vs The Ownchat Way
Why fast-growing companies replace personal phones and legacy tools with Ownchat.
- ✕1 phone, 1 agent: lost messages when staff are off or leave the company.
- ✕Constant risk of permanent number bans from unapproved bulk tools.
- ✕$99+/month pricing markups with paid setup fees from legacy vendors.
- ✕Manual copy-pasting of leads into spreadsheets and CRM systems.
- ✓Multi-Agent Inbox: All agents on one verified +65 / +971 company number.
- ✓Zero Ban Risk: Direct official WhatsApp Cloud API with Meta approval.
- ✓From $12/month: Transparent pricing, $0 hosting markup, no hidden fees.
- ✓Built-in CRM & Sync: Instant two-way sync with Zoho CRM, Shopify and Sheets.
What is the authentication-international rate?
Meta sets a higher authentication price for some countries when the business sending the one-time password is based in a different country from the recipient. The UAE is one of those countries. If your business is registered in the UAE and sends OTPs to UAE customers, the standard $0.0188 authentication price applies. If a company registered abroad, for example in India or Europe, sends OTPs to +971 numbers, each one is charged at $0.0612.
Meta decides which rate applies. If you are unsure which applies to you, ask Ownchat before you launch OTP flows at volume.
Official Meta Cloud API Verified · Ownchat Production Workspace
Which WhatsApp messages are free under Meta's rules?
These are Meta's rules, and they apply to every provider, Ownchat included:
Messages customers send you
are always free.
Service messages
the first 1,000 per business phone number each month are free since 1 October 2026. Unused free messages do not roll over. After that, each service message is charged.
Click-to-WhatsApp ads
when a customer taps a WhatsApp ad on Android or iOS and you reply within the service window, a free entry window of up to 7 days opens. Messages in every category are free during it (Meta's AI business agent excepted).
What is no longer free
since 1 October 2026, utility templates sent inside the 24-hour window are charged.
Official Meta Cloud API Verified · Ownchat Production Workspace
Worked example: what does a Dubai retailer pay per month?
A Dubai fashion retailer on the Growth plan (billed annually) sends 3,000 order and delivery updates in a month, and runs 2 promotions to 2,000 customers who opted in. Customers reply with questions, and the team sends 800 service replies, which stays within the 1,000 free service messages. AED figures are approximate at 1 USD = 3.6725 AED.
Total: $385.80 per month, about AED 1,416.85. Message charges make up $332.80 of that, so the number of marketing messages is what moves the bill most. Sending one promotion instead of two would save $138.20 (about AED 507.54).
Official Meta Cloud API Verified · Ownchat Production Workspace
Item | Quantity | Price each (USD) | Cost (USD) | ≈ AED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utility: order and delivery updates | 3,000 | $0.0188 | $56.40 | AED 207.13 |
| Marketing: 2 promotions × 2,000 customers | 4,000 | $0.0691 | $276.40 | AED 1,015.08 |
| Service replies (within 1,000 free) | 800 | $0.00 | $0.00 | AED 0.00 |
| Message charges subtotal | $332.80 | AED 1,222.21 | ||
| Growth plan subscription | 1 month | $53 | $53.00 | AED 194.64 |
| Total per month | $385.80 | AED 1,416.85 |
How do WhatsApp API providers in the UAE bill?
Providers use different billing models, so compare total monthly cost rather than headline plan prices. The figures below are what each provider published on the pages listed in our sources, as seen on 27 October 2026. Prices change often; check each provider's current page.
Official Meta Cloud API Verified · Ownchat Production Workspace
Provider | Platform fee (published) | How messages are charged (published) |
|---|---|---|
| Ownchat | From $12/month (annual) or $18 (monthly), USD | Ownchat per-message prices in USD, published by country |
| SleekFlow (UAE) | Pro AED 399/month, Premium AED 999/month; number hosting AED 55/month; paid onboarding | Its own rate card |
| respond.io | Starter $99, Growth $199, Advanced $349/month, based on monthly active contacts | States it adds nothing to Meta's message rates and charges no number fee |
| 360dialog | $59, $119 or $299/month per channel | Meta rates, plus a 7% surcharge on marketing messages sent outside Meta's Marketing Messages API |
| Gupshup (self-serve) | No fixed plan fee listed | $0.001 per message plus Meta's fee; 6% extra on Cloud API marketing messages from 1 January 2026 |
| Twilio | No subscription | $0.005 per message (inbound or outbound) plus Meta's fee |
How can I lower my WhatsApp marketing cost?
Use the right category
an order update sent as a utility template costs $0.0188, while the same message as marketing costs $0.0691.
Segment before you broadcast
sending to 500 engaged buyers instead of your full list cuts cost and reduces blocks.
Run Click-to-WhatsApp ads
conversations that start from an ad get Meta's free entry window of up to 7 days.
Answer questions in the service window
your first 1,000 service replies per number each month are free.
Choose annual billing
Growth costs $53 per month billed annually versus $62 billed monthly.
Official Meta Cloud API Verified · Ownchat Production Workspace
How do I start with Ownchat in the UAE?
Start a 14-day free trial with no credit card, connect your +971 number and send your first templates. Support is available Monday to Friday, 7:30am–4:30pm UAE time (9am–6pm India time), at sales@ownchat.app or +91 72006 72700. For features, setup and UAE compliance, see our WhatsApp Business API page for the UAE.
Official Meta Cloud API Verified · Ownchat Production Workspace
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Everything you need to know about pricing, compliance, Meta requirements and setup.
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost in the UAE?
With Ownchat, plans start at $12 per month billed annually (about AED 44.07). Messages to UAE numbers cost $0.0691 for marketing and $0.0188 for utility, authentication and service. Your monthly total depends mostly on how many marketing messages you send.
How does Meta charge for WhatsApp messages now?
Since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per delivered message, based on the message category and the recipient's country. Messages customers send to you are free.
Can I pay in AED?
Ownchat bills UAE customers in USD. AED figures on this page are approximate, converted at the official peg of 1 USD = 3.6725 AED, and are for reference only.
Are service messages free?
Partly. Under Meta's rules since 1 October 2026, the first 1,000 service messages per business phone number each month are free. After that, each service message to a UAE number costs $0.0188 with Ownchat.
Why does an OTP cost $0.0612 instead of $0.0188?
That is the authentication-international price. It applies when a business based outside the UAE sends one-time passwords to UAE numbers. UAE-based businesses sending OTPs to UAE customers pay the standard $0.0188.
What is the cheapest way to send WhatsApp marketing in Dubai?
Send only to segmented, opted-in customers, use utility templates for transactional updates, and use Click-to-WhatsApp ads, which open a free messaging window of up to 7 days. The official API is also the safe alternative to unofficial bulk-sender tools, which can get numbers banned.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Ownchat offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Do plan prices include green tick help and onboarding?
Yes. Ownchat states that every plan includes call support, onboarding and green tick assistance, and that it handles the green tick application for free on all paid plans. Meta decides whether to approve the badge.
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