You pay for delivered codes
Meta charges when the message is delivered. A code that never reaches the phone is not billed, unlike many SMS routes that charge on submission.
GUIDE WhatsApp OTP pricing
WhatsApp OTP pricing, worked out in rupees.
Two bills, no surprises: Meta charges your WhatsApp account per delivered code, and your AutoChatly plan covers the API. Here's how to estimate both before you switch.
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Quick answer
In India, a WhatsApp OTP costs Meta's authentication rate per delivered message, which has been roughly 11–13 paise per code at Meta's 2025–26 India rate card. Meta bills this to your own WhatsApp Business account. AutoChatly does not add a per-OTP markup; the API is included in your plan. Always confirm the current figure on Meta's WhatsApp pricing page, because Meta revises rates a few times a year.
Updated 1 Nov 2026 · AutoChatly teamWhat you get
Everything you need, in one place.
No per-OTP markup from us
Meta bills your WhatsApp account directly. Your AutoChatly plan covers the API, the dashboard and support.
No DLT paperwork
No entity ID, header or template registration with an Indian telecom DLT portal. That alone saves a week for most new apps.
Fewer resends
The Copy code button and instant delivery mean fewer users tapping "Resend OTP", and every resend is money.
Side by side
What 10,000 logins a month really cost
| What matters | WhatsApp OTP | SMS OTP (typical India route) |
|---|---|---|
| Price per code | About ₹0.12 at Meta's India rate | ₹0.13–₹0.25 depending on volume and route |
| Billed when | Delivered | Usually submitted |
| Typical resend rate | Low: code arrives in seconds | Higher at peak hours and on DND-heavy routes |
| Setup cost | None beyond your plan | DLT registration plus template approval |
| Rough monthly total (10k logins) | ₹1,200–₹1,400 to Meta | ₹1,500–₹3,000 including resends |
Figures are estimates for planning. Meta and SMS vendors change prices; check current rates before you budget.
How it works
Live in 3 simple steps.
Count your monthly verifications
Signups plus logins that need a code. Most apps also see 10–20% extra from resends; plan for it.
Multiply by Meta's authentication rate
Use the India rate from Meta's pricing page. If many users are outside India, Meta charges a separate international authentication rate.
Add your AutoChatly plan
One plan covers OTP, campaigns and the inbox. Start on Free to test, upgrade when traffic grows.
Who sends you the bill?
This catches people out, so it's worth saying plainly. When you send a WhatsApp OTP through AutoChatly, the message goes out from your WhatsApp Business account, and Meta bills that account for it. You add a card once in Meta's billing settings. AutoChatly never touches the per-message money, which is also why we can't quietly mark it up.
If you skip the card, Meta blocks template messages, OTPs included. Our dashboard warns you before that happens and walks you through adding one, which takes about two minutes.
What counts as one OTP
Meta prices WhatsApp by message category. A login or signup code uses an authentication template, the cheapest business-initiated category in India. One delivered code is one charge. If the user taps "Resend", that's a second message and a second charge, so a sensible resend timer (we enforce 30 seconds) pays for itself.
Users in other countries are billed at Meta's international authentication rate, which is noticeably higher. If you only serve India, keep the country allow-list on +91. It also blocks the toll-fraud trick where bots request codes to expensive foreign numbers.
The hidden costs of SMS OTP
SMS looks cheap on a rate card. In practice three things push it up:
- Resends. When an SMS takes 40 seconds at 9 pm on a sale day, users ask for another code. You pay for both.
- Billing on submission. Many routes charge whether or not the SMS was delivered.
- DLT upkeep. Every template change goes back through approval. Miss it and messages get scrubbed silently.
None of this makes SMS useless. It's still the right fallback for users without WhatsApp. But comparing only the per-message price gives a misleading answer. We go deeper in WhatsApp OTP vs SMS OTP.
A quick sanity check
A D2C brand doing 3,000 orders a month with OTP at checkout sends around 3,500 codes once resends are counted. At roughly 12 paise each, that's about ₹420 a month to Meta. Most stores spend more than that on one day's delivery returns.
Ready to try it? Connect your number, create the OTP template with one click and send a test code to your own phone. The developer steps are in how to send OTP on WhatsApp and the full reference is in the API docs.
Pricing
Simple plans in rupees.
Starter
₹1,999 /month
₹1,800/month on quarterly, no setup fee
or ₹1,666/month billed yearly
- 2,000 contacts
- 2 team members
- 2 chatbot flows
MOST POPULAR
Growth
₹4,999 /month
₹4,500/month on quarterly, no setup fee
or ₹4,166/month billed yearly
- 10,000 contacts
- 5 team members
- 10 chatbot flows
Business
₹11,999 /month
₹10,800/month on quarterly, no setup fee
or ₹9,999/month billed yearly
- 50,000 contacts
- 10 team members
- Unlimited chatbot flows
Founding 100: the first 100 businesses keep their price for life. 99 spots left.
Prices in INR. Meta's WhatsApp message charges are billed separately.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
How much does one WhatsApp OTP cost in India?
Meta charges its India authentication rate per delivered code, roughly 11–13 paise at the 2025–26 rate card. Check Meta's WhatsApp pricing page for today's figure.
Does AutoChatly charge per OTP?
No. Meta bills your own WhatsApp Business account for each message. The OTP API is included in your AutoChatly plan.
Is WhatsApp OTP cheaper than SMS OTP?
Usually, once you count resends and charges for undelivered SMS. On the raw rate card the two are close; the difference shows up in delivery and resend rates.
Am I charged if the OTP is not delivered?
No. Meta bills WhatsApp messages on delivery.
Why did my WhatsApp OTPs stop sending?
The most common reason is a missing or failed payment method in Meta. Add a card in Meta billing; AutoChatly shows a step-by-step guide in your dashboard.
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