What is the story about?
WhatsApp is set to introduce a new pricing model that could make business chatbots powered by third-party AI models such as ChatGPT and Claude more expensive to operate than those using Meta's own AI platform.
The changes are expected to come into effect later this year as Meta rolls out new pricing for its Business Agent Platform.
How does the third-party AI cost more?
Starting October 1, businesses using third-party AI models on WhatsApp could incur total costs of up to $968 for every 10,000 higher-complexity AI interactions, depending on token usage. According to Meta's pricing estimates, comparable interactions using Meta AI would cost around $400–500.
Meta's pricing estimates also show that 10,000 lower-complexity service interactions would cost around $268. WhatsApp currently does not charge businesses for AI-agent interactions through the Meta Business Agent Platform.
The proposed pricing could affect companies that use multiple AI models for customer interactions, including ChatGPT, Claude, Qwen, Mistral and Kimi, by increasing the overall cost of serving users through WhatsApp.
According to Meta's updated pricing documentation, the company launched the Meta Business Agent Platform on July 1, 2026. From August 1, Meta will begin charging businesses on a per-token basis for messages powered by the Meta Business Agent Platform.
From October 1, Meta will also introduce per-message charges for service messages, including those powered by human agents or third-party AI solutions, as well as utility messages sent within an open 24-hour customer service window.
How the new pricing works
Meta said businesses using the Meta Business Agent Platform will be charged on a per-token basis. It added that companies using third-party AI solutions may also incur separate charges from their AI provider, in addition to Meta's messaging charges and any fees charged by their messaging solution provider.
The changes are expected to come into effect later this year as Meta rolls out new pricing for its Business Agent Platform.
How does the third-party AI cost more?
Starting October 1, businesses using third-party AI models on WhatsApp could incur total costs of up to $968 for every 10,000 higher-complexity AI interactions, depending on token usage. According to Meta's pricing estimates, comparable interactions using Meta AI would cost around $400–500.
Meta's pricing estimates also show that 10,000 lower-complexity service interactions would cost around $268. WhatsApp currently does not charge businesses for AI-agent interactions through the Meta Business Agent Platform.
The proposed pricing could affect companies that use multiple AI models for customer interactions, including ChatGPT, Claude, Qwen, Mistral and Kimi, by increasing the overall cost of serving users through WhatsApp.
According to Meta's updated pricing documentation, the company launched the Meta Business Agent Platform on July 1, 2026. From August 1, Meta will begin charging businesses on a per-token basis for messages powered by the Meta Business Agent Platform.
From October 1, Meta will also introduce per-message charges for service messages, including those powered by human agents or third-party AI solutions, as well as utility messages sent within an open 24-hour customer service window.
How the new pricing works
Meta said businesses using the Meta Business Agent Platform will be charged on a per-token basis. It added that companies using third-party AI solutions may also incur separate charges from their AI provider, in addition to Meta's messaging charges and any fees charged by their messaging solution provider.
