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WhatsApp BSP Markup Explained: What Providers Charge on Top of Meta (2026)
The five ways WhatsApp BSPs charge on top of Meta, with list prices for Twilio, Gupshup, 360dialog and BIK, costs at three volumes, and the hidden fees to ask about.
Short answer: every WhatsApp Business API bill has two parts: Meta's fee per message, and whatever your Business Solution Provider (BSP) adds on top. Providers add it in five ways: a fixed fee per message (Twilio charges $0.005 per message, inbound or outbound; Gupshup charges $0.001), a monthly fee per number (360dialog starts at €49 per number per month), a percentage markup on Meta's rate, their own rate card, or a small flat fee with Meta's rates at cost. BIK uses the last model: Meta's rate card at cost, no markup, $0 platform fee, and $10 per WhatsApp number per month, in every country. That is BIK's BSP (API-only) offering; BIK's marketing and retention platform is a separate subscription priced on contacts.
Choosing a BSP used to be a technical decision. In 2026 it is a finance decision. Meta bills per message, service replies are no longer free, and a provider fee that looks tiny per message turns into a real number at ecommerce volume. This guide explains how WhatsApp API pricing works, compares the main pricing models with real list prices, shows what each costs at three volumes, and lists the hidden fees to ask about before you sign.
How WhatsApp Business API pricing works in 2026
Meta's fee. Since July 1, 2025 Meta charges per delivered template message. The price depends on the template category (marketing, utility, authentication) and the recipient's country. From October 1, 2026, service messages (free-form replies inside the 24-hour customer service window) are also charged, at the utility rate, after 1,000 free per business number per month. Conversations started from Click-to-WhatsApp ads or Facebook Page buttons stay free during the free entry point window.
The provider's fee. Meta does not sell the API directly to most brands. You access it through a BSP, which onboards your number, gives you an API or a dashboard, and bills you. Some BSPs pass Meta's fee through at cost and charge for their software separately. Others add a margin to every message. The difference is easy to miss on a pricing page and hard to miss on an invoice.
For a full breakdown of the October change, see WhatsApp service messages are no longer free.
The five BSP pricing models
1. A fixed fee on every message
The provider adds a set amount to each message on top of Meta's fee. Twilio charges $0.005 per message, both inbound and outbound, plus $0.001 per failed message. Gupshup charges $0.001 per message on top of Meta's fee, which it passes through at cost.
What it means: cost scales directly with volume. Twilio's inbound charge matters for support, because every customer message also carries the fee. In markets where Meta's rates are low, such as utility messages in India or the US, a $0.005 provider fee can be larger than Meta's own charge.
2. A monthly fee per number
The provider charges a subscription per phone number and passes Meta's message fees through. 360dialog's plans are Regular at €49, Premium at €99 and Scale at €500 per number per month, with Meta fees on top. Its Partner Platform, for software companies building on WhatsApp, advertises zero message markup.
What it means: predictable cost that does not grow with message volume, which suits API-first teams with their own software. You still need a separate tool for campaigns, journeys and a team inbox.
3. A percentage markup on Meta's rate
The provider bills Meta's rate plus a percentage. An independent October 2026 audit of Interakt reports a markup of 12% to 25% over Meta's base rates on its self-serve plans, removed on Enterprise. Zoko's Starter plan adds $0.015 per conversation.
What it means: the markup is invisible on the subscription and grows with every campaign and, since October 2026, every support reply.
4. The provider's own rate card
The provider publishes its own price per message by category and country, without showing Meta's underlying rate. WATI bills messages on "WATI's rate card". You can only see the margin by comparing their prices with Meta's published rates, country by country.
5. Meta's rate at cost, plus a small fixed fee
The provider passes Meta's fee through with no margin and charges a small fixed amount for the number. This is BIK's BSP model: no markup, $0 platform fee, and $10 per WhatsApp number per month. The message line on your invoice matches Meta's rate card exactly.
Paying for WhatsApp messages that don't convert? Manifest AI and BIK turn WhatsApp conversations into orders, with AI agents that answer questions, recommend products and recover carts.
What provider fees cost at three volumes
The table shows only the provider's fee, for one WhatsApp number sending outbound messages. Meta's message fees are the same whichever provider you use (unless a markup is applied to them), so they are excluded.
| Provider fee model | 10,000 messages a month | 50,000 messages a month | 250,000 messages a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIK ($10 per number per month, $0 markup) | $10 | $10 | $10 |
| Gupshup ($0.001 per message) | $10 | $50 | $250 |
| 360dialog Regular (€49 per number) | €49 | €49 | €49 (higher plans €99 or €500) |
| Twilio ($0.005 per outbound message) | $50 | $250 | $1,250 |
| Percentage markup (15% of Meta fees) | 15% of your Meta bill, every month | ||
List prices checked October 2026. Twilio also charges $0.005 per inbound message and $0.001 per failed message. 360dialog's plan fit depends on your usage and features. BIK's optional retention platform is priced separately, from $250 per month based on contacts.
To see what a percentage markup means in money, apply it to your Meta bill. A brand spending $10,000 a month with Meta pays $1,500 a month at 15%, or $18,000 a year, for the same messages. At 25%, it is $30,000 a year.
A year of BSP fees for one ecommerce brand
Monthly numbers hide how much these models diverge. Here is one illustrative brand with a single WhatsApp number, sending 150,000 marketing templates, 50,000 utility templates (order and shipping updates) and 30,000 service replies a month. That is 230,000 outbound messages a month, or 2.76 million a year. Assume its Meta bill is $8,000 a month.
| Provider fee model | Provider fees per year | How it is calculated |
|---|---|---|
| BIK | $120 | $10 per number per month, $0 markup |
| 360dialog Regular | €588 | €49 per number per month (Premium would be €1,188) |
| Gupshup | $2,760 | $0.001 x 2.76 million messages |
| Twilio | $13,800 plus inbound | $0.005 x 2.76 million outbound messages |
| 15% markup | $14,400 | 15% of $96,000 in annual Meta fees |
| 25% markup | $24,000 | 25% of $96,000 in annual Meta fees |
Illustrative. Assumes the provider's fee applies to every outbound message. Meta's fees of about $96,000 a year are the same under every model unless a markup is added to them.
The spread is the point. The same messages, sent through the same Meta platform, carry anywhere from about a hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars a year in provider fees. For a brand at this scale, the BSP decision is worth more than most software line items on the marketing budget.
Hidden fees to ask about before you sign
- Inbound message fees. Do customer messages to you carry a provider charge?
- Failed message fees. Are you charged when a message fails, for example on Meta's per-user marketing limits?
- Service message markup. Since October 2026, does the provider's fee or percentage apply to support replies? Do the 1,000 free service messages per number reach your account?
- Number and platform fees. Per number, per month, per WABA, or per seat?
- Currency conversion. If you top up a wallet in one currency and Meta bills in another, what exchange rate and fee apply?
- Minimum top-ups and expiry. Do wallet credits expire? Is there a minimum monthly spend?
- Migration and exit. Will the provider release your number promptly if you move? Is there a fee?
- Support. Who do you talk to when a template is rejected or your quality rating drops the day before a sale?
What to compare beyond price
Meta partner status. A direct Meta Business Solution Provider controls onboarding, verification and escalations. A reseller depends on someone else for all three.
Coverage. Check that pricing and support apply in every country you sell to, not only the provider's home market.
Deliverability tooling. Number warm-up, messaging limit tracking, retries on failed sends, fallback templates and quality rating alerts protect revenue as volume grows.
What you build on top. A raw API is enough if you have engineers and your own platform. Ecommerce brands usually need campaigns, journeys on store events, an inbox and AI as well. Buying those from a second vendor adds a second bill.
Human support. WhatsApp issues are time-sensitive. Ticket queues with multi-day response times are common among BSPs.
See what your brand could automate. Our team builds the agents for you, and most brands are live in about 2 weeks.
BIK as your WhatsApp BSP
- Meta Business Solution Provider. BIK onboards and manages your number directly with Meta.
- Meta's rate card at cost. No markup on marketing, utility, authentication or service messages.
- $0 platform fee, $10 per WhatsApp number per month. That is the only BSP fee.
- All countries. The same pricing model applies wherever your customers are.
- Migration included. BIK moves your number, display name and quality rating from your current provider, and helps you re-submit templates.
- A WhatsApp group for every client. You talk to the BIK team directly, not through a ticket queue. That is rare in the BSP world.
- Deliverability built in. WhatsApp warm-up, messaging limit tracking, Smart Retry and a Fallback AI template.
- Optional retention platform. If you want campaigns, Shopify journeys, AI agents, checkout inside WhatsApp and a helpdesk, they run on the same number as a separate subscription (not included in the $10), with plans from $250 per month priced on contacts ($300 per month at 100,000 contacts). See best WhatsApp marketing tools for Shopify brands.
When another BSP is a better fit
If you are a software company embedding WhatsApp into your own product, 360dialog's partner platform or Twilio's broader messaging APIs may suit your engineering team better. If you need WhatsApp as one of many programmable channels (voice, SMS, email) from a single developer platform, Twilio's breadth is the draw, at the cost of its per-message fee. For an ecommerce brand that wants Meta's rates at cost, hands-on support and retention tooling on the same number, BIK is built for that case.
How to switch WhatsApp BSPs
- Audit your last three months. Messages by category and country, plus your provider's fees, so you can measure the saving.
- Export templates and opt-ins. Keep a record of approved templates and customer opt-ins.
- Start the number migration. The new BSP requests the migration and you approve it in Meta Business Manager. The display name and quality rating move with the number.
- Re-submit templates and reconnect flows. Your new provider re-submits templates; reconnect your store, CRM or API integrations.
- Ramp gradually. Send to engaged segments first and watch your quality rating and messaging limits.
80%+ of tickets automated, or your money back. That's the Manifest AI guarantee, written into your contract.
FAQ
What is a WhatsApp BSP markup?
It is any amount a Business Solution Provider adds on top of Meta's per-message fee: a fixed fee per message, a percentage of Meta's rate, or a price on its own rate card above Meta's.
Which WhatsApp BSP has no markup?
BIK passes Meta's rate card through at cost with no markup and no platform fee, charging $10 per WhatsApp number per month. 360dialog charges a monthly fee per number and passes Meta's fees through; its partner platform advertises zero message markup.
How much does Twilio charge for WhatsApp?
Twilio charges $0.005 per message, inbound or outbound, plus Meta's fees, and $0.001 per failed message, according to its October 2026 pricing.
How much does Gupshup charge for WhatsApp?
Gupshup charges $0.001 per message on top of Meta's fees, which it passes through at cost.
How much does 360dialog cost?
360dialog's plans are Regular at €49, Premium at €99 and Scale at €500 per number per month, with Meta's fees on top.
Can I change BSP without losing my WhatsApp number?
Yes. Numbers can be migrated between BSPs with display name and quality rating intact. BIK includes migration for every client.
Sources
- Meta: WhatsApp Business Platform pricing
- Twilio WhatsApp pricing
- 360dialog pricing
- Interakt pricing India 2026 (independent audit)
- WATI pricing
- Gupshup WhatsApp API pricing page (October 2026)
Related reading: Top 10 WhatsApp Business API providers in 2026.
