WhatsApp has announced a new pricing model for its Business Agent Platform that increases operational costs for businesses utilizing third-party artificial intelligence models, such as ChatGPT and Claude. The platform, which launched on July 1, 2026, will shift to a per-token billing structure beginning August 1, 2026. According to Meta's estimates, companies using third-party AI for higher-complexity interactions could face costs up to $968 for every 10,000 interactions, starting October 1. This is significantly higher than the $400–500 estimated for similar workloads processed by Meta AI.

For lower-complexity service interactions, Meta estimates a cost of approximately $268 per 10,000 interactions. Currently, WhatsApp does not charge businesses for AI-agent interactions. The new fee structure, effective October 1, includes per-message charges for utility messages and those handled by either human agents or third-party AI integrations. Companies using external solutions like Qwen, Mistral, or Kimi may also be subject to dual costs: fees from Meta's messaging platform and additional expenses from their specific third-party AI provider, alongside any messaging solution provider fees.

WhatsApp has announced a new pricing model for its Business Agent Platform that increases operational costs for businesses utilizing third-party artificial intelligence models, such as ChatGPT and Claude. The platform, which launched on July 1, 2026, will shift to a per-token billing structure beginning August 1, 2026. According to Meta's estimates, companies using third-party AI for higher-complexity interactions could face costs up to $968 for every 10,000 interactions, starting October 1. This is significantly higher than the $400–500 estimated for similar workloads processed by Meta AI.

For lower-complexity service interactions, Meta estimates a cost of approximately $268 per 10,000 interactions. Currently, WhatsApp does not charge businesses for AI-agent interactions. The new fee structure, effective October 1, includes per-message charges for utility messages and those handled by either human agents or third-party AI integrations. Companies using external solutions like Qwen, Mistral, or Kimi may also be subject to dual costs: fees from Meta's messaging platform and additional expenses from their specific third-party AI provider, alongside any messaging solution provider fees.