What does a WhatsApp chatbot cost in the UK?
Every WhatsApp chatbot that runs on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform has the same three layers of cost, whichever tool or builder you use:
| Cost layer | Who charges it | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Build and set-up | Your build partner, or your own time on a platform | One-off, for flows, templates, knowledge, integrations and testing |
| Meta's message charges | Meta, directly or through your provider | Per delivered template message, by category and the recipient's country |
| Provider and AI usage | Your WhatsApp provider or platform, and the AI model provider | Subscriptions, seat or per-message fees, and usage-based model costs |
| Support | Your team, or an optional retainer | Monthly, for reviews, new templates and content updates |
The build is the easiest part to pin down. The running costs depend on how many messages you send first, rather than in reply, and how many conversations the AI handles.
What does SpiderHunts charge to build one?
These are the prices on our service pages. They exclude VAT, and every build gets a written quote with scope and exclusions agreed up front.
| Build | Setup | Optional monthly support | Typical timescale |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp chatbot | From £4,000 | From £200 a month | 2 to 5 weeks |
| WhatsApp chatbot for retail | From £5,000 | From £200 a month | 3 to 5 weeks |
The setup covers WhatsApp Business Platform set-up, conversation flows, templates, the knowledge base, connections to your shop, CRM or inbox, testing and launch. The retail build starts higher because it connects to product, stock, order and booking data. Meta's message charges and AI usage are billed by those providers and estimated in the quote.
How does Meta charge for WhatsApp messages?
Everything in this section comes from Meta's WhatsApp pricing page, checked on 15 October 2026.
- Per message, not per conversation. Since 1 July 2025 Meta has charged on a per-message basis, replacing the earlier conversation-based pricing.
- Only template messages are charged. Meta charges when a template message is delivered. Templates are the pre-approved messages a business uses to start or restart a conversation.
- Three template categories. Marketing, utility and authentication. Some countries also have a separate authentication-international rate.
- The recipient's country sets the rate. Charges are based on the country calling code of the recipient's WhatsApp number, so messages to UK numbers are charged at the United Kingdom rate.
- Volume tiers. Utility and authentication rates fall as monthly volume rises, counted per business portfolio. Marketing messages have no volume tiers.
- Rate cards in pounds. Meta publishes rate cards in 16 currencies, including GBP.
- Recent UK change. Meta's page lists a higher United Kingdom marketing message rate from 1 July 2026.
We do not quote Meta's rates here, because they change and the pricing page sends you to Meta's rate card for the current figures. Check it for the United Kingdom before you budget, and again before a large campaign.
Which WhatsApp messages are free?
A customer service window opens when a customer messages you and lasts 24 hours from their latest message. While it is open you can reply with free-form, non-template messages. Once it closes, you can only send templates. According to Meta's pricing page:
| Message type | Inside the 24-hour customer service window | Outside the window |
|---|---|---|
| Free-form reply (non-template) | Free | Cannot be sent |
| Utility template, such as an order update | Free | Charged |
| Marketing template | Charged | Charged |
| Authentication template, such as a one-time code | Charged | Charged |
There is one more free route. When someone messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action button, in the Android or iOS app, a free entry point window opens. Meta says all messages, including templates, are free for 72 hours while it is open.
For a chatbot this is good news. A bot that mainly answers customers who message you first works inside the free window most of the time. The charges come from messages you send first: reminders, order updates sent later, re-engagement and marketing.
What do WhatsApp providers and platforms add?
Most businesses reach the WhatsApp Business Platform through a provider, often called a Business Solution Provider (BSP), or through a chatbot or inbox platform built on one. They charge for their own service on top of Meta's fees. The common models are:
- A monthly subscription, sometimes priced per user seat or per contact.
- A small fee per message on top of Meta's charge.
- Meta's charges passed through at cost, or billed directly to your own Meta account.
- Add-on fees for AI features, extra numbers or higher message volumes.
Ask any provider whether Meta's charges are included or passed through, whether they add a mark-up, and in which currency you will be billed. Our comparison of the best WhatsApp chatbot tools for UK businesses links to the pricing pages of the main platforms.
Does Meta charge extra when a chatbot uses AI?
Not for an ordinary business. Meta introduced a separate pricing policy for AI Providers, meaning providers and developers of AI technology such as large language models, which applies in certain countries from 16 February 2026 and was updated on 12 May 2026. Meta states that it does not change how or what it charges all other businesses using the platform. A shop or a clinic using AI to answer its own customers is charged in the normal way.
The AI model itself is a separate running cost, billed by the model provider and usually based on the volume of text processed. It rises with the number and length of conversations and the model chosen.
What drives the build cost up or down?
- Conversation types. Answering questions is one job; bookings, order tracking and returns are separate jobs, each with its own logic and testing.
- Integrations. Reading stock, orders or bookings from your own systems is often the largest single cost.
- Templates. Each template has to be written, categorised and approved by Meta, and each language needs its own.
- Handover. A shared inbox where staff take over conversations adds set-up and testing.
- Data requirements. Redacting personal data before it reaches a model, or strict retention rules, add design time.
- Branches and numbers. Several numbers or locations need their own routing.
How can you keep WhatsApp running costs down?
- Design the bot to resolve questions inside the free 24-hour window, rather than following up later with templates.
- Send utility updates, such as order confirmations, while the customer's window is still open, where that suits the customer.
- Keep marketing templates for customers who have opted in and are likely to want them.
- Use Click to WhatsApp ads where they fit, since they open a 72-hour free entry point window.
- Choose the smallest AI model that answers your test questions accurately.
- Check Meta's rate card for the United Kingdom before each large campaign.
Marketing messages also need valid consent under UK rules, and Meta requires opt-in before you message customers first. Our guide to AI chatbot costs in the UK covers the running costs of website chatbots, if you are comparing channels. For a wider view of what we build, see our AI services.
What should a WhatsApp chatbot quote include?
- The conversation types in scope, and what is excluded.
- Each template, its category and the languages needed.
- Each integration, and whether it reads data, writes data or both.
- Estimated Meta charges and AI usage at your expected volume, and who is billed for each.
- Any provider subscription, and whether it includes or marks up Meta's charges.
- How staff take over conversations.
- How data is processed and stored, with a data processing agreement.
- What support after launch costs, if you want it.