## Overview The **dispatch cost calculator** shows how much a WhatsApp campaign will cost **before** you send it and how much it cost **afterward**. The math is based on the **per-message tariff** Meta charges per **template category** (marketing, utility and authentication) and the recipient's **country**, converted from **USD** to **BRL** at the current exchange rate. > Only **WhatsApp Cloud** is billed by Meta. **WhatsApp Web** inboxes have no per-message Meta cost, > so they show up as **free** (`billable: false`). The calculator covers the three categories that are sent in campaigns: **marketing**, **utility** and **authentication**. **Service messages** (free-form text inside the 24-hour customer service window) are not sent in campaigns, so they have no row in the calculator. A service rate applies since **2026-10-01**. The platform estimates an allowance of **1,000 free service messages per month** for each number, without treating that limit as an official Meta rule. Estimated monthly allowance; Meta does not publish this limit in the documentation tracked here. Track that usage in the [WhatsApp cost center](/hc/ajuda/articles/reports-whatsapp-cost-center-en). The platform uses this same number in two places: the **calculator** (a what-if simulation) and the **audience cost estimate** shown in the campaign composer. ## Prerequisites - Access to the **Campaigns** module. - For a billed cost: a connected **WhatsApp Cloud inbox** (Web generates no Meta cost). - The campaign's **template category** — **marketing**, **utility** or **authentication**. The category is what sets the per-message tariff. ## Step by step 1. Open **Campaigns** in the sidebar. 2. Open the **Dispatch calculator** (the calculator button on the campaigns screen). 3. Choose the recipients' **country** from the selector (e.g., BR, US, MX...). 4. For each **category** (marketing, utility, authentication), enter the **quantity** of messages. 5. Per row, review the **per-message tariff** (in USD) and the **total in BRL**. 6. Check the highlighted **estimated total cost** (USD and BRL) and the number of **billable** messages. In the campaign composer, when you set the **audience** and the **category**, the platform also shows the **estimated cost** of the resolved audience (labels, specific contacts, saved segments or all), already in BRL. ## Settings & options - **Per-category tariffs (USD)**: each category has a per-message tariff per country, following Meta's official rate card in effect, currently the **2026-10-01** card. For Brazil it did not change from the previous one: marketing **US$ 0.0625** and utility or authentication **US$ 0.0068** per message (on Meta's BRL rate card, R$ 0.3217 and R$ 0.0350). Other markets did change, such as Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Peru and South Africa. - **Rate card date**: the calculator shows the date of the official rate card it is using. If no official rate card is loaded, it says it is using the platform's **internal reference rate card** instead of showing a date. - **Utility inside the window**: since 2026-10-01 Meta also charges a utility message sent to someone whose 24-hour customer service window is open. It used to go out free in that case. - **USD → BRL conversion**: uses the live exchange rate of the day (cached ~1h). Use **Refresh** to fetch a fresh quote bypassing the cache, or **Adjust** to enter a manual what-if rate. - **Rate source**: the badge shows whether the rate is **live**, **estimated** (a fallback used when the quote is unavailable) or **manual**. - **Admin-editable tariff (override)**: Meta has **no pricing API**, so an administrator can **edit the tariff** per category/country with the real negotiated price. The row gets a **custom** badge. Leaving the tariff field **blank and saving** **restores** the official/synced rate. - **Sync (official)**: reads **Meta's own published rate table** (the USD rate card linked from the developer pricing page) and refreshes the per-country, per-category tariffs. Updated rows then show the **synced** source. An **admin override still wins** over a synced rate — syncing never erases the price you negotiated. If the read fails, **nothing changes**: the editable/base table stays in force. - **Alternative rate source**: to feed the tariffs yourself, point the `WHATSAPP_PRICING_SOURCE_URL` environment variable at a **JSON or CSV** endpoint carrying the rate per country and category. The platform uses that source instead of the official page. - **Audience cost estimate (in the composer)**: when you pick audience + category, the platform resolves the phone-bearing contacts and returns the **estimated cost** in BRL and whether it is **billable**. - **Estimated vs. actual cost on the campaign**: the campaign stores the **estimated cost** (`estimated_cost`), the **actual cost** (`actual_cost`) and the **currency** (`currency`, default BRL). The estimate is written at creation (Cloud only); the actual cost accrues as billable messages (delivered/read/replied) are counted. - **With the WhatsApp cost center turned on**: the **actual cost** becomes the sum of the messages Meta confirmed as **delivered and billable**, priced message by message with the official rate card, in the number's **market** and the **WABA currency**, and it refreshes in about 10 seconds. Failed and skipped messages never add up, and a retry adds to the recipient. The price frozen at dispatch stays visible as **Estimate at dispatch**. The calculator keeps working as before (USD per country); the rate per **market and currency** is edited in **Reports → WhatsApp costs → Rate cards**. ## Use cases - **Budget a promotion**: simulate 10,000 marketing messages to Brazil and see the BRL total before approving. - **Compare categories**: see the price difference between marketing, utility and authentication to pick the best format. - **Validate billing**: record the real price negotiated with Meta in the editable tariff and compare the **estimated cost** with the **actual cost** at the end of the campaign. ## Tips, limits & best practices - **WhatsApp Web has no Meta cost**: Web rows and campaigns show up as **free** (`billable: false`) and don't add to the budget. - **Restore the official tariff**: to undo an override, leave the tariff field **blank** and save — this reverts to the official/synced rate. - **Tariff = real price**: since Meta exposes no pricing via API, keep the editable tariff aligned with your contract so the estimate matches the invoice. - **Exchange rate**: if the rate is marked **estimated**, it's a fallback — refresh to get the live quote before closing a budget. ## Troubleshooting - **Cost shows R$ 0 or is missing**: the campaign is on **WhatsApp Web** (no Meta billing) **or** the audience is very large and exceeded the estimate limit (above ~5,000 contacts), in which case the estimate is skipped so creation never hangs — the **actual cost** is still counted during sending. - **Synced but the tariff didn't change**: there is an **admin override** for that country and category — the override wins over the synced rate. Clear the field and save to restore it. - **The table won't sync**: the message says **why** — the source returned an error, could not be reached, or answered without readable rates. In every case the platform keeps the editable/base table as the source of truth. If it persists, point `WHATSAPP_PRICING_SOURCE_URL` at your own JSON/CSV endpoint or set the tariff manually. - **Rate marked "estimated"**: the live quote wasn't available; use **Refresh** or enter a **manual** rate. - **The calculator says it uses the internal reference rate card**: no official rate card is loaded right now. The platform loads the official rate cards on its own; an administrator can force a read in **Reports → WhatsApp costs → Rate cards → Sync official rate card**, which shows the real result, failures included. ## See also - [WhatsApp campaign for contact lists](/hc/ajuda/articles/campaigns-whatsapp-campaign-en) - [HSM templates and variables](/hc/ajuda/articles/campaigns-templates-hsm-variaveis-en) - [Campaigns overview](/hc/ajuda/articles/campaigns-overview-en) - [WhatsApp cost center](/hc/ajuda/articles/reports-whatsapp-cost-center-en)