WhatsApp Business API pricing in South Africa (2026)
Per-message rates Meta charges to send WhatsApp template messages to South African numbers, plus what LandinChat adds on top. WhatsApp is the most-used app in South Africa, central to retail, banking and insurance customer journeys across Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Meta's per-message rates for South Africa
Charged by Meta directly. LandinChat passes Meta's rate through at cost — no markup on conversation fees.
Promotions, offers, abandoned-cart, broadcasts
Order updates, shipping, receipts, reminders
OTP, 2FA, account verification
In-session replies inside the 24h window
Monthly cost estimate by volume
Conversation cost only — Meta's per-message charge for South Africa. Add your LandinChat plan on top.
| Messages / month | Marketing | Utility | Authentication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $38 | $13 | $31 |
| 5,000 | $190 | $65 | $154 |
| 25,000 | $948 | $325 | $768 |
| 100,000 | $3,790 | $1,300 | $3,070 |
Why South African businesses choose LandinChat
Pricing questions from South African buyers
Does Meta charge me directly or does LandinChat bill it?
LandinChat invoices the Meta conversation fees together with your plan, in ZAR. You get one consolidated invoice — no separate Meta billing relationship needed.
Why is marketing more expensive than utility in South Africa?
Meta tiers conversations by intent. Marketing (promotions, offers) commands the highest rate because it's outbound revenue-driving. Utility messages (order updates, receipts) are cheaper because they're customer-initiated workflows. Authentication (OTP, 2FA) sits in between.
Are service-window messages really free in South Africa?
Yes. Once a customer messages you, you have a rolling 24-hour service window to reply with unlimited free-form messages at no per-message cost. This is identical across every market including South Africa.
Are you POPIA-compliant?
Yes — consent capture, information officer contact and DSAR workflows aligned with the Protection of Personal Information Act.
Do you support PayFast?
Yes, plus Yoco and Peach Payments inside the WhatsApp conversation.
WhatsApp pricing in other markets
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