# WhatsApp Pricing and Plans > How Meta charges for WhatsApp messages, how that's separate from your Avox plan, what Avox's Meta charges chart and estimate show, and how to keep Meta costs down. Source: https://docs.theavoxai.com/whatsapp-platform Two different bills apply when you use WhatsApp through Avox: **Meta** charges your own WhatsApp Business Account for some messages, at Meta's own published rates. You pay Meta directly, with the payment method on your WhatsApp Business Account. **Avox** charges a flat platform fee for your plan - the dashboard, automation, Flows, templates, support, and the Avox API on plans that include API access. See [Plans](https://docs.theavoxai.com/plans) and [Billing](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing). Avox adds no markup to Meta's charges and never collects them. ## How Meta charges for messages Meta charges per message delivered, for template messages. What a template costs depends on its [category](https://docs.theavoxai.com/whatsapp/template-categories) and on the country of the person you message. Free-form replies inside the customer service window cost nothing. | Message | Typical use | Meta charge | | --- | --- | --- | | **Marketing** template | Promotions, offers, newsletters, re-engagement. | Charged per delivered message. | | **Utility** template | Order updates, receipts, reminders tied to something the customer did. | Charged per delivered message - free when sent while a customer service window is open. | | **Authentication** template | One-time passcodes and sign-in codes. | Charged per delivered message. | | **Service** message | Your free-form replies while the 24-hour window is open - text, images, buttons, lists, Flows. | Free. | Messages sent while a **free entry point** window is open - for example after someone taps an ad that opens a WhatsApp chat with you - are free too. Meta sets these rates and rules and can change them. Its current rates are in Meta's own WhatsApp Business Platform pricing documentation. ### Replies inside the messaging window When a customer messages you, a [24-hour messaging window](https://docs.theavoxai.com/whatsapp/messaging-window) opens. Inside it you can reply with any kind of message - text, images, buttons, lists, Flows - and those replies carry no separate Meta charge. This covers your everyday [Inbox](https://docs.theavoxai.com/inbox) conversations and most [automated replies](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation). ### Template messages Starting a conversation, or messaging someone after the window has closed, needs an approved [template](https://docs.theavoxai.com/templates). Each one is charged at its category's rate for the recipient's country. > **Note** > > Meta bills your own WhatsApp Business Account directly for its message charges. Avox's own > subscription is separate, and its invoices are in your invoice history on > [Billing](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing/invoices). ## What Avox shows you Avox shows what Meta is charging, so you aren't surprised by Meta's bill: - **Overview** - the **Est. Meta cost** tile, for the most recent month, in its currency. - **Billing** - the **Meta charges** chart, day by day and by category, for the last 7, 30 or 90 days. It shows Meta's own reported figures once Avox has read them (labelled **Synced with Meta**), and an estimate until then (labelled **Live estimate**). Above it: the **Total**, the change **Vs previous period**, the cost **Per billable message**, and **Free messages**. - **Reconciliation** - under the chart, each day and category with the billable messages Avox saw and the number Meta reports, marked **Matched**, **Off by** a number, or **Waiting for Meta**. **CSV** downloads it. - **Meta payment status** - for each number, whether Meta can take payment, with **Check again** and **View Meta invoices**. See [Meta charges and payment problems](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing#meta-charges-and-payment-problems) for every detail. > **Note: An estimate, not an invoice** > > Neither figure is an invoice, and Avox never charges you for them. Your real bill comes from Meta, > to your own WhatsApp Business Account, separately from anything Avox charges for the platform. Meta's > invoices are in **Billing & payments** in Meta Business Suite - **View Meta invoices** takes you > there. ## Keeping Meta costs down - **Reply inside the window**: Free-form replies within 24 hours of the customer's message are free. Answer quickly in the [Inbox](https://docs.theavoxai.com/inbox). - **Use the right category**: A genuine order update is Utility, not Marketing. See [Template categories](https://docs.theavoxai.com/whatsapp/template-categories). - **Send utility updates in the window**: Utility templates sent while a window is open carry no Meta charge. - **Target your marketing**: Send promotions only to the customers they suit, using [tags and categories](https://docs.theavoxai.com/contacts#tags-and-categories). ## What Avox supports on the platform - **Coexistence** - Avox runs alongside the WhatsApp Business App on the same number. See [Coexistence](https://docs.theavoxai.com/coexistence-explained). - **Templates** - build, submit, and track Meta-approved templates. See [Templates](https://docs.theavoxai.com/templates). - **Flows** - forms that open inside WhatsApp. See [Flows](https://docs.theavoxai.com/flows). - **Calling** - WhatsApp voice calling, including asking a customer's permission to call. See [Calls](https://docs.theavoxai.com/calls). - **Usernames** - a memorable `wa.me` username link for a connected number, in place of its phone number. See [Connections](https://docs.theavoxai.com/connections). - **Identity-Key Check** - Meta holds back a send when the WhatsApp account behind a customer's number has changed. See [Meta error codes](https://docs.theavoxai.com/meta-error-codes). - **The Avox API** - send any WhatsApp message type from your own server with an Avox key, and see every request in **API logs**. See [Avox API](https://docs.theavoxai.com/avox-api). For the full list, see [WhatsApp products](https://docs.theavoxai.com/products) and [All features](https://docs.theavoxai.com/features). ## Plans Each plan sets how many connections, templates, Flows, and automations a Switchboard can have, how many Switchboards you can create, and how many [automation credits](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation/credits) you get. Analytics is included on the Growth and Business plans. The live numbers for every plan are on [Plans](https://docs.theavoxai.com/plans), and you manage your own plan from [Billing](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing). [See plans](https://docs.theavoxai.com/plans) [Manage billing](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing) ## Common questions **Does my Avox plan include Meta's message charges?** No. Your plan covers Avox. Meta charges your WhatsApp Business Account separately for the messages it charges for, and you pay Meta directly. **Do automation credits pay for Meta's charges?** No. [Automation credits](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation/credits) are Avox's own allowance for messages your automations send. Meta's charges for any template messages are billed by Meta, as above. **Why don't Avox's figures match Meta's exactly?** The **Live estimate** uses Meta's published rates in US dollars until Meta's own figures for the day arrive, usually within a day or two. Messages sent to the same number from another tool also show in Meta's figures. **Reconciliation** shows any difference, day by day. **What happens if Meta can't take payment?** Meta can stop sending from the account until it's fixed. Avox shows the problem on Billing and Overview and emails every Admin once. See [Payment problems](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing#payment-problems). ## Related