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Since November 2024, replying to a patient who messages you first has cost nothing on the WhatsApp Business Platform. That stops on 1 October 2026. Two specific things change, a free tier limits the impact for most small clinics, and there is one practical step to take before the end of September. This article covers all three.
According to Meta's developer documentation, two message types that are currently free will become chargeable per message from 1 October 2026:
Until now, a clinic that replied to a patient's incoming message paid nothing for that exchange. From October, each of those replies carries a per-message charge, subject to the free tier described below.
What does not change: marketing templates (the recall messages you send to lapsed patients) were never in the free category. Those cost roughly ₹0.86 per delivered message and will continue at that rate.
Meta is not removing the free tier entirely. As published on Meta's pricing page, each business phone number receives 1,000 free service messages per month. Meta only charges from the 1,001st service message delivered in that calendar month. The allowance resets monthly and does not roll over unused messages.
Utility templates sent inside a customer service window also draw from this same 1,000-message free pool, so the counter reflects all messages that were previously free, not just the free-form replies.
Meta does not offer volume tiers for service messages. Below 1,000 you pay nothing; above 1,000 every additional message is charged at the flat rate.
The rate for service messages in India is the same as the current utility and authentication rate: approximately ₹0.115 per message, before the 18% GST that applies in India. Check Meta's published rate card for the figure that takes effect on October 1, which Meta committed to announcing by 1 September 2026.
Work out whether 1,000 messages a month is actually a binding limit for your practice. A single-dentist clinic seeing 20 patients a day and exchanging three messages per patient appointment would send roughly 1,200 service messages in a busy month. At ₹0.115 plus 18% GST, the 200 messages above the free threshold cost around ₹27. A two-dentist clinic with heavier inbound traffic might send 2,000-3,000 service messages a month, which works out to ₹115-230 before tax.
Those figures are not alarming, but they are new, and they need to be visible to whoever manages your practice expenses.
There is one hard deadline: Meta has stated that any business phone number without a payment method on file by 30 September 2026 will have service message delivery stopped when charging begins on 1 October. That means patient replies stop working.
The action depends on how your clinic connects to WhatsApp:
Dentomate connects to the WhatsApp Business Platform through its own approved setup. The API registration, payment method, and Meta billing are handled on the Dentomate side. Clinics on any Dentomate plan do not need to take any action before September 30.
What you pay is the Dentomate plan price, and the number of recall campaigns your plan allows is what governs how much you can send:
| Plan | Recall campaigns | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Not included | ₹0 |
| Starter | 2 every 30 days | ₹399/mo |
| Pro | Unlimited | ₹799/mo |
Annual billing works out to ₹3,990/yr for Starter and ₹7,990/yr for Pro. Full breakdown on the pricing page.
Dentomate handles Meta billing so you don't have to. Start free, send your first recall campaign, and upgrade when you're ready.
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