Meta free tier: Meta provides 1,000 free service messages per phone number per month. Those free-tier deliveries are not Meta-billable, so they do not count as Flowella units (Flowella only counts messages WhatsApp marks billable). Delivery can continue on that free tier without a Meta payment card until the allowance is exhausted; after that, Meta requires a valid Default card on the WABA to keep delivering chargeable service messages. The allowance resets monthly per phone number and does not roll over. See Meta payment method.
Two separate bills
Using Flowella with WhatsApp always involves two costs:Flowella does not resell or mark up Meta charges. Meta bills you directly through the payment method on your WhatsApp Business Account. Flowella never sees or processes those funds.
Message categories
Meta prices every billable message by its category and the recipient’s country.Why category matters
- Cost per message is set entirely by Meta’s category-and-country matrix. The same template sent to the UK, Brazil, and India will have three different unit costs.
- Approval rules differ. A Utility template containing Marketing-style content will be rejected, or approved and then re-categorised mid-campaign, which silently changes your unit cost.
- Opt-in requirements differ. Marketing requires explicit, recent opt-in. Utility and Authentication are more permissive but only for genuine transactional content.
The 24-hour customer service window
When a contact messages you, Meta opens a 24-hour customer service window. Inside that window:- You can reply with non-template messages (no template needed).
- Until 30 September 2026 those replies were free and not counted. From 1 October 2026 WhatsApp charges for each reply, and each one counts as one Flowella unit.
The free entry point window
If someone messages you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad on the WhatsApp mobile app, and you reply within 24 hours, every message you send for up to the next 7 days is free. WhatsApp marks those messages not billable, so Flowella does not count them. Meta extended the window from 72 hours to up to 7 days on 28 September 2026. See Click-to-WhatsApp ads.How Meta charges and Flowella usage line up
An illustrative example on a Starter plan (1,000 billable messages a month, then $0.05 per message). The Pro plan includes 2,500, then $0.04 per message.
Worked example. You send a Flow template, the customer completes it, you send a confirmation and answer two questions. Until 30 September 2026 that was 1 Flowella unit. From 1 October 2026 it is 4.
Key points:
- Each message WhatsApp marks billable is one Flowella unit. A 24-hour window is not a unit, and a Flow counts once however many screens it has.
- Messages your customers send to you are never counted.
- Flowella overage is charged in addition to the Meta fee, not instead of it.
Monthly usage does not roll over
Your Flowella plan includes a fixed number of billable messages per month. Unused allowance expires at the end of the cycle and does not carry forward.- A Starter plan that uses 600 of 1,000 messages in May does not start June with 1,400. June starts at 1,000.
- The reset happens on your billing anniversary, not strictly on the 1st of the month. The Settings → Usage page shows your exact cycle dates.
- Overage charges are calculated per cycle. Going over by 500 messages in May does not carry into June; overage is recalculated from zero.
Checking what you’ve spent
- Meta charges: visible in your Meta Business Manager → Billing. Flowella does not display Meta’s invoiced amount.
- Flowella usage: visible in Settings → Usage, broken down by channel and by month. Updated in near real time.
- Flowella invoice: visible in Settings → Billing. Includes subscription and any overage from the previous cycle.
Common questions
Does Flowella charge me when a contact messages me first?
Does Flowella charge me when a contact messages me first?
No. Messages your contacts send to you are never counted. Your replies are counted when WhatsApp marks them billable, which it does inside the 24-hour window from 1 October 2026.
Can I see the Meta category breakdown in Flowella?
Can I see the Meta category breakdown in Flowella?
Yes. Go to Analytics and group by category. This shows your message mix (Marketing / Utility / Authentication / Service), which is what drives the Meta side of your bill.
Why was my template re-categorised?
Why was my template re-categorised?
Meta sometimes re-categorises a template after it’s been live for a while if the content drifts from the approved category. Re-categorisation changes the unit cost on the Meta side. The Flowella usage count is unaffected. See Template rejected for prevention tips.
Can I cap my Meta spend?
Can I cap my Meta spend?
Yes, but only from Meta’s side: set spending limits on your WhatsApp Business Account in Meta Business Manager. Flowella does not have a separate Meta-spend cap.
Do free entry points (like Click-to-WhatsApp ads) change pricing?
Do free entry points (like Click-to-WhatsApp ads) change pricing?
Yes. If you reply within 24 hours to someone who messaged you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, every message for up to the next 7 days is free. WhatsApp marks those messages not billable, so Flowella does not count them. See Click-to-WhatsApp ads.
Related
Plans & limits
Flowella’s monthly allowances and overage rates.
Billing
Manage subscription, payment method, and Stripe meter health.
Usage
Track your current-cycle billable message count in real time.
Template reference
How the category you submit drives both review and pricing.
Messaging limits
Meta’s per-day send caps for business-initiated templates.
Meta payment method
Add the card Meta uses for WhatsApp delivery fees.