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WhatsApp dispatch cost calculator and campaign estimate

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Conversa Labs

Conversa Labs

Last updated on Aug 18, 2026

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 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 2026 official rate card.
  • 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 "Rates in USD" CSV 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.

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.

See also