Advanced Messaging pricing in Azure Communication Services
Prices for Advanced Messaging in Azure Communication Services consist of two components: the usage fee and the channel fee.
Advanced Messaging usage fee
The Azure Communication Services Advanced Messaging usage fee is based on the number of messages exchanged between the platform and an end user.
| Message Type | Message Fee |
|---|---|
| Inbound Message | $0.005/message |
| Outbound Message | $0.005/message |
Advanced Messaging channel price
When you connect your WhatsApp Business account to Azure, Azure Communication Services becomes the billing entity for your WhatsApp usage. WhatsApp provides these rates and it's included in your Azure bill. The information given summarizes the key aspects of WhatsApp pricing. WhatsApp describes their pricing in detail here: Conversation-Based Pricing.
WhatsApp charges per conversation, not individual message. Conversations are message threads between a business and its customers that last 24 or 72 hours based on the conversation category. Conversations are categorized with one of the following categories:
- Marketing — Marketing conversations include promotions or offers, informational updates, or invitations for customers to respond or take action.
- Utility — Utility conversations facilitate a specific, agreed-upon request or transaction, or update to a customer about an ongoing transaction. These conversations may include transaction confirmations, transaction updates, and/or post-purchase notifications.
- Authentication — Authentication conversations enable you to authenticate users with one-time passcodes, potentially at multiple steps in the login process (for example, account verification, account recovery, integrity challenges).
- Service — Service conversations help you resolve customer inquiries.
For service conversations, WhatsApp provides 1,000 free conversations each month across all business phone numbers. Marketing, utility and authentication conversations aren't part of the free tier.
WhatsApp rates vary based on conversation category and country/region rate. Rates vary between $0.003 and $0.1597 depending on the category and country/region. WhatsApp provides a detailed explanation of their pricing, including the current rate card here: Conversation-Based Pricing.
Pricing example: Contoso sends appointment reminders to their WhatsApp customers
Contoso provides a virtual visit solution for its patients. Contoso is scheduling the visit and sends WhatsApp invites to all patients reminding them about their upcoming visit. WhatsApp classifies appointment reminders as Utility Conversations. In this case, each WhatsApp conversation is a single message.
Contoso sends appointment reminders to 2,000 patients in North America each month and the pricing would be:
Advanced Messaging usage for messages:
2,000 WhatsApp Conversations = 2,000 messages x $0.005/message = $10 USD
WhatsApp Fees (rates subject to change):
2,000 WhatsApp Conversations * $0.015/utility conversation = $30 USD
To get the latest WhatsApp rates, refer to WhatsApp’s pricing documentation: Conversation-Based Pricing.
Pricing example: A WhatsApp user reaches out to a business for support
Contoso is a business that provides a contact center for customers to seek product information and support. All these cases are closed within 24 hours and have an average of 20 messages each. Each case equals one WhatsApp Conversation. WhatsApp classifies contact center conversations as “Service Conversations.”
Contoso manages 2,000 cases in North America each month and the pricing would be:
Advanced Messaging usage for conversation:
2,000 WhatsApp Conversations * 20 messages/conversation x $0.005/message = $200 USD
WhatsApp Fees (rates subject to change): 1,000 WhatsApp free conversations/month + 1,000 WhatsApp conversations * $0.0088/service conversation = $8.80 USD
To get the latest WhatsApp rates, refer to WhatsApp’s pricing documentation: Conversation-Based Pricing.