WhatsApp marketing for businesses in India and the UAE
Zappio puts your WhatsApp marketing on Meta's official WhatsApp Business API: broadcasts to customers who opted in, chatbots that take bookings and one shared inbox for your team. Standard is ₹4,000/month on a yearly term, or ₹5,000/month billed quarterly, plus 18% GST.
- Official WhatsApp Business API
- 6 seats included
- Prices in ₹, AED and $
What you can do
Three jobs WhatsApp does well
Reach customers who asked to hear from you, answer them at any hour, and share every conversation with your team.
Broadcasts to opted-in customers
Send an approved template to a segment or an uploaded list, now or on a schedule, and follow progress, replies and clicks.
WhatsApp marketing tool →Chatbots and bookings at any hour
Bots answer questions with buttons and lists, take bookings from your open slots and hand over to a person. Customers can reschedule or cancel in the same chat.
WhatsApp chatbot →One shared inbox for the team
Every WhatsApp conversation in one place, with assignment, transfer, tags, notes and history. Standard includes 6 seats.
Shared inbox →Features
Send it, answer it, follow it up
A shared inbox for every conversation
Assign, transfer, tag and add notes, with saved views and the full history on every chat. On Standard and above, chats can be assigned automatically to whoever has the fewest open, or in turn.
Instagram DMs and Messenger join the same inbox on Standard and above.
Broadcasts to a segment or a list
Pick a segment or upload a list, choose an approved template, and send now, once later or on a repeat, to up to 5,000 recipients per campaign.
Failed sends can be retried. When Meta refuses a send because the person has stopped your marketing messages, Zappio records it and leaves them out of later campaigns by default.
WhatsApp steps inside email journeys
A journey can send an email, wait, and then send an approved WhatsApp template to people who opted in to WhatsApp. Before every marketing step, the journey checks that channel's consent and frequency cap.
Pricing
Published prices, in your currency
Standard is ₹4,000/month on a yearly term, or ₹5,000/month billed quarterly, plus 18% GST.
Premium is ₹8,000/month on a yearly term, or ₹10,000/month billed quarterly, plus 18% GST, and Enterprise is quoted for your business. Meta's per-message charges are paid by you directly to Meta at Meta's published rates, and Zappio adds nothing; see WhatsApp API pricing.
Works with email
WhatsApp is one half. Email is the other.
The same customer profile, consent log and journeys run both channels.
In detail
WhatsApp marketing, in detail
Every feature on this page was checked against the product on 26 September 2026; what it does not do is listed under What Zappio does not do.
What WhatsApp marketing is, and what Meta allows
WhatsApp marketing is a business using WhatsApp to reach customers who asked to hear from it: offers and launches, reminders and order updates, and answers for the people who message first. At any scale it runs on the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta's official API, where every message is one of two kinds.
| What differs | Template message | Service message |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A message Meta has reviewed and approved, in the marketing, utility or authentication category | Your own free-form reply |
| When you can send it | Any time, to someone who opted in | Inside the 24-hour window that opens when the customer messages you |
| What Meta charges | A rate per delivered message, set by the category and the customer's country (utility templates inside an open 24-hour window are free until 30 September 2026) | Free until 30 September 2026; from 1 October 2026, charged after the first 1,000 delivered per business phone number each month |
Three rules decide what WhatsApp marketing is allowed to be:
- Opt-in comes first. Meta requires opt-in before you send a template, and the opt-in should name your business. A bought list fails that test, whoever sells it.
- Templates are approved in a category. Meta reviews each template and its category before you can send it, so a discount dressed up as a reminder gets recategorised or rejected.
- The 24-hour window changes on 1 October 2026. Until 30 September 2026, replies inside the window the customer opened are free, utility templates inside it included. From 1 October 2026, Meta charges for service messages after the first 1,000 delivered per business phone number each month, an allowance that covers service messages only and does not roll over, and for utility templates sent inside an open 24-hour window, with no free allowance.
A conversation that starts from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad still opens 72 free hours, unchanged on 1 October 2026.
Built on the official WhatsApp Business Platform
Most WhatsApp business marketing starts on the free WhatsApp Business app, and outgrows it once one phone is not enough for the list or the team. The app is built around one phone: its broadcast lists stop at 256 contacts and reach only people who saved your number. The WhatsApp Business Platform, the official API, is the route for approved templates, a team sharing one number, chatbots and campaigns to thousands. WhatsApp Business app vs the WhatsApp API sets out the differences.
Zappio is built on that official platform. Your number is connected through Meta's Embedded Signup, and it can be:
- A new number. One that is not on WhatsApp yet.
- A number already on the WhatsApp Business app. It can stay on the app on your phone and connect to Zappio as well, through what Meta calls coexistence.
- A number with another provider. It can move with its two-step verification PIN.
From there, you create templates in Zappio and submit them to Meta for approval from the app: 100 active templates on Standard, unlimited on Premium. Conversations land in the shared inbox, bots answer from the chatbot builder, and Shopify, Google Sheets, a REST API and webhooks are covered on integrations.
WhatsApp marketing for business starts with an opted-in audience
A WhatsApp list is only worth sending to if the people on it asked to be there. The routes that hold up start with the customer:
- They message you first. A QR code at the counter or a WhatsApp link on your website opens the chat. Zappio's QR code generator is free, and there are dynamic QR codes too. Starting a chat is not the same as agreeing to offers, so ask, and keep the answer.
- They click an ad. A Click-to-WhatsApp ad opens the chat with 72 free hours. Zappio records on the conversation which ad the person came from, and on Standard and above a bot can start from the ad click. With the CRM module, included on Premium and an add-on on Standard, the lead is captured automatically.
- They book or fill in a form. A booking bot takes appointments from your services, hours and capacity, and WhatsApp Forms, native forms inside the chat built on Meta's Flows, collect details without leaving WhatsApp, on Standard and above.
A campaign then goes to a segment or a list you upload, so an offer reaches the people it was meant for. What to send, and how to keep a number healthy while you do, is on the WhatsApp marketing tool page; what to automate is on WhatsApp automation.
What WhatsApp marketing costs
The bill has two parts, paid to two different companies.
- Your Zappio plan. Standard is ₹4,000/month on a yearly term, or ₹5,000/month billed quarterly, plus 18% GST, with 6 seats included. Premium is ₹8,000/month on a yearly term, or ₹10,000/month billed quarterly, plus 18% GST, with 20 seats included. Enterprise is quoted for your business. Extra seats are ₹400/month each.
- Meta's charges. Meta charges for each delivered template by its category and the country of the number it goes to, and from 1 October 2026 for some messages inside the 24-hour window, as set out above. You pay these directly to Meta at Meta's published rates, and Zappio adds nothing.
Category is the biggest lever on Meta's side: on Meta's India rate card a marketing message costs 7.5 times a utility one, and Meta confirms the category when it approves the template. Every rate, market by market, is on WhatsApp API pricing, and every plan term is on pricing.
If you pay in AED or US dollars, you are invoiced from India as a zero-rated export, so no Indian GST is added; taxes in your own country are not included.
Messaging limits: how many customers you can reach
Meta limits how many unique customers your business can message outside a customer service window in a rolling 24 hours. The limit belongs to your business portfolio and is shared by every number in it. A new business portfolio starts at 250 unique customers in a rolling 24 hours; completing Meta's scaling path lifts it to 2,000, and Meta then scales it automatically to 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited on quality and usage.
Zappio adds one limit of its own: up to 5,000 recipients per campaign, on every plan. A 12,000-name list needs three campaigns of up to 5,000 each (send it as one and the first 5,000 go, with the rest listed as skipped), and your portfolio's limit still caps how many different customers you reach in a rolling 24 hours.
Quality matters as much as volume. When people block or report your messages, your quality rating falls, and businesses that keep breaking Meta's policy can have sending blocked for longer each time. Why WhatsApp Business numbers get banned covers what Meta does when quality falls.
WhatsApp marketing services: set up for you, or run for you
Set up for you
Every workspace is set up by a person. Tell us about your business, and we create your workspace, connect your WhatsApp number and send your login on WhatsApp within 24 hours, with no setup fee. We then help you put your first templates to Meta for approval; Meta's own review runs on its timetable.
Run for you
We also run campaigns as a paid service, quoted per business, with the scope and price agreed in writing before anything is sent. The scope can cover planning, templates drafted with you and submitted to Meta, an audience built only from contacts who opted in, scheduling and reporting, and none of it is a fixed package. Ask for a quote; for businesses in the UAE, WhatsApp marketing in Dubai has the local detail.
Zappio is made by TABSYST, with offices in India and Dubai (UAE). Support runs in India and Gulf hours.
WhatsApp marketing in India
For businesses in India, plans are priced in rupees plus 18% GST, and Meta's charges come from its own INR rate card. Meta's India rates for marketing, utility and authentication messages do not change on 1 October 2026; what changes is the 24-hour window, set out above.
Here is how the Meta side would look for a dental clinic in Kochi that sends 2,500 utility reminders and 500 marketing messages in a month: ₹719.05 before GST, paid to Meta, on top of the plan. Typical first uses are appointment reminders for clinics and salons, class and fee reminders for coaching centres, and order updates and offers for shops; Shopify can bring order events into the chat through integrations.
If you are comparing providers, Zappio vs Wati sets out the differences.
What Zappio does not do
Said plainly, so you can rule us in or out quickly:
- Payments in the chat. Customers cannot pay inside WhatsApp through Zappio today.
- A checkout inside WhatsApp. A bot can send single- and multi-product messages from a Meta Commerce catalogue you connect (without one, it sends your product list as plain text), and cart orders customers send appear in the inbox. There is no checkout in the chat, and no catalogue sync from Shopify.
- Green tick applications. Zappio does not apply for the green tick for you. We can advise, and getting the green tick in the UAE explains how it works.
- Campaigns to bought lists. Meta's policy rules out messaging people who never opted in, and we will not run a campaign to a bought list.
- More than 5,000 recipients in one campaign. Split a larger list into several campaigns; this applies on every plan.
WhatsApp marketing: questions people ask
What is WhatsApp marketing?
WhatsApp marketing is a business messaging customers on WhatsApp who asked to hear from it: offers, reminders and updates sent as templates Meta has approved, and replies to people who message first. At scale it runs on the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta's official API, rather than the free WhatsApp Business app.
Is WhatsApp marketing allowed?
Yes, within Meta's rules. Meta requires opt-in before you send a template, and it reviews every template and its category before it can be sent. People who did not ask tend to block and report you, which lowers your quality rating. Local rules can apply too; for the UAE, see WhatsApp marketing in Dubai.
How much does WhatsApp marketing cost?
Two parts: your Zappio plan, and Meta's charge for each delivered template, paid directly to Meta at its published rates with nothing added by Zappio. From 1 October 2026 Meta also charges for service messages after the first 1,000 delivered per business phone number each month, and for utility templates sent inside an open 24-hour window. Plans are on pricing, and Meta's rates on WhatsApp API pricing.
Do I need the WhatsApp Business API?
Yes, if you want to send approved templates to more than a few hundred people, share one number across a team or run chatbots. The free WhatsApp Business app is built around one phone, and its broadcast lists stop at 256 contacts and reach only people who saved your number. Zappio connects your number to the API through Meta's Embedded Signup.
Can I send bulk messages?
Yes, to people who opted in, up to 5,000 recipients per campaign on every plan. Meta's messaging limit, which starts at 250 unique customers in a rolling 24 hours for a new business portfolio, caps how many different people you reach in a day until Meta raises it. Bought lists break Meta's policy.
Can I keep my existing number?
In most cases, yes. A number already on the WhatsApp Business app can keep working in the app and connect to Zappio as well, through what Meta calls coexistence, and a number with another provider can move with its two-step verification PIN. You can also start with a new number. Connecting your number is free.
Do you run campaigns for us?
We set up every workspace within 24 hours, with no setup fee, and your team can run it from there. If you would rather we ran your campaigns, we do that as a paid service, quoted per business, with the scope and price agreed in writing before anything is sent; ask for a quote.
Tell us who you want to reach
Tell us what you sell and how customers reach you today, and we'll set up your workspace, connect your number and send your login on WhatsApp within 24 hours, with no setup fee. Standard comes with a 14-day free trial, and connecting your number is free with no card.