WhatsApp launches paid broadcasts inside the Business app

WhatsApp has started rolling out paid broadcasts in the WhatsApp Business app. Instead of the old free-but-capped broadcast lists, businesses can buy message credits inside the app and spend them to send broadcast messages to customers.

The feature moves the app closer to how the WhatsApp Business API has always worked: broadcast reach becomes something you pay for, with Meta handling the billing directly in the app.

Broadcast marketing on WhatsApp is now officially a paid channel at every level. Meta wouldn't build in-app billing for a feature it planned to keep small — expect limits, targeting and analytics to keep evolving around it.

For small businesses, in-app paid broadcasts are the easiest entry point. But the app still lacks what campaigns need at scale: audience segmentation, per-recipient delivery and reply analytics, templates with buttons, automation, and a team inbox — that's what the official API route adds.

If you're weighing the two, our broadcast limits, rules and cost guide breaks down exactly what's free, what's paid, and where each option stops.