Guide · For businesses
How many WhatsApp messages can I send per day? Limits for the app, WhatsApp Business and the API
Every documented limit on how many WhatsApp messages you can send: chats and broadcast lists in the app, monthly broadcast limits, restrictions, and the WhatsApp Business API's per-portfolio daily tiers, throughput and per-user caps.
By Broadchat teamPublished 7 min read
In short
WhatsApp does not publish a daily number for normal chats in the app, but it does limit behaviour: broadcast lists hold 256 contacts, some countries have a monthly limit of 35 free broadcast messages, and bulk or automated messaging leads to restrictions or bans. On the WhatsApp Business API the limit is published: your business portfolio can start conversations with 250, 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 or unlimited unique people in a rolling 24 hours, and replies inside an open 24-hour window do not count toward it.
Key takeaways
- The WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business apps have no published daily message count, but WhatsApp restricts or bans accounts that send bulk, automated or unwanted messages.
- A broadcast list holds up to 256 contacts, and in some countries WhatsApp is rolling out a limit of 35 free broadcast messages a month, visible under Settings, then Broadcasts.
- On the API, the messaging limit counts unique people reached outside the 24-hour window in a rolling 24 hours: 250, 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 or unlimited, shared by the whole business portfolio.
- Separate caps still apply on the API: about 80 messages per second per number by default, roughly one message every 6 seconds to the same person, and per-user limits on marketing templates.
- The limit is on people, not messages: a customer who is chatting with you inside an open window can receive as many replies as the conversation needs.
Find out how many WhatsApp messages your business can send per day
Time needed: 15 min. You will need: WhatsApp Business app, WhatsApp Manager or your WhatsApp API platform.
Identify which WhatsApp you are using
Personal WhatsApp and the WhatsApp Business app follow the app's rules. A number connected to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API), including through coexistence, follows the API's published messaging limits.
Check your broadcast limit in the app
Open Settings and tap Broadcasts. If WhatsApp has rolled out the monthly broadcast limit in your country, this screen shows how many of your 35 free broadcast messages you have left this month.
Check your API messaging limit
In WhatsApp Manager or your platform's channel screen, read the messaging limit for your business portfolio. In Broadchat it is shown on the channel card under Channels, then All Channels.
Compare the limit with your daily need
Count how many different people you need to message first each day, not how many messages. Replies to customers who messaged you in the last 24 hours do not use the limit.
Grow the limit the documented way
Complete business verification or send 2,000 high-quality template deliveries in 30 days to reach 2,000. After that, keep quality high and use at least half your limit over 7 days for automatic upgrades.
The short answer
How many WhatsApp messages can I send per day? In the normal WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app, WhatsApp does not publish a daily number. It limits how you send instead: broadcast lists hold up to 256 contacts, some countries have a monthly limit of 35 free broadcast messages, and accounts that send bulk or automated messages get restricted or banned.
On the WhatsApp Business API, the limit is published and predictable. Your business portfolio can start conversations with 250, 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 or unlimited unique people in any rolling 24 hours, depending on its tier. Replies to customers who messaged you in the last 24 hours don't count. The rest of this guide lists every limit and shows how to work out what you actually need.
App or API: which rules apply to you?
| WhatsApp / WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API (Cloud API) | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily number published | No | Yes, by messaging limit tier |
| What is counted | Behaviour: bulk sending, reports, blocks | Unique people reached outside the 24-hour window |
| One message to many | Broadcast list (256 per list); paid business broadcasts in some countries | Campaigns with approved templates |
| What happens if you overdo it | Restriction or ban | Messages to new people pause until the 24-hour window rolls; quality and policy enforcement |
| Cost | Free (business broadcasts are paid) | Meta charges per delivered template message |
Limits in the WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business apps
- No published daily cap on chats. You can reply to customers all day. What WhatsApp watches is unwanted, bulk or automated messaging.
- Broadcast lists: up to 256 contacts per list, and only people who saved your number receive them. See WhatsApp broadcast lists.
- Monthly broadcast limit: WhatsApp's Help Center says people in some countries may see a monthly limit, rolling out gradually, of up to 35 free broadcast messages per month. Check yours in Settings → Broadcasts; WhatsApp warns you as you get close.
- Business broadcasts: a paid WhatsApp Business app feature in limited countries, charged per delivered message.
- New chat limit: WhatsApp said in October 2025 that it would test a monthly cap on messages to people who don't reply. It has not published the number; see the WhatsApp new chat limit.
- Restrictions: if your activity looks like spam, WhatsApp can restrict you from starting new chats for a set time. Repeated reports can end in a ban; our guide on a banned WhatsApp account explains both.
Limits on the WhatsApp Business API
Meta's messaging limits page sets the main cap. Since 8 Oct 2025 it belongs to the whole business portfolio, and every number in that portfolio shares it:
| Tier | Unique people you can reach outside the 24-hour window, rolling 24 hours |
|---|---|
| Starting tier | 250 |
| After verification or high-quality sends | 2,000 |
| Next | 10,000 |
| Next | 100,000 |
| Top | Unlimited |
Other limits apply on top of that:
- Throughput: by default about 80 messages per second per number, upgraded automatically to up to 1,000 per second for eligible high-volume numbers. Numbers on coexistence are fixed at 20 per second.
- Pair rate limit: roughly one message every 6 seconds to the same person. Faster sends fail with 131056.
- Per-user marketing limits: WhatsApp caps how many marketing templates each person receives, based on their engagement. Blocked sends fail with 131049.
- Templates outside the window: after 24 hours without a customer message, you can only send approved message templates.
What counts toward the API limit
The limit counts people, not messages, and only when you start the contact outside a customer service window. If Priya messages your shop at 11 am, you can reply as many times as the conversation needs until 24 hours after her last message, and none of those replies use your limit. If you send her a template next week, she counts as one person for that rolling 24 hours, even if you send her two templates.
Cost is separate from the limit. Meta bills per delivered message: for example ₹0.8631 per delivered marketing message to India (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026, excl. GST). Since 1 Oct 2026, service replies are free only for the first 1,000 per phone number per month. For other categories and countries, use the WhatsApp API pricing calculator.
Worked example: is 2,000 a day enough?
In an illustrative case, Arjun's electronics store has 6,000 opted-in customers and wants to send a weekend offer to all of them, plus about 150 order updates a day. On the 2,000 tier:
- Order updates to customers who did not message recently use about 150 of the 2,000 each day.
- That leaves about 1,850 people a day for the offer, so 6,000 customers take four days.
- Arjun can start on Wednesday so everyone has it by Saturday, or segment by city and send to the most engaged customers first.
- Replies to the offer open a new window, so answering questions does not eat into the next day's capacity.
Broadchat paces campaigns to the number's messaging limit and throughput automatically, and you can see the current limit on the channel card in Channels → All Channels.
How to increase your limit
Meta documents three ways to reach 2,000: complete business verification, partner-led verification, or send 2,000 delivered messages using high-quality templates within 30 days. Meta still reviews and may deny. After that, Meta upgrades the portfolio one tier at a time when quality is high and you have used at least 50% of your current limit in the last 7 days, usually within about 6 hours. Adding more numbers to the same portfolio does not add capacity. Our WhatsApp messaging limits explainer covers each step.
If you resell WhatsApp to clients, explaining these limits up front avoids most "why didn't my campaign finish today?" tickets. A white-label WhatsApp platform shows each client their limit and pacing under your brand.
Sources
- Messaging limits — Meta for Developers, checked 4 November 2026
- Throughput — Meta for Developers, checked 4 November 2026
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform — Meta for Developers, checked 4 November 2026
- About broadcast limits — WhatsApp Help Center, checked 4 November 2026
- About restricted accounts — WhatsApp Help Center, checked 4 November 2026
- How to use WhatsApp responsibly — WhatsApp Help Center, checked 4 November 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
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Frequently asked questions
Is there a daily message limit on WhatsApp Business app?
WhatsApp does not publish a daily number for chats in the WhatsApp Business app. It limits broadcasts (256 contacts per list, and in some countries 35 free broadcast messages a month) and restricts or bans accounts that send bulk, automated or unwanted messages.
How many messages can I send per day with the WhatsApp Business API?
The API limits how many unique people you can reach outside the 24-hour window in a rolling 24 hours: 250, 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 or unlimited, shared by your business portfolio. Messages inside an open window, replying to customers, don't count.
How many people can I add to a WhatsApp broadcast list?
Up to 256 contacts per list, and only people who saved your number receive the message. In some countries a monthly broadcast limit also applies; check Settings, then Broadcasts.
Does sending two templates to the same person count twice toward my API limit?
No. The messaging limit counts unique people in a rolling 24 hours, not messages. Each delivered template is still charged by Meta, and per-user marketing limits may stop some marketing templates.
What happens if I reach my WhatsApp API messaging limit?
You can't start conversations with more new people until the rolling 24 hours frees capacity. You can still reply to customers inside an open window. Platforms usually pause and resume campaigns automatically.