Every message you send through Wati incurs charges based on:
Recipient's country: Messages to Indian customers cost ₹0.94 each, UK recipients cost ₹4.65, Germany costs ₹12.01
Message type: Marketing messages cost more than utility messages, which cost more than authentication messages
For most Indian D2C brands, geography is less of a concern since 90-100% of customers are domestic. However, even at India's lower ₹0.94 rate, message volume drives significant costs. A brand sending 50,000 marketing messages monthly pays ₹47,000 just in message charges, regardless of which subscription plan they're on.
Each plan includes a set number of automation triggers per month:
Depending on your automation complexity and customer base size, you may exceed these limits. A standard eCommerce workflow automation setup for WhatsApp marketing strategy (welcome series, abandoned cart, order updates, shipping notifications, post-purchase follow-up) can easily consume 1,500-3,000 triggers monthly for a brand with 10,000 active customers.
To help you with your WhatsApp automations, refer to this list of 10 powerful WhatsApp automations that boost engagement for D2C brands.
If you're using Wati's advanced features like the AI chatbot for customer support and customer service:
Customer queries beyond these limits require paid add-ons. Each AI interaction counts as a chatbot session. For brands using WhatsApp as their primary customer engagement channel, these limits feel restrictive quickly.
As your customer service team grows and you need access to the team inbox for additional users, platform charges additional costs:
Example: A 10-person customer service and marketing team on the Business plan costs ₹13,499 + (5 × ₹3,999) = ₹33,494 monthly just for platform access, before sending a single message.
With these cost drivers in mind, it's important to understand that Wati's pricing isn't just about the base subscription fee. The pricing model charges separately for WhatsApp automation, marketing tools, customer support features, and even basic workflow automations. Let's see how this plays out for actual D2C brands.