Every template you send on WhatsApp falls into one of four categories, and the category decides both what you are allowed to send and what you pay. Here is each one in plain language.
When you create a template on WhatsApp, you assign it a category, and Meta reviews it against that category. The category is not a label for tidiness: it sets the rate you pay per message and the rules the message has to follow. Getting it right is one of the biggest levers on your WhatsApp costs.
Marketing covers anything promotional: offers, launches, newsletters, abandoned-cart nudges, retargeting. It is the most expensive category, because it is the one most likely to be unsolicited, and it carries the strictest review. If a message is trying to sell or re-engage rather than inform, it is marketing.
Utility covers transactional messages tied to something the customer did: order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders, payment receipts. It is much cheaper than marketing. There is a real bonus: a utility template sent inside an open customer service window, that is, within 24 hours of the customer messaging you, is free. Categorise transactional messages correctly and you save a lot.
Authentication is for one-time passwords and verification codes. It has a fixed, no-frills format and is priced low. If you send OTPs, this is the category, and using it correctly keeps both cost and delivery reliable.
Service is different: it is not a template category you pick, but the free-form replies you send inside the 24-hour window after a customer messages you. Since November 2024, service messages are free for all businesses. Build your flows so customers message first and you reply within the window, and a large share of your messaging can cost nothing.
Since WhatsApp moved to per-message pricing in 2025, you pay for each template you send, by category. So sending a transactional update as marketing instead of utility, or pushing people to message you first so replies are free, makes a direct difference to the bill.
Want this handled for you? Start free, and if you get stuck, we are the only platform in India that answers you live on WhatsApp.
Start Free → Browse the docs