Understand WhatsApp Group Message Charges

Two separate things can cost money when you use WhatsApp Groups in LeadPattern:

1. Groups on your plan — charged by LeadPattern.
2. WhatsApp message charges — charged by Meta.

This article explains both, with worked examples.

1. Groups on your plan#

Every plan includes a number of groups. You only pay when you need more.

Plan	Groups included	Extra groups
Starter	1	₹50 per group per month on a monthly plan, ₹600 per group per year on a yearly plan
Growth	5	₹50 per group per month on a monthly plan, ₹600 per group per year on a yearly plan

Extra groups are bought from Settings → Plan & Billing. On a monthly plan the first month is prorated to the days left and extra groups renew monthly with your plan; on a yearly plan they renew yearly.

If you drop below the number of groups you have, the newest groups become read-only until you buy more or delete one. In a read-only group your team cannot send anything (replies included), but members can still post on WhatsApp and you still see their messages. Nothing is deleted on WhatsApp.

Buying add-onsHow add-ons are purchased and renewed.

2. WhatsApp message charges: billed per participant#

A message to a group looks like one message, but Meta bills it per participant it is delivered to, not per group. Each person in the group counts as a separate recipient.

Your own business number is not counted.

Example: one marketing template#

Assume a marketing template costs ₹0.99 per recipient and the group has 7 participants.

You send the template once:

• Meta delivers it to 7 participants.
• Each delivery is billed.

7 × ₹0.99 = ₹6.93 for that one send.

What happens when someone replies#

When any participant sends a message in the group, a 24-hour customer service window opens for that group. While it is open you can reply with normal free-form messages (text, images, documents) without sending a template.

• The window is refreshed each time a participant writes.
• When it closes, the composer asks you to send a template, which is billed per participant again.

Putting it together#

Situation	What you pay
You send one marketing template to a group of 7	7 × Meta's marketing rate
A participant replies and you answer within 24 hours	No template charge
The window has closed and you send another template	7 × the template's rate again
You send marketing templates daily to a full group	7 × rate, every day

Key points#

• The group fee and message charges are separate. Included groups cost nothing extra.
• Message rates are set by Meta, not LeadPattern, and vary by template category and country.
• Template charges are counted per participant the message is delivered to.
• Replies inside the 24-hour window do not need a template.
• Message info on any message you sent shows how many participants it was sent to, delivered to and read by — the "delivered to" number is what a template was billed on.