On this page
- What is the WhatsApp Business broadcast limit?
- How do broadcast lists, business broadcasts and groups differ?
- Is there a daily message limit on WhatsApp Business?
- Is WhatsApp Business free or paid?
- WhatsApp Business app vs API: which should you use?
- What are WhatsApp Business rules, and how do you avoid getting restricted?
- How DVM Techno Can Help
- FAQs
Key takeaways
- A broadcast list in the WhatsApp Business app takes up to 256 contacts, you can make as many lists as you like, and only contacts who saved your number receive the message.
- A WhatsApp group can have up to 1,024 members, but every member sees the conversation, so it is not a substitute for private broadcasts.
- On the WhatsApp Business Platform (API), new business portfolios can reach 250 unique users outside a customer service window per rolling 24 hours, rising to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited.
- Opt-in, honouring opt-outs and low block and report rates keep your number out of trouble on both the app and the API.
What is the WhatsApp Business broadcast limit?
In the WhatsApp Business app, each broadcast list can hold up to 256 contacts, you can create as many lists as you like, and only contacts who have saved your number in their phone receive the message. A group can have up to 1,024 members. On the WhatsApp Business Platform (API), a new business can message 250 unique users per rolling 24 hours outside a customer service window.
The limits, as WhatsApp and Meta publish them today:
| Limit | What WhatsApp or Meta says | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts per broadcast list | Up to 256 | Broadcast lists (Android and iPhone) |
| Number of broadcast lists | As many as you like | Broadcast lists |
| Who receives a broadcast | Only people who have added your number to their phone’s contacts | Broadcast lists |
| Monthly broadcast cap | Rolling out in some countries; where it applies, up to 35 free broadcast messages per month, shown under Settings > Broadcasts | Broadcast lists, where the limit has reached your account |
| Group size | Up to 1,024 members | WhatsApp groups |
| API messaging limit | 250, then 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited unique users per moving 24 hours | WhatsApp Business Platform, outside a customer service window |
We checked these numbers on WhatsApp’s Help Center and Meta’s developer documentation in October 2026. WhatsApp changes limits often, so the figure shown in your app or in WhatsApp Manager is the one that counts.
How do broadcast lists, business broadcasts and groups differ?
Broadcast lists are free and private but reach only people who saved your number; business broadcasts are a paid feature that can reach people who haven’t; groups are open conversations where every member sees the chat.
- Broadcast list: up to 256 contacts per list. Each person gets your message as a normal one-to-one chat, and replies come back privately to you, not to the list. Broadcast lists are not supported on Windows, Mac or Web, only on the phone.
- Business broadcasts: a feature only in the WhatsApp Business app, under Tools > Business broadcasts. You can add images and buttons, schedule sends and see insights, and messages can reach people who haven’t saved your number. Messages are reviewed by Meta, and after your free messages you pay for each broadcast that is delivered, priced by the recipient’s country code. It is available to eligible users in select countries, so check whether it appears in your app.
- Group: up to 1,024 members. Everyone sees every message and reply, which suits a society, a coaching batch or a team, not customer promotions.
If a regular customer in Sector 29 says your offers never arrive, ask them to save your shop’s number. With a broadcast list, that one step is usually the whole fix.
Is there a daily message limit on WhatsApp Business?
The WhatsApp Business app does not publish a daily message count for normal chats; its limits are the 256-contact broadcast list, the monthly broadcast cap where it has rolled out, and spam controls. The API has a clear daily limit: the number of unique people you can message outside a customer service window in a moving 24-hour period.
On the API:
- What counts: unique WhatsApp phone numbers you deliver to outside a customer service window. Replies inside an open window don’t use up the limit.
- Where it sits: the limit is set for the whole business portfolio and shared by every phone number in it, so one busy number can use all of it.
- Starting point: a newly created business portfolio starts at 250.
- Reaching 2,000: verify your business, have the partner who onboarded you verify it, or deliver 2,000 messages to unique users outside customer service windows within 30 days using templates with a high quality rating.
- Above 2,000: automatic scaling to 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited, one level at a time within 6 hours, if you send high-quality messages and used at least half of your current limit in the last 7 days.
- Where to check: WhatsApp Manager > Account tools shows each number’s status, quality rating and messaging limit.
Meta’s documentation also lists separate per-user limits on marketing templates, so a person who receives many marketing messages may not get every one of yours.
Is WhatsApp Business free or paid?
The WhatsApp Business app is free to download on Android and iPhone, and broadcast lists cost nothing. Business broadcasts are paid after your free messages, and the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) charges per delivered message.
On the API, Meta charges when a message is delivered, not when it is sent, and the rate depends on the recipient’s market and the message category: marketing, utility, authentication or service. Meta does not charge for service messages, which are replies inside the 24-hour customer service window that opens when a customer messages you, or for utility messages sent in response to users. When a customer messages you from an ad that clicks to WhatsApp or a Facebook Page call-to-action button, your messages for the next 72 hours are not charged.
Rates change by country and category, so read them on Meta’s official WhatsApp Business Platform pricing page.
WhatsApp Business app vs API: which should you use?
Use the free app if one person replies to customers from a phone; move to the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) when several people handle chats, you need automation, or WhatsApp must connect to your CRM or billing software. WhatsApp positions the app for small business owners and the Platform for messaging at scale.
| Feature | WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business Platform (API) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Free to download | Charged per delivered message, by category and market |
| Setup | Install from Google Play or the App Store and register your number | Through a Meta partner’s signup, or a direct integration by your own developers |
| Sending to many people | Broadcast lists (256 per list, saved contacts only); business broadcasts where available | Approved message templates, within your 24-hour messaging limit |
| Replying to customers | Any time, typed by hand on the phone | Free-form replies inside the 24-hour customer service window; templates only outside it |
| Automation | Greeting message, away messages, quick replies, labels | Automated flows, chatbots and AI tools, routing to live agents |
| Catalog and orders | Catalog, catalog links and cart | Product lists, rich media and interactive buttons |
| Team access | The phone plus linked devices; Meta Verified lists up to 10 devices and agents | As many agents as your connected software or CRM allows |
| CRM integration | Not built in | Connects to CRM and back-end systems |
| Business broadcasts feature | Yes, in select countries | Not currently supported |
A small clinic on Sohna Road with one receptionist can run well on the app. A packers and movers firm with five sales staff answering ad leads across Delhi NCR usually outgrows it, because chats stay stuck on one phone and nobody can see who followed up.
What are WhatsApp Business rules, and how do you avoid getting restricted?
WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy lets you contact people only if they gave you their number and opted in to hear from you, and you must honour every request to stop. Users can block or report businesses, and WhatsApp says its systems may limit how many messages a business can send based on that feedback.
On business broadcasts, many reports or blocks bring a warning, then a three-day suspension of the feature, and repeated restrictions can mean longer suspensions. On the API, Meta scores message quality from the last seven days of blocks, reports, mutes and archives, and that score decides whether your limit grows.
- Collect opt-in where customers already are: a line on your billing counter, website form or order slip asking permission to send updates on WhatsApp, and for which kinds of messages.
- Never buy, scrape or borrow number lists. People who don’t know you block you, and blocks hurt your number.
- Make stopping easy: tell people they can reply STOP, then remove them promptly, as the policy requires.
- Send what people signed up for: order updates to buyers, offers only to those who agreed to offers.
- Segment and pace: use labels or lists by area or interest, and avoid sending too many messages in a day.
- Clean your lists: remove contacts who haven’t interacted with your business recently.
- After a suspension, don’t resend at once to the same contacts; fix the list first.
Ask every new customer to save your number while you take their order. It improves broadcast delivery and makes your messages feel expected, not unknown.
How DVM Techno Can Help
When WhatsApp enquiries start slipping through on one phone, a CRM fixes the tracking side. Our team in Gurgaon builds custom CRM software that captures leads from your website, social media and calls, assigns them to the right person and connects to the WhatsApp Business API for automatic follow-ups. Our WhatsApp CRM setup guide walks through the setup, and the CRM software guide covers choosing a CRM. For other workflows, see our custom software development service. Call or WhatsApp +91-8448523313, Mon–Sat, 9 AM–7 PM.
Sources (official WhatsApp and Meta pages, checked October 2026):
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to use broadcast lists
- WhatsApp Help Center: About broadcast limits
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to create and invite into a group
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to create and send a business broadcast
- Meta for Developers: Messaging limits
- WhatsApp Business Platform pricing
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy
Frequently Asked Questions
How many contacts can I add to a WhatsApp Business broadcast list?
Up to 256 contacts in each broadcast list, according to WhatsApp’s Help Center, and you can create as many lists as you like. To reach more customers, split them into lists by area or interest. Broadcast lists work on Android and iPhone but not on WhatsApp Web, Windows or Mac. In some countries a monthly broadcast cap is also rolling out, shown under Settings > Broadcasts.
Why are some customers not receiving my WhatsApp broadcast?
A broadcast list message reaches only people who have saved your number in their phone’s contacts. Customers who never saved it see nothing, and there is no error on your side. Ask them to add your business number, or use business broadcasts, a paid feature in the WhatsApp Business app that can reach people who haven’t saved your number, where it is available.
What is the WhatsApp Business group members limit?
A WhatsApp group can have up to 1,024 members, according to WhatsApp’s Help Center. Every member sees all messages and replies, so groups suit communities, teams or student batches rather than promotions to customers. For private one-to-one delivery to many customers, use broadcast lists of up to 256 contacts each, or the WhatsApp Business Platform for larger volumes.
What is the WhatsApp Business message limit per day?
The WhatsApp Business app has no published daily count for normal chats. The WhatsApp Business Platform (API) limits how many unique users you can message outside a customer service window in a moving 24 hours: 250 for a new business portfolio, then 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited as you verify your business and keep message quality high.
Is WhatsApp Business free or paid?
The WhatsApp Business app is free to download, and broadcast lists are free to use. Business broadcasts are charged after your free messages, for each message delivered. The WhatsApp Business Platform (API) charges per delivered message based on the recipient’s market and the message category; service replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are not charged. Meta publishes current rates on its pricing page.
What is the difference between the WhatsApp Business app and the API?
The app is a free phone app for a business owner who replies personally, with broadcast lists, a catalog, quick replies and away messages. The WhatsApp Business Platform (API) has no app of its own; it connects WhatsApp to your software, so several agents, chatbots and a CRM can share one number, with approved templates for messages outside the 24-hour window.
Can my WhatsApp Business number get banned for sending broadcasts?
It can be restricted if people block or report your messages. WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy requires opt-in before you message someone and requires you to honour every request to stop. For business broadcasts, repeated reports bring a warning and then a three-day suspension of the feature. Message only customers who agreed, and remove anyone who asks.
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