Nigeria
WhatsApp costs in naira
What WhatsApp messages cost in naira
Your WhatsApp bill has two parts: what you pay DMly for the platform, and what Meta charges per delivered message at the Nigeria rate. The naira estimates use the CBN NFEM midpoint of ₦1,330.7027 per US dollar published 18 September 2026.
Two bills explained
Free service window
Worked examples
No DMly markup
Plan your message budget
The two bills
What you pay DMly, and what Meta charges
Business owners mix these two up and then get a surprise. They are separate, and only one of them moves when you send more.
Your DMly plan is the fixed part
You pay DMly a set amount every month in naira, from ₦29,000 for Starter, ₦59,000 for Growth and ₦99,000 for Premium. That covers the team inbox, the AI agent, bookings, invoices, broadcasts and every channel. Yearly billing gives you two months free, and prices already include 7.5% VAT.
Meta message charges are the variable part
Meta bills per message at the Nigeria rate and DMly adds nothing on top. This is the part that moves with how much you send, so it is the part worth planning. Count the templates a month needs before you send them, rather than working it out afterwards.
What starts a charge
Meta charges marketing and authentication templates when delivered. Since 1 October 2026 utility templates are charged whether or not a 24 hour customer service window is open. The category Meta gives a template when it reviews it decides the price.
What does not start a charge
Incoming customer messages are free. So are the first 1,000 service replies each month on each number. Contacts sitting in your CRM, flows that never fire and templates you drafted but never sent cost nothing either.
The categories
Every line that can show up on your WhatsApp bill
Meta sorts messages into categories and prices them differently. Put the same message in the right category and it costs less.
Worked examples
Three examples, worked out at the published rates
These are examples, not quotes. The message counts are invented to show the arithmetic. Put your own counts in and the rates stay the same.
About ₦
5,349
a month
Example only. A salon that confirms 300 bookings and sends 300 day before reminders has sent 600 utility messages. At about ₦8.92 each that is about ₦5,349, on top of the plan. The first 1,000 service replies each month on each number are free, and replies beyond that cost about ₦8.92 each.
About ₦
8,916
a month
Example only. A restaurant sending one order update per order on 1,000 orders has sent 1,000 utility messages. At about ₦8.92 each that is about ₦8,916. The first 1,000 service replies each month on each number are free, and replies beyond that cost about ₦8.92 each.
About ₦
14,265
a term
Example only. A school with 800 parents on its list, sending one fee reminder and one result notice, has sent 1,600 utility messages. At about ₦8.92 each that is about ₦14,265 for the term. Incoming parent messages are free.
Keeping it down
How to spend less on the same customers
None of this is about sending less. It is about sending the right category, to the right list, at the right moment.
Window
Answer inside the 24 hours
When a customer messages you first, you can reply freely for 24 hours without a template, and the first 1,000 service replies each month on each number cost nothing. Use that window for price lists and confirmations.
Category
Keep transactional messages transactional
A booking confirmation, a delivery update or a receipt is a utility message at about ₦8.92. Bolt a promotional line onto the end and the whole template can become marketing at about ₦68.66. Keep the offer in its own template and send the confirmation clean.
List
Only message people who really opted in
A scraped number costs exactly the same to message as a loyal customer, and it will not reply. Keep the people who messaged you or ticked a box, record where and when the opt-in happened, and pay for an audience that actually answers.
Timing
Send when Nigerians actually read
A marketing template costs the same at 6am as it does at 8pm. Schedule around commute hours and paydays rather than the middle of a work morning, and the same spend puts your message in front of people who are holding their phone.
Plan
Match the plan to your volume
Your plan sets how many broadcast and template messages are included and how many contacts stay active. Before you buy add-ons one by one at ₦6,500 a seat or ₦9,500 per 1,000 contacts, price the next tier up and compare the two.
Season
Budget December before December arrives
Your heaviest broadcast month is also your most expensive one. Build the calendar first, count the templates in it, sort them into utility and marketing, then price the month at the rates above.
Why DMly
Why Nigerian businesses choose DMly
What your customers already do on WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, handled in one place and priced in naira.
01Priced in nairaPlans from ₦29,000 a month, and Meta's message costs explained in naira before you send.
02The official WhatsApp APIRuns on Meta's official WhatsApp Business API, on your own number.
03Every channel, one inboxWhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, SMS and website chat, answered by one team.
04Bookings and payments in the chatTake bookings, send invoices and share Paystack payment links without leaving the conversation.
05Set up for you, freeTell us what you want to automate and we build it with you, including help with Meta business verification.
06People you can reachCall or WhatsApp our team on 0806 121 1164.
Start your 7-day free trialChat with us on WhatsAppNo card needed for the trial. Setup help is free.
Questions about the bill
What Nigerian business owners ask us about cost
Does DMly add anything on top of the Meta charges?
No. Meta bills at the Nigeria rate and it is passed through with nothing added. What you pay DMly is the plan, and that sits on its own line.
Do I pay for messages my customers send me?
No. Incoming messages are free. The first 1,000 service replies each month on each number are free too. After that they cost about ₦8.92 each, the utility rate.
How do I work out what a campaign will cost?
Count the contacts in the segment and multiply by the category rate: about ₦68.66 for marketing, ₦8.92 for utility or authentication, and ₦99.80 when international authentication applies. Incoming messages are free.
What is the difference between utility and marketing?
A utility message carries information the customer expects about something they already did, at about ₦8.92 each. A marketing message sells something, at about ₦68.66 each. Meta decides the category when it reviews the template.
Is VAT charged on this?
Plan prices already include 7.5% VAT. You get a naira invoice with a VAT receipt, which is what your accountant will ask for.
Can I see the real numbers before I commit?
Yes. Seven days on any plan, every feature unlocked, no card needed. Setup help and Meta business verification help are free, on a call with our team.
See the cost before you send
Start a seven day free trial, every feature unlocked and no card needed, then price your own month against the rates above.