What are WhatsApp Business messaging limits?
The messaging limit is the maximum number of different customers a business portfolio can message outside the customer service window in a rolling 24 hours: 250 for a newly created business portfolio, then 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited.
The definition in two minutes
Meta limits how many different customer phone numbers your business can message, outside the customer service window, in a moving 24-hour period. A customer you message several times in that period counts once.
Only messages sent outside the 24-hour window count, which means message templates. Your replies within 24 hours of a customer’s message do not count towards it.
Meta sets the limit for the business portfolio, not for a single number. Every number in the portfolio shares it: one number can use up the whole capacity.
Meta’s tiers
| Tier | How you reach it |
|---|---|
| 250 | The starting point of a newly created business portfolio. |
| 2,000 | One route of your choice: verify the business, have the partner that onboarded it verify it, or deliver 2,000 messages outside the service window to different numbers within 30 days using high-quality templates. Meta then reviews quality and approves or declines. |
| 10,000, 100,000, then unlimited | Automatic scaling, one level at a time, once the quality and usage criteria are met. |
Above 2,000, Meta raises the limit by one level in about 6 hours if your messages are high quality across all your numbers and templates, and you have used at least half of the limit over the last 7 days.
Not to be confused with
- Frequency capping
- It caps what one person receives from all businesses. The messaging limit caps how many customers your portfolio can message.
- The free service messages
- That is a pricing allowance, not a sending limit: 1,000 service messages per month and per number before charging starts.
- “Conversations”
- The limit counts customer phone numbers, not conversations. The word remains in the names of some of Meta’s technical fields, a legacy of the old per-conversation pricing, replaced by per-message pricing on 1 July 2025.
- The old per-number limit
- Since 8 October 2025, according to Meta’s changelog, the limit is set for the portfolio rather than for a number, and the first step up leads to 2,000. It used to lead to 1,000: older articles still give that figure.
Where to see your limit
In WhatsApp Manager, open Account tools, then Messaging limits: the current limit is shown there. Technical teams can also read it through Meta’s API, in the “whatsapp_business_manager_messaging_limit” field.
What it means for a small business
A newly created portfolio starts at the first tier: 250 different customers per 24 hours. A campaign to a longer list therefore has to be spread over several days.
To move up, you need good-quality messages and to use at least half of the limit. Sending more is not enough if customers block or report your messages.
Example
Illustrative case: a shop connects its first number to WhatsApp. Its portfolio is at the first tier, 250 different customers per 24 hours. It wants to tell 600 customers about a private sale. It cannot message them all on the same day: the send is spread over about 3 days. Verifying the business is one of the routes to the next tier.
Frequently asked questions
What is the messaging limit of a new WhatsApp Business account?
250 different customers in a rolling 24 hours, outside the customer service window, for a newly created business portfolio.
How do you move up to 2,000?
By one of these routes: verify the business, have the partner that onboarded it verify it, or deliver 2,000 messages outside the window to different numbers within 30 days using high-quality templates. Meta then reviews quality.
Is the limit 1,000 messages?
No. It counts different customers, not messages. And since 8 October 2025 the first step up leads to 2,000. 1,000 was the old tier, set per number.
Do my replies to customers count towards the limit?
No. The limit counts customers messaged outside the customer service window. A reply sent within 24 hours of a customer’s message is inside the window.
Do several numbers share the limit?
Yes. It is set for the business portfolio and shared by all its numbers: one number can use up the whole capacity.
Where can I see my messaging limit?
In WhatsApp Manager, under Account tools, then Messaging limits.
Related terms
Sources
- Meta, messaging limits: developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messaging-limits ( checked on 20 October 2026)
- Meta, WhatsApp changelog (8 October 2025): developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/changelog ( checked on 20 October 2026)
- Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing: developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing ( checked on 20 October 2026)
- Meta, per-user marketing template message limits: developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits ( checked on 20 October 2026)