In the WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business apps, one broadcast list holds up to 256 contacts, you can make as many lists as you like, and only people who saved your number receive the message (WhatsApp Help Center, checked Oct 2026). On the WhatsApp Business API there is no list size. The limit there is how many unique people you can message in a rolling 24 hours, starting at 250 and rising to unlimited.
There are now three different "broadcast" features with three different limits. This guide sorts them out.
The three ways to broadcast, side by side
| App broadcast list | Business broadcasts (Business app) | WhatsApp Business API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipients per send | Up to 256 per list | No maximum stated by WhatsApp | Up to your messaging limit per 24 hours |
| Who receives it | Only people who saved your number | Contacts you pick from your address book or imported lists | Opted-in contacts, saved or not |
| Monthly cap | 35 free broadcast messages a month, where the limit has rolled out | Free messages first, then paid | None; the limit is per 24 hours |
| Cost | Free | Per delivered message, priced by the recipient's country code | Per delivered template message (India marketing rate ₹0.8631 before GST) |
| Reviewed before sending | No | Yes, by Meta | Templates are approved once, before first use |
| Replies | Arrive as normal one-to-one chats | Arrive in the chat; read and reply counts shown | Arrive in your inbox or CRM |
Sources: broadcast lists, broadcast limits, creating business broadcasts, business broadcast pricing and Meta messaging limits, all checked Oct 2026.
1. App broadcast lists: the 256 limit
How it works, per WhatsApp's help page:
- Each list holds up to 256 contacts. Make as many lists as you need.
- Each person gets the message as a private chat from you, and their reply comes back to you alone.
- Anyone who hasn't saved your number in their phone's contacts doesn't receive it. WhatsApp tells you to ask them to add you.
- Broadcast lists can't be created on WhatsApp Web, Windows or Mac.
So the real limit for most businesses is the saved-number rule. If you send to 256 people and 100 never saved your number, those 100 get nothing, and nothing in the app tells you which 100.
Splitting 2,000 customers into eight lists of 250 is allowed by the list rules. It is also a quick way to collect "block" and "report" taps if those people never asked for offers. Our WhatsApp marketing compliance guide covers opt-in and what happens to accounts that get reported.
2. The new monthly broadcast cap
WhatsApp's help page says people in some countries "might see a monthly broadcast limit", rolling out gradually, and that "you can send up to 35 free broadcast messages per month" (WhatsApp Help Center, checked Oct 2026).
What to do:
- Open Settings, then Broadcasts, to see whether you have a limit and how much is left.
- WhatsApp warns you before you hit it.
- The page points to Status updates and Channels for reaching many people, and to the WhatsApp Business app for businesses.
3. Business broadcasts in the Business app (paid)
The WhatsApp Business app has a separate tool under Tools, then Business broadcasts. From WhatsApp's help pages (checked Oct 2026):
- You pick an audience from your address book or imported contact lists, add an image, video or document, and an optional button (catalog, quick reply, call or website).
- Meta reviews each broadcast before it goes out.
- After your free messages, you add a payment method. You pay only for messages delivered within five days, priced by each recipient's country code from Meta's rate cards (pricing page).
- If enough people block or report you, you get a warning, then a three-day suspension of the feature, and the suspension can't be appealed (WhatsApp Help Center).
- It is "currently available in limited countries". Check whether it shows under Tools in your app.
- It doesn't work on numbers connected to the WhatsApp Business Platform.
4. The API limit: messaging tiers
On the API there are no broadcast lists. You send approved template messages to people who opted in, and the cap is your messaging limit. Per Meta's documentation (checked Oct 2026):
- It counts unique phone numbers you message outside a customer service window, in a moving 24 hours. Replies to someone who messaged you in the last 24 hours don't count.
- It is set per business portfolio and shared by all numbers in it.
- New portfolios start at 250. The next steps are 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited.
How to go from 250 to 2,000, using any one of these:
- Complete business verification in Meta Business Suite.
- Have the partner who onboarded you verify your business.
- Send 2,000 delivered template messages to unique numbers within 30 days, using high-quality templates.
After 2,000, Meta raises you one step within 6 hours when your messages are high quality and you used at least half your current limit in the last 7 days (Meta messaging limits).
Quality ratings and the rules that protect them are in our compliance guide.
5. Per-user limits: why some messages fail anyway
Meta can cap how many marketing templates a person receives from all businesses, based on how often they read them and how busy their inbox is. A blocked message fails with error 131049. Meta advises waiting at least 24 hours before retrying, and repeated retries can block that person for up to 24 hours (Meta per-user limits, checked Oct 2026). The same page says marketing templates are not currently delivered to US phone numbers, so this channel is mainly for India and other non-US markets.
What a broadcast costs
- App broadcast list: free.
- Business broadcasts: per delivered message, at the rate for the recipient's country. The app shows the total and estimated tax before you pay.
- API: per delivered template message. For Indian numbers, Meta's rate is ₹0.8631 for marketing and ₹0.115 for utility, before GST (effective 1 October 2026, checked 25 October 2026). Your provider may add a fee on top.
A worked example: an offer to 2,000 opted-in customers on the API is 2,000 marketing messages, or 2,000 × ₹0.8631 before GST and any provider fee. To run your own numbers, use the WhatsApp API pricing calculator. The full rate breakdown is in WhatsApp Business API pricing in India.
Which one should you use?
- Under 256 regular customers who all have your number: app broadcast lists are fine.
- A few hundred to a few thousand customers, and you want to stay on the app: try business broadcasts if they are available to you.
- Leads from ads, your website, IndiaMART or Justdial who never saved your number, or sends that should go out automatically: the API. Our WhatsApp Business app vs API comparison explains how to keep the app on the same number.
How BeeCMO handles broadcasts
Messenger Bee sends broadcasts through the official WhatsApp Cloud API on your own number. You pick an audience by tags or activity and see the recipient count and an approximate cost before anything goes out. Every broadcast needs your approval, sends are paced within your number's messaging limit, and only contacts with a recorded opt-in receive templates. Meta bills message fees to your own account. See Messenger Bee.
Frequently asked questions
What is the WhatsApp broadcast limit per day?
App broadcast lists have no stated daily limit, but each list is capped at 256 contacts and some countries now have a monthly cap of 35 free broadcast messages. On the API, the limit is per 24 hours: 250 unique people for a new business, rising to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited.
How many broadcast lists can I create on WhatsApp Business?
As many as you like, with up to 256 contacts in each.
Why didn't some people get my broadcast?
In the app, people who haven't saved your number don't receive broadcasts. On the API, failures often come from Meta's per-user marketing limits (error 131049) or from a number that isn't on WhatsApp.
How can I send a WhatsApp message to 1,000 people at once?
Use business broadcasts in the WhatsApp Business app if your country has them, or the WhatsApp Business API with an approved template. Send only to people who opted in.
Are WhatsApp broadcasts free?
App broadcast lists are free. Business broadcasts and API template messages are charged per delivered message.
Sources
All checked 25 October 2026.
- WhatsApp Help Center, how to use broadcast lists: https://faq.whatsapp.com/861663048350950/?locale=en_US
- WhatsApp Help Center, about broadcast limits: https://faq.whatsapp.com/1176325363861991/?locale=en_US
- WhatsApp Help Center, how to create and send a business broadcast: https://faq.whatsapp.com/1711086883148106/?locale=en_US
- WhatsApp Help Center, about pricing for business broadcasts: https://faq.whatsapp.com/1356785542323967/?locale=en_US
- WhatsApp Help Center, about business broadcasts (read and reply counts): https://faq.whatsapp.com/1524953031793983/?locale=en_US
- WhatsApp Help Center, can't send business broadcasts: https://faq.whatsapp.com/1655751878365653/?locale=en_US
- Meta, messaging limits: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messaging-limits
- Meta, per-user marketing template message limits: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits
- Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing