Three things decide how many WhatsApp broadcast messages you can send and when they go out: your Social Intents plan allowance, Meta's daily messaging limit for your number, and the broadcast's own send speed and send window. The Reach panel in the broadcast composer checks all of them before you send. See WhatsApp Broadcasts.
Plan Limits
| Plan | Monthly recipients | Per broadcast |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | 100 | 50 |
| Basic | 2,000 | 1,000 |
| Pro | 10,000 | 5,000 |
| Business | 50,000 | 25,000 |
- What counts: every broadcast recipient who isn't skipped, on WhatsApp or by SMS fallback, in the calendar month. Skipped contacts and test sends don't count.
- Where to see it: Reach shows your plan allowance, how many recipients are left this month, the per-broadcast maximum and the reset date.
- Replies don't count. Conversations in the inbox, Teams, Slack or Google Chat aren't limited by these numbers.
First Broadcast Review
Your account's first broadcast to more than 500 recipients gets a quick manual review before it sends, usually within one business day. The confirm button reads Submit for review, the broadcast shows In review, and you get an email when it's approved. Use Withdraw to pull it back and edit. After that, broadcasts within your plan send right away.
Requesting a Higher Limit
If a broadcast is over your plan's monthly or per-broadcast limit, Reach explains which one and offers Request a higher limit. Enter the Monthly recipients you need and a note About your audience (how contacts opted in, how often you send). We review it and email you; while it's pending, Reach shows Your limit request is being reviewed. You can also Upgrade your plan from the same message.
Meta's Messaging Limits
Meta limits how many people a business number can start conversations with in a rolling 24 hours. The tiers are 250, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited. Replies to customers who messaged you in the last 24 hours don't count.
- Where to see it: Reach shows the number's Daily limit and how many WhatsApp sends are left in the next 24 hours. Outbound > Templates shows the number's limit and quality rating, and the Finish setup checklist shows it under Messaging status.
- Our 90% cap: broadcasts use at most 90% of the number's daily limit, so the rest stays free for template messages your agents send from the inbox.
- Display name: until Meta approves your display name, it keeps your limit low.
- Moving up: Meta raises your tier as you send messages people engage with. Sending to opted-in, interested contacts is the fastest way up.
Quality Rating
Meta rates your number and each template High, Medium or Low based on how recipients react, including blocks and reports. A low rating can lead Meta to pause templates or hold back your messaging limit. To keep it high:
- Send only to contacts who opted in, and keep the Frequency guard on (24 hours by default).
- Make every message relevant and give an easy way to opt out, such as a Stop promotions button.
- Use retargeting to follow up with engaged contacts rather than re-sending to everyone.
Send Speed
| Setting | Rate | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Gentle | 60 per minute | You want replies to trickle in for a small team. |
| Standard (default) | 600 per minute | Most broadcasts. |
| Fast | 2,400 per minute | Time-sensitive messages to large audiences, with enough people to answer. |
Numbers using coexistence with the WhatsApp Business app are capped by Meta at 20 messages per second (1,200 per minute), so the Fast setting sends at that cap.
Send Window (Quiet Hours)
The Send window, in the composer's Schedule step, only delivers messages during the hours you choose so nobody gets a message in the middle of the night. It's on by default, from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
| Whose time | How it works |
|---|---|
| Business time zone | Everyone gets the window in one time zone. It defaults to your chat widget's time zone; change it in Time zone. Best when most contacts are near you. |
| Each recipient's local time (by phone country) | Each contact gets the window in their own time zone: the one we know from their chats, otherwise their phone number's country. For countries with several time zones, such as the US, a message only sends when it's inside your hours in all of them. Numbers we can't place use the zone in When we can't tell. |
- Weekdays only limits delivery to Monday to Friday.
- Contacts outside the window wait in the queue and get the message when their window opens. While everyone remaining is waiting, the broadcast shows "Waiting for the send window" and resumes automatically.
- The window applies to SMS fallback texts too.
- Free-form messages only reach contacts inside their 24-hour WhatsApp window, so holding them for a send window can make some expire before they send.
- Scheduling and the window work together: if you schedule a broadcast for 7:00 AM with a window that opens at 9:00 AM, messages start going out at 9:00 AM.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Reach say I'm over Meta's limit when my plan has room?
Meta's daily limit is per number and separate from your plan. Reduce the audience, split the broadcast across days, or wait for your tier to rise. Request a higher limit only helps with plan limits.
Can I turn the send window off?
Yes. Turn off the Send window toggle in the Schedule step. We recommend keeping it on for marketing messages.
When does my monthly allowance reset?
At the start of each calendar month. Reach shows the exact reset date.
Do Utility templates count toward the limits?
Yes. Any broadcast recipient counts toward your plan allowance, and Meta's daily limit applies to all business-initiated templates.