WhatsApp Business API in Saudi Arabia — cost and Salla

Most writing about the WhatsApp Business API is aimed at one market, and a Saudi merchant finishes it with two questions unanswered: is my number accepted, and what will it actually cost me? This page answers both, and covers what is specific to Saudi Arabia — Salla, dialect, and the channels that actually sell here.

1. The number

The WhatsApp Cloud API does not care which country a number belongs to. A Saudi +966 number works like any other, and so do +971, +965, +974, +973 and +968. Two things usually stop people: the number must not be active on the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app when you register it, and you need a verified business in Meta Business Manager.

2. Cost — the part that gets misread

Meta bills per message, not per conversation. A conversation opens for 24 hours, and your replies inside the customer's window are free for the first 1,000 per number each month. So your bill does not depend on how much you wrote — it depends on how many conversations you started, and on your replies past 1,000 a month.

Three categories, three prices

UtilityOrder confirmation, shipping, invoice

AuthenticationVerification codes

MarketingOffers — the dearest

Conversation the customer startsFirst 1,000 replies free

The category comes from the template, not the message text

There are three categories at different rates: Utility for transactional messages (order confirmation, shipping, invoice), Authentication for verification codes, and Marketing for promotions, which is the most expensive. The category comes from the template you get approved, not from the words you send — and that is where money is most often wasted.

The official per-country rates live in Meta's own rate card and change from time to time, so we do not reprint a number here as if it were fixed. What matters: service replies are free for the first 1,000 per number each month since 1 October 2026 (they were uncapped from November 2024) — any conversation your customer starts costs you nothing, however long it runs, as long as your replies stay under 1,000 a month. Meta's fees are billed to your own account with no markup from us.

3. Dialect

A bot translated from English gives itself away immediately. A customer writes «أبغى أعرف وش الأسعار» and gets formal Modern Standard Arabic back, and now they know they are talking to a machine. Dialect here is a setting on the agent — Gulf, Egyptian, Iraqi, MSA — or “auto”, which mirrors the customer. The Gulf setting is tuned on the real vocabulary: أبغى، شلونك، الحين، وش، وين.

Agent dialect

AutoGulfEgyptianIraqiStandard Arabic

Real Gulf words: abgha, shlonak, alheen, wesh, wein

4. Salla and stores

Most Saudi stores run on Salla, and the Salla integration is written on our side and opens by agreement between us and Salla; until it opens the agent reads your products from your file or store link, so it searches your real catalogue instead of inventing, and it can confirm an order and follow up on delivery. Shopify and WooCommerce connect directly, with a universal connector for anything else.

5. Not only WhatsApp

In the Gulf a large share of selling starts from an Instagram comment or a DM. Automatic comment replies that move the buyer into a private message are a channel of their own — and the same agent works across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Facebook comments from one place.

FAQ

Is a Saudi +966 number accepted on the WhatsApp Business API?

Yes. The WhatsApp Cloud API does not restrict the country — a number from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain or Oman is fine. The two real conditions are that the number is not simultaneously active on the WhatsApp app, and that you hold a verified business in Meta Business Manager.

How is the cost actually calculated?

Meta bills per message, not per conversation: each template message you start is charged on its own, while replies to a customer who wrote first are free for the first 1,000 per number each month. The rate varies by country and by conversation category (Utility / Authentication / Marketing), and the official per-country rates are published in Meta's own rate card.

Are service conversations free in Saudi Arabia?

Yes, for the first 1,000 replies per number each month. From November 2024 to 30 September 2026, service conversations — the ones the customer starts — were free without limit, in Saudi Arabia and everywhere else; since 1 October 2026 the first 1,000 replies per number each month are free and the rest are billed at the utility rate. What you pay for are the conversations you start with an approved template, and replies past the 1,000.

When do I need the API, and when is the WhatsApp Business app enough?

The regular app is enough for one person and a small volume. You need the API when several people must work the same number, when you want to broadcast to thousands without getting blocked, when it has to talk to your store, or when you need genuine 24/7 automation.

How do I connect it to Salla?

The Salla integration is written end to end on our side and opens by agreement between us and Salla — we say so plainly, and there is no ArabyBot app on the Salla app store today. Until it opens the agent reads your products from your file or store link, confirms the order and follows up on delivery. Shopify and WooCommerce connect directly with one approval from the store dashboard. The Salla guide.

Can I get the green tick?

The green tick (Official Business Account) is Meta's decision and cannot be bought. It needs a verified business, genuine activity, policy compliance, and evidence that the brand is notable. The API is a prerequisite, not a guarantee.

See the Saudi & Gulf page · The app vs the API · The green tick

Where to go next