A WhatsApp broadcast list sends one message to up to 256 contacts at once, each as a private chat. It is free in the WhatsApp Business app, but only people who have saved your number receive it. To reach more people, or people who have not saved your number, you have two paid options: business broadcasts inside the WhatsApp Business app, where available, or the WhatsApp Business API, which sends Meta-approved templates to customers who opted in, priced per delivered message and with no list size limit.
Three ways to send one WhatsApp message to many customers
| Broadcast list | Business broadcasts | WhatsApp Business API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app, on your phone | WhatsApp Business app, under Tools | A provider or platform connected to Meta’s API |
| Who receives it | Only contacts who saved your number | Your contacts, even if they have not saved your number | Customers who gave you their number and opted in |
| Size | 256 contacts per list | Your selected audience | No list limit; a daily limit of 250 to unlimited unique customers, by tier |
| Cost | Free. Some countries are getting a cap of 35 free broadcast messages a month | A fee per delivered message, by recipient country | A fee per delivered template, by category and recipient country |
| Content | Any message | Text, a photo and one action button, reviewed by Meta | A template Meta has approved, with buttons and personalised fields |
| Availability | Everywhere | Limited countries, rolling out | Every country Meta prices |
WhatsApp is changing the app side country by country, so check what your own app shows. Every rule here links to its source at the end of the page.
How to create a WhatsApp broadcast list
- Open the broadcast lists screenIn the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app on your phone, go to Chats, tap the menu and choose Broadcast lists. Broadcast lists are not available on WhatsApp Web, Windows or Mac.
- Create a new listTap the new list button, then search for or select the contacts you want. One list holds up to 256 contacts; you can make as many lists as you like.
- Check that every contact has saved your numberOnly people who have your number in their phone’s contacts receive the broadcast. Anyone who has not saved it gets nothing, and the app does not tell you who missed out.
- Write and send the messageEach person receives it as a normal one-to-one message from you. Replies come back to you privately; nobody on the list sees anyone else.
Why a broadcast list stops working for a growing shop
- The saved-number rule. A customer who bought once from your Instagram or website rarely saves your number. They never see the broadcast, and your app still shows it as sent.
- The 256 cap. A list of 2,000 customers means eight lists, built and kept up to date by hand on one phone.
- A monthly limit is arriving. WhatsApp’s Help Center says people in some countries will see a monthly broadcast limit, up to 35 free broadcast messages a month, rolling out gradually.
- No idea who it worked on. A broadcast list tells you nothing about who bought afterwards, so the next message goes to the same list again.
- One phone, one person. Lists live on the phone that made them. They are not available on WhatsApp Web or desktop.
Business broadcasts in the WhatsApp Business app
In some countries the WhatsApp Business app now has business broadcasts (earlier called marketing messages), under Tools. They are the app’s paid step up from a broadcast list.
- They reach your contacts even if they have not saved your number.
- You pay for each message delivered within five days, priced by the recipient’s country code. Undelivered messages are refunded.
- Each broadcast is reviewed by Meta before it is sent. You can add a photo and one button: catalogue, custom reply, phone call or website.
- You can schedule a send and see how many people read and replied.
- If enough people block or report you, business broadcasts are suspended for three days, with no appeal. Repeated restrictions can last longer.
Business broadcasts are available in limited countries and only in the WhatsApp Business app. A number connected to the WhatsApp Business Platform (the API) cannot use them.
Broadcasting through the WhatsApp Business API
On the API there is no broadcast list. You send the same approved template to as many customers as your messaging limit allows, and each one arrives as a private chat from your business name. Four rules decide how it works:
- Templates. A message that starts a conversation must be a template Meta has approved. Free-form text is only allowed inside the 24-hour window after a customer messages you. See why WhatsApp templates get rejected.
- Opt-in. Meta’s policy requires the customer to have given you their number and agreed to hear from your business. A tick box at checkout or a form on your site counts, as long as it follows local law.
- Pricing. Since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per delivered message, by template category and the recipient’s country. Messages customers send you are free.
- Messaging limits. No list cap, but a daily limit on unique customers you can message outside the 24-hour window: 250 for a new business, then 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited. See WhatsApp messaging limits.
What an API broadcast costs in the UAE and Egypt
| Per delivered message | Marketing | Utility | 1,000 marketing messages |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE | $0.0576 (AED 0.2115) | $0.0157 (AED 0.0576) | $57.60 (AED 211.50) |
| Egypt | $0.0644 (≈ EGP 3.45) | $0.0036 (≈ EGP 0.19) | $64.40 (≈ EGP 3,450) |
Meta’s list rates effective 2026-10-01, checked 2026-10-11. The UAE figures in AED are Meta’s own rate card; the Egypt figures in EGP are converted from USD. A marketing template is the one you would use for an offer, a launch or a win-back. An order update or delivery notice is utility and costs far less. Every country is on the WhatsApp Business API pricing page, with a calculator.
From one list to the right customers
The real limit of a broadcast list is not 256. It is that everyone on it gets the same message. Sarah, who orders every month, gets the same 20% off as Hussein, who has not bought since Ramadan.
In Nonito, the list is a segment built from your store’s own order history. Connect Shopify, or Odoo through Nitro, and every order is kept against the customer. Then pick who gets the campaign:
- Customers who bought twice or more but not in the last 60 days.
- Everyone who bought from one category, for a launch in that category.
- First-time buyers from the last 30 days, for a second-order offer.
- Your highest-value customers, for early access before a sale.
The campaign goes out as an approved template through the WhatsApp Business API, and the same segment can get it by SMS or email instead. Segments stay current as new orders and customer updates arrive, and Nonito attributes the orders that follow a message, so the next campaign starts from what worked.
Which one should you use?
| If you… | Use |
|---|---|
| Message a few hundred regulars who already have your number saved | A broadcast list, free |
| Run a small shop on one phone and want to reach contacts who did not save your number | Business broadcasts, if your app has them |
| Sell on Shopify or Odoo and want offers to reach the right customers, with results by order | The WhatsApp Business API, through a platform like Nonito |
| Need order confirmations and delivery updates as well as offers | The WhatsApp Business API; utility templates cost a fraction of marketing ones |
Frequently asked questions
How many contacts can a WhatsApp broadcast list have?
Up to 256 contacts per list, according to WhatsApp’s Help Center. You can create as many lists as you like, but each one is capped at 256 and you have to build them by hand on your phone.
Why are people not receiving my WhatsApp broadcast?
Only people who have saved your number in their phone’s contacts receive a broadcast list message. Ask them to save your number, or use business broadcasts or the WhatsApp Business API, which do not need it.
Is there a limit on how many broadcasts I can send a month?
WhatsApp is rolling out a monthly broadcast limit in some countries: up to 35 free broadcast messages a month. If your app shows a limit, you will find it under Settings, then Broadcasts.
Can I send a WhatsApp broadcast to more than 256 people?
Not in one broadcast list. You can split customers across several lists, use the WhatsApp Business app’s paid business broadcasts where they are available, or send through the WhatsApp Business API, which has no list size limit.
How much does a WhatsApp broadcast cost through the API?
Meta charges per delivered template message. A marketing message costs $0.0576 (AED 0.2115) to a UAE number and $0.0644 (≈ EGP 3.45) to an Egyptian number, at Meta’s rates effective 2026-10-01. A utility message, such as an order update, costs $0.0157 (AED 0.0576) and $0.0036 (≈ EGP 0.19).
Do I need opt-in to send WhatsApp broadcasts through the API?
Yes. Meta’s policy requires the customer to have given you their number and agreed to receive messages from your business. The opt-in can be collected on your website, at checkout, by SMS or in person, as long as it follows local law.
Sources
Checked on 2026-10-21.
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to use broadcast lists
- WhatsApp Help Center: About broadcast limits
- WhatsApp Help Center: About business broadcasts
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to create and send a business broadcast
- WhatsApp Help Center: About pricing for business broadcasts
- WhatsApp Help Center: Can’t send business broadcasts
- Meta: Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform
- Meta: Get opt-in for WhatsApp
- Meta: Messaging limits