Messaging limits (messaging tiers)
Messaging limits, or messaging tiers, define how many unique customers a WhatsApp business portfolio can message outside the customer service window in a rolling 24 hours, with one limit shared across all the portfolio's numbers. Meta's levels start at 250 recipients, then 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and no fixed limit. Reaching 2,000 requires business verification or another extension path; the following levels come automatically based on the volumes used and the quality maintained.
The limit concerns the unique recipients the business messages with templates outside the customer service window in 24 hours: replies to customers who write first don't consume it. To go from 250 to 2,000, one of three paths is enough: business verification, verification by the partner, or 2,000 messages delivered outside the window to unique users in 30 days with high-quality templates. From there progression is automatic: if messages are high quality and at least half of the current limit has been used in the last 7 days, Meta raises the limit by one level within 6 hours (source: Meta's page on messaging limits, updated May 21, 2026). Quality degradation can instead lead to demotion to the lower level.
The operational consequence is that large lists can't be reached from day one: the number needs warming up, with growing sends to engaged segments that generate replies and few reports. Campaigns must be planned within the current tier, staggering batches over several days when the list exceeds the limit. The pair to watch is tier and quality rating: the first says how much you can send, the second whether you'll keep being able to.
SendApp campaigns are dispatched in batches with controlled queues: sends stay within your tier's limits and your portfolio moves up levels without jolts.
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