WhatsApp broadcast limits: how many messages a day, and what gets you banned
The 250-a-day cap is real, and so is the risk of losing the number — but they are two different mechanisms. One is Meta's ladder. The other is what you send, and to whom.
What “bulk WhatsApp sender” usually means
Most tools that advertise a "bulk WhatsApp sender" or "broadcast software" do not connect through Meta's official API. They automate a WhatsApp session in ways Meta does not allow. They work for a few weeks, then the number gets banned — and there is no appeal.
This page is about the other route: Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API. The sending limit is published, templates go through review, and a restriction has a review behind it instead of a dead number. If that distinction is the reason you searched, start with the official API providers compared — the short version is that a provider cannot opt you out of Meta's rules, only out of the grey-market ones.
How many messages you can send a day
Meta sets the limit per business phone number, not per campaign and not per panel. A new number starts at 250 business-initiated messages a day, and the tier rises as the number sends and keeps its quality rating.
| Tier | Business-initiated messages a day |
|---|---|
| Where a new number starts | 250 |
| Next tier | 2,000 |
| Next tier | 10,000 |
| Next tier | 100,000 |
| Top tier | Unlimited |
Two things that number is not. It is not a target — a number that spends its whole cap on a cold list will not see the next tier. And it is not a promise: Meta raises the tier on its own review of volume and quality, and the limit can be reduced again if the rating falls.
The ladder counts business-initiated messages: campaigns and templates your business starts. A conversation the customer opened is a service conversation, and Meta treats it on its own terms.
The 250 figure is the one people search for, so it is worth saying plainly: on a brand-new number, with no sending history, 250 business-initiated messages a day is the ceiling. Everything above it is earned.
What actually gets a number restricted
Meta documents four triggers, and none of them is "sent too many messages":
- Blocks and reports from the people you message. A high block rate is the clearest signal that a list was never opted in.
- A quality rating that falls. Meta ties the rating to how recipients respond, and the messaging limit follows the rating.
- Sending without opt-in. Messaging someone who never agreed to hear from your business.
- Templates that break Meta's messaging policy. Prohibited content, misleading offers, a missing way to opt out.
Meta applies all four, and Meta decides the outcome. This page will not hand you a penalty schedule, because Meta does not publish one as a schedule — the result depends on the account's history and on the review. What can be said honestly is that the first three are entirely within your control, and the fourth is within ours to fix before submission.
What opt-in has to look like
Opt-in is not a checkbox on your website that nobody reads. Meta requires that a person agreed to receive messages from your business before you start one, and the burden of showing that is yours.
- Consent captured. A form on your site, a WhatsApp opt-in, a click-to-WhatsApp ad, or an inbound message where the person asks to hear from you.
- Source recorded. Which list, which date, which channel. If the account is reviewed, that record is the answer.
- Opt-out honoured. Opt-outs are honoured automatically. Not when someone remembers to remove the contact.
The panel keeps the list and the source together, which is also why broadcasts go to a segment rather than to a pasted number dump: a list you cannot explain is the one that gets you restricted.
Why approved templates matter
A message your business starts is a template, and Meta reviews it before it can be sent at scale. The review is a content review: the wording, the category, the variables, and whether the template offers a way out.
A rejection is a review outcome on that template, not a ban on the number. Fix the wording or change the category and resubmit; rejections cost time, not the account. Template writing is part of the subscription — we write them and fix rejections, so campaigns don't stall in review.
What LetSend does about it
Only what is actually shipped. Broadcasts go to opted-in lists rather than pasted numbers. Templates are submitted for approval before a campaign runs, not after. And the quality rating is watched:
On the official API, with opt-in lists and approved templates, your quality rating protects you — we monitor it and warn you before Meta does.
What we cannot do is promise a number will never be restricted. Meta applies its own rules to every business on the platform, including this one. What we can do is make sure the list is opted in, the template is approved, and the warning arrives before the restriction does.
Where the badge fits — and where it does not
The green tick is a discoverability badge, not a sending permission. It does not raise the limit and it does not protect a number from a bad list. If you have been told otherwise, the green tick guide sets out what the badge actually changes.
Frequently asked questions
How many WhatsApp messages can I send per day?
A new business phone number starts at 250 business-initiated messages a day. Meta raises the tier as volume and quality rating hold: 2,000, then 10,000, then 100,000, then unlimited.
Will I get banned for sending the same message to 10,000 people?
Not for the number alone. A campaign to people who opted in, using a template Meta approved, is exactly what the platform is for. A list that never opted in is what gets numbers restricted.
Do template rejections count against my number?
No. A rejection is a review outcome on that template, not a ban on the number. Fix the wording or send it under a different category, and resubmit.
What does opt-in have to look like?
Consent captured before you message, the source and date recorded, and an opt-out honoured automatically. Meta requires the opt-in for business-initiated messages, and the proof stays with your business.
What happens if my quality rating drops?
Meta ties the messaging limit to the quality rating, so a falling rating can mean a lower tier and, if it keeps falling, a restriction on the number. The way back is sending to people who opted in.
Based on Meta's published messaging-limit and opt-in documentation, checked 27 October 2026. Meta changes these rules; verify before you plan around them.