Quality Rating and Messaging Tier
Quality rating and the messaging limit (messaging tier) are Meta's measures of message quality and of how many people a business can reach per day outside the window.
Also known as: WhatsApp quality rating · WhatsApp tier · WhatsApp sending limit · messaging limit
Try CRPRO free for 7 daysMeta uses two measures on the official WhatsApp API: the messaging limit (the former messaging tier) and the quality rating.
Messaging limit: per portfolio, not per number
The limit is the maximum number of different people a business can reach outside the customer service window in a rolling 24-hour period. It is calculated at the business portfolio level and shared by every number in the portfolio — one number can use up the others' capacity.
| Level | How you get there |
|---|---|
| 250 | newly created portfolio |
| 2,000 | business verification, or 2,000 messages delivered outside the window in 30 days with high-quality templates |
| 10,000 | automatic scaling |
| 100,000 | automatic scaling |
| Unlimited | automatic scaling |
After 2,000, the limit goes up one level when messages are high quality and the business used at least half of its current limit in the last seven days. Source: Meta messaging limits, checked in October 2026.
Quality rating
Meta rates message quality as high, medium or low, based on recipients' feedback — blocks, reports and the reasons they give. The rating appears in WhatsApp Manager. Low quality stalls limit increases and can lead to paused templates and restrictions on the number.
What brings quality down
- Sending to people who did not opt in or to a bought list.
- High frequency to the same person for no reason.
- Content beyond what the approved template says, exaggerated promises and suspicious links.
What keeps quality up
Recorded consent, targeting by the recipient's interest, respectful frequency, opt-outs honored immediately and templates reviewed before submitting them to Meta.
Frequently asked questions
What is the WhatsApp Business API messaging limit?
A new portfolio can reach 250 different people outside the customer service window in 24 hours. The limit rises to 2,000 with business verification or high-quality volume, and then to 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited through automatic scaling.
Is the limit per number or per portfolio?
Per business portfolio. Every number in the portfolio shares the same limit, and one number can use up the others' capacity within a 24-hour period.
Do replies inside the window count toward the limit?
No. The limit counts people reached outside the customer service window. Replying to someone who wrote in the last 24 hours does not use the limit.
How do I raise the quality rating?
Message only people who agreed, target by interest, reduce frequency to the same person, honor opt-outs immediately and review your template copy. The rating reflects recipients' feedback.
Related pages
Related glossary terms
WhatsApp Business API
The WhatsApp Business API is Meta's official connection that links a business number to CRMs, chatbots and support platforms, billed per message.
Opt-in (WhatsApp consent)
Opt-in on WhatsApp is the customer's recorded consent to receive the business's messages on WhatsApp — required by Meta and the basis for data protection compliance.
Meta template (HSM)
A Meta template (HSM) is the Meta-approved message a business sends on WhatsApp outside the 24-hour window, in the marketing, utility or authentication category.
24-hour window
The 24-hour window is the period after the customer's last message in which a business can reply on WhatsApp with free-form text, without an approved template.
Spam on WhatsApp
Sending unsolicited messages that leads users to block or report the number — the main cause of quality drops and bans on WhatsApp.