You've built a list of buyers on WhatsApp. You type your launch message, hit send on your broadcast list, and then wonder why only half of them saw it. Or WhatsApp tells you you've hit a limit you didn't know existed.
The WhatsApp broadcast limit is really three different limits: how many contacts fit in one list, how many broadcasts you can send in a month, and who actually receives them. The official WhatsApp Business API has its own, separate limits that grow as you send good messages.
This guide covers each one, with the numbers taken from WhatsApp's help center and Meta's developer documentation as of November 2026, and what to do when you outgrow the app.
The WhatsApp broadcast limits at a glance
| Limit | WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business app | Official WhatsApp Business API |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts per list | 256 per broadcast list | No list cap; limits are per 24 hours |
| Messages per month | Up to 35 free broadcasts a month where the new cap has rolled out | No monthly cap |
| Messages per day | No daily number published | 250 unique people per 24 hours to start, rising to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000, then unlimited |
| Who receives it | Only people who saved your number | Anyone who opted in, saved number or not |
| What you can send | Any message | Approved templates to start a chat; free-form replies within 24 hours of their message |
| Cost | Free (paid "business broadcasts" in some countries) | Meta charges per delivered message |
Now let's go through each one.
Limit 1: 256 contacts per broadcast list
WhatsApp's help center is clear: you can include up to 256 contacts in each broadcast list, and you can create as many broadcast lists as you like.
So technically, 1,000 customers means four lists. You'd send the same message four times, and each person gets it as a private message from you. Their replies come back to you individually, not to the whole list.
Two other details from the same help article catch people out:
- Phone only. Broadcast lists aren't supported on WhatsApp Web, Windows or Mac.
- One-way. If you want people to talk to each other, WhatsApp points you to a group instead (groups can hold up to 1,024 members).
Limit 2: the "35 broadcasts a month" cap
This is the one most people are searching for. WhatsApp has added a monthly broadcast limit, and its help center says it plainly: "You can send up to 35 free broadcast messages per month."
A few things to know about it:
- It's rolling out gradually. WhatsApp says people "in some countries" might see the limit and that it "might not be available everywhere". WhatsApp doesn't publish the list of countries, so we can't tell you for certain whether every Nigerian account has it yet.
- You can check yours. Go to Settings > Broadcasts in the app. WhatsApp also says it will warn you when you're close to the limit.
- Earlier reports said 30. During testing in 2025, news coverage quoted 30 a month. The help center figure today is 35.
- What counts isn't spelled out. The help article doesn't say exactly how a broadcast is counted, so treat every send to a list as using up your allowance until WhatsApp says otherwise.
WhatsApp broadcast limit 35: how to increase it
There's no setting that raises the cap. WhatsApp's own suggestions are:
- Use Status and Channels to reach many people at once.
- Use the WhatsApp Business app's tools. In some countries, the Business app now has paid "business broadcasts", which can reach customers who haven't saved your number. WhatsApp says Meta Verified subscribers get some free messages, and after that you pay per delivered message. It isn't available in every country yet.
- Move your broadcasts to the official WhatsApp Business API, which has no monthly cap at all (more on that below).
If you sell to hundreds or thousands of people, option 3 is the one that actually scales.
Limit 3: people must have your number saved
This is the hidden limit that makes broadcasts "not work". WhatsApp's help center says: "Only people who've added you to their phone's contacts will receive your broadcast message."
You can add 256 people to a list, but if 100 of them never saved your number, those 100 get nothing. There's no error. The message simply doesn't arrive.
That's why creators keep posting "Save my number so you don't miss the class link" on their Status. It works a little, but you'll never get everyone to do it.
The official API doesn't have this rule. Anyone who gave you their number and agreed to hear from you can receive your message, saved contact or not.
Is there a WhatsApp broadcast limit per day?
In the regular apps, WhatsApp doesn't publish a daily broadcast number. The limits it does publish are 256 per list and, where it has rolled out, 35 a month.
In practice, sending lots of lists back to back from a personal number is exactly the behavior WhatsApp's spam systems watch for, and its Terms of Service prohibit "bulk messaging, auto-messaging, auto-dialing, and the like". If you need to reach a lot of people every day, the app is the wrong tool. See how to send bulk WhatsApp messages without getting banned for the safer options.
How the WhatsApp Business API limit works instead
The official WhatsApp Business API (Meta's Cloud API) doesn't use broadcast lists at all. You send each person a message from your business number, and Meta controls volume with messaging limits.
Here's how Meta's developer documentation defines them in 2026:
- What's counted. The number of unique people you can message outside a customer service window in a moving 24-hour period. Sending three messages to the same person counts once.
- Replies don't count. When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Messages inside that window don't use up your limit.
- It's shared. Since October 7, 2025, limits are set for your whole Meta business portfolio, shared by every phone number in it.
The messaging limit tiers
| Tier | Unique people per 24 hours | How you get there |
|---|---|---|
| Starting limit | 250 | Every new business portfolio starts here |
| Tier 1 | 2,000 | Verify your business, or send 2,000 delivered messages outside service windows in 30 days using high-quality templates |
| Tier 2 | 10,000 | Automatic scaling |
| Tier 3 | 100,000 | Automatic scaling |
| Top tier | Unlimited | Automatic scaling |
How to increase your API messaging limit
Once you reach 2,000, Meta moves you up one level automatically (within about 6 hours) when two things are true:
- You're sending high-quality messages across all your numbers and templates.
- You've used at least half your current limit in the last 7 days.
Quality comes from how people react. Meta says it's based on the last seven days of feedback signals such as blocks, reports, mutes and archives. Each template also gets its own rating (green, yellow or red), and templates that keep getting bad feedback can be paused.
So the honest answer to "how do I increase my WhatsApp broadcast limit" is: verify your business, message people who asked to hear from you, and send consistently. Spam gets you stuck at a lower tier. Good messages get you to unlimited.
One more limit: per-person marketing caps
Even on the API, Meta may limit how many marketing messages one person receives from businesses in a given period, based on how engaged that person is. Some of your marketing messages may fail for people who are ignoring lots of business messages. Meta's advice is to wait at least 24 hours before trying them again.
The practical answer: use the official API for bigger lists
If your list is under a few hundred people who all saved your number, broadcast lists in the WhatsApp Business app are free and fine. Use them.
Once you're past that, the official API is the better tool. You can message everyone who opted in, without the 256 cap, the monthly cap or the saved-number rule.
Here's how that looks in Serlzo:
- Connect the official API. Serlzo uses Meta's Embedded Signup, so there's no developer work. You need a dedicated number that isn't on any WhatsApp account (a new SIM, or a VoIP number from Twilio or Termii). Verification takes about 2 to 5 minutes.
- Create a template in the Marketing, Utility or Authentication category and submit it to Meta. Review can take up to 24 hours.
- Pick your audience from a CRM list, your product customers, or your community members.
- Send a test to yourself, then send now or schedule it with a timezone.
- Check the results: sent, delivered, read and failed.
WhatsApp Marketing is included on Serlzo's paid plans, from $13 (about ₦17,500) a month. Meta charges its own per-message fees on top, billed separately. Our WhatsApp Business API pricing guide for Nigeria shows exactly what that costs in naira.
Serlzo can also connect a personal number by QR code. That connection can't send official broadcasts at scale and carries a real ban risk, which nobody, including Serlzo, can undo. Keep it for small, personal conversations and class groups.
For the bigger picture on automating follow-ups, AI replies and group lessons, read our complete WhatsApp automation guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the WhatsApp broadcast list limit?
Each broadcast list can hold up to 256 contacts, according to WhatsApp's help center. You can create as many lists as you like, but only contacts who saved your number will receive the message.
What is the WhatsApp broadcast limit per month?
Where the new limit has rolled out, WhatsApp says you can send up to 35 free broadcast messages a month. It's arriving gradually by country, so check Settings > Broadcasts in your app to see whether it applies to you and how many you have left.
WhatsApp broadcast limit 35: how do I increase it?
There's no button to raise it. WhatsApp suggests Status updates, Channels, or the WhatsApp Business app's paid business broadcasts where available. For regular sends to large lists, the official WhatsApp Business API has no monthly cap.
What is the WhatsApp broadcast limit per day?
The regular apps don't publish a daily number. On the official API, the limit is the number of unique people you can message in 24 hours: 250 to start, then 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited as your quality and volume grow.
Why are some people not receiving my WhatsApp broadcast?
Usually because they haven't saved your number. WhatsApp only delivers broadcast-list messages to people who have you in their phone contacts. The official API doesn't have this rule, as long as the person opted in.
Is WhatsApp broadcast free?
Broadcast lists in the WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business apps are free, within the limits above. Business broadcasts in the Business app and messages on the official API are paid per delivered message.
Reach your whole list, not just 256 people
Your buyers want your launch message. The 256 cap, the monthly limit and the saved-number rule are what's standing in the way.
Connect the official WhatsApp Business API in Serlzo, send your first approved broadcast to a CRM list, and watch the delivered and read numbers come in.
Last updated November 2026. Serlzo publishes this blog. Prices and policies from other companies change; check their official pages before deciding.