In short: In the WhatsApp app and the WhatsApp Business app, a broadcast list holds up to 256 contacts, and only people who have saved your number receive the message. You can create as many lists as you like. The WhatsApp Business API has no broadcast lists. It sends approved message templates, and Meta caps how many people a business can message in a rolling 24 hours, starting at 250 and rising to unlimited. Facts as of October 2026, from WhatsApp’s and Meta’s own pages.
“Broadcast” means different things on WhatsApp depending on which product you use. This guide explains the limit for each one, where the limits come from, and which option fits a business that needs to reach many people.
Three ways to message many people on WhatsApp
| Broadcast list (WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business app) | Business broadcasts (paid, WhatsApp Business app) | WhatsApp Business API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limit per send | 256 contacts per list; unlimited lists | Set by your audience selection and the funds in your account | No list limit; a messaging limit per business portfolio, from 250 unique people in 24 hours up to unlimited |
| Who can receive it | Only people who saved your number | Contacts you select from your address book or imported lists | Anyone who opted in; you message outside the 24-hour window with approved templates |
| Cost | No charge in the app | Per delivered message, after your free messages | Per delivered message, by category and country |
| Reviewed by Meta first | No | Yes | Templates are reviewed before use |
| Available where | Everywhere the app runs; not on Web, Desktop or linked devices | Limited countries, rolling out | Everywhere the platform runs |
Sources: WhatsApp’s broadcast lists help page, its business broadcasts guide and Meta’s messaging limits page.
The broadcast list limit in the WhatsApp app
A broadcast list is a saved list of contacts you can message again and again without picking them each time. WhatsApp’s help page sets out the rules, and they are the same in the normal app and the Business app (how to use broadcast lists):
- Up to 256 contacts per list. You can create as many lists as you like, so 1,000 contacts means at least four lists.
- Recipients must have saved your number. Anyone who has not added you to their phone’s contacts does not get the message. This is the rule that catches most businesses.
- Each person receives a normal chat. The message arrives as an individual message from you, and replies come back to you alone. Recipients never see each other.
- Not on computers. Broadcast lists are not supported on WhatsApp Web, Windows or Mac, and you cannot create or view them on a linked device (about linked devices). You send them from the phone.
- A monthly limit in some countries. WhatsApp says people in some countries might see a monthly broadcast limit, and that this is rolling out gradually. The help page does not state a figure, so check the app itself if you see a notice.
The 256 limit is per list, not per day. Nothing stops you from messaging four lists in a row. What stops you is WhatsApp’s spam detection: the app is built for conversations, and a number that many people block or report can be restricted. Our guide on how to send bulk WhatsApp messages and lower the risk of a ban covers warm-up, opt-in and timing in detail.
Why a broadcast list is not a group
A group puts everyone in one chat where every member sees every message. A broadcast list sends the same message to each contact privately, so replies stay private too. WhatsApp’s own advice: if you want recipients to talk to each other, create a group; if you want one-to-many communication, use a broadcast list. For businesses, a broadcast list is almost always the right tool, because customers do not want to see each other’s numbers. If your team works with customer groups, the WhatsApp group management page explains how groups sync into a team inbox.
Business broadcasts: the paid broadcast inside the Business app
Separately from broadcast lists, the WhatsApp Business app has a paid feature called business broadcasts, available in limited countries as of October 2026 (how to create and send a business broadcast). The rules are different:
- You pick an audience from your address book or imported contacts, write the message, add media and an optional button (catalog, custom reply, call or website), and send now or schedule it.
- Your messages are reviewed by Meta before they go out.
- You pay for each message that is delivered within five days of sending, by the recipient’s country code. After your free messages are used, you add a payment method. Undelivered messages are credited back (about pricing for business broadcasts).
So here the “limit” is the size of the audience you select and the funds you are willing to spend, not a fixed number. Because recipients do not need to have saved your number, this is Meta’s answer for small businesses that want promotions to go further than a broadcast list. Whether it is offered to you depends on your country; the app shows it under Tools when it is.
The Business API: no list limit, but a messaging limit
The WhatsApp Business API has no broadcast lists at all. Your software sends messages one by one through Meta’s platform. Two rules replace the 256 limit:
1. Templates outside the 24-hour window. When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens and you can reply freely. Outside that window you can only send message templates that Meta has approved, in the marketing, utility or authentication category. A promotion to your customer list is a marketing template. Meta bills each delivered message by category and country; our guide to WhatsApp Business API pricing explains the model.
2. A messaging limit per business portfolio. Meta caps how many unique people your business can message outside the window in a moving 24-hour period (messaging limits). As of October 2026:
| Tier | Unique people in a rolling 24 hours |
|---|---|
| New business portfolio | 250 |
| Next | 2,000 |
| Then | 10,000 |
| Then | 100,000 |
| Top | Unlimited |
The limit belongs to the whole business portfolio and is shared by all its phone numbers, so adding a second number does not add capacity. To move from 250 to 2,000, verify your business, have your solution partner verify it, or deliver 2,000 messages to unique numbers within 30 days with high-quality templates; Meta then reviews your message quality. Above 2,000, Meta raises the limit one level at a time, within about six hours, when your message quality stays high and you have used at least half of your current limit in the last seven days.
In practice, the API limit is about trust and quality rather than a hard ceiling. A new portfolio that sends 250 well-received messages a day can reach the unlimited tier in weeks. One that gets blocked and reported stays where it is.
Coexistence: what happens to broadcast lists
WhatsApp coexistence lets a business keep the WhatsApp Business app on the phone while a team works the same number through the API. As of October 2026, Meta’s rules for coexistence turn off broadcast lists in the app for that number, along with some other app-only features. If broadcast lists matter to you, read coexistence or a new API number before you connect.
Which option fits your business
- You have fewer than a few hundred customers who already saved your number, and you message them now and then. Broadcast lists in the app are enough. Keep each list under 256, and send from the phone.
- You want promotions to reach customers who have not saved your number, and business broadcasts are offered in your country. Try them for a campaign and watch the cost per delivered message.
- You send proactive messages at scale, or several people handle the replies. For bulk messaging, use the WhatsApp Business API with approved templates: it is built for volume, its limit grows with quality, and it runs on your existing WhatsApp Business app number through coexistence or on a separate number. A team inbox puts the replies in one place whichever connection the number uses. On a QR-connected number it also adds a gap between messages, personalisation and delivery logs, for small sends to people who expect to hear from you.
How bulk messages work in Risponse
Risponse is a WhatsApp team inbox. On a number connected with a QR code, a bulk message goes out one by one in the background, and you can add a gap between messages so they go out slowly. You pick recipients from existing chats, a saved chat list or an uploaded file of numbers, and you can personalise each message with variables. The bulk message logs show sent, failed and pending messages, and you can stop a send early. Each message may use a broadcast credit.
The 256-per-list rule does not apply here because Risponse does not use WhatsApp’s broadcast lists. WhatsApp’s other rules still do: the number follows the app’s terms, and WhatsApp’s help centre tells app users not to bulk message. So keep sends small, message people who expect to hear from you, and follow the best practices. For larger sends, use a Business API number connected to Risponse: you send templates, and Meta’s messaging limit and per-message pricing apply. WhatsApp decides when to limit any number, so no tool can promise a number will never be restricted.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a limit on WhatsApp broadcast? Yes. In the WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business apps, each broadcast list holds up to 256 contacts, and you can create as many lists as you like. WhatsApp also says some countries have a monthly broadcast limit that is rolling out gradually, without stating a number. On the Business API there are no lists; a messaging limit per business portfolio applies instead, starting at 250 unique people in 24 hours.
Can I send a broadcast to people who have not saved my number? Not with a broadcast list. Only people who have added you to their contacts receive it. Paid business broadcasts in the Business app and template messages on the Business API do not have that rule, but both are billed per delivered message and both require that the person agreed to hear from you.
How many broadcast lists can I create? As many as you like, according to WhatsApp’s help page. A customer base of 1,000 saved contacts needs at least four lists of 256.
Why can’t I see broadcast lists on WhatsApp Web? Broadcast lists are not supported on Web, Windows, Mac or any linked device. You create and send them from the primary phone.
What is the WhatsApp Business broadcast limit? The same 256 contacts per broadcast list as the normal app. The Business app adds paid business broadcasts in some countries, where the limit is your selected audience and your account funds, and Meta reviews each message first.
Reaching many customers from one WhatsApp number, as a team? Risponse sends bulk messages with a gap between them, saved lists and delivery logs, and your whole team answers the replies from one inbox. See plans.