# Rate limits · WhatsApp

WhatsApp endpoints use the shared [rate-limit model](/docs/guides/rate-limits) — org-level limits, group-based buckets, IETF `RateLimit` headers, and `429` + `Retry-After` on exhaustion. This page covers the WhatsApp-specific group and numbers. All windows are 1 minute and fixed; only the rate varies by tier or override.

## Send limits

Sending has one dedicated group, so send quota is never consumed by management traffic (or vice versa):

| Group           | Endpoint                                                               | Base limit |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- |
| `whatsapp_send` | [`POST /v1/whatsapp/messages`](/docs/guides/whatsapp/sending-whatsapp) | 10/min     |

If your volume outgrows the base rate, a higher tier or an override raises the ceiling directly.

## Management limits

Most non-send operations — listing messages, reading delivery status, and managing webhooks — use the generic management groups shared across the API:

| Group   | Covers                                                                  | Base limit |
| ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- |
| `list`  | Collection queries: list messages, message events, and templates.       | 150/min    |
| `read`  | Single-resource lookups: a message by ID, its events, or a webhook.     | 500/min    |
| `write` | Creates, updates, and deletes: webhooks and other management resources. | 60/min     |

`list` and `read` rise with your subscription plan; `write` stays at its base rate for every tier.

The [`RateLimit` header](/docs/guides/rate-limits#response-headers) on each response names the group that matched, so a `429` always tells you which of these buckets you exhausted:

```text
RateLimit: "whatsapp_send";r=0;t=35
```

## Next steps

- [Rate limits](/docs/guides/rate-limits) — the shared model: headers, resolution, and handling 429s
- [Sending WhatsApp messages](/docs/guides/whatsapp/sending-whatsapp) — the send endpoint behind the `whatsapp_send` group
- [Billing & usage](/docs/guides/billing-and-usage) — subscription tiers