Partners8 Oct 20268 min read

White-label WhatsApp Platform Pricing Explained: Wholesale vs Commission

How white-label WhatsApp platform pricing works in India: commission vs wholesale, platform fees, wholesale prices, usage markup and worked examples.

By Ramnath G

If you have compared WhatsApp partner programmes in India, you have probably seen every kind of number: 20% commission, 40% discount, ₹0 set-up, a monthly platform fee, a markup on conversations. They are hard to compare because they describe two different business models. This article explains both, breaks a white-label price into its five parts, and works through the same client book under each model. All Botify prices exclude 18% GST.

The question that decides the model: who sends the invoice?

Every partner programme answers one question, even if it doesn't say so: who invoices the client? Whoever sends the invoice sets the price, collects the money, charges GST and owns the customer relationship.

Commission model — the platform invoices the client at its list price and pays you a percentage. Referral and certified-partner programmes work this way.
Wholesale model — you buy from the platform at a dealer price and invoice the client at your own price. Reseller and white-label programmes work this way; white-label adds your brand, domain and logo on the product.

A good programme keeps the two apart. If a tier charges you a monthly fee, lets you set your own client prices and also talks about 'commission', ask what the percentage is a percentage of — because in a wholesale model there is nothing for the platform to pay you commission on.

How the commission model works

In a commission programme you introduce or sell, and the platform handles billing, collection and GST. You carry no credit risk and need no GSTIN to bill clients, but the client sees the platform's brand and its public price, so you can't charge a premium on the subscription.

Botify runs two commission programmes. Affiliates earn 10% of each referred client's plan for 12 months. Certified Partners — free to join after free training and a certification test — earn 15% of each client's plan every month, rising to 20% from 10 active clients, and keep 100% of the set-up and service fees they charge. Rates across the market vary; AiSensy's affiliate programme, for example, says it pays 20% for as long as the referred client stays (per its partner page, checked October 2026).

How the wholesale (white-label) model works

In a wholesale programme you become the seller of record. You buy each client account at a discount, charge whatever your market supports, and invoice under your own GSTIN. Because the platform carries your name, the client can't compare your price with a public list — and because you now handle first-line support and billing, you pay the platform a fee for the branded instance and partner support.

The five parts of a white-label platform price

1. The platform fee

A monthly fee for your branded platform, banded by the number of active clients. On Botify: Silver ₹4,999 a month for up to 15 clients, Gold ₹9,999 for 16–50, Platinum ₹24,999 for unlimited clients. Silver is a monthly contract; Gold and Platinum run 12 months.

2. The wholesale price per client

What each active paid client account costs you per month. Botify's discount is 40% off list on Silver, 45% on Gold and 50% on Platinum. A Growth client (list ₹3,499) therefore costs ₹2,099, ₹1,924 or ₹1,750; a Pro client (list ₹6,999) costs ₹3,849 on Gold or ₹3,500 on Platinum. Silver sells Starter and Growth only. Annual plans are 10 months of the monthly price at the same discount, and a client in its 7-day free trial costs nothing.

3. Usage — messages and calls

Usage is where programmes differ most and disclose least. On Botify, usage is never discounted: you buy at list rates from a prepaid partner wallet and may charge up to 25% more. That is ₹0.93 per WhatsApp marketing message (charge up to ₹1.16), ₹0.20 per utility or OTP message (up to ₹0.25), ₹0.14 per transactional SMS (up to ₹0.17), ₹0.20 per RCS message (up to ₹0.25), ₹30 per 1,000 emails (up to ₹37.50) and ₹5 per AI-voice minute (up to ₹6.25, Gold and up).

4. One-time fees

Botify charges a ₹14,999 brand launch fee — domain and SSL, your logo, colours and company details, two training sessions and your first three clients' WhatsApp onboarded — waived if you prepay 12 months of platform fee. The admin panel for client management is ₹30,000 one-time on Silver and Gold and included on Platinum. There is no per-client set-up fee.

5. Optional extras

Things only some partners need: a dedicated server on Platinum (₹34,999 one-time plus ₹14,999 a month), your own Meta app (₹25,000 one-time — not required, since clients onboard on Botify's platform), and custom API integration or a branded Android app on quote.

Worked comparison: the same clients under both models

Take a partner with 10 clients, all on the Growth plan. As a Certified Partner at the 20% rate that applies from 10 active clients, the partner earns about ₹700 per client — roughly ₹7,000 a month — with no fee to pay, plus its own service fees. Botify bills the clients at ₹3,499.

As a Silver white-label partner charging the same ₹3,499, the partner keeps ₹1,400 per client — ₹14,000 across ten — and about ₹9,000 after the ₹4,999 platform fee. Charging ₹3,999 under its own brand, the margin rises to ₹1,900 per client and the monthly profit to ₹14,001. Usage markup and service fees come on top in both cases.

At 25 Growth clients the gap widens. Certified at 20% earns about ₹17,500 a month. A Gold white-label partner at list price keeps ₹1,575 per client, about ₹29,400 a month after the ₹9,999 fee. The trade-off is work and risk: the white-label partner invoices every client, collects the money and is their first line of support. All of these are illustrations, not income promises.

Why usage is marked up, not discounted

Message rates are largely set upstream by Meta and telecom operators, so the margin on each message is thin. A discount on usage would wipe that margin out; a markup costs the platform nothing, because its margin is unchanged. That is why Botify never discounts usage but lets partners add up to 25%. The fixed ceiling protects your clients from runaway bills — which would come back to you as churn — and upstream rate changes are passed on with 30 days' notice so your rate cards stay accurate.

Costs to check before you sign anything

GST: as the seller of record you charge GST on your full price; make sure the platform's invoices to you are B2B tax invoices you can claim as input credit. A GSTIN is required for Botify's white-label programme.
Trial and inactive clients: do you pay for accounts that aren't paying you yet?
Per-client set-up fees: some platforms charge them; Botify doesn't.
Late payment: do your clients stop sending if your invoice is overdue? On Botify they keep sending; after 7 days' grace only new-client creation pauses.
Client ownership: is there a written non-solicitation clause? Botify never approaches your clients during the agreement and for 12 months after it.

Which model should you choose?

Choose commission if you are starting out, don't have a GSTIN, or would rather spend your time selling and setting up than billing and collecting. Choose wholesale white-label if you already invoice business clients, want your own brand on the product and are ready to be the first line of support — and once your client count makes the platform fee small relative to your margin. You can also begin on the commission route and move to white-label when your client book grows — the earnings calculator on the white-label page shows where that point is for your plan mix and prices.

Download the White-label Partner Plan