What is the difference between Marketing and Utility templates?

WhatsApp message templates fall into three categories — Marketing, Utility and Authentication — and Meta assigns billing and review rules to each. The two you will use most, Marketing and Utility, differ by intent.

Marketing templates are for promotional or re-engagement content: sales, new arrivals, discounts, event invites, win-back messages, and anything designed to drive interest or a purchase. Because they are promotional, they are the most expensive category, require opt-in specifically for marketing, and face the strictest review. Frequent or unwanted marketing is also the fastest route to blocks and a lower quality rating.

Utility templates support a specific transaction or account event the customer is already part of: order confirmations, shipping and delivery updates, payment receipts, appointment reminders, and account or subscription notifications. They are informational, tied to something the customer did, generally cheaper than marketing, and easier to get approved because their purpose is clear and expected.

The practical distinction is intent, and Meta enforces it. If you write a template that mixes a transactional notification with a promotional nudge — "your order shipped, and here's 20% off your next one" — reviewers may reclassify it as Marketing or reject it. To keep utility pricing and approval, keep utility templates strictly about the transaction, and put promotions in a separate Marketing template sent to a marketing-opted-in audience.

Authentication is the third category, reserved for one-time passwords and verification codes; it is neither marketing nor general utility and follows its own format and pricing.