> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.apifycloud.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Per-user marketing limits

> The dynamic cap Meta applies to how many marketing templates a single user receives — one of the most common reasons messages silently don't deliver

Meta caps how many **Marketing** template messages a single user can
receive — **in total, across all businesses** that message them. This
is one of the most common reasons marketing templates silently don't
deliver, and it's independent of everything else you might think is
going wrong (quality score, opt-in status, spending limit).

<Note>
  Official Meta reference:
  [Per-user marketing template message limits](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/guides/marketing-messages-per-user-limit).
</Note>

## What it is

Every WhatsApp user has a **dynamic marketing message budget**. Meta
counts how many Marketing templates the user has received from **any
business** in a rolling window and, once they hit their cap, stops
delivering new Marketing templates to them — including yours — until
the window rolls over.

Key properties:

* **Per user**, not per business. The cap is shared across every
  business that messages that user.
* **Dynamic.** Meta adjusts the cap up or down based on how the user
  engages with marketing messages (replies, blocks, reports, mutes).
* **Marketing only.** Authentication, Utility, and Service messages
  do not count and are not capped by this rule.
* **Silent.** A blocked delivery looks like any other non-delivery —
  you'll see it in your status events, not in a separate dashboard.

## Why it exists

Meta's stated goal is to reduce user fatigue on WhatsApp: people who
get bombarded with marketing messages block businesses, disable
notifications, or stop using WhatsApp for business interactions
entirely. The cap protects the channel's engagement rate for
everyone, including you.

## What it is NOT

* **It's not per-business.** You can be doing everything right and
  still hit the cap because other businesses already sent the user
  too many marketing messages that week.
* **It's not based on opt-in.** A user can be fully opted into your
  marketing, want to hear from you, and still be over the global cap
  for marketing messages from other businesses.
* **It's not the same as quality score.** Your number's quality
  score is about your own behaviour; the per-user cap is about the
  recipient's overall WhatsApp experience.
* **It's not the same as the messaging tier.** The tier caps unique
  recipients per 24h; this caps marketing templates per user per
  rolling window.

## What happens when a user is over the cap

The Marketing template you sent is **not delivered**. In the console
the message flips to **`failed`** with an error explaining the user
is over Meta's marketing frequency cap.

You'll see:

* Status chip `failed` on the message detail view
* Error reason indicating the per-user marketing cap was reached
* Campaign monitor counts it in the `failed` bucket for that
  recipient
* The same recipient can still successfully receive your Utility or
  Authentication messages (those don't count against the cap)

## How to recognise the pattern across a campaign

A single `failed` message is easy to spot; what's harder is
recognising a cap-related wave. Signs:

* Marketing campaign has a **much lower delivery rate** than a
  Utility campaign to the same audience on the same day
* Affected recipients still receive Utility or Authentication
  templates from you — ruling out number/opt-out/quality issues
* Your own number's quality remains green but Marketing delivery is
  degraded
* Delivery rate varies by **day of week / time of month** in a way
  that correlates with known marketing-heavy periods (Black Friday,
  end of month, etc.)

## What counts, what doesn't

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Counts toward the cap" icon="circle-dot">
    * Marketing templates you (and other businesses) send to this
      user
  </Card>

  <Card title="Does not count" icon="circle">
    * Authentication templates
    * Utility templates
    * Service messages (non-template replies inside the 24h CSW)
    * Messages inside a 72h Free Entry Point window
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Mitigations — what you can actually do

You can't bypass the cap. You can only avoid wasting sends on
recipients who are likely saturated.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Shift to Utility where appropriate">
    If the content is genuinely transactional (order update,
    appointment reminder, account alert), submit it as a Utility
    template. Utility templates don't count toward the user's
    marketing cap and, if sent inside the 24h CSW, are also free.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Respect engagement signals">
    Segment your contact list by engagement (last reply, opens,
    button taps). Users who haven't engaged in a while are more
    likely to already be at the cap — send less frequently.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Reduce Marketing frequency per user">
    One well-targeted Marketing template per week per user lands far
    better than three generic blasts. Lower frequency = higher
    probability of being under the cap when you send.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use Free Entry Points">
    When a user comes in via Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page
    CTA, the 72h Free Entry Point window applies — and within it,
    Marketing templates are free **and** don't compete with the cap
    the same way. Drive inbound through these surfaces to open the
    window.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Improve content relevance">
    Marketing templates that get replies and taps build positive
    engagement signals for the user's WhatsApp account — which can
    raise their personal cap over time.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Template categories" href="/guides/whatsapp/template-categories">
    Pick the right category so your messages don't compete with the
    marketing cap when they shouldn't.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pricing" href="/guides/whatsapp/pricing">
    Which scenarios are free — useful for keeping marketing frequency
    low without losing reach.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quality and limits" href="/guides/whatsapp/quality-and-limits">
    Your number's quality and tier — separate from the per-user cap
    but related when diagnosing low delivery.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>