Quick answer
Avatar stickers are a free set WhatsApp builds from the cartoon avatar you design in Settings — 36 stickers of you, launched in December 2022. Premium stickers come with WhatsApp Plus, Meta's optional paid subscription launched in 2026 at about US$2.99 a month, priced per country. It has nothing to do with the unofficial 'WhatsApp Plus' mod app, which can get an account banned.
Get the Sticko app
Avatar stickers
WhatsApp introduced avatars on 7 December 2022: a cartoon version of you, built from billions of combinations of hairstyles, facial features and outfits. Once you have one, WhatsApp makes a set of 36 stickers of your avatar showing different emotions and actions, and you can use the avatar as your profile photo too.
- Open WhatsApp Settings and tap Avatar.
- Tap Create your avatar and follow the steps.
- Open any chat's sticker tray — your avatar stickers appear there automatically.
Avatar stickers are free. They are WhatsApp's own set, separate from the third-party packs you add through sticker apps.
Premium stickers and WhatsApp Plus
In 2026 Meta added WhatsApp Plus, an optional monthly subscription for personal accounts. It is cosmetic: premium stickers, custom app themes and icons, premium ringtones, and pinning up to 20 chats. Messaging, calls and everything else stay free without it.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Launch | 27 May 2026, Android first, iPhone following |
| Price | About US$2.99 a month; ₹79 in India after a free first month |
| Includes | Premium stickers, themes, app icons, ringtones, up to 20 pinned chats |
| Where | Rolling out country by country |
If you do not see it, it may not have reached your country yet. Subscribing happens inside the official WhatsApp app, never through a separate download.
WhatsApp Plus is not the 'WhatsApp Plus' mod
For years 'WhatsApp Plus' was also the name of an unofficial modified app, downloaded as an APK from outside the Play Store, alongside others such as GB WhatsApp. Those are not made by Meta, break WhatsApp's terms, and accounts that use them can be banned. Meta's subscription has the same name but lives inside the real app.
The four kinds of WhatsApp stickers, compared
| Kind | Cost | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Avatar stickers | Free | Generated by WhatsApp from the avatar you design in Settings |
| Premium stickers | Paid (WhatsApp Plus) | Exclusive packs for WhatsApp Plus subscribers |
| Third-party packs | Free | Sticker apps such as Sticko, added with Add to WhatsApp |
| Your own stickers | Free | WhatsApp's sticker maker, selfie stickers, or a pack you build |
All four end up in the same sticker tray and send the same way. The difference is only where they come from: avatar and premium stickers are WhatsApp's own, while third-party packs and your own creations are made by people — which is why there are thousands of free themes, from festivals to TV shows, beyond what WhatsApp ships itself.
Free alternatives
Most stickers people send are still free. Third-party packs install through sticker apps at no cost, WhatsApp's own Sticker Store has free packs, and you can make personal stickers inside WhatsApp from your photos.
Start with: trending free packs, make your own stickers, how to add stickers to WhatsApp.
Get the Sticko app
WhatsApp only accepts sticker packs from an installed app, so the last step always happens outside the browser. Sticko is free on Android and iPhone, and adds any pack to WhatsApp in a couple of taps.
