SMS marketing is priced per message, but the message rate is only one part of the bill. A business also pays for the phone number it texts from, a one-time carrier registration for some kinds of number, and any optional features it adds. This guide explains each part, shows what it costs at CampaignCNX+'s published prices, and works through three example monthly budgets.
If you are still deciding whether texting suits your business, start with the guide to mass texting for businesses, which explains how one message reaches a whole customer list. This guide assumes you have decided to send and want to know what it will cost.
The parts of an SMS marketing bill
Most texting services build their prices from the same five parts, although they name and package them differently:
- Messages. Each text is charged per recipient. A long text counts as more than one message, and a picture message costs more than a plain one.
- The phone number. Business texts go out from a number the service rents to you, usually for a monthly fee.
- Carrier registration. The phone carriers (the companies that deliver texts, such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile) require business numbers to be registered before they carry the traffic. Some services charge a one-time fee for this.
- Optional features. A shared inbox for replies, keywords that people text to join a list, and extra user logins are often priced separately.
- A plan, if you choose one. A monthly plan bundles a set number of messages at a lower rate than paying for each message separately.
The sections below take each part in turn, using CampaignCNX+'s prices as the example.
What one text message costs
What one text costs on each plan
On CampaignCNX+, one message credit pays for one SMS segment sent to one person. A segment holds 160 characters of plain text, or 70 characters if the message contains an emoji or another special character. A longer message is split into segments, and each segment uses one credit. A picture message (MMS) is not split into segments, and it uses 3 credits whatever the length of its text.
What a credit costs depends on how you pay:
| How you pay | SMS, per segment | MMS, per message |
|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | $0.06 | $0.18 |
| Basic plan | $0.055 | $0.165 |
| Pro plan | $0.045 | $0.135 |
| Enterprise plan | $0.035 | $0.105 |
The length of a message changes its cost more than the rate does. A 150-character reminder is one segment. Add one more sentence and it becomes two segments, which doubles the cost of every send. The SMS character counter shows the segment count for any message before you send it, and our guide to SMS vs MMS explains when a picture message is worth three times the price of a text.
Pay as you go or a monthly plan
Pay as you go has no plan fee. You buy credits at $0.06 each and use them when you send. Pay-as-you-go credits do not expire while your account is active, so a business that texts in busy seasons and stays quiet in between does not lose what it bought.
A monthly plan includes a set number of messages each month, and messages beyond that are billed at the plan's own lower rate:
| Plan | Monthly price | SMS included | Each additional SMS | Team seats included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $55 | 1,000 | $0.055 | 1 |
| Pro | $225 | 5,000 | $0.045 | 2 |
| Enterprise | $695 | 20,000 | $0.035 | 5 |
On every plan, included messages you do not use in a month roll over to the next month, and they stay on the account while the subscription is active. Plans are billed monthly, with no long-term contract.
The right choice depends on how many segments you send in a typical month:
- Below about 920 a month, pay as you go costs less than Basic.
- Between about 920 and 4,100 a month, Basic costs the least.
- Between about 4,100 and 15,400 a month, Pro costs the least.
- Above about 15,400 a month, Enterprise costs the least, and it also includes the two-way inbox described below.
If you are not sure of your volume, start on pay as you go. After a month of real sending, the account shows what you sent, and you can choose a plan from that figure instead of from an estimate.
The phone number and carrier registration
How a new number gets approved
- Open your account100 free SMS included
- Buy your number$5 a month. Nothing sends until the account has one.
- We file the registrationToll-free verification, or 10DLC for a local number ($75 one time)
- The carriers review itAbout three business days for a toll-free number
- Send your first textStart with a small test group
Every account texts from its own number, which is $5 a month on every plan. You can choose a toll-free number or a local 10-digit number, and the choice decides whether there is a registration fee.
- Toll-free number. There is no registration fee. The carriers verify a new toll-free number in about three business days.
- Local number. A local number has to be registered through 10DLC, the carriers' registration system for business texting from 10-digit numbers. CampaignCNX+ files the registration for a one-time fee of $75. The fee is charged once per business, with the first local number, and not again for later local numbers. Carrier review usually takes one to three weeks.
Nothing sends until the account has a number and the carriers have approved it. A new account includes 100 free SMS, which is enough to send a test message to your own staff before you text customers.
The carriers review the paperwork behind a registration as well as the fee: how people opt in, sample messages, and the privacy policy and terms on your website. Our 10DLC approval kit has sample wording for each of those.
Optional add-ons
Most businesses start without add-ons and add one only when they need it.
| Add-on | Price | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Two-way inbox | $12.49 a month, included on Enterprise | Shows customer replies in a shared inbox so your staff can answer them |
| Keywords and automatic replies | $20 a month | Lets people text a word, such as JOIN, to sign up or receive an automatic answer |
| Additional team members | $25 a user each month | Logins beyond the seats your plan includes |
| Additional phone number | $5 a month each | A separate number for a second location or program |
Replies of STOP and HELP are handled automatically on every account, with or without the inbox add-on. A contact who replies STOP is removed from future sends, and a contact who replies HELP receives your business name and how to reach you.
Three example monthly budgets
The businesses below are made up. They show how the parts add up at different sizes, using the published prices above.
A dental office sending appointment reminders. The office sends about 600 one-segment reminders a month on pay as you go. The texts cost $36 and the number costs $5, for $41 a month. If the office wants patients' replies in a shared inbox, the two-way inbox adds $12.49, for $53.49 a month.
A home services company. The company sends about 2,500 texts a month: arrival windows, estimate follow-ups and seasonal reminders. On Basic, the plan is $55, the 1,500 texts beyond the included 1,000 cost $82.50, and the number is $5, for $142.50 a month. Pro would cost $230 a month with the number, so Basic is the better fit at this volume.
A retail shop with 4,000 subscribers. The shop sends two promotions a month to its whole list. If both are plain texts of one segment, that is 8,000 credits. On Pro, the plan covers 5,000, the other 3,000 cost $135, and the number is $5, for $365 a month. If one of the two promotions is sent as a picture message instead, the month uses 16,000 credits. Pro would then cost $725 a month with the number, and Enterprise $700, which shows how much the choice of SMS or MMS moves the bill.
In each case, add the one-time $75 fee in the first month if the business registers a local number. A toll-free number has no registration fee.
What changes the total most
Four things move an SMS marketing bill more than the choice of service or plan:
- Message length. Every message that runs past one segment costs at least twice as much. Writing to 160 characters is the simplest saving available.
- Picture messages. An MMS uses three credits. A short text with a link to a page with the picture often does the same job for a third of the cost.
- How often you send. Sending twice a month instead of once doubles the message cost. Send as often as your customers find useful, and watch the opt-out rate after each send.
- Who you send to. A message sent to the group it concerns, such as customers due for a service, costs less than the same message sent to everyone.
Comparing SMS marketing prices between services
Texting services publish their prices in different units, so a lower headline price is not always a lower bill. When you compare services, check the same points for each one:
- What one credit or message buys: how many characters it covers, and how many credits a picture message uses.
- Whether the phone number is included or billed monthly, and whether registration has a one-time fee.
- Whether carrier fees are included in the price or billed on top of it.
- What happens to unused messages at the end of the month, and for how long they roll over.
- Whether the plan requires a contract or an annual payment.
- How many users are included, and whether the reply inbox and keywords cost extra.
We have set out two services' published prices against these points in our comparisons of SimpleTexting pricing and EZ Texting pricing, each dated to the day we read the other company's pricing page.
Common questions
How much does it cost to send 1,000 text messages?
On CampaignCNX+, 1,000 one-segment texts cost $60 on pay as you go, plus $5 a month for the number. On the Basic plan, the $55 monthly price includes 1,000 texts, so the month costs $60 with the number.
Is there a monthly fee for SMS marketing?
Every account pays $5 a month for its phone number. On pay as you go there is no plan fee on top of that, and you pay only for the credits you use. Monthly plans start at $55 a month and include 1,000 texts.
Do unused texts roll over?
Yes. On a monthly plan, included texts you do not use roll over to the next month and stay on the account while the subscription is active. Pay-as-you-go credits do not expire while the account is active.
Why does a long text cost more than a short one?
Carriers carry text messages in segments of 160 characters, or 70 with an emoji. A longer message is sent as several segments, and each segment is billed as one text.
Does a picture message cost more?
Yes. On CampaignCNX+, a picture message (MMS) uses 3 credits on every plan, which is $0.18 on pay as you go.
Summary
An SMS marketing bill is the message cost, the number, a one-time registration fee for a local number, and any add-ons. At CampaignCNX+'s published prices, a business sending a few hundred texts a month pays about $20 to $50 a month on pay as you go, and a business sending several thousand pays about $140 to $370 a month on Basic or Pro. Message length and picture messages change the total more than anything else.
For the reminders, offers and loyalty messages most owners start with, see texting for small businesses. For how businesses use texting day to day, see business text messaging.
