SMS and MMS are the two kinds of text message a business can send to a customer's phone. SMS (Short Message Service) carries text only. MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) carries an image along with text. For a business, the difference comes down to three things: what the message can show, how it is billed, and what it costs to send to a whole list.
This guide explains each type, compares them side by side, and works through the cost of a real send. If you are new to sending one message to many customers, start with the broader guide to mass text messaging.
SMS vs MMS at a glance
| SMS | MMS | |
|---|---|---|
| What it carries | Text only, including links and emoji | One image (JPEG, PNG, GIF or WebP) plus text |
| Length | 160 characters per segment, or 70 with an emoji; longer messages are split into segments | Not split into segments; up to 1,600 characters of text on CampaignCNX+ |
| How it is billed | Per segment | Per message |
| Price on CampaignCNX+, pay-as-you-go | $0.06 per segment | $0.18 per message |
| Best for | Reminders, confirmations, short offers and replies | Flyers, menus, product photos and event graphics |
What SMS is
What a good first text includes
- Who it is from. Your name or your business name, in the first words.
- One clear message. A single update or request, with a date or time when there is one.
- How to stop. The opt-out line, so a STOP reply is easy and is handled automatically.
An SMS is a plain text message. It can contain letters, numbers, punctuation, emoji and links, but no attachments. It is the default for business texting because it is the simplest and least expensive way to reach a customer's phone.
SMS has a length limit. A single message, called a segment, holds 160 characters of standard text. If the message includes an emoji, a curly quote pasted from a document, or certain accented letters, it is sent in a different format, called Unicode, and a segment holds only 70 characters. A longer message is split into several segments, which the recipient's phone joins back together so they read as one message. Each segment is still billed as a separate text.
That billing rule is the main thing to understand about the cost of SMS. A 150-character reminder is one segment. Add another sentence and it becomes two segments, and the cost of the send doubles. Our SMS character counter shows the exact segment count for any message before you send it.
What MMS is
An MMS is a text message with an image attached. In CampaignCNX+, that means one image in JPEG, PNG, GIF or WebP format, up to 5 MB. The text that goes with the image can run to 1,600 characters.
MMS is not split into segments. It is billed as one message whatever the length of its text, at a higher price than a single SMS because it carries much more data. On CampaignCNX+, an MMS uses 3 message credits on every plan.
The image is shown at phone size, so a simple picture with a few large words works better than a detailed poster with small print. If the important details are in the image, such as the date and address of an event, repeat them in the text as well. The message then still makes sense if the picture is slow to load or hard to read.
How the cost compares
What one text costs on each plan
On CampaignCNX+, one message credit pays for one SMS segment, and an MMS uses three credits. This is what that means at each published rate.
| Plan | SMS, per segment | MMS, per message |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | $0.06 | $0.18 |
| Basic, $55 a month with 1,000 SMS included | $0.055 | $0.165 |
| Pro, $225 a month with 5,000 SMS included | $0.045 | $0.135 |
| Enterprise, $695 a month with 20,000 SMS included | $0.035 | $0.105 |
As a worked example, suppose a restaurant sends one message to 1,000 customers on pay-as-you-go:
- A one-segment SMS announcing a weekend special uses 1,000 credits and costs $60.
- The same announcement written long enough to need two segments uses 2,000 credits and costs $120.
- An MMS with a photo of the dish and a short line of text uses 3,000 credits and costs $180.
The phone number you send from is $5 a month, whichever type you send. A picture message therefore costs three times as much as a short text. It is worth that price when the picture does work the words cannot, and it is not worth it for a message that only needs words.
When to send SMS
Send SMS when the words carry the message. That covers most business texting:
- Appointment reminders and confirmations
- "Your order is ready" and "technician on the way" notices
- Short offers with a link to the details
- Replies to customer questions in a two-way conversation
- Automatic replies to keywords, such as your hours and address
A link in an SMS can open a page with as many pictures as you like, for the price of a text. For many offers, a short message with a link to your website does the same job as an MMS at a third of the cost. For more on how businesses use texting day to day, see business text messaging.
When MMS is worth it
Send MMS when the image is the message, or when it will get a reader to act where text alone would not.
- Event flyers. A concert, a fundraiser or a grand opening, where the flyer already shows what, when and where.
- Menus and specials. A photo of tonight's dish, or this week's menu as one clear image.
- Products and results. A new arrival, a before-and-after photo for a service business, or a photo of a new listing for a real estate agent.
- Coupons. A coupon image a customer can show at the register.
- Campaign and cause messages. A candidate photo, an event graphic or a simple chart.
Because an MMS costs more, it is often better sent to a smaller, more interested group than to your whole list. A flyer for a members' event, for example, belongs with the members.
What stays the same
The rules do not change with the message type. An SMS and an MMS both need the recipient's consent, both must honor a STOP reply, and both should go out at reasonable hours in the recipient's time zone. The number you send from has to be registered with the carriers, through 10DLC registration or toll-free verification, before it texts customers, whichever type you plan to send.
If you run a small business and are working out where texting fits, texting for small businesses shows the reminders, offers and loyalty messages most owners start with.
Common questions
Does an emoji turn an SMS into an MMS?
No. An emoji keeps the message as an SMS, but it switches the message to Unicode, so each segment holds 70 characters instead of 160. A short message with an emoji is still one segment. A longer one may need more segments than the same text without the emoji.
Is a long text sent as an MMS?
Not on CampaignCNX+. A long text without an image is sent as SMS and uses one credit for each segment. Only a message with an image is sent as MMS.
Can I send a video by text?
Not through CampaignCNX+. A picture message carries one image in JPEG, PNG, GIF or WebP format. To share a video, send a link to it in an SMS.
How large can an MMS image be?
CampaignCNX+ accepts images up to 5 MB. Design the image to be read on a phone screen, with one main picture, few words and large type.
Do I need a separate number for picture messages?
No. You send SMS and MMS from the same number, and the same consent and opt-out records cover both.
Summary
SMS is text only and is billed per segment of 160 characters, or 70 with an emoji. MMS adds an image, is billed per message, and on CampaignCNX+ costs three times as much as a one-segment SMS. Send SMS for anything the words can carry, and save MMS for flyers, menus and photos that do work a link cannot.
To check a message before you send it, paste it into the SMS character counter. For the full process of sending to a customer list, from importing contacts to scheduling the send, see how to send mass text messages to customers.
