SMS marketing platforms advertise a monthly plan price, but that is only one of four charges on the bill. US carriers add a per-message surcharge, The Campaign Registry charges to register your brand and campaign, and your sending number has its own cost. We read the pricing pages of ten SMS platforms and APIs, the 2026 carrier surcharge schedule and the 10DLC fee list on November 2, 2026, and priced the same three monthly volumes on each.
This is a pricing guide. If you want a ranked list of tools for a small budget, start with our guide to SMS marketing software for small business budgets.
TLDR
Short answer: SMS marketing costs roughly $15 to $65 a month for 1,000 US texts and $120 to $380 a month for 10,000, all fees in. Entry plans work out to about 5 to 6 cents a text; large plans fall to 1 to 3 cents. On top of the plan, expect $0.0035 to $0.005 per text in carrier surcharges and about $140 in first-year 10DLC registration fees unless your platform absorbs them.
- Platform plans: from $19 a month (Textla) and $29 a month for 500 texts (SimpleTexting, SlickText, Textedly).
- Carrier surcharges: $0.0035 (AT&T), $0.0045 (T-Mobile) and $0.005 (Verizon) per outbound SMS on registered 10DLC numbers (Tychron).
- 10DLC registration: $4.50 brand fee, $15 campaign vetting and $10 a month per standard campaign (Tychron, Campaign Registry fees).
- Our finding: at 10,000 texts a month, the priciest platform we priced costs about 3x the cheapest ($376.50 vs $119).
- Hidden multiplier: one emoji cuts a segment from 160 to 70 characters, and MMS bills at about 3 credits per message on credit plans.
In this guide
How much does SMS marketing cost in 2026?
Every SMS marketing bill in the US is built from the same four layers. Platforms quote the first one. The other three explain why two invoices for the same plan can look very different.
| Cost layer | Who sets it | Typical 2026 price | How it is billed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform plan or per-text rate | The SMS vendor | $19 to $100 a month to start; under 1 cent to 6 cents a text | Monthly or annual plan with credits, or pay-as-you-go |
| Carrier surcharge | AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and smaller carriers | $0.0035 to $0.005 per outbound SMS; $0.007 to $0.01 per MMS | Per message segment, passed through or bundled |
| 10DLC registration | The Campaign Registry (TCR) | $4.50 brand, $15 vetting, $10 a month per campaign | One-time plus monthly, often absorbed by platforms |
| Sender number | The vendor or the short code registry | $1.15 a month (local number) to $500 to $1,000 a month (short code) | Monthly, short codes leased upfront |
A simple budget formula: (texts per month x segments per text x platform rate) + (texts x segments x carrier fee) + number fee + campaign fee. Credit-based plans fold the first part into a monthly bundle and charge overage beyond it.
SMS marketing platform pricing compared (checked November 2, 2026)
Every row below comes from the vendor’s own pricing page on the date above, using monthly billing unless noted. “Per text at entry” is the entry plan price divided by its included texts.
| Platform | Entry plan | Per text at entry | Larger plans | Carrier fees | Registration and number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textla | $19/mo Starter + $0.01 per text | About $0.01 plus the plan fee | $39/mo Professional, same $0.01 rate | Advertised as zero hidden fees | Not itemized |
| SimpleTexting | $29/mo for 500 credits | $0.058 | $49 (1,000) up to $899 (50,000); overage 5.5 to 2 cents | Passed through at cost | $10/mo local number, $4 one-time carrier registration |
| SlickText | Free plan; $29/mo for 500 credits | $0.058 | $49 (1,000) up to $939 (50,000) | $0.0042 per SMS, $0.0087 per MMS | One premium sending number included |
| Textedly | $29/mo for 500 messages | $0.058 | $49 (1,000) up to $5,520 (300,000) | $8/mo telecom surcharge | Free toll-free and 10DLC number; first 10DLC registration paid by Textedly |
| EZ Texting | $20/mo billed annually, 6,000 credits a year | About $0.04 | Boost $60, Scale $100, Enterprise from $3,000/mo | $5/mo telecom fee on Launch only; included above | Carrier registration included |
| Textmagic | Pay as you go, $0.049 per SMS at 1,000 | $0.049 | $0.035 at 5,000 down to $0.02 at 100,000+ | Not listed separately | $10/mo toll-free number; free brand verification |
| Postscript | $0/mo Starter, $49 monthly minimum | $0.009 per SMS | Growth $100/mo at $0.008; Professional $500/mo at $0.007 | Passed through, average $0.0033 per SMS | Dedicated toll-free number included |
| Omnisend | SMS from $0.007 per message | $0.007 to $0.0085 | Sold inside email plans | Not listed separately | Not itemized |
| Klaviyo | Free plan includes $5 of mobile messages a month (pricing) | Per-message dollar rate, set in the app | Separate toll-free and short code rates | Included in the rate | Not itemized |
| Twilio (API) | $0.0083 per SMS segment | $0.0083 | Volume discounts; MMS $0.022 | Extra, at carrier cost | $1.15/mo local number, 10DLC fees extra |
Three patterns stand out. Credit-bundle tools (SimpleTexting, SlickText, Textedly) all start at $29 for 500 texts, so the entry price tells you little; the differences are in overage rates and fees. Ecommerce tools (Postscript, Omnisend, Klaviyo) price per message, which is cheaper per text but tied to their email or commerce stack. And APIs like Twilio are cheapest per segment but leave registration, numbers and the sending app to you.
What 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 texts a month really cost
Plan tables are hard to compare because each vendor bundles differently. So we priced the same three volumes on eight platforms: single-segment US SMS, monthly billing, with overage, number, telecom and carrier fees added. Where a vendor publishes its carrier pass-through rate we used it; where it does not, we used the current 10DLC range of $0.0035 to $0.005 per text.
| Platform | 1,000 texts | 5,000 texts | 10,000 texts | How we got there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textla | $29 | $69 | $119 | $19 Starter + $0.01 a text |
| Klaviyo (US toll-free) | $15 | $70 | $125 | EmailOptimize calculator, October 10, 2026; carrier fees included |
| Postscript Starter | $52.30 | $65.50 | $123 | $49 minimum or $0.009 a text, + $0.0033 carrier fee |
| Twilio API | $23 to $24 | $70 to $78 | $129 to $144 | $0.0083 a segment + $1.15 number + $10 campaign fee + carrier fees |
| Textedly | $57 | $177 | $307 | Plan for the volume + $8 telecom surcharge |
| Textmagic | $59 | $185 | $360 | Per-SMS rate at that volume + $10 toll-free number |
| SlickText | $53.20 | $190 | $361 | Plan for the volume + $0.0042 carrier fee |
| SimpleTexting | $62.50 to $64 | $216.50 to $224 | $361.50 to $376.50 | Nearest plan + overage + $10 number + carrier fees |
Our finding: at 10,000 texts a month, the all-in bill runs from $119 to $376.50, a spread of about 3.2x, or roughly 1.2 to 3.8 cents a text. The cheap end is per-message pricing (Textla, Postscript, Klaviyo); the expensive end is credit bundles with fees added on top. At 1,000 texts the gap is smaller in dollars, and Klaviyo’s $15 is the lowest if you already use it for email.
Two caveats. Annual billing changes the picture: SimpleTexting knocks 20% off yearly plans, SlickText gives two months free, and Textedly adds 20% more messages. And per-message tools are not like-for-like: Postscript and Klaviyo are built for Shopify and ecommerce flows. If that is you, see our Shopify SMS marketing apps roundup and the Attentive vs Postscript breakdown.
Carrier fees in 2026: what AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon charge
Carrier surcharges are set by the mobile networks and charged on every message segment, on top of the platform rate. They are not a vendor markup. 2026 was an unusually busy year for them: T-Mobile raised its outbound 10DLC SMS fee from $0.0030 to $0.0045 on January 19, AT&T set $0.0035 from April 1, and Verizon moved to $0.0045 in May and $0.005 on October 1 (Comms Advisor).
| Carrier | Outbound SMS | Inbound SMS | Outbound MMS | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | $0.0035 | $0.0035 | $0.009 | April 1, 2026 |
| T-Mobile | $0.0045 | $0.0025 | $0.01 | January 19, 2026 |
| Verizon | $0.005 | None | $0.007 | October 1, 2026 |
| US Cellular | $0.005 | $0.0025 | $0.01 | Not listed |
Unregistered 10DLC traffic is now blocked by US carriers, and where it gets through it bills at penalty rates of $0.010 to $0.012 per SMS (Tychron). That makes registration cheaper than skipping it in every case.
Check carrier fee notes before you trust them
- Vendor averages lag the carriers. SimpleTexting’s pricing FAQ puts US carrier fees at about $0.0025 a message on average, below every current outbound 10DLC rate (SimpleTexting). Budget at $0.0035 to $0.005.
- Blended rates hide the mix. SlickText bills a blended $0.0042 per SMS across all US number types and says it may update the rate as carriers change theirs (SlickText help center).
- Flat fees can be cheaper at low volume. Textedly charges a flat $8 a month instead of a per-message fee (Textedly help center). Below about 1,900 texts a month a per-text fee at $0.0042 costs less; above that, the flat fee wins.
- Older guides still quote credits for Klaviyo. Klaviyo moved from credits to per-message dollar pricing on July 13, 2026, with carrier fees included (Klaviyo help center).
10DLC fees: what registration costs
Sending marketing texts from a regular 10-digit number (10DLC) requires registering your brand and each campaign with The Campaign Registry. Current TCR fees (Tychron):
| Fee | Cost | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Brand registration | $4.50 ($4 for sole proprietors) | One-time |
| Standard brand vetting (optional) | $41.50 | One-time |
| Enhanced vetting | $101.50 | One-time |
| Campaign vetting | $15 | Per campaign |
| Standard or marketing campaign | $10 | Monthly, per campaign |
| Low-volume mixed campaign | $1.50 | Monthly |
| Sole proprietor campaign | $2 | Monthly |
| Expedited 48-hour vetting | $50 | Optional |
First-year cost of one standard marketing campaign: $4.50 + $15 + ($10 x 12) = $139.50, or $181 with standard vetting. Many SMS platforms absorb or simplify this: SimpleTexting charges a flat $4 one-time carrier registration, Textedly pays for your first 10DLC registration, and EZ Texting includes carrier registration in every plan. With an API like Twilio, you pay it yourself.
Registration is only half of compliance. Consent, quiet hours and opt-out rules come from the TCPA, which we cover in our TCPA SMS compliance guide.
10DLC vs toll-free vs short code: which sender costs what
| Sender type | Number cost | Setup | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10DLC local number | $1.15/mo on Twilio; often bundled ($10/mo on SimpleTexting) | TCR brand and campaign registration | Most small and mid-size senders |
| Toll-free number | $2.15/mo on Twilio; $10/mo on Textmagic | Toll-free verification (free on Textmagic) | National brands, two-way support texts |
| Random short code | $500/mo lease (US Short Codes) | Lease paid upfront for 3, 6 or 12 months, plus carrier approval | High-volume promotions |
| Select (vanity) short code | $1,000/mo lease | Same as random | Brands that want a memorable code |
A short code costs at least $1,500 upfront for the shortest three-month lease, before vendor fees. EZ Texting bundles a dedicated short code into its Enterprise plan from $3,000 a month with a 4 to 12 week setup (EZ Texting). For most teams under 50,000 texts a month, a registered 10DLC or toll-free number does the job.
Why your bill can be 2 to 3 times the quoted rate
Platforms and carriers bill per segment, not per message. A plain-text SMS holds 160 characters; longer messages split into 153-character segments. One emoji, accented letter or curly quote switches the whole message to Unicode, which holds 70 characters, or 67 per segment when split (Twilio).
- A 160-character promo with one emoji becomes 3 segments, so it costs 3 texts and 3 carrier fees.
- MMS costs more: SimpleTexting and SlickText charge 3 credits per MMS, Twilio charges $0.022 against $0.0083 for SMS, and carrier MMS fees are about double SMS fees.
- Inbound replies are free on Textedly and SlickText but carry carrier surcharges on some networks, such as AT&T’s $0.0035.
- RCS is priced separately: SlickText charges a $500 setup fee and $200 a year for RCS. See our RCS business messaging pricing guide for full rates.
The easiest saving in SMS marketing is editing: keep promos under 160 plain characters and test emoji only where they lift clicks.
How to budget for SMS marketing
- Estimate sends, not subscribers. Multiply list size by campaigns a month, then add automated flows such as welcome and abandoned-cart texts.
- Count segments. Paste your real templates into a segment counter; multiply by the average segments per text.
- Price the plan one tier up. Overage rates on credit plans run 2 to 5.5 cents a text, often more than the next plan’s per-text price.
- Add carrier fees. Use your vendor’s published rate, or $0.005 per text to be safe.
- Add fixed fees. Number, telecom surcharge and the $10 monthly campaign fee if you register directly.
- Compare annual billing. Discounts of about 17% to 20% are common, but only if your volume is steady.
If you are weighing SMS against other channels, our WhatsApp vs SMS marketing comparison covers how the costs differ outside the US.
Frequently asked questions about SMS marketing pricing
How much does SMS marketing cost per month?
Entry plans cost about $19 to $29 a month for around 500 texts. All fees in, 1,000 US texts cost roughly $15 to $64 a month and 10,000 texts roughly $119 to $377 across the eight platforms we priced on November 2, 2026. Carrier and registration fees are included in those totals.
How much does one SMS text cost?
On entry plans a text costs about 5 to 6 cents. Large plans fall to 1 to 3 cents, per-message tools such as Postscript and Omnisend charge under 1 cent, and Twilio charges $0.0083 per segment. Add $0.0035 to $0.005 in carrier surcharges per text where they are passed through.
What are 10DLC fees?
10DLC fees are charges from The Campaign Registry for registering a business and its texting campaigns on standard 10-digit numbers. In 2026 they are $4.50 per brand, $15 per campaign vetting and $10 a month for a standard marketing campaign, so about $139.50 in the first year. Many SMS platforms absorb these fees.
What are carrier fees for SMS?
Carrier fees are per-message surcharges set by US networks. For registered 10DLC traffic in 2026, outbound SMS costs $0.0035 on AT&T, $0.0045 on T-Mobile and $0.005 on Verizon, and MMS costs $0.007 to $0.01. Platforms either pass them through on your invoice or include them in their rate.
Why is MMS more expensive than SMS?
MMS carries images or video, so platforms and carriers charge more. SimpleTexting and SlickText count one MMS as 3 credits, Twilio charges $0.022 per MMS against $0.0083 per SMS, and carrier MMS surcharges of $0.007 to $0.01 are roughly double SMS rates.
Is a short code worth the cost?
Only at high volume. A short code lease costs $500 a month for a random code or $1,000 for a chosen code, paid upfront for at least three months, before vendor fees. Most businesses sending under 50,000 texts a month do well with a registered 10DLC or toll-free number.
Which SMS marketing platform is cheapest?
At 10,000 texts a month, Textla ($119), Postscript ($123) and Klaviyo ($125) had the lowest all-in cost in our November 2026 check, against $361 to $376.50 for credit-bundle tools. For very small lists, Klaviyo’s free plan includes $5 of messages a month and SlickText has a free plan.
The verdict
Budget for SMS marketing as four costs, not one: the plan, carrier surcharges of $0.0035 to $0.005 a text, about $140 a year in 10DLC fees if your platform does not absorb them, and the sender number. At 10,000 texts a month that adds up to roughly $120 to $380 depending on the platform, and segment count can double or triple it.
Price your real volume and real templates on two or three vendors, check how each handles carrier fees, and compare annual billing only once your volume is steady. To shortlist tools, use our guide to SMS marketing software for small business budgets.
