Compare SMS providers for US business. 27 publish a US rate, 11 publish none and 1 prices only in euros.
39 providers scored out of ten on the same six criteria. Every rate here is read off the provider's own pricing page and dated, and the spread between the ends is a factor of 23.
SMS Comparison is an independent publisher covering US business SMS providers since 2019. The site scores 39 providers on six equally weighted criteria published in full on the methodology page, and every rate shown is read from that provider's own public pricing page with the capture date on file. 27 of the 39 publish a per message US rate, Messente prices only in euros, and the 11 that publish none are marked as such rather than estimated. No provider pays for a position.
Directed by Alain Grossbard OAM, rates maintained by
Max Adler. US rates captured 2026-09-08.
How we rate.
Our research has been cited by
Every mark links to the piece that cited us. All five cite one of two pages: our SMS statistics and our mass texting statistics. Checked 9 September 2026.
Lowest published US rate, cents per SMS
Log axis, verified 8 September 2026Top rated US SMS providers
Three different questions produce three different orders. Tab between them rather than pretending one ranking answers all three.
By our score
Ranked on the score out of ten. Limited to the providers that publish a per message US rate.
By lowest published rate
Ranked on the lowest rate the provider publishes anywhere on its own site. A band that only applies at volume is still a published rate, so the basis is named on every row.
Flat rate, no tiers
Providers publishing one rate that holds whatever your volume is. No tier to reach and no minimum to hit.
Every provider we score
Pricing basis, lowest published rate, whether they file your 10DLC registration, and the score.
| Provider | Pricing basis | Lowest published | 10DLC | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BurstSMS | Banded By monthly volume | 1.00c | Handles filing | 8.17 |
| Telnyx | Banded By number type | 0.40c | Handles filing | 8.08 |
| Sinch | Banded By number type | 0.78c | Handles filing | 8.00 |
| ClickSend | Banded By top-up amount | 0.96c | Handles filing | 7.58 |
| Twilio | Flat By number type | 0.83c | Handles filing | 7.42 |
| Infobip | Flat One flat rate | 0.82c | Handles filing | 7.25 |
| Bandwidth | Banded By number type | 0.60c | Handles filing | 6.83 |
| SMSGlobal | Flat One flat rate | 1.90c | Handles filing | 6.67 |
| SlickText | None Not published | Not published | Handles filing | 6.67 |
| TrueDialog | Banded By monthly volume | 0.69c | Handles filing | 6.58 |
| Vonage | Flat By number type | 0.86c | Handles filing | 6.58 |
| MessageMedia | Banded By monthly plan | 1.60c | Handles filing | 6.58 |
| Notifyre | Flat One flat rate | 2.00c | Handles filing | 6.50 |
| SimpleTexting | Banded By monthly volume | 2.00c | Handles filing | 6.42 |
| Plivo | Banded By number type | 0.77c | Handles filing | 6.25 |
| Text Request | Banded By monthly plan | 1.30c | Handles filing | 6.25 |
| Podium | None Not published | Not published | Handles filing | 5.92 |
| Clickatell | Flat By monthly volume | 0.75c | Handles filing | 5.83 |
| Avochato | Banded By published band | 2.00c | Handles filing | 5.83 |
| Salesmsg | Flat One flat rate | 4.00c | Handles filing | 5.83 |
| Textline | Banded By credit bundle | 3.00c | Handles filing | 5.75 |
| MessageBird | Banded By number type | 0.35c | Handles filing | 5.67 |
| EZ Texting | Banded By monthly plan | 1.00c | Handles filing | 5.67 |
| Trumpia | None Not published | Not published | Handles filing | 5.67 |
| Omnisend | Banded By monthly volume | 0.70c | Not published | 5.58 |
| Messente | Banded By monthly volume | 0.70c EUR | Not published | 5.58 |
| Heymarket | Banded By monthly plan | 1.50c | Handles filing | 5.50 |
| Textedly | None Not published | Not published | Handles filing | 5.42 |
| BulkSMS | Banded By credit bundle | 3.21c | Handles filing | 5.17 |
| Postscript | Banded By monthly plan | 0.70c | Not published | 5.08 |
| Emotive | Banded By published band | 0.80c | Handles filing | 5.00 |
| Birdeye | None Not published | Not published | Handles filing | 4.92 |
| Weave | None Not published | Not published | Handles filing | 4.83 |
| Klaviyo | None Not published | Not published | Not published | 4.58 |
| Attentive | None Not published | Not published | Handles filing | 4.42 |
| Sendlane | Banded By monthly volume | 0.90c | Handles filing | 4.00 |
| YepText | None Not published | Not published | Not published | 3.83 |
| Community | None Not published | Not published | Handles filing | 3.75 |
| Skipio | None Not published | Not published | Handles filing | 3.17 |
Every rate links through to the provider's own pricing page in its review, with the date we read it. Where a provider publishes nothing, the cell says so rather than carrying an estimate.
What the published rates actually tell you
The spread between the ends is a factor of 23 for the same message to the same three carriers, and very little of that gap is quality. A low rate is not a recommendation and a high one is not a warning: carrier surcharges, number rental and 10DLC fees land on top, and providers differ in whether they itemise, absorb or quietly mark them up.
The number type decides more than the provider does
US carriers police application to person traffic harder than any other market.
Read the SMS gateway guide, including number types, throughput and routing.
Price your volume
7 providers publish one rate that holds at any volume. Move the slider to see what a month costs on each.
| Provider | Rate applies | Rate | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clickatell | Flat, any volume | 0.75c | $113 |
| Infobip | Flat, any volume | 0.82c | $123 |
| Twilio | Flat, any volume | 0.83c | $125 |
| Vonage | Flat, any volume | 0.86c | $129 |
| SMSGlobal | Flat, any volume | 1.90c | $285 |
| Notifyre | Flat, any volume | 2.00c | $300 |
| Salesmsg | Flat, any volume | 4.00c | $600 |
Only the 7 flat rate providers appear here, because they are the only ones where a monthly figure is arithmetic instead of a guess. Carrier surcharges, number rental and 10DLC fees land on top. Every published rate.
Questions before you compare
What does a business SMS cost in the US?
Published rates run from 0.35c to 8.00c per outbound SMS. 27 of the 39 providers we score publish a US rate at all, across six different bases: flat, by monthly volume, by top up amount, by plan, by credit bundle and by number type. See every published rate.
Which is the cheapest SMS provider?
MessageBird publishes the lowest US rate at 0.35c, on a long code. Carrier fees and number rental are charged on top by most providers, so the lowest rate is not always the lowest bill. Compare the cheapest SMS APIs.
Do I need 10DLC registration?
Yes, for application to person traffic from a US local ten digit number. Toll free numbers use verification instead and short codes have their own approval. Your provider submits the registration. See the 10DLC fees and steps.
SMS gateway or SMS API: what is the difference?
A gateway is the provider service that hands messages to the carriers. The API is the developer interface to that gateway. Most providers here offer both, plus a web dashboard. Compare SMS APIs.
Why are some providers missing a price?
11 of the 39 publish no per message rate anywhere on their own site, and Messente publishes only in euros. Rather than estimate a figure, those are marked as unpublished and scored on the other five criteria.
How does SMS Comparison make money?
Affiliate commission when you sign up through a link on this site. No provider pays for placement, commission never changes a score, and the disclosure appears on every review. How we make money.
Six criteria, equally weighted
One number out of ten, the unweighted average of six. The same six apply to a two person clinic sending reminders and a bank pushing a million passcodes. No provider pays for a position.
Value for money
Published cents per SMS against what the provider actually charges for, plus number and setup fees.
Features
Number types, two way messaging, scheduling, automation, API and SDK coverage.
Reliability
Published uptime or SLA, carrier routing, stated throughput.
Reputation
Third party review scores, named customers, time in market.
Compliance
10DLC and toll free registration support, security certification.
Customer service
Channels, hours, whether a US number is answered, depth of the documentation.