SMS short code
An SMS short code is a 5 or 6 digit number a business leases for high-volume texting. The U.S. Short Code Registry leases a random code for $500 a month and a vanity code for $1,000, paid up front for 3, 6 or 12 months, read September 28, 2026. Most providers add fees on top.
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What each provider charges for a short code
| Provider | Setup | A month | First year | Terms and approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Short Code Registry, the lease itselfadministered by CTIA | None | $500$1,000 | $6,000$12,000 | Leased for 3, 6 or 12 months; the whole lease is paid before the code is activated; fees are non-refundable. The registry says carrier approval after the lease can take two to four weeks. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| Plivo$1,000 a month minimum (Enterprise plan) | $1,500 | $500$1,000 | $7,500$13,500 | Rental deducted quarterly in advance. Approval 6 to 8 weeks. Throughput 100 messages a second. Short codes sit on Plivo's Enterprise plan. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| Kudosity (formerly BurstSMS) | from $1,000 | from $750Not published | from $10,000Not computable | From $1,000. Approval 3 to 4 months (read 9 September 2026). Both figures are "from" prices. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| Salesmsgentry plan, $25 a month for 500 credits; Salesmsg says credits start at 4 cents on higher plans | Not published | $3,000 to $4,500 a quarter, or $11,000 a yearNot published | $11,000Not computable | $3,000 to $4,500 a quarter, or $11,000 a year. Approval 8 to 12 weeks on average. Premium plans only; Salesmsg applies to Twilio for the code. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| Telnyx | from $500 | from $1,000from $2,000 | from $12,500from $24,500 | $500 one time (pricing file, read 9 September 2026). 3, 6 or 12 month terms. Throughput Up to 100 message parts a second on its product page; 1,000 a second in its developer documentation (read 21 September 2026). Monthly from $1,000; its numbers page listed vanity at $1,500 on 9 September 2026. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| MessageMedia | $1,000 | $1,000$1,500 | $13,000$19,000 | One-time carrier setup fee. Approval 8 to 12 weeks. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| Textedly | $1,000 | $1,000$1,500 | $13,000$19,000 | Billed quarterly. Approval 8 to 12 weeks. Throughput 100 texts a second. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| ClickSend | $1,035.59 | $1,035.59Not published | $13,462.67Not computable | Read 21 September 2026 (was $1,042.99 a month on 8 September). Source, read 21 September 2026 |
| SimpleTexting | from $2,500 | from $1,000from $1,500 | from $14,500from $20,500 | Approval 6 to 8 weeks (read 9 September 2026). Monthly figures are "from" prices; texting plans from $29 a month on top. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| Sinch | $1 | $500$1,000 | $6,001 plus an unstated fee$12,001 plus an unstated fee | Throughput 500 messages a second (Sinch blog, read 21 September 2026). Plus a lease management fee whose amount Sinch does not state. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| Bandwidth | Carrier setup: T-Mobile $500 a code (new codes, migrations, amendments); Verizon $500 a code (migrations) | $500$1,000 | Not computableNot computable | The lease is paid to the Short Code Registry directly. The monthly figures are the registry lease. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| Infobip | Carrier setup: T-Mobile $500 a new or migrated code or amended program; Verizon $500 a migrated code | $500$1,000 | Not computableNot computable | Registry lease passed through. Infobip's own short code fee on top is not published. Source, read 9 September 2026 |
| Postscript | Not published | $750Not published | Not computableNot computable | Approval About 4 to 7 weeks with a compliance audit (help center, read 9 September 2026). Postscript says the $750 is the carriers' fee passed through without markup. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| SlickText | A one-time carrier setup fee, amount not stated | $500$1,000 | Not computableNot computable | Approval 4 to 5 weeks. Throughput 500 or more messages a second. Requires a plan of at least $319 a month. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| TrueDialog | Its pricing FAQ says it charges no setup fee; its terms say it charges a one-time setup fee (both read 9 September 2026) | $799$1,499 | Not computableNot computable | Its carrier fee page listed $800 and $1,500 a month on 9 September 2026. Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| Twilio | Required, amount not stated for SMS short codes ($500 for MMS-enabled codes) | $1,000$1,500 | Not computableNot computable | Billed quarterly. Approval 8 to 12 weeks (read 9 September 2026). Source, read 28 September 2026 |
| Vonage | Not stated | $1,000$1,500 | Not computableNot computable | Billed quarterly, 3 month minimum, bought through sales. Read 9 September 2026; the page draws these prices in the browser. Source, read 9 September 2026 |
Showing random codes, lowest first year first. A first year that leaves out a fee the provider does not state follows the complete ones; providers with no computable first year come last.
Publish no short code price on the pages read: Attentive, Bird (formerly MessageBird), Clickatell, Community, Emotive, EZ Texting, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Sendlane, Skipio, SMSGlobal, Textline, Trumpia. Do not offer short codes: Birdeye, BulkSMS, Heymarket, Messente, Notifyre, Podium, Text Request, Weave, YepText.
What an SMS short code is
An SMS short code is a 5 or 6 digit number that sends and receives texts at high volume. A business does not buy a code. It leases one from the U.S. Short Code Registry, administered by CTIA, for 3, 6 or 12 months, and the registry states the entire lease payment is due before the code can be activated. The registry also states fees are non-refundable.
What a short code costs
The registry lease is the floor. A random code, assigned by the system, costs $500 a month. A code you choose costs $1,000 a month; the registry calls these "select" and this page says vanity. Providers add setup and hosting fees, dated September 28, 2026. Sinch charges $1 for setup and $500 a month plus a lease management fee it does not state. Twilio charges $1,000 a month random and $1,500 vanity, billed quarterly, plus an unstated setup fee. TrueDialog charges $799 a month and $1,499 vanity; its pricing FAQ says no setup fee while its terms describe a one-time setup fee, both read September 9, 2026. Postscript passes through $750 a month, which it says is the carriers' fee without markup. Bandwidth and Infobip pass the registry lease through and list carrier setup fees of $500 a code. Plivo has the lowest computable first year for a random code, $7,500 on its Enterprise plan; the Plivo review covers its other prices.
Who sells short codes
SMS Comparison sets the US short code registry lease beside what 16 SMS providers charge to host one, dated. Of the 39 providers this site scores, 16 publish a US short code price, 13 publish none, and 9 do not offer short codes. Skipio and Sendlane, read September 28, 2026, do not say clearly whether they offer one. Approval adds time: the registry says carrier approval takes two to four weeks after the lease, and SlickText quotes 4 to 5 weeks while Kudosity quotes 3 to 4 months. Carriers apply CTIA's rules, which our SMS compliance page sets out.
SMS short code questions
How long does short code approval take?
The registry says carrier approval takes two to four weeks after the lease. Providers quote longer: SlickText 4 to 5 weeks, Plivo and SimpleTexting 6 to 8 weeks, Twilio, Textedly, Sinch Engage and Salesmsg 8 to 12 weeks, Kudosity 3 to 4 months.
How many messages a second can a short code send?
Providers state 100 messages a second for Plivo and Textedly, 500 for Sinch, and 500 or more for SlickText. Telnyx states up to 100 on its product page and 1,000 in its developer documentation.
Do shared short codes still exist?
Textedly's short code page says every mobile carrier ended service for shared short codes, so a business now leases its own code.
Short code or 10DLC?
The registry lease starts at $500 a month, read September 28, 2026, and providers state throughput of 100 to 500 or more messages a second. 10DLC registration is covered on its own page.
Random or vanity code?
A random code costs $500 a month and a vanity code $1,000 at the registry, read September 28, 2026. The registry calls a vanity code a "select" code, one you choose yourself.