Toll-free texting: US costs and verification compared
Toll-free texting is business SMS sent from a toll-free number with an 8XX area code, and every such number must be verified before it can send. Twilio states that messages from unverified numbers have been blocked since January 31, 2024. At 15,000 texts a month, Bird (formerly MessageBird) costs $105.50 to $120.50 with the number, message charges and carrier fees in. Of the 36 providers that sell it, 21 publish a monthly price for the number, out of the 45 providers we score.
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Toll-free texting costs by provider
| Provider | Number a month | Rate per SMS | Carrier fee per SMS | Month at 15,000 | Verification time, as stated | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird (formerly MessageBird) | $0.50 | $0.0035toll-free number | $0.0035 to $0.0045, by carrier | $105.50 to $120.50lowest to highest carrier fee of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Telnyx | $1.10includes $0.10 a month to enable texting | $0.0055toll-free number | $0.0035 to $0.0045, by carrier | $136.10 to $151.10lowest to highest carrier fee of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon | 5 business days typical approval timeNo verification fee | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Twilio | $2.15 | $0.0083toll-free number | $0.0035 to $0.005, by carrier | $179.15 to $201.65lowest to highest carrier fee of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon | approximately 3-5 business daysNo verification fee | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Kudosity (formerly BurstSMS) | $5no setup fee | $0.015band from 1,500 messages | Included in the rate | $230number, messages and carrier fees | Not attributed to the US on the page read | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| ClickSend | $3.48no setup fee | $0.0203top-up from $100 | $0.0041 | $369.48number, messages and carrier fees | usually 1 to 7 business days | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Bandwidth | Not published | $0.007toll-free number | Not published | Not computable; known part $105left out: toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Sinch | $2plus $2 one-time setup | $0.0078toll-free number | Billed, amount not published | Not computable; known part $119left out: carrier fees, billed on top with no published amount | Not publishedNo verification fee | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Vonage | $1.75$1.75 initial fee covers setup and the first month | $0.0086toll-free number | Published for 10DLC only | Not computable; known part $130.75left out: carrier fees, not on the pages read | between 2-10 business days | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Omnisend Pro plan with an SMS Credits Subscription; SMS is not available on current Free and Standard plans | Included in plan | $0.009top-up from $10 | Included in the rate | Not computable; known part $135left out: the required plan or minimum | usually takes around 5 business days, but it may take up to 2 weeks in some cases; no expedited option | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Postscript Starter: $0 a month with a $49 monthly minimum spend | Included in plan | $0.009one rate at any volume | Passed through, amount not published | Not computable; known part $135left out: carrier fees, passed through at cost with no published amount; the required plan or minimum | ~3-10 business daysNo verification fee | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Textla Starter subscription: $19 a month billed yearly or $25 billed monthly | Included in plan | $0.010one rate at any volume | Included in the rate | Not computable; known part $150left out: the required plan or minimum | currently taking 1-4 business days | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Plivo SMS is available on the Enterprise plan only, which starts at $1,000 a month | $1 | $0.0079toll-free number | $0.0035 to $0.005, by carrier | Not computable; known part $172 to $194.50left out: the required plan or minimum | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Notifyre Toll-free on approved request only | Not published | $0.020one rate at any volume | Included in the rate | Not computable; known part $300left out: toll-free number fee, not published | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Textmagic | $10 | $0.049one rate at any volume | Not published | Not computable; known part $745left out: carrier fees, not on the pages read | usually up to 5 business daysNo verification fee | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Attentive | Not published | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Avochato | Not published | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | normally around 4 weeks | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| CallHub | Not published | Not on pages read | Not published | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | 3 to 5 business days | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Emotive | Not published | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| EZ Texting | $25 | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; carrier fees, not on the pages read | 1-5 business days | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Heymarket | Not published | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Infobip | Not published | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | 1 to 2 weeks | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Klaviyo | Included in plan | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; carrier fees, not on the pages read | typically takes 2 to 5 business days | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| MessageMedia | $25 | Plan creditsmessages billed through a monthly plan | Passed through, amount not published | Not computableleft out: message charges, billed through plan credits; carrier fees, passed through at cost with no published amount | up to 7 business daysNo verification fee | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Messente | EUR 5 a month | EUR 0.007 a message on commitment plans, EUR 0.0136 pay as you go | Not published | Not computableleft out: message charges, billed in EUR; toll-free number fee, billed as EUR 5 a month; carrier fees, not on the pages read | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Mobile Text Alerts | Included in plan | Plan creditsmessages billed through a monthly plan | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, billed through plan credits; carrier fees, not on the pages read | 1 to 2 business days | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Podium Toll-free on approved request only | Not published | Plan creditsmessages billed through a monthly plan | Billed, amount not published | Not computableleft out: message charges, billed through plan credits; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, billed on top with no published amount | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Salesmsg | $5 | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; carrier fees, not on the pages read | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Sendlane | Not published | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | currently takes up to four weeks | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| SimpleTexting | Included in plan | Plan creditsmessages billed through a monthly plan | Passed through, amount not published | Not computableleft out: message charges, billed through plan credits; carrier fees, passed through at cost with no published amount | typically takes three to five business days | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| SlickText | Included in plan | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; carrier fees, not on the pages read | often the same day, but typically in less than 48 hours | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Text Request | Not published | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | up to 10 days | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Text-Em-All | Not published | Not on pages read | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, no published toll-free rate; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | can take up to 7 business daysNo verification fee | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Textedly | Included in planno setup fee | Plan creditsmessages billed through a monthly plan | Not on pages read | Not computableleft out: message charges, billed through plan credits; carrier fees, not on the pages read | Not publishedNo verification fee | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Textline | Not published | Plan creditsmessages billed through a monthly plan | Not published | Not computableleft out: message charges, billed through plan credits; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | Not on pages read | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| Trumpia | Included in plan | Plan creditsmessages billed through a monthly plan | Included in the rate | Not computableleft out: message charges, billed through plan credits | usually takes between 2 and 10 days | 14 October 2026 Sources
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| YepText | Included in plan, no separate fee published | Plan creditsmessages billed through a monthly plan | Not published | Not computableleft out: message charges, billed through plan credits; toll-free number fee, not published; carrier fees, not on the pages read | Not published | 14 October 2026 Sources
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Sorted by the month: complete months first, cheapest first, then rows with a known message charge and a fee left out, then rows with no published toll-free rate.
A toll-free month is a range, not one figure, because carrier fees differ by carrier. Published toll-free carrier fees run from $0.0035 per SMS at AT&T to $0.005 at Verizon (Twilio, Plivo, Bird, Telnyx), so the month shown for each provider spans the lowest to the highest of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. 5 providers publish every fee a complete month at 15,000 needs.
Some providers remove that spread. ClickSend charges $3.48 a month for the number and one flat carrier fee of $0.0041 per SMS across toll-free, 10DLC and short code (ClickSend). Kudosity prices its US rates including carrier pass-through, from $5 a month with no setup fee, though above 99,999 messages a month its price is custom (Kudosity).
Others add conditions. Plivo charges $1.00 a month for the number but sells SMS only on its Enterprise plan, which starts at $1,000 a month (Plivo). Sinch charges $2.00 a month plus a $2.00 setup fee and states carrier fees apply without publishing them, and Vonage's toll-free page shows carrier fees for 10DLC only (Sinch, Vonage). Plan platforms including SlickText, Trumpia, Postscript, Klaviyo and SimpleTexting include the number at no charge and bill messages through the plan instead, read 14 October 2026.
No US toll-free texting offer on the pages read, with the read date: Birdeye (9 September 2026), BulkSMS (9 September 2026), Clickatell (9 September 2026), Community (9 September 2026), Skipio (9 September 2026), SMSGlobal (14 October 2026), TextUs (28 September 2026), TrueDialog (14 October 2026), Weave (9 September 2026).
Toll-free verification
Toll-free verification is required for sending messages over toll-free numbers to the US and Canada, Twilio states. Messages from unverified numbers have been blocked since January 31, 2024, and only fully verified numbers can send. Bandwidth likewise requires every toll-free number to be verified before it can send SMS, with a brief for each number and each use case (Bandwidth).
The process has two stages. Your provider reviews the submission and the wireless carriers approve it: Twilio moves a number to Verified upon a successful review and carrier approval, and Vonage pre-approves the request, submits it to the carriers, and states the one-time process takes 2 to 10 business days (Twilio, Vonage). Behind this sits the registry: Somos, the FCC appointed administrator for critical numbering registries, runs the TSS Registry, the authoritative registry where Service Registrars have numbers validated and authorized for text enablement (Somos).
Who files the form depends on the provider. SlickText, Postscript, Klaviyo, SimpleTexting and Text Request submit the verification for you after you complete a form. On Twilio, Telnyx, Plivo and Bandwidth you submit it yourself in the console or through an API.
Stated times range from SlickText's typically under 48 hours to Avochato's normally around 4 weeks, with Twilio at approximately 3 to 5 business days, Klaviyo at 2 to 5, Textla at 1 to 4, and Infobip at 1 to 2 weeks. 21 providers publish a time. Textmagic forwards the form to its aggregator within 24 hours and states verification is free and usually takes up to 5 business days (Textmagic). Twilio, Sinch, Telnyx, Postscript and Text-Em-All state the fee as $0 or free, read 14 October 2026.
Toll-free vs 10DLC vs short code
| Toll-free | 10DLC | Short code | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number a month | $0.50 to $25 where a fee is published; 9 providers include one at $0 (read 14 October 2026) | $0.50 to $1.15 for a long code (read 21 October 2026) | $500 random or $1,000 chosen, registry lease (read 28 September 2026) |
| Registration | Toll-free verification; 8 providers state a $0 fee (read 14 October 2026) | $46 one time for a vetted standard brand, then $1.50 to $30 a month per campaign at The Campaign Registry (read 21 September 2026) | Leased for 3, 6 or 12 months; the whole lease is paid before the code is activated; fees are non-refundable (read 28 September 2026) |
| Registry | Somos runs the TSS Registry for text-enabled toll-free numbers (read 14 October 2026) | The Campaign Registry (read 21 September 2026) | U.S. Short Code Registry, administered by CTIA (read 28 September 2026) |
| Time to approval | 21 providers state a verification time, shown per provider in the cost table | Not compared on this page | The registry says carrier approval after the lease can take two to four weeks |
Toll-free is the cheapest to register: verification is free at the providers named above, against $46 one time for a standard 10DLC brand with secondary vetting at The Campaign Registry plus $1.50 to $30 a month per campaign, and a short code lease at $500 a month for a random code or $1,000 for a chosen one, paid 3, 6 or 12 months up front. See 10DLC registration cost and process for the campaign fees by use case.
Monthly, a published toll-free number fee runs from $0 where a plan includes the number, at SlickText, Trumpia, Textedly, Postscript, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Textla, SimpleTexting and Mobile Text Alerts, up to $25 a month at EZ Texting and at Sinch MessageMedia, which gives the first number free. Twilio sits at $2.15 a month and Textmagic at $10. Approval is fastest for toll-free at SlickText's under 48 hours; the short code registry says carrier approval after the lease can take two to four weeks, read 28 September 2026 (SMS short code). Twilio prices an SMS segment the same on all three types at $0.0083, while Bird prices toll-free at $0.0035 and short code at $0.0070.
Toll-free texting questions
How much does toll-free texting cost?
Toll-free texting starts with the number: $0 where a plan includes it, $25 a month at EZ Texting and Sinch MessageMedia, plus per-SMS rates and carrier fees. Bird (formerly MessageBird) costs $105.50 to $120.50 at 15,000 texts.
How long does toll-free verification take?
Stated times run from under 48 hours at SlickText to around 4 weeks at Avochato. Twilio states approximately 3 to 5 business days, and Vonage states 2 to 10 business days. 21 providers publish a time.
Can you text from a toll-free number without verification?
No. Twilio states verification is required for US and Canada, and messages from unverified numbers have been blocked since January 31, 2024. Only fully verified toll-free numbers can send.
Toll-free vs 10DLC, which should you use?
Toll-free verification is free at the eight providers that state a fee, and takes from under 48 hours at SlickText to around 4 weeks at Avochato. 10DLC registration costs $46 plus $1.50 to $30 a month per campaign.