Vonage (formerly Nexmo) review
Vonage (formerly Nexmo) is an SMS API and gateway provider that charges 0.86c per message on every number type, read September 8, 2026. The free trial gives credit with no credit card, but the trial account texts only your own verified numbers and appends a demo notice. We score Vonage 6.58 out of 10.
Alain Grossbard OAM, with Justin Grossbard Updated How we rate Reader supported, we may earn a commission Reader supported. We may earn a commission when you sign up through a link on this page, and it never changes a score. How we make money.
Vonage cost at your volume
$8.60 in message charges a month, at 0.86c (long code (10DLC))
The same rule prices Vonage on the versus pages and the price guides: the band, top-up or number type your volume reaches, from Vonage's own US rates read 8 September 2026. Number rental and carrier fees are billed on top and sit in the tables below.
Vonage scores
| Value for money | 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 6 | |
| Reliability | 4.5 | |
| Reputation | 4.5 | |
| Compliance | 9.5 | |
| Customer service | 8 |
Six criteria, equally weighted, each scored out of 10 from Vonage's own published pages (how we rate).
Vonage US rates
| As published | Price | How it compares |
|---|---|---|
| Send a message (virtual phone number) | 0.86c | Lower than 20 of 32 other providers' lowest US rates |
| Send a message (toll-free number) | 0.86c | Lower than 20 of 32 other providers' lowest US rates |
| Send a message (short code) | 0.86c | Lower than 20 of 32 other providers' lowest US rates |
| Long code rental | $1.05 a month | Billed on top of message charges |
| Toll-free number rental | $1.75 a month | Billed on top of message charges |
Read from Vonage's own US pricing page on 8 September 2026. By number type. Each row is read against the lowest published US rate of every other provider we price. Source.
Vonage fees, trial and support
| What | Vonage | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 10DLC registration fees | Brand registration $4.50 one time; standard vetting $41.50; campaign vetting $15 per event; monthly campaign fee $1.50 to $30 by use case ($10 for most standard use cases), 3 month minimum | Read Source 1 |
| Toll-free verification | Registration required for every toll-free number, even for testing; unregistered traffic is blocked; one-time process of 2 to 10 business days; no registration fee stated | Read Source 1 |
| Carrier fees | Passed through per message on top of the $0.0086 rate. Long code: Verizon $0.0045, US Cellular $0.005, T-Mobile $0.0045, AT&T $0.0035, Sprint $0.0045, smaller carriers $0.0025. Toll-free: $0.0035 to $0.0045. Short code: $0.0035 to $0.0045 | Read Source 1 |
| Free trial | Free credit with no credit card; amount and length not published; trial account can only text your own and a few verified numbers and appends a demo notice | Read Source 1 |
| Minimum plan or spend | Not published | Read Source 1 |
| API and SDKs | REST API for sending and receiving SMS; official SDKs in Ruby, PHP, Python, .NET, Node.js and Java; SMPP on request for aggregators | Read Source 1 |
| Web app | Not published | Read Source 1 |
| Integrations named | Salesforce, MoEngage, SAP Engagement Cloud, Kannel (SMPP), Postman | Read Source 1 |
| Support channels | Web and chat on the free Standard plan; email from Essentials ($350 a month); phone from Premium ($1,650 a month) | Read Source 1 |
| Support hours | Standard (free): business hours, 8am to 5pm, best efforts response; Essentials 24/5; Premium and Enterprise 24/7 | Read Source 1 |
| Compliance statements | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA attestation and CSA STAR for the SMS and Voice API; 10DLC registration API; toll-free registration API; Opt-Out Assist for opt-out handling | Read Source 1 |
| Founded | Not published | Read Source 1 |
| Head office | Holmdel, New Jersey (Vonage Business Inc., Bell Works, 101 Crawfords Corner Road) | Read Source 1 |
| Ownership | Vonage is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ericsson since 2022. Vonage calls its API business the Communications API, formerly Nexmo | Read Source 1 |
| Uptime or SLA | 99.99% platform availability SLA, on the Premium ($1,650 a month) and Enterprise ($5,500 a month) support plans only; the free Standard plan has no availability SLA. A separate 99.99% uptime line on the platform page is a marketing average | Read Source 1 |
Not published means Vonage's own pages were checked on that day and state no figure. Nothing here is carried over from the earlier version of this review.
When Vonage fits
Vonage fits your business when developers send through the SMS API, with official SDKs in Ruby, PHP, Python, .NET, Node.js and Java, plus SMPP on request for aggregators (read September 9, 2026). Choose it for long code sending at $1.05 a month with no setup fee, and for regulated work: our compliance sub-score is 9.5 out of 10, and the SMS and Voice API carry SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and HIPAA attestation (read September 9, 2026). Phone support and the 99.99% SLA arrive at Premium, $1,650 a month. The Messages API for SMS and MMS is covered by the Vonage BAA for U.S. traffic (read September 28, 2026), a point we weigh in our guide to HIPAA compliant texting providers.
When to look elsewhere
Look elsewhere for a short code, at $1,000 or $1,500 a month billed quarterly with a 3 month minimum, via sales (read September 9, 2026). The 99.99% availability SLA applies only to Premium at $1,650 a month and Enterprise at $5,500 a month; the free Standard plan has none (read September 22, 2026). Vonage does not publish a minimum plan or a founding year, checked September 9 and September 22, 2026.
Vonage compared
Vonage questions
What is Vonage SMS pricing?
Vonage SMS pricing is 0.86c per message on virtual, toll-free and short code numbers, read September 8, 2026. Carrier fees apply per message on top, from $0.0025, read September 22, 2026.
Does the Vonage free trial need a credit card?
The Vonage free trial needs no credit card. The trial account texts only your own and a few verified numbers and appends a demo notice, per the provider's page read September 9, 2026.
Is Vonage the same as Nexmo?
Vonage is the same as Nexmo: Vonage's Help Center calls its API product the Communications API, formerly Nexmo, read September 22, 2026. Ericsson has wholly owned Vonage since 2022.