SMS Marketing Pricing in 2025 (Keep Your Budget In Check)

SMS marketing has always been one of the most cost-friendly ways to reach customers. However, in 2025, the pricing structure has shifted due to new technologies, regulations, and consumer behaviors.

If your business relies on business texting for promotions or appointment reminders, unexpected expenses can make it difficult to scale your messaging strategy without going over budget.

Many companies make the mistake of only looking at the cost per message while ignoring the hidden fees that add up over time.

If you focus only on per-message pricing, you might end up paying more in the long run due to missing out on features that save time and improve engagement.

To keep your monthly cost under control while getting the most out of SMS marketing, you need a cost-effective platform that offers transparent pricing and built-in automation.

Rather than worrying about surprise fees, you can focus on reaching customers and growing your business in a way that fits within your budget.

In this article, we’ll explore everything you need to know about this type of marketing, including the costs and how to work out your return on investment (ROI) for your SMS marketing campaigns.

Get a customized SMS marketing cost estimate tailored to your needs. Sign up for a free trial or schedule a demo today!

Why Ignoring SMS Is More Expensive?

Many businesses hesitate to invest in SMS marketing due to higher costs, but the reality is that not using SMS at all is even more expensive.

Data shows SMS is still worth the investment:

• SMS has an average response rate of 45%, compared to email’s 6%.
• Ad spending in the United States is set to reach $318.50 million in 2025, which also highlights SMS marketing’s growing popularity for businesses looking to reach customers.
• Consumers prefer offers via SMS, but 71% of users will likely unsubscribe if they receive too many irrelevant texts.

If you invest in smarter SMS marketing strategies instead of chasing the cheapest option, you’ll see higher returns in the long run.

Text Message Marketing Cost per Message

The cost per SMS message for marketing usually ranges from $0.25 to 0.50 cents, influenced by the number of messages sent, your service provider, and any extra features you use.

Bulk SMS marketing typically costs less per text and offers savings for large campaigns. Using shortcodes helps get your messages out quickly and allows more people to see and respond to them.

Short codes are easy-to-remember numbers and are great for sending many texts simultaneously. They help spread your message quickly and are perfect for big promotions or crucial updates.

International SMS messages also cost more due to cross-border fees and different rates set by telecoms across countries.

Major Cost Factors of SMS Marketing Pricing

Many businesses think that SMS marketing costs only involve paying per message. But that is only a small part of the total cost.

Several factors influence pricing, from SMS compliance fees to automation tools. Understanding these additional costs helps you make better choices when selecting an SMS platform.

Let’s break it down below to see where your money is going and how to maximize your investment.

Number of Subscribers

The more people you reach, the higher your costs will be. Most SMS platforms charge per message, so each time you send a campaign, every recipient adds to the total cost.

However, the good news is that many bulk messaging platforms like Textellent offer discounts for mass messaging. This means the more messages you send, the lower the cost per message can be.

These savings can add up over time if you send many texts regularly.

Message Volume and Frequency

The size of your subscriber list and how often you send messages play a huge role in your SMS marketing cost.

If you’re running a campaign with daily updates versus bi-weekly or monthly, your costs will reflect that. Consistency is great for engagement, but you’ll want to balance that with budget considerations.

One way to optimize this is by segmenting your audience—sending fewer, more targeted messages to specific groups rather than blasting your entire list every time.

Type of Message: SMS vs. MMS

Do you want to send plain text messages or use multimedia like images, videos, or GIFs?

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) messages are more expensive than SMS (Short Message Service) messages because they include more data and take up more bandwidth. They can include pictures, videos, or audio, costing more than regular text messages. 

While text message marketing costs a few cents, MMS messages costs can range from a few cents to over 10 cents per message as they require more storage and processing.

Message Length

Though SMS messages aren’t limited to 160 characters, they are expected to be direct and concise.

If you go beyond that, your message will be split into multiple texts, which can double or even triple your costs. Platforms count each additional 160 characters as a separate message, so crafting concise, impactful texts can save you money.

Target Audience and Location

Who you’re sending messages to and their location can also affect the cost. Targeting messages to specific groups might initially cost more due to setup, but it’s usually more effective.

Sending messages to people in other countries is more expensive because of higher rates for international messaging. Knowing where your audience is and targeting your messages can help manage these costs.

What Is SMS Marketing ROI?

SMS marketing ROI measures how much profit you make from SMS campaigns compared to spending on them. 

It’s important to know if your SMS efforts pay off, as it will guide you in investing in what works best. Plus, it clues you into customer likes, which can help tweak future campaigns.

Steps to Calculate Your SMS Marketing ROI

To calculate your SMS marketing ROI, follow these steps:

1. Total investment: Add up everything you’ve spent on your SMS campaign, including platform fees and message costs.
2. Revenue generated: Figure out how much money the campaign made from sales directly linked to your text messages.
3. Net profit: Subtract your total investment from your revenue. This shows the profit your SMS campaign brought in.
4. ROI calculation: Use the formula: ROI = (Net Profit ÷ Total Investment) × 100.

This gives you your business ROI as a percentage and will show how effective your investment was.

Comparing SMS Marketing ROI to Other Channels

When evaluating the ROI of SMS marketing to other channels, it’s important to look at costs, engagement levels, and conversion rates:

Email marketing is cheaper and allows for richer content with images and links. However, it has lower open and click rates. Emails can also get lost in spam filters.

Social media advertising offers a broad reach and precise targeting based on user data. The costs can vary widely, and users might ignore ads due to overexposure.

Direct mail creates a tangible connection and offers creative branding opportunities. Yet, it’s generally more expensive due to printing and postage, and delivery takes longer.

How Textellent Helps You Get More Value From SMS

Many SMS platforms advertise low per-message costs, but what they don’t tell you is that you’ll end up paying extra for essential features like automation, CRM integration, and carrier compliance.

These hidden fees can quickly turn a budget-friendly solution into a costly one.

With Textellent’s paid plans, you get everything you need in one package without worrying about unexpected fees.

Pricing Overview

• 14-day free trial: Includes 25 SMS credits
• Essentials plan: Priced at $49 per month, this plan includes 750 SMS credits and supports one user. Additional credits are available at $0.039 each.
• Standard plan: At $99 per month, this plan offers 2,000 SMS credits and accommodates two users. Extra credits can be purchased for $0.034 each.
• Premium plan: Customizable plan tailored to specific business needs, with pricing details available upon request.

What You Get With Textellent’s SMS Marketing Pricing

Many SMS platforms start cheap but get expensive when you add essential features. Here’s why you should upgrade to Textellent to save money and get better inclusions:

1:1 Live Onboarding

One of the biggest challenges businesses face when adopting SMS marketing is setting up campaigns correctly. Many providers leave users to figure things out on their own, which leads to wasted time and costly mistakes.

With Textellent’s live onboarding, you get hands-on support to configure automation, set up contact lists, and optimize messages for the best response rates. Instead of trial and error, you start with a fully optimized system from day one.

Unlimited Contacts

Some SMS providers charge based on the number of contacts stored. You’ll end up paying just to keep customer data on their platform. This makes scaling expensive, especially if you’re running high-volume campaigns.

With Textellent’s paid plans, you can store unlimited contacts without worrying about extra fees. You can expand their customer lists without deleting inactive users or paying for additional storage.

Free Incoming SMS

Two-way SMS communication is essential for handling customer inquiries, appointment confirmations, and feedback collection. However, some platforms charge for both outgoing and incoming messages, which makes it expensive to maintain real-time conversations.

Textellent allows you to receive replies for free to make sure customer interactions aren’t cut short due to cost concerns. This is valuable for service-based industries where clients frequently respond to appointment reminders or promotional texts with follow-up questions.

MMS/Image Texting

Text-only messages work well for quick updates, but adding images, GIFs, or QR codes can increase engagement. Some SMS platforms either don’t support MMS or charge extra for multimedia messaging.

Textellent includes MMS capabilities at no additional cost to make your messages more engaging and visually appealing. 

Retail businesses sharing exclusive discount codes, healthcare providers sending infographics, and real estate agents sending property images to potential buyers can benefit from this.

Unlimited Tags

SMS marketing is most effective when messages are personalized. Instead of sending mass texts to your entire contact list, tagging helps you create segments based on customer behavior, purchase history, or interests.

Textellent’s Essentials plan includes 25 tags, while the Standard and Premium plans offer unlimited tags.

You can use tags to send follow-up messages only to users who engaged with previous campaigns and separate VIP customers for exclusive offers.

You can also categorize contacts based on region, service type, or sales funnel stage.

Free Carrier Registration (10DLC)

SMS marketing regulations are stricter. If you send messages only through unverified numbers, you risk higher fees, deliverability issues, and even legal action.

Textellent provides free 10DLC registration to make sure your business phone number is fully verified and compliant with carrier requirements. 

Many platforms charge $10 to $50 for this service. However, this SMS marketing platform offers better value if you want to avoid compliance headaches.

Cut your SMS campaign expenses in half with Textellent’s efficient texting solutions. Sign up for a free trial or request a demo consultation today!

FAQs About SMS Marketing Pricing

How much does SMS marketing cost?

The cost of SMS marketing depends on multiple factors, including the platform used, the country where messages are sent, and additional features like automation and personalization.

In the U.S., basic SMS pricing ranges from $0.02 to $0.08 per message. MMS messages, which include images or videos, typically cost between $0.10 and $0.30 per message.

Some SMS providers offer bulk discounts for businesses that send thousands of messages each month.

How much does SMS service cost?

Some platforms charge per message, while others offer monthly plans that include a set number of texts.

• Pay-as-you-go pricing typically costs between $0.02 and $0.08 per SMS, making it suitable for small businesses or those with low messaging volumes.
• Subscription-based plans, which range from $49 to $200 per month, are ideal for companies with an active sales team that needs to send follow-ups or promotions.
• Enterprise plans with custom pricing are available for businesses with high-volume messaging needs, starting at around $1,000 per month.

If you need advanced automation, CRM integration, and unlimited tags, you can benefit from these structured pricing models instead of paying per message.

How much does one SMS cost?

A single SMS message costs depend on the provider and the volume of messages sent. However, the total cost can change based on message length, international rates, and multimedia usage.

If a message exceeds 160 characters, it may be counted as two or more messages.

Some platforms also charge extra fees for MMS, while others include it as part of their standard pricing. If you frequently use multimedia messaging, you should consider whether an SMS provider charges separately for MMS or includes it within their monthly plan.