SMS marketing pricing: what a text costs in the US

SMS pricing has three layers: a price per message segment, carrier fees added on each segment, and what the platform charges to use it (a subscription, a minimum spend or a plan with messages included). In the US, 10-digit numbers add a fourth: the A2P 10DLC registration fees. This guide puts numbers on each layer from the official pricing pages of SMS platforms, all read on October 19, 2026, so you can estimate a campaign before you pick a tool.

Prices change: each figure below links to the page it comes from, with the date we read it. Kanal's own prices come from its pricing page; it is the company behind this blog.

How SMS pricing works

The formula is the same everywhere. Klaviyo's help center states it plainly: rate x recipients x message segments = total cost.

• The rate is the price of one message segment to one recipient. It depends on the country, and in the US on the number type (10-digit long code, toll-free or short code).
• Segments come from the length. An SMS holds 160 characters, or 70 when it contains an emoji or a special character; a longer text is split into segments of 153 characters, each billed (Klaviyo).
• Carrier fees are charged by US carriers per segment. Most platforms pass them through on a separate line; Klaviyo includes them in its rate.
• MMS (a text with an image) is billed per message at a higher rate.

SMS prices per message in the US

All pages read on October 19, 2026. Postscript's rates are for the 50 US states and Canada.

In 1, Twilio charges the same $0.0083 per outbound SMS segment on long codes, toll-free numbers and short codes, before carrier fees.

In 1, the Starter plan has no subscription but a $49 monthly minimum spend; in 2, every plan's per-message rate comes with carrier fees on top.

For two of these platforms we keep detailed guides: Klaviyo pricing, with the monthly cost of 1,000 to 20,000 texts from its calculator, and Attentive pricing, with its billing rules and minimums.

US carrier fees per SMS

Carriers charge for each segment delivered on their network. Two published lists, both for outbound SMS on 10-digit long codes (10DLC):

Sources: Twilio US pricing and Attentive carrier delivery fees, read on October 19, 2026.

Postscript shows an average instead: $0.00330 per SMS and $0.00799 per MMS. Klaviyo says its rate already includes carrier fees, so there is no separate line on the invoice.

10DLC registration fees

If you text from a 10-digit number in the US, your provider registers your brand and campaign with The Campaign Registry, and the fees are passed on. On Twilio's fee page, read on October 19, 2026:

Some platforms send from toll-free numbers instead (Postscript's plans include a dedicated toll-free number), which go through toll-free verification rather than 10DLC. Our 10DLC registration guide covers the steps and timelines.

What a campaign really costs: a worked example

Take one campaign: a single-segment text (under 160 characters, no emoji) to 5,000 subscribers in the US.

Add one emoji to a 140-character text and the limit drops to 70 characters, so the same text is billed as several segments, multiplying the message and carrier lines. Switch to MMS and the rate goes to $0.022 per message on Twilio, or $0.03 on Postscript Growth.

Three habits keep the bill down:

• Count segments before sending. Write without emoji when the text is close to the limit, and keep one link.
• Send to the right segment. Recent buyers and engaged subscribers, rather than the whole list every time.
• Use the channel that fits the message. A product launch with photos may cost less as an RCS rich message or a WhatsApp campaign than as an MMS. Compare the RCS vs SMS prices, and WhatsApp vs SMS pricing by country for stores selling abroad.

How Kanal prices SMS

Kanal is an app for Shopify stores that sends SMS, RCS and WhatsApp messages from one place, with iMessage coming soon. On its pricing page, SMS is included from the Scale plan at 149 euros a month (5 users, multi-market, segments, unlimited and advanced automations, Klaviyo integration). The Pro plan at 89 euros a month covers WhatsApp. Messages are billed on top of the plan, according to the destination country and the number of segments, and Kanal gives the rate for your volumes and countries during a demo.

What the plan covers on the SMS side: campaigns to your store's segments, automated texts on store events such as abandoned carts, shipping updates and back in stock, and the orders each send brings in. See the SMS marketing platform page for the full picture, or WhatsApp marketing for another channel in the same app (iMessage is coming soon).

The short version

• SMS cost = rate x recipients x segments, plus carrier fees and the platform's plan.
• US rates read on October 19, 2026: $0.007 to $0.009 per SMS on Postscript and Omnisend, $0.0083 per segment on Twilio; carrier fees of $0.0035 to $0.005 per segment.
• 10DLC registration adds small one-time and monthly fees.
• One emoji or a long text multiplies the segments: count them before every send.