Messaging · SMS
SMS campaign cost calculator.
Enter your message, how many people get it and your provider’s price per segment. The tool counts segments for you and shows what GSM-7 text would save.
Inputs
Estimated cost
Enter your details.
How is SMS campaign cost calculated?
Providers such as Twilio bill SMS per message segment, not per message. The cost of a campaign is therefore: recipients × messages each × segments per message × price per segment, plus any per-segment carrier fee your provider adds. This tool counts the segments from your actual text, so you do not have to guess whether the message fits in one.
You supply the rate. Prices vary by country, sender type, volume and provider, and they change, so this page does not hard-code any. Copy the per-segment price and any surcharge from your provider’s pricing page. Check whether taxes, number rental or registration fees are billed separately; they are not included here.
Worked example (illustrative rate). 10,000 recipients, one message of 2 segments, at $0.01 per segment: 10,000 × 2 × $0.01 = $200. If a curly quote is what pushed the message into UCS-2 and replacing it brings it back to 1 GSM-7 segment, the same send costs $100. That is why the tool re-counts the message after swapping characters.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send an SMS campaign?
Recipients times messages each times segments per message times your price per segment, plus carrier fees. The segment count depends on the encoding of your text, which this calculator works out for you.
Are SMS billed per message or per segment?
Twilio documents that it bills SMS per message segment sent. A 140-character message containing one non-GSM-7 character is split into two segments and billed as two.
Why is there no built-in price?
Rates differ by country, sender type, volume and provider and change over time. Entering your own rate keeps the estimate tied to a source you can check, such as your provider’s pricing page.
Does the estimate include carrier fees and taxes?
Only the optional per-segment fee you type in. Taxes, registration fees and monthly number charges are not included.
Is my message or data sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in your browser.
Sources
Checked
- Twilio: How long can a message be?
- Twilio: List of characters replaced by Smart Encoding
- Twilio: What is GSM-7 character encoding?
Twilio states that SMS is billed per segment and that a UCS-2 character splits a message into more segments. The rate in the worked example is an illustration, not a quoted price; enter your provider’s current rate. Runs entirely in your browser.
Scope
An estimate only. Your provider’s invoice is the authority; check its pricing page, fee schedule and a small test send before a large campaign.