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SMS Marketing Cost Calculator

Calculate monthly SMS and MMS marketing costs by message volume, per-text carrier fees, toll-free or shortcode leasing, and platform SaaS fees.

SMS / MMS Volume & Number Leasing

Total Monthly SMS Spend$755.00Texts + carrier fees + number lease
Effective Cost Per Message$0.0252Blended rate across all fees
Carrier Pass-Through Total$120.00AT&T, Verizon & T-Mobile surcharges

SMS/MMS Campaign Cost Formula

Total SMS Cost = (Message Volume × Cost Per SMS/MMS Segment) + Carrier Surcharges + Phone Number / Short Code Monthly Lease + Platform Fee
  • Per-Segment Cost: Standard rates ($0.010–$0.020 for 160-character plain text SMS; $0.030–$0.050 for media MMS).
  • Carrier Fees: US carrier surcharges (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, ~$0.003–$0.005 per message segment).
  • Number Leasing: 10DLC registration (~$15/mo) vs Dedicated 5-digit Short Code (~$500–$1,000/mo).

Step-by-Step Worked Example

Scenario: Retailer sending 2 monthly SMS flash sale campaigns to 15,000 opted-in mobile subscribers via 10DLC

Calculation Steps:

  1. Calculate message delivery cost: 30,000 × ($0.015 + $0.004) = $570.00
  2. Add number leasing and compliance fees: $570 + $35 = $605.00
  3. Add base SaaS platform tier: $605 + $150 = $755.00/mo
  4. Calculate effective cost per message: $755 / 30,000 = $0.0252 per text
Result: The monthly SMS campaign investment is $755.00 ($0.025 per message delivered) reaching 15,000 VIP customers twice monthly.

How to Use This Calculator

  1. 1Enter total monthly SMS/MMS messages sent (subscribers multiplied by sends).
  2. 2Select message type (Standard 160-character SMS vs rich visual MMS).
  3. 3Include carrier pass-through surcharges and number registration fees (10DLC or short code).
  4. 4Review total monthly investment and all-in cost per delivered message.

Assumptions & Limitations

  • Strict adherence to TCPA compliance and explicit consumer opt-in consent is required by US law.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does text message marketing cost per message?

All-inclusive costs in the US typically range between $0.015 and $0.035 per standard SMS text, and $0.04 to $0.07 per MMS image message, factoring in carrier fees.

What is the cost difference between 10DLC and a dedicated short code?

A standard 10DLC (10-digit long code) phone number costs $15 to $50 per month, making it ideal for small-to-midsize businesses. A dedicated vanity 5-digit short code costs $500 to $1,000 per month for enterprise high-throughput broadcasts.

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