What does business SMS actually cost? Full pricing breakdown across all major Australian providers, including hidden fees.
| Provider | Standard Rate | 1K+ Volume | 10K+ Volume | Monthly Fee | Dedicated Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burst SMS | 4.5c | 4.2c | 3.8c | None | $3/mo |
| ClickSend | 4.6c | 4.3c | 3.9c | None | $3/mo |
| MessageMedia | 4.9c | 4.5c | Custom | None (enterprise plans available) | Included |
| Twilio | 5.1c | 5.1c | Volume pricing available | None | $1.50/mo |
| Sinch | 5.0c | 4.5c | Custom | None | $2/mo |
* Prices as of April 2026. All prices AUD, ex-GST. Rates may vary — check provider websites for current pricing.
If you want replies or two-way SMS, you'll need a dedicated number ($1.50-5/month). Shared shortcodes are cheaper but less professional. A dedicated long number (04XX format) feels more personal to recipients.
Messages over 160 characters split into segments, each billed separately. A 200-character message costs 2 credits. Unicode (emoji) reduces to 70 chars per segment. This is where costs blow out if you're not careful.
Sending to international numbers costs 5-15c depending on destination and provider. If you have customers overseas, compare international rates specifically. Twilio and Sinch are usually cheapest for international.