How SMS messaging costs are calculated

SMS pricing is based on message parts. The total cost of a send is calculated using the number of message parts in each SMS, your SMS rate and the number of recipients.

Total messaging cost = message parts × SMS rate × recipients

The SMS rate shown in your account is the price for one message part.

What is a message part?

A message part is a billable segment of an SMS. One SMS can contain multiple message parts depending on its length and the characters used.

Longer messages require more parts. Emojis and some special characters can also reduce the number of characters available in each part, which may increase the number of billable message parts.

For example, an SMS containing 2 message parts and sent to 24 recipients uses 48 billable message parts.

Learn more about SMS character limits and message parts.

Where can I find my SMS rate?

In your account, open your profile dropdown and select Pricing to view your applicable SMS rates.

Use the rate for your recipients’ destination when calculating the cost of a send.

Why can my SMS rate differ?

Your SMS rate can vary based on factors including your messaging volume and destination.

Australian customers can access lower rates at higher messaging volumes. International SMS rates also vary by destination, so a send to recipients across multiple countries may use different rates for each destination.

Check Pricing in your account for your applicable rates, or visit our Australian SMS pricing page to learn more about volume pricing.

Example 1: Standard Message (GSM-7)

All rates below are examples only, expressed in Australian dollars and excluding GST. Your applicable SMS rates are shown in your account.

Your SMS contains 2 message parts and is sent to 24 recipients. Using an example SMS rate of 8.0¢ per message part:

• 2 message parts × 24 recipients = 48 billable message parts
• 48 billable message parts × $0.08 = $3.84, rounded to $3.84 ex GST.
• The total messaging cost for this send is approximately $3.84 ex GST.

The following screenshots may differ to our updated rates (above), but the process remains unchanged.

Click on the Show Details link below the total to see the message cost breakdown.

Example 2: Messages with emojis or special characters (UTF-16)

Emojis and characters outside the standard GSM-7 character set require Unicode encoding. This reduces the amount of text that fits into each message part.

For this example, a message containing an emoji uses 3 message parts and is sent to 24 recipients. Using an example SMS rate of 8.0¢ per message part:

• 4 message parts × 24 recipients = 96 billable message parts
• 96 billable message parts × $0.08 = $7.68, rounded to $7.68 ex GST.
• The total messaging cost for this *send is approximately $7.68 ex GST.

The total messaging cost for this send is approximately $7.68 ex GST.

Adding an emoji does not always add another message part. The final number of parts depends on the full message’s length and characters. Check the message-part count when composing your SMS.

The following screenshots may differ to our updated rates (above), but the process remains unchanged.

Example 3: International SMS

International SMS uses the same message-part calculation, but rates vary by destination as well as messaging volume.

If your send includes recipients across multiple countries, calculate the cost for each destination, then add the amounts together.

For example, you send an SMS containing 2 message parts to 10 recipients in each of two countries:

Destination	Message parts per SMS	Recipients	Example SMS rate per part	Messaging cost
Country A	4	58	8.0c	$18.560
Country B	4	1	22.8c	$0.912
Country C	4	1	22.8c	$0.912
Country D	4	6	9.7c	$2.328
Country E	4	2	25.8c	$2.064
Country F	4	2	8.3c	$0.664
Total				$25.44

These destination rates are illustrative only. Check your account for the applicable rate for each country.
The following screenshots may differ to our updated rates (above), but the process remains unchanged.