Bulk SMS Companies In Australia - A Comparison List

Factor 1 – SMS Price 

Price is a major determining factor in engaging a bulk text message provider. The price will vary depending on the volume of SMS distributed over a period, which is usually calculated monthly.

The number of SMS disseminated ranges from 500+ to over 1,000+ text messages monthly. When the volume is low, the charges can vary from around 9 cents per message to as low as 5 cents per text message, so you can see that there can be a significant variation in charges.

With a larger volume distribution, around 100,000+ per month, the charges vary from around five (5) cents per message to over ten (10) cents per message, a significant difference between bulk SMS providers. On the most enormous scale, there is also a considerable price difference when considering a monthly distribution of one million or more text messages.

The table below shows the top bulk SMS companies. While exact prices couldn’t be stated as they differ by volume and circumstances, a range was provided based on quotes.

Cellcast offers the lowest prices of the selected reputable providers and the best value of the SMS companies covered. Its Australian pricing schedule charges $0.037/SMS for 2k or less, $0.029/SMS for 20k+, and $0.028/SMS for 100k+.

Notifyre offers a flexible pricing model for SMS services with no setup fees, monthly fees, or required contractual commitments. The standard rate for sending SMS messages is AUD 0.05 per message part. This pay-as-you-go pricing allows you to add funds and send messages without additional costs or contracts​ (Notifyre).

For high-volume messaging, special bulk SMS pricing is available for monthly distributions exceeding 200,000 messages. This bulk pricing should be discussed directly with Notifyre for specific rates applicable to your needs.

It should be stressed that pricing is not the only factor in considering which provider offers the best overall value. Other indicators will be discussed later in this overview. Therefore, if you are a client or a prospective client, please note all the factors in assessing value and the terms and conditions of these charges.

Factor 2 – Usable features

As stated above, other than purely on price, many other features must be considered when valuing the SMS provider.

Take, for example, the two-way process for the distribution of SMS. You need to be aware of this and see if the provider can send a text message to a mass target audience and receive replies from those recipients. The SMS company should be able to forward comments, ideas and inputs from specific contributions or feedback for the client to analyse and take appropriate action.

This two-way process provides immediate responses that can be analysed and action taken promptly and reliably. This process provides peace of mind and reassurance that the provider can track and monitor SMS distribution and responses. Recording incoming and outgoing text messages will ensure that a delivery tracking analysis can be done in any marketing or communication campaign. Records can be sent to Excel with deliverable reports through API or an SMS gateway.

Offering a range of quality and diverse features for SMS gateway distribution, Cellcast presents the best set of features of all the bulk text message providers investigated in Australia.

Factor 3 – Reliability of Bulk SMS Companies

A critical factor in selecting a bulk SMS company is its reliability and credibility in sending bulk SMS to customers, clients, staff, or any groups requiring communication.

One of the selection criteria is the assurance that the client can set a time and date that the message will go out and be reassured that that requirement is met, whether it be a reminder for appointments or some important date that either customer, clients, or staff need to know about. The alternative is that the client can set up a text message for a later date to promote a marketing or communication campaign and know it will be distributed.

Another matter is that many bulk SMS companies have an uptime guarantee, whether 99% uptime to 99.9% or 100% uptime, with Service Level Guarantees (SLAs) as part of their overall assurance.

Looking at the graph below, it is reassuring that all the significant SMS bulk Australia providers investigated showed reliability in their customer service. This puts all these organisations in good stead with present and future clients and customers, who know that their arrangements and distribution requirements will be met effectively and efficiently.

Factor 4 – Customer Service and Reputation

It was investigated and shown that of all the bulk SMS companies that were compared, most provided a promotional offer of a free trial to review the range of services provided. Such free trials may vary from 5 free SMS to 50 free SMS.

Comparing bulk SMS providers revealed a diverse range of offers from a reputation perspective. The research regarded Cellcast as the most reputable organisation, ranking it a solid performer with a full complement of services and 100 out of 100 ratings.

It needs to be emphasised that offering a selection of features and providing relatively cheap charges is one thing; it is another to be aware that most providers have a nearby customer support centre available in Australia to answer queries or assist with distributing text messages.

This factor has led several large, reputable Australian and multinational companies to become clients of bulk SMS Australian providers. A list of some of the clients can be viewed on the providers’ websites or the Bulk SMS Australia Comparison Table.

Finding the right Bulk SMS Australia provider

It takes quite some time for Australian businesses and organisations to find and select the right bulk text message provider. An SMS service is required to promptly distribute text messages to the right people. This means letting individuals know about either a new marketing or communication campaign, letting people know about a reminder notice, or receiving deals and alerts.

Many companies and organisations in Australia are now discovering that mass SMS distribution is the way to go.

So, discovering the best bulk SMS company requires lots of research, investigation, and analysis to understand the best factors that will make you think before engaging in their services. Features like price, reliability, reputation and ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 for quality and security are just a few of the issues that need to be examined.

Number of Top Bulk SMS Australian Companies

Several bulk SMS companies in Australia can provide a Short Message Service (SMS) for ease of distribution, whether via mobile phone, Web, or any other communication device.

The bulk SMS company does everything else, including notifying the providers what device or devices they wish to use and supplying the database of customers, consumers, or other groups.

It only takes a few minutes from when you instruct to send until the SMS is received at the other end.  Whether the database sends out hundreds or thousands of contacts does not matter. It is a very efficient communication method.

Advantages of SMS bulk distribution

The significant advantage of bulk SMS distribution is that no software needs to be installed on your system.

Why, you may ask? The simple answer is that the bulk SMS companies are web-based, so the only requirements from your side are a web browser and internet access. You only need to provide the SMS company with your name and contact details for distribution.

When you are ready to send a message, you need to notify the provider which group or groups of people need to receive the SMS, and it will be sent in minutes or seconds.