Kudosity review (formerly Burst SMS)

Kudosity pricing

Kudosity prices on a published plan rate, in Australian dollars excluding GST. Four tiers make up the card: pay-as-you-go, Growth, Scale and Enterprise at custom pricing. The pay-as-you-go rate is the one you can reach without a conversation. Kudosity's own FAQ says "No. You can start with pay-as-you-go pricing. Contracts are optional for accessing lower rates at scale."

That makes the published rate a ceiling rather than the likely price at volume. The monthly volumes at which the Growth and Scale rates apply are not published, so a buyer cannot self-serve their way to them. Kudosity says most customers move beyond pay-as-you-go soon after they start, and it positions itself for senders at high volume. The dedicated number lease fee is also unpublished.

A small sender realistically pays the pay-as-you-go rate. At one thousand messages a month you pay 7.90c, and at fifteen thousand you pay 7.90c. A fourteen-day trial comes with free trial credits, though the credit amount is not published. Pricing is only part of the picture, and what the money buys comes next.

Kudosity features for Australian senders

Kudosity publishes a REST API, SMPP, email-to-SMS, MMS to Australian mobiles, two-way messaging, dedicated numbers, shared numbers and alphanumeric sender IDs. Its virtual mobile numbers are standard Australian mobile numbers that support two-way SMS and, in some cases, MMS. Its product pages say MMS-enabled numbers let you send images, PDFs, video or audio alongside standard SMS. It publishes nothing either way about RCS, so treat that as unknown.

The REST API comes in two authentication styles. V2 uses an API key in a header, and V1 uses HTTP Basic with an API key and secret. A developer trial carries test credits that send real messages, and delivery receipts and replies can be pushed to your URL. The API has a rate limit per account, with a higher limit on request.

Email-to-SMS works through an authorised sending address at a Kudosity email domain. A setting chooses the subject or the body as the message. A blank subject keeps replies flowing back to your email through the virtual number assigned to that address, though a custom alphanumeric sender forfeits replies. The web app also takes a CSV recipient upload, with columns usable as merge fields in the message, though Excel support is not stated.

Sender options deserve their own treatment.

Kudosity sender ID and the ACMA register

ACMA's approved list for the SMS Sender ID Register lists Kudosity under its own name as a certified telco. That listing means you can register a sender ID for the register through Kudosity. You can then send with an alphanumeric sender ID, a shared virtual number or a dedicated number.

Australian accounts get free shared virtual numbers, with Australian and New Zealand data residency. Direct carrier routing is published, though no carrier is named. A dedicated number carries a lease fee that Kudosity does not publish, so ask for that quote before you commit. Kudosity also states it holds ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certification.

Support and reputation round out the picture.

Kudosity support and reputation

Kudosity states 24/7 local support through a help centre and a ticket portal. No phone number is published on its site. A published Service Level Agreement commits to monthly platform uptime of at least 99.9% monthly platform uptime committed in a published Service Level Agreement, with a one-hour initial response and four-hour target restoration for P1 incidents; service credits or refunds are at Kudosity's discretion, and third-party carrier failures are excluded from the uptime calculation, with a target initial response time and a target restoration time for P1 incidents. Service credits sit at Kudosity's discretion, and third-party carrier failures are excluded from the uptime calculation.

The public record is strong. Kudosity holds 4.9 out of five from 146 Trustpilot reviews, level with Mobile Message's score on ProductReview.com.au. The company has traded since 2008, originally as Burst SMS.

The fit comes down to your volume.

Who Kudosity suits

Kudosity suits an Australian business that sends at volume and wants a Sydney-headquartered provider with a local entity, published API options and free shared virtual numbers. The trade is that the cheaper rates need a conversation, because the volume thresholds are not published.

A small sender that cannot negotiate should look elsewhere. You would pay the pay-as-you-go rate at every message, and the unpublished dedicated number lease fee adds a further unknown to a small budget. A business that needs published volume pricing should compare the providers either side of Kudosity on price before it commits.