SMS Express review
SMS Express is a bulk SMS service for small businesses, clubs and organisations, run from Ashburton in Victoria with sales and support in Melbourne. It charges one flat price per credit at every volume, 7.70c per SMS at one thousand messages a month ($77) and 7.70c at fifteen thousand ($1,155), excluding GST, with no monthly fee. SMS Express says its sending platform is TransmitSMS, a former name of Kudosity, and it is moving customers to that new platform.
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Not yet scored
One of the 21 providers with a published Australian rate, and one of 49 brands reviewed. Not yet scored, so it holds no position in the ranked table.
- 10 free credits on trial with no credit card
- Free REST API with delivery receipts and replies
- Sender IDs registered with ACMA free of charge
- Phone support 9am to 6pm, 7 days a week
- Accounts unused for over 12 months may be deleted with no refund
- No 24-hour support
- No published SLA, and its pages disagree on uptime
- Birthday and anniversary sends are not on the new platform
Where SMS Express stands
SMS Express is a web-based bulk SMS service for Australian small businesses, clubs and organisations. It says it has run since 2008 and serves over 1,000 Australian and New Zealand organisations. Pricing is one flat rate of 7.7c per SMS credit plus GST, shown as 8.5c including GST, with no setup fee, monthly fee or contract. The main trade-off is the platform move: SMS Express says its sending platform is TransmitSMS, a former name of Kudosity, customers are moving to the new platform, and the old platform closes on 15 January 2027.
Listed under ABN 77 317 524 561, held by The Trustee for Kerryn Marlow Family Trust, which holds the SMS Express business name. ACMA's list read 19 September 2026.
SMS Express publishes no public reviews.
What SMS Express offers Australian senders
| API | Yes |
|---|---|
| Email to SMS | Yes |
| Two-way SMS | Yes |
| MMS to Australian mobiles | Yes |
| Dedicated number | Yes |
| Shared number | Yes |
| Alphanumeric sender ID | Yes |
Nothing published either way on SMPP or RCS.
What SMS Express costs
| Messages a month | Rate |
|---|---|
| 1K | 7.70c |
| 15K | 7.70c |
| 125K | 7.70c |
| 250K | 7.70c |
One flat price, 7.7c per SMS credit plus GST (8.5c including GST, as SMS Express shows it), "One price for everyone", so the same figure is carried at every volume. One credit is one SMS part of up to 160 characters. Credits do not expire, though accounts unused for over 12 months may be deleted with no refund. No setup fee, monthly fee or contract. The FAQ says volume discounts are available for larger quantities but publishes none, so a quote at 125,000 or 250,000 a month may be lower. The prices page gives a $5 minimum order; the FAQ and home page say there is no minimum.
Read from the provider's own pricing page on 2026-10-14.
SMS Express against the providers either side of it on price
| Messages a month | Nearest cheaper | SMS Express | Nearest dearer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | ClickSend 7.20c, $5 less | 7.70c, 15 of 21 | Kudosity 7.90c, $2 more |
| 15,000 | Textmagic 7.00c, $105 less | 7.70c, 16 of 21 | Kudosity 7.90c, $30 more |
The full rate order for every provider is on cheapest bulk SMS in Australia.
What SMS Express costs at your volume
SMS Express at 15K tier: 7.70cAt 15,000 messages a month SMS Express costs $1,155, $705 more than Mobile Message, $270 above the field median. Rates are each provider's published price at the 15K tier; above 250,000 most providers negotiate.
SMS Express at a glance
SMS Express is a web-based bulk SMS service aimed at Australian small businesses, clubs and organisations. Its About page says management sits in Ashburton, Victoria, with sales and support in Melbourne. The brand says it has run since 2008 and now serves over 1,000 Australian and New Zealand organisations.
The company structure is worth a look before you sign up. ABN Lookup shows ABN 77 317 524 561 is held by The Trustee for Kerryn Marlow Family Trust, a discretionary trust whose ABN has been active since 2003, and that trust holds the business names SMS Express and SMSEXPRESS.COM.AU. The About page names "SMS Response (Aus) Pty Ltd" as its company. On ABN Lookup, that company's ABN was cancelled in 2004.
How SMS Express pricing works
The pricing model is simple. One credit is one SMS part of up to 160 characters, and each credit costs 7.70c plus GST, which SMS Express also shows as 8.5c including GST. It says "One price for everyone". Credits do not expire, though accounts unused for over 12 months may be deleted with no refund of unused credits. There is no setup fee, no monthly fee and no contract.
The pages disagree on one point. The prices page says there is a $5 minimum order, while the FAQ and home page say there are no minimum orders. The FAQ also says volume discounts are available for larger quantities, but it publishes no discounted rate.
What an SMS Express account includes
Every account gets a free shared number. Replies are free and can be forwarded to email. A dedicated virtual mobile number costs $18.50 a month plus GST, and a callable dedicated number costs $119 a month plus GST, plus 11c a minute for diverted calls. Keywords cost $5 a month each.
Alphanumeric sender IDs are registered with ACMA free of charge by SMS Express. A sender ID cannot receive replies. MMS costs 35c per message plus GST and needs a dedicated number.
Sending options and the platform
You can send from the browser platform, from email to SMS via a nominated email address, or through a free Excel add-in for Windows. HirePOS integration, Zapier and an MCP server for AI assistants are also listed. The free REST API uses Basic Auth with an API key and secret, and it supports callbacks for delivery receipts and replies. Contacts import from CSV, XLS or TXT files with up to 10 merge fields. Scheduling, drip sends and automatic opt-out by STOP reply or link are included.
SMS Express says its sending platform is TransmitSMS. The new login is at smsexpress.transmitsms.com and its API documentation is TransmitSMS's. TransmitSMS is a former name of Kudosity. SMS Express is moving customers to the new platform, and the old platform closes on 15 January 2027. Birthday and anniversary sends are not available on the new platform.
Support, uptime and hosting
Support runs on phone 1300 668 287 and email, from 9am to 6pm Australian Eastern time, 7 days a week. There is no 24-hour support. The pages also disagree on uptime: the prices page says 99%, the FAQ says 99.9%, and no SLA document is published.
SMS Express says it is 100% Australian owned and that the new platform is Australian hosted. It says it has direct connections into Optus, Vodafone and Telstra.
What SMS Express does not publish
Some things you would want from a provider are absent from its pages. SMS Express does not publish SMPP, RCS, SDKs, a single-recipient email to SMS address format, discounted volume rates, international rates, or a certification held by SMS Express itself. ACMA's approved list for the SMS Sender ID Register lists SMS Express under its ABN as an originating telco, a partner of an originating telco and a partner of a certified telco.
Who SMS Express suits
This is a flat-rate service for a business that wants one simple price and a hand-checked account. Every new account is reviewed by hand before it is approved. The trial of 10 free credits needs no credit card, so you can test the platform before you commit. A business that needs birthday sends, an SLA or round-the-clock support should weigh those gaps first.
Compare SMS Express with another provider
| Measure | SMS Express | Cellcast |
|---|---|---|
| Rate at 1K | 7.70c | 3.70c |
| Rate at 15K | 7.70c | 3.10c |
| Rate at 125K | 7.70c | 2.83c |
| Rate at 250K | 7.70c | 2.83c |
| Cost at 15,000 a month | $1,155 | $465 |
| Dedicated number | Yes | Yes |
| Shared number | Yes | Yes |
| Alpha sender ID | Yes | Yes |
| Email to SMS | Yes | Yes |
| Two way | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | Yes | Yes |
| Head office | Ashburton, Victoria | South Melbourne, Victoria |
SMS Express questions
How much does SMS Express cost?
One credit costs 7.70c plus GST, shown as 8.5c including GST, and one credit is one SMS part of up to 160 characters. There is no setup fee, monthly fee or contract. The prices page says $5 minimum order, while the FAQ and home page say no minimum orders. A dedicated virtual mobile number costs $18.50 a month plus GST.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. SMS Express offers 10 free credits with no credit card required. Every new account is reviewed by hand before it is approved, so activation is not instant. Credits do not expire, though accounts unused for over 12 months may be deleted with no refund of unused credits.
Does SMS Express have an API?
Yes. The free REST API uses Basic Auth with an API key and secret, and it supports callbacks for delivery receipts and replies. The API documentation is TransmitSMS's, and the new login is at smsexpress.transmitsms.com. SMS Express also lists Zapier, an MCP server for AI assistants, a free Excel add-in for Windows and HirePOS integration.
What support hours does SMS Express keep?
Phone support on 1300 668 287 and email support run from 9am to 6pm Australian Eastern time, 7 days a week. There is no 24-hour support. The pages also disagree on uptime: the prices page says 99%, the FAQ says 99.9%, and no SLA document is published.
Verification log
What was read, where and when (our method).
| Checked | Date read | What it said |
|---|---|---|
| Published rate card | One flat price, 7.7c per SMS credit plus GST (8.5c including GST, as SMS Express shows it), "One price for everyone", so the same figure is carried at every volume. One credit is one SMS part of up to 160 characters. Credits do not expire, though accounts unused for over 12 months may be deleted with no refund. No setup fee, monthly fee or contract. The FAQ says volume discounts are available for larger quantities but publishes none, so a quote at 125,000 or 250,000 a month may be lower. The prices page gives a $5 minimum order; the FAQ and home page say there is no minimum. | |
| SMS Express prices page | 7.7c per SMS credit plus GST, one price for everyone, no setup or monthly fee, $5 minimum order. | |
| SMS Express MMS page | MMS at 35c per message plus GST, on a dedicated virtual number at $18.50 a month plus GST. | |
| SMS Express API and services page | A free REST API with implementation support; the documentation it links is TransmitSMS's, with Basic Auth and delivery and inbound callbacks. | |
| ABN Lookup, ABN 77 317 524 561 | The Trustee for Kerryn Marlow Family Trust, a discretionary trust active since 2003, holding the business names SMS EXPRESS and SMSEXPRESS.COM.AU. The About page instead names SMS Response (Aus) Pty Ltd, whose ABN was cancelled in 2004. |