MMS vs SMS for Australian businesses
For a business sending through an SMS provider, MMS carries a picture, GIF or video with the text, where SMS carries text alone. Australian providers publish MMS at 15.00c to 37.00c a message at 1,000 a month, against a median SMS rate of 6.90c. One MMS equals 2.4 to 8.2 times that provider's SMS rate. Send SMS when the words carry the message, and MMS when the image does.
267 characters, 267 GSM-7 billing units, 2 SMS parts.
39 GSM-7 units remain in the final SMS part.
All characters fit the GSM-7 character set.
1,000 sends cost $60.00 at Texto's 3.00c and $138.00 at the median 6.90c, using the published 1K benchmark rates per SMS part.
At touchSMS, 1,000 sends cost $100.00 as 2 SMS parts and $150.00 as one MMS, so SMS is cheaper for this message.
A single SMS holds 160 GSM-7 billing units or 70 in UCS-2. A longer message bills in parts of 153 or 67 units. Characters outside GSM-7 switch the whole message to UCS-2. Emoji can use several billing units; the count above shows how many this message uses. Rates exclude GST and any carrier surcharge.
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MMS vs SMS at a glance
| Attribute | SMS | MMS |
|---|---|---|
| What it carries | Text only, plus links | Text with an image, GIF, audio or video |
| Text length | 160 characters per part, or 70 with an emoji or other non-GSM-7 character; longer text bills as linked parts | One message, no parts. Published text limits run from 1,000 to 5,000 characters (Kudosity 1,000, SMS Fusion 1,000, Klaviyo 1,600, touchSMS 4,000, Tall Bob 5,000) |
| Price per message at 1,000 a month | Median 6.90c across Australian providers | 15.00c to 37.00c, median 25.00c, across 11 providers |
| One MMS equals | · | 2.4 to 8.2 times the same provider's SMS rate |
| Sent from | A registered sender ID or a number | Usually a number; several providers state a sender ID cannot be used |
| What the recipient's phone needs | Basic mobile service | Mobile data switched on, to download the media |
| Providers we review that send it to Australian mobiles | All trading providers | 20; 4 state they do not |
| Spam Act 2003 | Consent, sender identification and a working unsubscribe | The same rules, unchanged |
What Australian providers charge per MMS
| Provider | MMS at 1,000 a month | MMS at 15,000 a month | Equals | Largest MMS it takes | Sent from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinch Engage pricing page | 15.00c | 12.00c | · | 600kb total, of which up to 190kb text and up to 410kb for an image | · |
| touchSMS pricing page | 15.00c | 15.00c | 3.0 times its SMS rate | up to 300 KB (depending on carrier and receiving device) | a touchSMS virtual number (SMS + MMS), $15 a month, no setup fee or contract |
| Cellcast pricing page | 19.00c | 19.00c | 5.1 times its SMS rate | up to 350 KB for embedded media or attachments | · |
| MessageWorks pricing page | 21.00c | 21.00c | 3.0 times its SMS rate | under 500 KB per image | · |
| BE Messaging pricing page | 25.00c | 25.00c | 4.2 times its SMS rate | · | the business 04 service number |
| Chatti pricing page | 25.00c | 22.00c | 3.6 times its SMS rate | · | · |
| ClickSend pricing page | 25.00c | 25.00c | 3.5 times its SMS rate | 250 kB per attachment (30 kB for older devices) | a shared number, or a dedicated MMS number at $29 a month with no setup fee |
| Notifyre pricing page | 30.00c | · | 6.0 times its SMS rate | 430 KB per message to Australian numbers | an MMS-capable virtual number: $17.50 a month plus the $2.50 MMS add-on ($20 a month ex GST) |
| Telstra pricing page | 34.00c | 32.00c | 2.4 times its SMS rate | 400kB per message, including headers and encoding overhead (the price table's size bands stop at 300kB) | one mobile service number (MSISDN) supplied with each MMS Access Manager service as standard; additional numbers at a charge advised on request |
| SMS Express pricing page | 35.00c | 35.00c | 4.5 times its SMS rate | · | a dedicated virtual number |
| Guni SMS pricing page | 37.00c | 32.00c | 8.2 times its SMS rate | · | · |
Also publish MMS to Australian mobiles, with no per-message rate: Attentive, Bulk SMS Australia, Klaviyo, Kudosity, Optus, SMS Fusion, SMSGlobal, Tall Bob and TNZ Group. State that they do not send MMS to Australian mobiles: Mobile Message, Vonage, Telnyx and Texto.
What MMS is
MMS, the Multimedia Messaging Service, sends an image, GIF, audio or video with text to the phone's messaging app. SMS carries text only. A single SMS holds 160 characters in the standard GSM-7 character set, or 70 when the message contains an emoji or another character outside that set.
Each provider sets its own MMS text limit. The limits the page lists run from 1,000 characters at Kudosity and SMS Fusion to 5,000 characters at Tall Bob, read on each provider's own page on 14 October 2026. File size works the same way, from 250 KB per attachment at ClickSend to 5 MB for the message and media combined at Twilio. Several pages that rank for "mms vs sms" give 1,600 characters as the MMS limit, yet Klaviyo is the only one of the 5 providers listed here that publishes 1,600.
Twilio says MMS messaging requires a cellular data connection, unlike SMS, which needs only basic mobile service. The recipient's phone needs mobile data switched on to download an MMS. This page covers sending from a business account with an SMS provider, and what a personal phone plan charges for MMS is a separate question the page does not cover. The table on this page shows how the two services compare side by side.
When to send SMS and when to send MMS
Use SMS for plain text, for messages the customer should reply to, and when you want your business name as the sender, and use MMS when the picture is the message.
The price follows from that choice. One MMS equals 2.4 to 8.2 times the same provider's SMS rate, so a text of a few parts usually costs less than one MMS. The counter at the top of this page prices your message both ways, as SMS parts and as one MMS, at a provider you choose.
The sender changes too. Most providers send MMS from a mobile number, and SMSGlobal, Kudosity and Klaviyo state a sender ID cannot be used for MMS. Your business name then sits in the text of the message rather than at its front. A sender ID cannot receive replies in any case, so a message the customer should reply to goes from a number.
Delivery differs as well. A phone with mobile data switched off downloads no MMS, while an SMS still arrives. The next section sets out what MMS costs in Australia.
What MMS costs in Australia
At 1,000 a month, published MMS rates run from 15.00c at Sinch Engage and touchSMS to 37.00c at Guni SMS. The median across the 11 providers that publish one is 25.00c. At 15,000 a month, the cheapest published rate is 12.00c from Sinch Engage, out of the 10 providers that publish at that volume.
The headline rate is not the whole cost. ClickSend charges $29 a month for a dedicated MMS number, against $19 for an SMS number. Notifyre's MMS-capable number is $20 a month, made up of a $17.50 number plus a $2.50 MMS add-on. touchSMS includes SMS and MMS on a $15 a month virtual number. MessageWorks charges a $35 a month MMS add-on.
Plan conditions add more cost. Sinch Engage's MMS rate depends on the plan, and 15,000 sends a month need one of its larger plans. Telstra prices MMS by destination network and message size, and requires a 6-month minimum term and a Telstra mobile service.
Most Australian MMS rates are published excluding GST, so the figure you pay carries GST on top.
For the text-only side, this site ranks the cheapest bulk SMS rates in its main provider comparison.
To see the gap, price one MMS against the SMS parts it would replace.
When a long SMS is cheaper than one MMS
At each provider, one MMS costs as much as 2.4 to 8.2 times its own SMS parts. The lowest multiple sits at Telstra and the highest at Guni SMS. A text of a few parts is usually cheaper sent as SMS. The counter at the top of this page works out both totals for your own message, at the provider you choose.
Here is a typical promotional message of the kind an Australian cafe or shop might send.
- "Harbour Roast: your loyalty card is waiting. Bring this message in for a free flat white with any breakfast order this week. Our winter menu is out, with the honey oat bowl back by popular demand. We open at 6am on weekdays and 7am on weekends. Reply STOP to opt out." (267 characters, 2 SMS parts)
Price is only half the decision, because MMS also changes who the message appears to come from.
Sending MMS from a number, not a sender ID
Most providers send MMS from a mobile number. SMSGlobal says an alphanumeric sender ID is overwritten and cannot be used for MMS. Kudosity says custom sender IDs are not available for MMS, and its MMS goes from a dedicated virtual number that the provider enables. Klaviyo says MMS cannot be sent from a branded sender ID, and it uses an Australian long code on paid plans.
A sender ID you use for SMS still needs registering on the SMS Sender ID Register, a requirement in force since 1 July 2026. ACMA says an unregistered sender ID shows as "Unverified" in place of the name, and the message is still delivered.
Sender rules aside, the next question is which providers can actually send MMS in Australia.
Which providers send MMS in Australia
20 of the providers this site reviews publish MMS to Australian mobiles, and 4 state they do not send it. The table on this page shows which providers publish MMS and what each one charges. Mobile Message, Vonage and Textmagic are among those that state MMS is not available to Australian mobiles.
Several more sell MMS in Australia with no published per-message rate. SMSGlobal describes its MMS as "tailored solutions and pricing", Kudosity lists MMS as "available on request", and Tall Bob and Optus quote only. You need a price from each before you can compare.
MMS is not the only format richer than SMS, and RCS is the next one to consider.
What about RCS?
RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is the messaging standard that adds a branded sender, read receipts and interactive content such as carousels and buttons. Phones increasingly support it. 0 of the providers this site reviews publish RCS business messaging to Australian recipients today, and 3 state it is not available.
ClickSend, Mobile Message and Esendex are among the providers that state RCS is not available to Australian recipients. ClickSend's RCS page says Australia is available for its waitlist. Plan on SMS and MMS for now, and treat RCS as a later addition.
Whatever format you send, the same marketing rules apply to every commercial message.
The rules for MMS marketing
The Spam Act 2003 covers a commercial MMS exactly as it covers a commercial SMS, and ACMA enforces it. The Act requires consent, identification of the sender with accurate contact details, and a functional unsubscribe honoured within 5 working days.
The obligations sit with the business that sends the message, so they sit with you. The counter at the top of this page prices your own message both ways, and the table on this page puts each provider's MMS price side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Is MMS more expensive than SMS?
Yes. Australian providers publish MMS at 15.00c to 37.00c a message at 1,000 a month, against a median SMS rate of 6.90c. One MMS equals 2.4 to 8.2 times the same provider's SMS rate, so a text of a few parts usually costs less than one MMS. The counter at the top of this page compares both for your own message.
Can I send MMS from my business name?
Usually not. Most providers send MMS from a mobile number rather than a business name. SMSGlobal says an alphanumeric sender ID is overwritten for MMS, Kudosity says custom sender IDs are not available, and Klaviyo says MMS cannot be sent from a branded sender ID. Twilio's Australian price table lists MMS for an alphanumeric sender as well as for a number. Your business name can still appear at the start of the message text.
How big can an MMS be in Australia?
The size limit of an MMS is set by each provider rather than by the format itself. Published limits run from 250 KB per attachment at ClickSend to 5 MB for the message and media combined at Twilio. touchSMS takes up to 300 KB, Cellcast up to 350 KB and Telstra 400 KB per message. Check your provider's limit before you attach the file.
Do all phones receive MMS?
No. MMS needs mobile data on the handset, so a phone with data switched off will not download the message. Twilio says MMS messaging requires a cellular data connection, while SMS needs only basic mobile service. An SMS still arrives on that phone, while the MMS does not.