By considering all factors in addition to the cost per message, you can ensure you’re choosing the best SMS gateway provider for your needs and budget.
An SMS gateway price comparison showed that Cellcast, Mobile Message, and Notifyre offer the best overall price per SMS.
The latest update is on 24 February 2025.
Several SMS gateway providers claim the lowest price for SMS distribution in Australia and overseas. However, one must be cautious about the additional charges not included in their simple pricing schedule. These refer to set-up fees, monthly charges, payment modes, and contractual arrangements that may be difficult to analyse should the business not be satisfied with the service.
Updated on 13-03-2025. Currency is in AUD $
While SMS providers may offer low prices, it’s essential to consider other factors, such as delivery reliability, API documentation, and customer support, when choosing an SMS gateway provider.
In addition, many SMS gateway providers offer discounts and promotions, so check their websites for current offers and deals.
Making the reader aware of these factors, this SMS Comparison Site reviews several reputable SMS gateway providers who provide an outright fee schedule with minimal or no additional charges. As a result, this has led to the selection of four reputable Australian SMS gateway companies and one overseas provider as a comparison. They are Bird from the Netherlands and the Australian companies CellCast, Notifyre and Mobile Message.
The low-price SMS gateway is based on an average overall fee for a small, medium or large volume of monthly text messages. It is assessed that the Cellcast and Mobile Message charge, on average, offers the lowest cost per SMS every month. Overseas provider Bird has a reasonable SMS charge, but it will depend on the Australian currency exchange rate. If the Australian dollar drops, then the overseas Bird fee will be higher, and if the Australian dollar rises, the reverse will be the case. The other companies selected have a reasonable comparative rate but are not as low as Cellcast or Mobile Message.
The price of using an SMS gateway provider typically varies based on the volume of SMS messages sent. Many SMS gateway providers offer discounts for large volume customers, so the cost per SMS message can be lower when sending many messages.
Additionally, the cost per SMS message can vary based on the destination country or region. Some countries may have higher SMS costs due to network fees, taxes, and other charges. It’s essential to check with the SMS gateway provider for a complete breakdown of the costs of sending SMS messages to specific countries or regions.
When looking further at the pricing schedule, it should be noted that the price will vary depending on the volume of SMS sent at any time over a monthly period.
When comparing SMS gateway providers, it’s essential to consider the cost per message and other factors, such as reliability, API documentation, and customer support, to ensure you’re getting the best overall value for your money.
Like many other SMS gateway price comparison options, Mobile Message and Cellcast show that the lower volume charge is significantly higher per SMS than the large monthly volume charge. It’s all about economies of scale. This is no different from the other Australian gateway providers that were presented. However, MessageBird does not provide details on the volumes to be distributed; instead, it gives pricing schedules.
Mobile Message, Cellcast and Notifyre have an exclusive pricing schedule for Australian businesses. The client is not charged for all inbound SMS, and the charges presented are for outbound SMS. The only charge for bulk distribution is allocating a dedicated number, but there are no setup charges.
Therefore, after reviewing all the reputable bulk SMS gateway prices of different SMS providers, it can be seen that the price may vary by up to 60%. This can be due to the type of network carrier engaged, whether it is a premium or a hybrid telecommunication carrier. The premium gateway is more expensive using Australian carriers, while the hybrid may use a combination of Australian and overseas carriers. The latter is cheaper but not as reliable and may take longer for the SMS to be distributed to recipient mobile phones.
Another matter that a business may consider is that when large volumes of text messages need to be distributed, the company can negotiate a price per SMS or ask bulk gateway SMS providers to match the cheapest quote provided. This is a personal view and may or may not be accepted by the SMS provider. Of course, the more affordable price must be based on the many SMS messages that must be distributed.
Like some other SMS gateway providers, Cellcast, Notifyre, and Mobile Message regularly check their competitors’ pricing schedules and adjust the pricing to meet the client’s expectations.
When discussing a low-cost SMS gateway provider, one refers to a business strategy developed by the company to sell SMS at a lower price than its competitors to attract businesses. This has the effect of being a price advantage. Providers using this strategy will likely earn low margins but achieve many sales.
This type of company focuses on a price advantage in a specific text messaging market niche, offering products, features, and customer care to a narrow market segment instead of the broader SMS market. The provider intends to be the cheapest supplier in the gateway SMS niche but not necessarily in terms of overall bulk, marketing, affordability, or SMS to the computer range market.
So which one to use? The low-cost SMS gateway provider is usually only engaged by large companies with economies of scale to provide SMS in bulk at a cheaper rate. Small to medium-sized businesses usually cannot have economies of scale and, therefore, cannot use the low-cost SMS gateway provider.
Taking the range of SMS gateway providers assessed to provide a reliable and efficient service, it can be seen that all the companies covered are considered low-cost SMS gateway providers, with Bird mainly suited to larger companies. The other SMS mentioned is suitable for large and small to medium-sized companies.
This site and the associated SMS gateway price comparison table have been prepared and presented for your information and use at no cost. They were formulated in response to the number of enquiries and lack of understanding of the different features and services offered by SMS gateway providers.
The table and site were developed by authors who previously worked in the SMS field but have moved to other IT areas and, therefore, felt they could provide an independent view of what SMS companies have to offer you or your business. Should any information provided differ from what is presented in the table or site, please let the authors know, and the changes will be made as soon as possible.
Should you use the information provided and decide to engage one of the SMS companies covered, the author will request a commission from the provider but, please be assured, will not ask you for any fee.
It is hoped that this information is valid and will assist you in making whatever decision you wish based on the above background information.
Updated on 24 February 2025.