Australian businesses utilise messaging gateways to send bulk text messages for alerts, marketing and communication campaigns or two-way messages.
SMS Comparison has compared reputable Australian SMS providers based on pricing, reliability, compliance and customer service to recommend the best SMS plans for your business.
By Alain Grossbard / Updated: Saturday, April 13th, 2024
Here is our 2024 list of the best SMS Gateway Australia providers.
Broker Reviewed
Pricing
SMS Functions
Reliability
Customer care service
Overall
For those looking for an Australian-based text message gateway provider, Cellcast is recommended based on their:
View Cellcast Review >>Visit Cellcast >>
Whether you need 2000 text messages or 500,000 text messages monthly, different SMS providers have comparatively cheap set prices.
Take, for example, several major SMS gateway competitors that vary in their pricing schedules.
Cellcast offers the cheapest pricing: $0.037 cents for 2000 messages and $0.029 per SMS for 20,000+ messages. However, this pricing is negotiable for larger numbers.
Notifyre offers a standard charge of $0.05 cents per SMS, regardless of volume. This pricing is negotiable for larger numbers, such as 200,000+.
ClickSend starts at $0.07 for 2000 or less for each SMS sent and received on your virtual number or shortcode at no additional charge. The higher volume of text messages distributed will be at a lower price. For example, for the distribution of 100,000+ SMS every month, the price comes down to $0.055 per SMS.
With all three companies, there are:
There is a free trial of 30 SMS offered by Cellcast, 25 SMS by ClickSend and a free trial by Notifyre once you create a free Notifyre account to access the platform. To send SMS messages, you must add funds to your Notifyre wallet. A minimum top-up spend of A$10 is required.
If businesses want to exceed 200,000 messages, they can negotiate directly with the sales team for lower pricing and receive a dedicated account manager to discuss charges.
Pricing is in Australian dollars, excluding GST.
1) Dedicated Number
Cellcast charges users $19.00 a month for a dedicated number, but there are no setup fees. Notifyre charges $18.50 monthly with unlimited inbound replies and a dedicated receive number.
A dedicated virtual number is recommended to increase interaction with text messages. It has been shown to improve response rates and can better integrate SMS to CRM or an e-mail account.
2) Dedicated Shortcode
Cellcast charges $320.00 per month for the engagement of dedicated shortcodes, and there is a setup fee of $750.00.
A shortcode is a five-—to six-digit phone number used by brands to communicate with consumers. It can be 12345 or even 123456. Again, it is five to six digits and is used by brands to communicate with consumers. A dedicated shortcode is dedicated to one brand.
For any Australian business, reliability comes down to ensuring the message is delivered correctly (Uptime) and the time the text message takes to reach the mobile phone (Latency). How important reliability is depends on the type of text messages the company will send. While something like an advertising burst may require minimal reliability, an SMS verification service of a bank or an appointment reminder may be critical.
With Cellcast, it offers one of the best SLAs in the industry with a 100% Service Level Agreement Guarantee with Tier 1 telecommunication networks. Service credits are provided if this service level agreement is not met in a calendar month.
With a range of features, our SMS Gateway Comparison review also found Cellcast to be a highly reputable SMS provider and worthy of serious consideration.
Notifyre states on its website that it has a 99.99% server uptime guarantee.
Cellcast’s reliable SMS gateway is fast, with direct or one-hop carrier connections that will ensure messages are delivered promptly.
Cellcast provides real-time updates based on the telecommunication providers’ DLR information. The message delivery status monitoring information is then passed onto clients so they have up-to-date information on the messages sent.
Customers can control the validity of text messages. If an SMS isn’t delivered within a specified time frame, it can be discarded at no additional charge. This can be critical for time-sensitive messages such as a ‘flash sale’.
On the reputable review website Trustindex, the Cellcast SMS gateway scored a very high rating of 4.9 based on 225 reviews. The data is based on April 2024.
Below is a comparison of this score to other SMS gateway providers. These are just from one website, and it’s recommended that you go through other third-party sites first and read individual reviews before choosing a provider.
Even with the best support guides, setting up a text message gateway can be tedious, timely, and confusing. This is why ClickSend has an Australian office, which is critical for local support. This support is initially limited to e-mails and their website, with no dedicated number provided, but a Live Chat option is available. For this reason, the support levels are comparable to their competitors.
Those new to sending text messages or utilising a gateway may want to use an Australian provider like Cellcast, which has a superior support network. It should be noted that this customer support level is based on Australian businesses looking for local support.
Our review of Australian businesses regarding their SMS Gateway Australia solutions found that this provider, Cellcast, has key strengths that make it a worthy choice. Their low-cost model, sound infrastructure, and advanced features are their points of differentiation.
Cellcast Review >>Visit Cellcast >>
The overall rating is based on review by our experts
Our price comparison in 2024 showed that Cellcast is the cheapest in Australia. We update these figures each quarter, and Cellcast has been the lowest since July 2022.
Updated on 13-04-2024. Currency is in AUD $
Pricing is their big advantage; they already mentioned this on some of the other SMS Comparison sites. Features, reliability, reputation (clients), and customer service are other features that must be considered. Cellcast has some uniqueness (point of difference), which will be stressed.
An SMS gateway bridges software applications and mobile devices, enabling the sending and receiving of SMS messages. It converts protocols, routes messages through mobile networks, and ensures successful delivery to the intended recipient. SMS gateways are commonly used for notifications, marketing, and two-factor authentication.
Within Australia, text message gateways will directly route to the major providers such as Optus, Telstra, Vodafone or aggregators. This will impact the speed and prices of text messages sent.
It should be noted that a Short Message Service, also known as an SMS or text message, has a limit of 160 characters when sent to another device. Messages exceeding this limit will be split into multiple parts, which may lead to higher sending charges.
When sending any text message campaign within Australia, you must meet the federal government’s Privacy Act 1988 and Spam Act 2003. Within Australia, the law states that no company can send legally unsolicited electronic messages. This applies to text messages through a gateway with any message requiring:
Consent – The receiver must have provided consent to receive text messages or be an existing customer with a business relationship. An example is the Australian Christmas Hampers form, which requires users to consent to SMS communications.
Identify – All text messages need to identify what business they came from.
Unsubscribe—There needs to be functionality to unsubscribe from future business SMS correspondence (2-way SMS). A company needs to ensure that any such request is processed within five days.
From a compliance aspect, the SMS provider needs to feature a firm privacy policy, be SPAM compliant, have extensive terms and conditions and have a clear, acceptable use policy. You can view the Information Commissioner website’s direct marketing section to learn more about direct marketing compliance.
Research has shown that short text messages perform the best. While 160 characters can exist within a text message, short and sharp messages that don’t require scrolling receive optimal open rates and engagement. Try only to provide a single message, whether a greeting, reminder, offer or referral.
Mobile phones are personal, so we must understand an individual’s personal space. Unexpected bulk SMS messages can be intrusive, so ensure they are functional and courteous but not too familiar. Customisation tools can help maximise relevance, but there is always a line an advertiser shouldn’t cross. Also, understand when the recipient will receive the text and the reliability of the gateway. Nobody wants to receive a text at midnight!
Don’t overuse the bulk SMS marketing channel. Infrequent and brief messages from businesses will ensure that users don’t unsubscribe from the communication. Use other channels, such as emails, to update emails regularly, but avoid text messages for such communications.
Ensure you have a legitimate reason to send SMS messages. Every message should pass on useful information, act as a reminder, or clarify an arrangement. As long as individuals legitimately use SMS, they will be happy to receive more text messages in the future.
If your business sends SMS messages to customers, clients, stakeholders, or staff, and the messages are urgent, then a premium direct gateway carrier is for you. Your message will be delivered directly to major text message service providers (such as Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone).
A text message gateway allows a computer to distribute or accept business SMS marketing transmissions to or from a telecommunications network. Most messages are usually routed to mobile phone networks. Cellcast is one such example of an SMS gateway provider using a direct carrier.
Need for a reliable premium SMS text message gateway provider when:
An SMPP stands for a Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol. The SMPP gateway protocol is used within the telecommunication industry to exchange SMS services between Short Messaging Entities (ESME) or Short Message Service Centres (SMSC). A level-7 TCP/IP protocol ensures speedy SMS message delivery. The SMPP can receive and send messages from mobiles, including CDMA, UTMTS, GMA, and UMTS phones.
Utilising an API (Application Programming Interface) is a common practice by Australian businesses and organisations that have large-scale text message requirements. Developers connect to the SMS gateway through their preferred APIs, such as SMPP, Java, .NET, PHP, or SOAP. Most providers will support SDKs through sample cost, documents and reusable libraries. Ensure the provider you choose has support levels that match your understanding of an SMS API, as you may need a hands-on provider.
The Australian SMS provider will provide a sample code when setting up your API. This will allow you to connect to a SOAP API regardless of the SMS API language you prefer. A provider like MessageMedia has samples of Java, GitHub in C3, Bash, Python, and PHP. Other languages, such as C++, Ruby, and Powershell, can also be utilised. Talk to their support team when you first join, and talk to their specialist SMS API technical support software person.
API integration is so popular because:
SMS Gateway Australia is essentially an online platform that provides a client with the means to send mass text messages within seconds of the command to send. It acts as a conduit between the SMS provider, the telecommunication network and the end user to provide a reliable service. There are the premier and hybrid telecommunication services, the latter being usually cheaper overseas providers, which cannot be as efficient in transmission as in Australia.
Many of the Gateway Australia providers, like ClickSend, use national dependable carriers such as Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone, with an uptime of 99.9% or better. Many have a 100% money-back reliability guarantee. In most cases, Australian SMS Gateway providers have customer care centres in Australia to respond quickly to any concerns or information needed to distribute text messages. They provide an SMS service to engage with customers and measure and track campaign performance.
An API allows query parameters, the optional key-value pairs that appear after the question mark in the URL that provide SMS gateway instructions to send text messages. This can be enabled through a scripting language such as PHP that can be integrated into web forms and other applications.
A text-message gateway acts as a relay. It translates from one protocol to another through SMS centres. They include wireless networks that handle forwarding, routing store and other SMS operations ensuring the messages are delivered to the destination mobile phone.
SMS integration is when businesses use their existing database or CRM to target their customers through an SMS gateway. This can include targeting customers with promotions, news and other information. This integration can use automation to communicate with customers at various forms of the consumer life cycle.
SMS stands for Short Message Service, while MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service. MMS is the next level of text messaging, allowing video, audio, and picture content to be sent to a mobile device. Depending on the gateway used, sending an MMS can lead to a premium price.
Email security gateways have gained popularity as they monitor the emails processed to be sent to mobile devices. They can assist in preventing unwanted content from being delivered that can be caused by phishing attacks, SPAM and malware.
One of the values of assessing the functionality, reliability, and efficiency of the SMS Gateway Australia providers is testing them through the offers of using their free trial period or the provision of a range of SMS allocated to test their service. Depending on the providers’ offer, it can vary from free 5 SMS to 30 SMS. For example, Cellcast offers a free trial with 30 free credits for new users. These credits can be used for either SMS or MMS messaging. Like other gateway providers, ClickSend, SMS Global, Burst SMS, and SMS Solutions offer a free trial based on several text messages or a period.
Flexible SMS API gateway providers can integrate SMS services into their system and application for better functionality, which the client requires. New SMS integrations can often be added later on. Many SMS Gateway Australia providers, as reviewed on this site, have APIs that can send many messages at any one time with the right type of application. For example, one can check the balance and delivery status of a single or group SMS without the need to log into the web interface. The official Microsoft ASP.NET site is available for PHP, Ruby and . NET. There is no concern about shared resources since these providers have dedicated SMS API servers, thus allowing text messages and responses to be distributed efficiently and reliably. Several providers have quick integrations connected with MailChimp, Infusionsoft, Campaign Monitor and Zapier applications.
SMS Gateway Australia is essentially an online platform that provides a client with the means to send mass text messages within seconds of the command to send. It acts as a conduit between the user and the telecommunication network to provide a reliable service. There are premier and hybrid telecommunication services, the latter being cheaper overseas providers that cannot be as efficient as those within Australia.
Many Gateway Australia providers, like Cellcast, use national dependable carriers such as Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone, with an uptime of 99.9% or better. Many have a 100% money-back reliability guarantee. In most cases, Australian SMS Gateway providers have customer care centres in Australia to respond quickly to any concerns or information needed to distribute text messages. They provide an SMS service to engage customers and measure and track campaign performance.
The table shows the final reputable SMS providers. In contrast, other providers were considered, such as Nexmo, SMS Central, DirectSMS, SMS Broadcast, SMS solutions, Wholesale SMS, SMS Tech, Clickatell, Textit and ClickSend.
The information was sourced from the web SMS provider’s websites, with correspondence only made at the time to verify the information published. As this information came from websites with no automation used, it’s recommended that you verify the data shown on this site within the provider’s website. This can verify your decision when selecting the Australia SMS Gateway provider that’s right for you.
Published by Alain Grossbard
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SMS Providers Reviewed