Twilio SMS Cost Calculator (US)
Enter messages per month, message length and encoding (GSM-7 or UCS-2 for emoji/CJK), direction, number type and carrier mix. The calculator counts segments, applies $0.0083 per segment, carrier passthrough fees, the $0.001 failed-message fee, MMS and optional number rent, and returns monthly total. Estimates only; twilio.com/sms/pricing/us prevails.
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Monthly total
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Segments
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Breakdown
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Formula (US): segments = 1 if chars ≤ 160 (GSM-7) or ≤ 70 (UCS-2), else ceil(chars ÷ 153) or ceil(chars ÷ 67). Delivered messages × segments × $0.0083 (outbound or inbound; long code, toll-free and short code) + outbound carrier passthrough per segment: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.005, US Cellular $0.005, other $0.0042 (long code outbound defaults; Big-3 equal average ≈ $0.00433). MMS outbound $0.022 per message (MMS carrier fees not modeled). Failed messages: $0.001 failed-processing fee each instead. Optional number rent: long code $1.15/mo, toll-free $2.15/mo. 10DLC brand/campaign registration fees are one-time / compliance costs and are excluded from per-message math. Example: 100,000 single-segment messages → $830; with AT&T fees → $830 + $350 = $1,180.
Estimates only. Official list prices as of 2026-11-02 (Asia/Shanghai); the provider's pricing page prevails. Sources: Twilio SMS pricing (US)
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How it works
- How much does Twilio SMS cost in the US?
- $0.0083 per segment for outbound and inbound SMS on long code, toll-free and short code; MMS outbound is $0.022. Carrier passthrough fees are added per segment (as of 2026-11-02).
- What are the US carrier fees?
- Long code outbound defaults: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.005, US Cellular $0.005 and other carriers $0.0042 per segment. An equal Big-3 blend is about $0.00433.
- How are SMS segments counted?
- GSM-7 fits 160 characters in one segment (153 per segment when split); UCS-2 — needed for emoji or Chinese/Japanese text — fits 70 (67 when split). Each segment is billed.
- What is the failed message processing fee?
- $0.001 per message that ends in Failed status. The calculator applies it to your fail-rate share instead of the segment price.
- Are 10DLC registration and number fees included?
- 10DLC brand and campaign registration are one-time/monthly compliance fees excluded from per-message math. Optional number rent: long code $1.15/mo, toll-free $2.15/mo.