SMS Cost Estimator
Calculate your real Twilio SMS costs inside GoHighLevel
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SMS Segment Character Reference
SMS messages are split into segments based on character count. Each segment is billed separately, so keeping messages short saves money.
| Characters | Segments | Cost (US) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 160 | 1 | $0.0079 |
| 161 – 306 | 2 | $0.0158 |
| 307 – 459 | 3 | $0.0237 |
| 460 – 612 | 4 | $0.0316 |
| 613 – 765 | 5 | $0.0395 |
Note: When a message exceeds 160 characters, the segment size drops to 153 characters per segment (7 characters are used for the concatenation header). Unicode characters (emojis, special characters) reduce the segment limit to 70 characters for the first segment and 67 for subsequent segments.
Tips to Reduce Your SMS Costs
- Keep messages under 160 characters. Every extra segment doubles (or triples) the per-message cost. Edit ruthlessly.
- Avoid MMS when possible. MMS costs $0.0200 per message vs $0.0079 for SMS. Only use MMS when the image is genuinely necessary.
- Use email for long content. If your message needs more than 2–3 sentences, send an email instead. GoHighLevel lets you mix channels in workflows.
- Avoid emojis and special characters. Unicode characters reduce your segment capacity from 160 to 70 characters, drastically increasing segment count.
- Segment your audience. Send SMS only to engaged contacts. Blasting your entire list wastes money on contacts who will never respond.
A2P 10DLC Registration
A2P 10DLC (Application-to-Person 10-Digit Long Code) registration is required by US carriers for all business SMS. Without it, your messages may be filtered, delayed, or blocked entirely.
Cost: $19 one-time registration fee through GoHighLevel's Twilio integration.
What it covers: Registers your business and use case with The Campaign Registry (TCR), allowing carriers to verify that your messages are legitimate business communications.
Timeline: Approval typically takes 1–5 business days. You can still send SMS during this period, but throughput may be limited.
Frequently Asked Questions
SMS in GoHighLevel uses Twilio at approximately $0.0079 per segment for US numbers. A 1,000-message/month campaign costs about $7.90 in SMS fees plus your GoHighLevel subscription. MMS messages cost $0.0200 each. International rates vary — Canada is $0.0075/segment, UK is $0.04/segment, and Australia is $0.05/segment.
A single SMS segment is 160 characters. Messages longer than 160 characters are split into multiple segments, each charged separately. For example, a 300-character message equals 2 segments and costs $0.0158 instead of $0.0079. If your message contains emojis or special Unicode characters, the segment limit drops to just 70 characters.
Yes, for US SMS. A2P 10DLC is a one-time $19 registration fee required by carriers for business texting. Without it, your messages may be filtered or blocked. Registration is done through GoHighLevel's built-in Twilio integration and typically takes 1–5 business days to be approved.
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