How we rank: SMS platforms and APIs
The Score (0–100) is a weighted sum of the factors below. Each factor is the weighted average of its metrics; each metric is calculated from one published fact. Missing facts score zero, and a service is ranked only when enough of its Score is backed by facts.
A service is ranked only when at least 70% of its Score is backed by verified facts.
← Best SMS Platforms and APIs 2026: Business Texting Compared
Price 30%
The price in US cents of one outbound SMS (one segment) to a US number, exactly as written on the official pricing page, at the first tier with no commitment: 0¢ scores 100, 6¢ or more scores 0 (weight 2). Carrier pass-through fees are not added, volume discounts are ignored, and a price shown only as an overage or extra-credit rate is not used; we never divide a plan fee by the messages it includes. Also the lowest fixed amount per month you must pay to send SMS with monthly billing — a plan fee or a stated monthly minimum spend: $0 when the page says you pay as you go, $100 or more scores 0 (weight 2). Phone number rental and carrier registration fees are not counted. A free trial or free test credit adds weight 1. Prices shown only after a script runs, in a currency or for a country chosen by our visitor location, or only for annual billing are left empty.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Price per SMS to the US, cents | Linear from 0 (100) to 6 (0) — lower is better |
| Minimum monthly payment | Linear from 0 (100) to 100 (0) — lower is better |
| Free trial or test credit | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Messaging features 30%
Whether the platform lets you receive and answer replies (two-way SMS, weight 2), send MMS (weight 1), send WhatsApp Business messages from the same account (weight 1), schedule texts for later (weight 1), get a delivery status for each message (weight 1) and use a documented public API (weight 1). Beta and preview features do not count. The fact shows that a feature exists, not that the cheapest plan has it: check the note under each fact.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Two-way SMS | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| MMS | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| WhatsApp Business | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Scheduled sending | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Delivery reports | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Public API | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Compliance and security 25%
Whether the vendor registers or helps you register a US 10DLC brand and campaign (weight 2), automatically handles STOP and other opt-out replies (weight 1), states a SOC 2 report (weight 1) and ISO/IEC 27001 certification (weight 1) for its own service, not only for its cloud provider, and offers a data processing agreement under GDPR (weight 1). We record the vendor's statement; we do not audit it.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| US 10DLC registration help | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Automatic opt-out handling | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| SOC 2 report | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| ISO/IEC 27001 | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| GDPR data processing agreement | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Track record 15%
How long the service has been running: 20 years or more scores 100 (weight 2), and whether it publishes a public status page with incidents (weight 1).
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Founded | Full score at 20+ years |
| Public status page | Yes = 100, No = 0 |