Cheap Bulk SMS
Looking for affordable bulk SMS? Learn how to choose a provider, understand pricing factors, avoid hidden costs, and get genuine value — not just a low headline price.
How to Choose an SMS Provider
1. Check the route quality
Ask if they use direct routes (carrier connections) or grey routes (unauthorised paths). Direct routes cost more to operate but deliver 95%+ of messages. Grey routes are cheaper but unreliable — messages may be delayed, filtered, or never arrive.
2. Compare total cost, not just per-message rate
A provider charging £0.025/msg with a £50/month platform fee is more expensive than £0.030/msg with no fees — unless you're sending 10,000+ messages monthly.
3. Check DLR coverage
Real-time delivery reports are essential. Some cheap providers don't offer DLRs at all, or charge extra for them. BulkSMSRates includes DLRs free on every message.
4. Test before you commit
Any reputable provider offers a free trial or test credits. Send messages to real numbers on different networks and check delivery speed and DLR accuracy.
5. Look at the API & documentation
A well-documented API with code samples, SDKs, and responsive support saves development time — which is often more expensive than a few pence per message.
6. Check compliance tools
GDPR-compliant opt-out handling, suppression lists, and consent tracking should be built in — not a paid add-on.
What Affects SMS Pricing?
| Factor | Impact | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Destination country | High | UK: £0.028 vs Albania: £0.065 |
| Destination network | Medium | Some networks charge more (e.g. Three vs O2 in UK) |
| Volume tier | Medium | 10K msgs: £0.030 vs 1M msgs: £0.020 |
| Route quality | High | Direct route: £0.030 vs grey route: £0.015 |
| Message length | Medium | 1 segment (160 chars) vs 3 segments (480 chars) = 3× cost |
| Encoding | Medium | GSM (160 chars/seg) vs Unicode (70 chars/seg) |
| Sender ID type | Low | Alphanumeric free; dedicated number: £5-15/month |
Hidden Costs to Watch For
Monthly platform fee
£20-100/month even if you send zero messages
Setup or onboarding fee
£50-500 one-time charge
DLR charges
£0.001-0.005 per delivery report
Inbound SMS charges
£0.01-0.05 per received message
Dedicated number rental
£5-15/month per number
Credit expiry
Unused credits expire after 6-12 months
Minimum monthly spend
Must spend £50-200/month or lose access
Support charges
Priority support as paid add-on
Why BulkSMSRates?
What you get:
- ✓ Direct carrier routes — no grey routing
- ✓ From £0.028/msg to UK numbers
- ✓ No monthly fees, no setup charges
- ✓ Credits never expire
- ✓ Free delivery reports on every message
- ✓ Free inbound SMS (STOP handling)
- ✓ Free compliance tools
- ✓ REST API + SMPP gateway
- ✓ 99.9% uptime SLA
- ✓ 24/7 technical support included
Typical competitor:
- ✗ Mixed routes (direct + grey)
- ✗ £0.035/msg headline, but...
- ✗ + £30/month platform fee
- ✗ Credits expire after 12 months
- ✗ DLR reports: £0.003 extra each
- ✗ Inbound SMS: £0.02 each
- ✗ Compliance add-on: £20/month
- ✗ API only (no SMPP)
- ✗ No uptime SLA
- ✗ Email support only, 24h response
How We Keep Rates Low
Direct carrier connections
We bypass expensive intermediaries by connecting directly to mobile networks. This reduces cost per message while improving delivery quality.
Volume-based pricing
The more you send, the less you pay. Discounts start at 10,000 messages and continue scaling up to enterprise volumes.
No overhead costs
No monthly fees, no setup charges, no minimum spend. Pure pay-as-you-go pricing means you only pay for what you use.
Efficient infrastructure
Our optimised routing engine evaluates cost, quality, and speed for every message — finding the best path automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start sending at the lowest rates
No contracts, no monthly fees, credits never expire.
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