SMS Pricing
Important
In most cases, customers with Azure subscriptions locations that match the country/region of the Number offer will be able to buy the Number. However, US and Canada numbers may be purchased by customers with Azure subscription locations in other countries/regions. Please see here for details on in-country/region and cross-country/region purchases.
Important
For billing locations in the US and Puerto Rico – Azure Prepayment (previously called Monetary Commitment) funds and Azure prepaid credits are not eligible for purchasing the products. Additionally, customer spend on the products is not eligible for Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment drawdown.
For billing locations outside the US and Puerto Rico Azure Prepayment (previously called Monetary Commitment) funds and Azure prepaid credits are not eligible for purchasing the products.
The Toll-free SMS service requires provisioning a toll-free number through the Azure portal. Once a toll-free number is provisioned, pay-as-you-go pricing applies to the leasing fee, and the usage fee. The leasing fee, and the usage fee is determined by the location of the toll-free, and the destination.
Toll Free Pricing
Leasing Fee
Fees for toll-free leasing are charged after provisioning and then recur on a month-to-month basis:
| Country/Region | Number type | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Toll-free | $2/mo |
| Canada | Toll-free | $2/mo |
| Puerto Rico | Toll-free | $2/mo |
Usage Fee
SMS offers pay-as-you-go pricing. The price is a per-message segment* charge based on the destination of the message. Messages can be sent by toll-free phone numbers to phone numbers located within the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
The following prices are exclusive of the required communications taxes and fees:
| Country/Region | Send Message | Receive Message |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $0.0075 | $0.0075 |
| Canada | $0.0075 | $0.0075 |
| Puerto Rico | $0.0400 | $0.0075 |
*Please see our guide on SMS character limits to learn more about message segments.
Carrier surcharge
A standard carrier surcharge is applicable to messages exchanged via toll-free numbers. A carrier surcharge is a per-message segment* charge and is subject to change. Carrier surcharge is calculated based on the destination of the message for sent messages and based on the sender of the message for received messages. See our guide on Carrier surcharges for details. See our pricing example here to see how SMS prices are calculated.
| Country/Region | Send Message | Receive Message |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $0.0025 | $0.0010 |
| Canada | $0.0085 | NA |
*Please see our guide on SMS character limits to learn more about message segments.
Important
For billing locations in the US and Puerto Rico – Azure Prepayment (previously called Monetary Commitment) funds and Azure prepaid credits are not eligible for purchasing the products. Additionally, customer spend on the products is not eligible for Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment drawdown.
For billing locations outside the US and Puerto Rico Azure Prepayment (previously called Monetary Commitment) funds and Azure prepaid credits are not eligible for purchasing the products.
10 Digit Long Code (10DLC) Pricing
This page provides an overview of the pricing for 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) SMS services available through Azure Communication Services (ACS). 10DLC is primarily supported in the United States. Availability depends on the subscription billing location and eligibility. Check the ACS eligibility documentation for more details on supported countries. The 10DLC SMS service requires registering a brand, registering a campaign, and provisioning a 10DLC number through the Azure portal. Pay-as-you-go pricing applies to these different services: brand registration, campaign registration, phone number leasing, and message usage.
Registration Fees
Registration fees are required for brands and campaigns to comply with U.S. 10DLC regulations.
- Brand: A brand represents your business or organization. It's a unique identity used to register campaigns with mobile carriers.
- Campaign: A campaign is a use case associated with a brand, such as promotional messages, customer notifications, or emergency alerts. Campaign registration ensures compliance with messaging regulations and helps carriers distinguish legitimate traffic from spam.
Note
Trust scores and vetting requirements are determined by TCR and participating carriers. Brand vetting is required as per The Campaign Registry (TCR) in the following cases:
To achieve higher trust scores for better message throughput and delivery rates.
Brand vetting for 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) messaging is typically required for companies outside the Russell 3000 list.
The following fees apply to the registration of brands and campaigns.
| Category | Fee Type | Fee Subtype | Frequency | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Registration | Per Brand | One-time | Fee for brand registration | $4 |
| Brand | Vetting | Per Brand | One-time | Standard vetting for brand registration. Not required for all brands. | $40 |
| Campaign | Standard | Per campaign | Monthly | Standard campaign registration fee | $10 |
Phone Number Leasing Fee
Monthly leasing fees for phone numbers.
| Category | Fee Type | Frequency | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local (Geographic) | Leasing | Monthly | Monthly fee for leasing a phone number | $1 |
Usage Fee
SMS offers pay-as-you-go pricing. The price is a per-message segment* charge based on the destination of the message. 10DLC phone numbers can send messages to phone numbers located within the United States.
| Country/Region | Send Message | Receive Message |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $0.0075 | $0.0075 |
Carrier Surcharges
A carrier surcharge applies to messages exchanged using 10DLC numbers. This surcharge is a per-message segment fee that may vary over time. For outbound messages, the surcharge is determined by the carrier of the recipient's number. For inbound messages, it is determined by the carrier of the sender's number.
| Carrier | Frequency | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T (Outbound) | per message segment | $0.0020 |
| T-Mobile (incl. Sprint) (Outbound and Inbound) | per message segment | $0.0030 |
| Verizon (Outbound and Inbound) | per message segment | $0.0030 |
| US Cellular (Outbound) | per message segment | $0.0050 |
| TextNow (Outbound) | per message segment | $0.0020 |
| Bluegrass (Outbound) | per message segment | $0 |
| C-Spire (Outbound) | per message segment | $0 |
| Commnet (Outbound) | per message segment | $0 |
*See our guide on SMS character limits to learn more about message segments.
Important
Short Code availability is currently restricted to Azure enterprise subscriptions that have a billing address in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom.
Important
For billing locations in the US and Puerto Rico – Azure Prepayment (previously called Monetary Commitment) funds and Azure prepaid credits are not eligible for purchasing the products. Additionally, customer spend on the products is not eligible for Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment drawdown.
For billing locations outside the US and Puerto Rico Azure Prepayment (previously called Monetary Commitment) funds and Azure prepaid credits are not eligible for purchasing the products.
The Short Code service requires provisioning a short code through the Azure portal. Once a short code is provisioned, pay-as-you-go pricing applies to the leasing fee, usage fee, and the carrier surcharge. The leasing fee, usage fee, and the carrier surcharge are determined by the short code type, location of the short code, destination, and the carrier of the message.
Short Codes Pricing
Setup Fee
When applying for a short code, there are two charges to consider:
- Pre-paid Monthly Fee: This fee covers the period from the day of application until the short code is delivered. Currently, this fee is temporarily waived and will not be charged.
- Setup Fee: This is a one-time charge applied at the time the short code is delivered.
Pre-paid fee
| Country/Region | Fee type | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Short Code Fee | Charged before short code delivery. | $1000/mo |
| United Kingdom | Short Code Fee | Charged before short code delivery. | $1600/mo |
| United States | Random Short Code Fee | Charged before short code delivery. | $1000/mo* |
*Extra $500/mo would be charged for Vanity short codes"
Note
The pre-paid monthly fee is currently waived and will not be charged. Please be aware that this is a temporary measure and subject to change.
Setup fee
| Country/Region | Fee type | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Setup Fee | Charged at the time the Short Code is delivered | $3000 |
| United States | Setup Fee | Charged at the time the Short Code is delivered | $650 |
Note
Short Codes provisioning typically takes on average 8-12 weeks.
Leasing Fee
Fees for short code leasing are charged after provisioning is complete and then recur on a month-to-month basis:
| Country/Region | Number type | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Random Short Code | $1000/mo |
| United Kingdom | Random Short Code | $1600/mo |
| United States | Random Short Code | $1000/mo* |
*Extra $500/mo would be charged for Vanity short codes
Usage Fee
SMS offers pay-as-you-go pricing. The price is a per-message segment charge based on the destination of the message. Messages can be sent from a short code to phone numbers located within the specified countries or regions.
The following prices are exclusive of the required communications taxes and fees:
| Country/Region | Send Message | Receive Message |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | $0.0268 | $0.0061 |
| United Kingdom | $0.04 | $0.0075 |
| United States | $0.0075 | $0.0075 |
*See our guide on SMS character limits to learn more about message segments.
Carrier surcharge
A standard carrier surcharge is applicable to messages exchanged via short-codes. A carrier surcharge is a per-message segment* charge and is subject to change. Carrier surcharge is calculated based on the destination of the message for sent messages and based on the sender of the message for received messages. See our guide on [Carrier surcharges]
| Country/Region | Send Message | Receive Message |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | $0.0050 | NA |
| United States | $0.0025 | NA |
Important
For billing locations in the US and Puerto Rico – Azure Prepayment (previously called Monetary Commitment) funds and Azure prepaid credits are not eligible for purchasing the products. Additionally, customer spend on the products is not eligible for Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment drawdown.
For billing locations outside the US and Puerto Rico Azure Prepayment (previously called Monetary Commitment) funds and Azure prepaid credits are not eligible for purchasing the products.
The Alphanumeric sender ID service requires enabling alphanumeric sender ID through the Azure portal. Once the alphanumeric sender ID service is enabled, pay-as-you-go pricing applies to the usage fee. The usage fee is determined by the destination of the message.
Alphanumeric sender ID Pricing
Usage Fee
SMS offers pay-as-you-go pricing. The price is a per-message segment charge based on the destination of the message. Messages can be sent from an alphanumeric sender ID to phone numbers located within the destinations mentioned below.
The following prices are exclusive of the required communications taxes and fees:
| Country/Region | Send Message |
|---|---|
| Australia | $0.049 |
| Austria | $0.0932 |
| Czech Republic | $0.0490 |
| Denmark | $0.0499 |
| Estonia | $0.0845 |
| Finland | $0.0820 |
| France | $0.076 |
| Germany | $0.0895 |
| Ireland | $0.07 |
| Italy | $0.0833 |
| Lithuania | $0.041 |
| Latvia | $0.065 |
| Netherlands | $0.092 |
| Norway | $0.0620 |
| Poland | $0.041 |
| Portugal | $0.045 |
| Slovakia | $0.0650 |
| Slovenia | $0.0470 |
| Spain | $0.0833 |
| Sweden | $0.055 |
| Switzerland | $0.069 |
| United Kingdom | $0.04 |
*See our guide on SMS character limits to learn more about message segments.
Next steps
The following documents may be interesting to you:
- Familiarize yourself with one of the SMS SDKs
- Get an SMS capable phone number
- Get a short code
- Phone number types in Azure Communication Services