How much does ClickSend SMS API cost? (2026 guide)

TL;DR

ClickSend uses pay-as-you-go credit top-ups with no monthly subscription. You buy credits and spend them on SMS, MMS, or direct mail. Rates drop as your top-up amount increases. The four tiers start at $20 (Boost), $500 (Growth), $3,000 (Scale), and $10,000 (Enterprise). US SMS pricing is dynamic and displayed via the ClickSend pricing calculator. MMS pricing is separate. Voice, email, and fax are no longer available to new customers.

Introduction

ClickSend is an Australian communications platform built for businesses that need more than SMS. At its peak it covered SMS, MMS, email, voice, fax, and physical direct mail, all through a single API. That breadth made it popular with operations teams who wanted one vendor for every channel.

Today, the platform has narrowed. ClickSend is now focused almost entirely on SMS and MMS. Voice, email, and fax are no longer open to new customers. Direct mail (Post) is also discontinued for new signups. If you already use those channels on an existing account, nothing changes. If you are new, SMS and MMS are your options.

The rest of this article breaks down exactly what ClickSend costs, what affects your bill, what surprises to watch for, and how it stacks up against Twilio, Bird, and Plivo.

ClickSend pricing overview

ClickSend charges by credit top-up. You prepay for credits, and each outbound message draws from your balance. There is no monthly fee, no per-seat charge, and no contract.

The platform has four named tiers based on top-up size:

Exact per-message rates depend on the destination country and your chosen top-up tier. ClickSend does not publish a fixed global rate. Instead, you use the pricing calculator on their website and select your country to see actual rates. US domestic SMS rates follow this tiered model.

For high volumes, ClickSend offers custom bulk pricing. You contact their sales team for a quote.

Inbound SMS is always free across all plans.

Pricing breakdown: SMS, MMS, email, direct mail, voice, fax

SMS

SMS pricing is country-specific and tier-specific. ClickSend's calculator on the pricing page shows per-message cost when you select a country and move the volume slider. The four tiers give progressively lower per-message rates.

US domestic outbound SMS sits in a competitive range with other A2P platforms. Carrier fees apply on top of ClickSend's rate for toll-free numbers (TFN), 10DLC numbers, and shortcodes. ClickSend charges a flat average carrier fee on US traffic to simplify billing rather than passing through variable carrier surcharges.

Inbound messages are free.

MMS

MMS is available and priced separately from SMS. Like SMS, the per-MMS rate depends on the destination country and your top-up tier. MMS supports images, animations, and audio files. Not all countries have MMS pricing set up yet; ClickSend notes this on its pricing page and directs you to contact support.

Email

Email is no longer available to new ClickSend customers. The platform has sunset this channel and redirects new signups to Mailgun for email needs. Existing customers on email plans are not affected.

Direct mail (Post)

Physical direct mail is no longer available to new ClickSend customers. Letters and postcards could previously be sent via the API at per-piece pricing including printing and postage. This channel has been discontinued for new accounts. Existing users retain access.

Voice (text-to-speech)

Voice is no longer available to new customers. ClickSend's pricing page states they are "all-in on SMS now." Existing voice customers keep their access. New customers needing voice are directed elsewhere.

Fax

Fax has been retired for new customers. ClickSend has closed fax for all new signups. Existing fax users can continue. New customers needing fax API are directed to Sinch's fax API.

Summary of what is available to new signups

What affects your ClickSend bill

Top-up tier

The single biggest cost lever is your top-up size. Moving from a $20 Boost top-up to a $10,000 Enterprise top-up gives roughly 21% better rates. If you send at volume, committing more credit upfront directly lowers your per-message cost.

Destination country

ClickSend sends to countries worldwide, and rates vary significantly by destination. Domestic US SMS costs less than international routes to developing markets. Always check the pricing calculator for the specific countries you target.

Number type

The type of sender you use in the US affects your total cost. ClickSend supports dedicated numbers, toll-free numbers (TFN), 10DLC registered numbers, and shortcodes. Each carries different carrier surcharges. Carrier fees for US SMS apply on top of ClickSend's own per-message rate.

Message length

A standard SMS carries 160 characters. Messages longer than 160 characters are split into segments and billed per segment. Unicode characters (emojis, accented characters, non-Latin scripts) reduce the per-message character limit to 70 characters. One long message can quickly become two or three billable segments.

MMS vs SMS

MMS costs more per message than SMS. If you are adding images to increase engagement, factor in the higher MMS rate.

Hidden costs

Carrier surcharges on US numbers

ClickSend charges a flat average carrier fee on US TFN, 10DLC, and shortcode traffic. This fee is on top of your per-message credit cost. The flat rate simplifies billing but does mean you pay a carrier fee regardless of which carrier delivers the message. Check the current fee on their pricing page.

10DLC registration

To send A2P SMS to US recipients via 10DLC numbers, you must register your brand and campaign with The Campaign Registry (TCR). ClickSend processes these registrations. There are typically fees for brand registration and campaign registration. These are one-time setup costs, not per-message, but they add to your initial outlay.

Number rental

Dedicated long code numbers and toll-free numbers have monthly rental fees. Shortcodes carry higher monthly fees. These fees appear separately from your per-message credits.

Inactivity and credit expiry

ClickSend credits do not expire if your account is active, but review their terms on credit expiry tied to account inactivity. Dormant accounts can lose prepaid balances.

Support tiers

ClickSend includes 24/7 support in every top-up. Phone and priority support are available at higher tiers or through custom enterprise agreements.

ClickSend vs alternatives

ClickSend's main draw was its multi-channel breadth. With email, voice, fax, and mail now closed to new users, that advantage no longer applies for most teams. On price alone, Bird offers lower US SMS rates. Twilio has more extensive developer tooling. Plivo is competitive on price with broader voice coverage.

Where ClickSend still wins is simplicity. The credit model is easy to understand and predictable. Unlimited users and no seat fees also help smaller teams.

How to get started for free

ClickSend offers a free trial without requiring a credit card at signup. The trial gives you a small credit balance to test outbound messaging.

Steps to get started:

1. Go to clicksend.com and click "Free trial."
2. Create an account with your email address.
3. Verify your account.
4. Access the dashboard. You'll find your API username and API key under the account settings.
5. Send a test message through the dashboard or via API.

The ClickSend REST API documentation lives at developers.clicksend.com. Authentication uses HTTP Basic Auth with your username and API key.

How to test your ClickSend SMS integration with Apidog

Once you have your ClickSend API credentials, use Apidog to test your integration before writing production code.

Here is how:

1. Create a new request in Apidog

Open Apidog, create a new project, and add a POST request. Set the URL to:

https://rest.clicksend.com/v3/sms/send

2. Set up authentication

ClickSend uses HTTP Basic Auth. In Apidog, go to the Authorization tab, select Basic Auth, and enter your ClickSend username and API key.

3. Add the request body

Switch to the Body tab, select JSON, and enter:

{
  "messages": [
    {
      "body": "Hello from Apidog test",
      "to": "+1234567890",
      "source": "sdk"
    }
  ]
}

4. Send and inspect the response

Click Send. Apidog shows you the full HTTP response including status code, headers, and body. A successful send returns HTTP 200 with a response containing a queued status per message.

5. Build a test scenario

In Apidog's Tests module, create a test scenario that chains multiple requests: authenticate, send an SMS, then check delivery status via the message status endpoint. Apidog lets you extract response values like message_id and pass them automatically into the next request using the {{$.stepId.response.body.field}} syntax.

This approach catches integration issues before they reach production. You can also use Apidog's assertion processor to validate that every response meets your expected schema without writing assertions manually.

Conclusion

ClickSend is a straightforward pay-as-you-go SMS platform. No monthly fees, no seat costs, and 24/7 support included. Rates improve with larger top-ups, and the free trial lets you test before committing.

For teams that need reliable SMS at volume with a simple pricing model, ClickSend is worth testing. Use Apidog to validate your integration quickly, then scale with confidence.

FAQ

How much does ClickSend SMS cost per message in the US?

ClickSend does not publish a fixed US rate. Rates depend on your top-up tier. Use the pricing calculator at clicksend.com/pricing and select United States to see the current per-message rate for each tier.

Does ClickSend charge a monthly fee?

No. ClickSend is purely pay-as-you-go. You buy credits and spend them. There is no subscription fee, no monthly minimum, and no per-seat charge.

Are inbound SMS messages free with ClickSend?

Yes. Inbound messages are always free on ClickSend.

Does ClickSend still offer email, voice, and fax?

Not for new customers. ClickSend has sunset email, voice, fax, and direct mail for new signups. Existing customers on those channels retain access.

What is the minimum top-up on ClickSend?

The minimum top-up on the Boost tier is $20.

Does ClickSend support 10DLC for US SMS?

Yes. ClickSend supports 10DLC, toll-free numbers, and shortcodes for US A2P SMS. Brand and campaign registration fees apply through The Campaign Registry.

How does ClickSend compare to Twilio on price?

ClickSend and Twilio are both competitive for US SMS. ClickSend's credit model with tiered discounts can be cheaper at high volumes. Twilio offers more extensive developer tooling, a larger ecosystem, and more channels. The right choice depends on your volume, technical requirements, and the channels you need.