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TL;DR — Beyond the plan ($97/$297/$497), usage bills through a prepaid wallet: SMS per segment (~a cent or less US + carrier fees), emails (fractions of a cent), call minutes, phone number ~$1–3/mo, one-time A2P fees ~$20–50, and optional add-ons (AI features, WhatsApp, premium actions, dedicated IP). Realistic totals: light-use local business ~$110–130/mo all-in; active SMS marketer ~$150–200; that's still usually half the tool stack it replaces. Heavy broadcast SMS at scale is the one case to budget carefully.
The complete fee map
| Cost | Type | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|
| Plan (Starter/Unlimited/Pro) | Monthly | $97 / $297 / $497 |
| SMS segments (US) | Usage | ~a cent or less each + carrier fees; 160 chars = 1 segment |
| Voice minutes | Usage | Cents per minute |
| Email sends | Usage | Fractions of a cent each (~low dollars per 1k) |
| Phone number | Monthly | ~$1–3 |
| A2P 10DLC registration | One-time + small monthly | ~$20–50 (guide) |
| AI features (conversation/voice/content) | Add-on / usage | Premium — price in trial before relying on them |
| Add-on | Per sub-account monthly fee | |
| Dedicated email IP / premium actions | Add-on | Optional; most businesses never need them |
Rates change and vary by country — verify current numbers in your account's billing panel. The structure above is the stable part.
Three realistic monthly totals
- Local service business (reminders, reviews, modest email): $97 + number + light SMS/email ≈ $110–130 all-in.
- Active SMS marketer (2–4 campaigns/mo to ~2k contacts + automations): $97 + $40–80 usage ≈ $150–200.
- Agency on $297 with client rebilling: agencies mark usage up to clients through the rebilling wallet — usage becomes a margin line, not a cost.
The traps that actually inflate bills
- Segment math. A 320-character text = 2 segments = 2× cost, silently. Emojis can force UCS-2 encoding and shrink segments to 70 characters. Keep automated texts short.
- Wallet auto-recharge defaults can refill aggressively during a big campaign — set the recharge threshold consciously.
- Assuming AI is included. The AI features are the upsell; test their pricing during the trial if they're core to your plan.
- Annual-plan math done late. If you're staying, annual billing (~17% off) is the one real discount — worth more than any coupon hunt.
Verdict
The pricing is honest but two-part: flat software + metered usage. For most businesses the usage tail is $10–50/month and the total still undercuts the $200–400 stack it replaces (full pricing breakdown). The one profile that should budget carefully before committing: big lists doing heavy SMS broadcasts, where usage — not the plan — is the real bill.
See Your Real Costs in the 30-Day Trial →extended trial · watch the usage wallet with your actual volume
Frequently asked questions
What's hidden beyond $97?
Usage: SMS segments, email sends, call minutes, number rental, A2P fees, optional AI/WhatsApp add-ons.
Typical real total?
Light local use ~$110–130/mo; active SMS marketing ~$150–200.
Still cheaper than a stack?
Usually — replaced tools commonly total $200–400/mo. Heavy broadcast SMS is the exception to budget.
Biggest surprise fee?
Segment math — long texts and emojis multiply SMS cost silently.