BulkSMS review

BulkSMS is a business messaging platform for sending SMS, RCS and WhatsApp messages. Organisations can use it for promotions, account updates, service notifications and operational alerts. The product includes a web platform and tools for managing messages, plus a REST API for connecting SMS with websites, applications and CRM platforms.

Its messaging features cover scheduled sends, one-time passwords for authentication, two-way SMS and incoming messages through long numbers. The service also supports rich, interactive RCS messages and WhatsApp for notifications, marketing and support. That gives teams several channels to work with, but the published pricing information lists prepaid prices only for USA outbound SMS. It does not specify RCS or WhatsApp rates, so teams considering those channels should confirm their costs before budgeting.

The main appeal is channel coverage: BulkSMS combines SMS with RCS and WhatsApp, while offering API access for teams that need to connect messaging to existing software. Scheduled messages can help organise sends in advance, and OTPs, incoming messages and two-way SMS cover common transactional and reply-based use cases.

The prepaid model also avoids a recurring subscription. According to the published pricing information, credits remain valid for two years, which gives buyers more time to use a bundle than a short-expiry balance would. Listed USA outbound SMS bundles are:

• 5,000 credits for $184.60
• 10,000 credits for $335.00
• Higher-volume purchases starting at $0.0321 per message

BulkSMS also provides five free test credits after mobile verification. That is enough to check basic sending before buying a bundle, though it is not a free plan or a published trial. For teams with irregular SMS needs, paying upfront without a monthly commitment may be easier to justify than a subscription—provided the channel and number fees fit the actual use case.

BulkSMS does not list recurring monthly or annual plans, and the published pricing information gives no standard starting price. Buyers need to pay upfront for credit bundles, so the $184.60 entry bundle is a meaningful initial spend. The five free test credits require mobile verification and are limited; they should not be mistaken for an ongoing free tier. Credits last two years, after which the published information does not say whether unused balances are refunded or extended.

The listed bundle prices apply to USA outbound messaging. Rates for other destinations, and pricing for RCS and WhatsApp, are not specified on the vendor's site. Incoming long numbers add another cost: setup is listed at €0–€150, or £15 in the UK, with monthly fees of €4–€180, or £6–£7.50 in the UK. Those fees are paid upfront for six- or 12-month periods depending on country. Dedicated SMS shortcodes are priced on request. That leaves several costs to confirm before comparing BulkSMS with a provider that publishes a full rate card.

BulkSMS has no recurring monthly or annual plan. According to its pricing page, US outbound messaging is sold in prepaid bundles: 5,000 credits cost $184.60, while 10,000 cost $335. That is $150.40 more for twice the credits, and the listed price per credit falls from about 3.69¢ to 3.35¢. Higher-volume purchases start at 3.21¢ per message, but the pricing page does not specify the purchase threshold for that rate. Credits remain valid for two years, so you pay upfront and need to track expiry; five test credits are available after mobile verification. There is no free plan or published free trial.

Incoming long numbers add separate costs: setup ranges from €0 to €150, or £15 in the UK, and monthly fees range from €4 to €180, or £6–£7.50 in the UK. These are paid upfront for six- or 12-month periods, depending on country. Dedicated shortcode pricing is on request. Check your destination, message volume and number requirements before comparing totals.

BulkSMS’s REST API is designed to connect SMS to websites, applications and CRM platforms, so switching in means reviewing those integrations and any workflows for scheduled messages, OTPs, two-way SMS and incoming numbers. The published materials do not document migration tools, data export formats or a step-by-step import process. Confirm what you can export from your current provider and what BulkSMS can import before moving customer records or message history.

Switching away, the main documented cost to account for is prepaid credit: it is purchased upfront and remains valid for two years. Incoming long numbers may also have fees paid upfront for six- or 12-month periods, depending on country. Ask BulkSMS what happens to unused credit and number arrangements when you leave; the published pricing information does not state. No Reddit posts were included in our published material, so we can’t substantiate a common user-reported reason for leaving. With no recurring plan, there is no monthly subscription to cancel, but upfront credits still need to be considered.