The short answer
Vonage is billed per sms message. It has a free tier: Free developer credit, no card. The paid plans we list start at ~$0.00809 / message (US Outbound SMS).
Plans and prices
| Plan | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| US Outbound SMS | ~$0.00809 / message | Per outbound message segment from a US local virtual (long-code) number; pay-as-you-go, no platform fee. |
| US Inbound SMS | ~$0.00649 / message | Per inbound message to a US long code; some toll-free numbers receive inbound free (verify on account). |
| Number rental | From a few $ / month | US local numbers start at a few dollars monthly; toll-free numbers and short codes cost more. |
| Premium Support add-on | ~$3,300 / month | 24/7 support with SLA; optional add-ons include Audit API (~$550/mo) and Auto-redact (~$1,100/mo). |
| Volume / committed pricing | Custom (contact sales) | Discounted per-message rates for high volume are discretionary and not publicly listed. |
How Vonage bills you
The pricing model is per sms message. Ericsson-owned CPaaS (formerly Nexmo) with a mature Messages API, solid multi-language SDKs and free developer credit. Best suited to: omnichannel messages api, enterprise-backed.
What to watch for on the bill
- 24/7 premium support is a paid add-on (~$3,300/mo); lower tiers report slow, chat-routed support
- US A2P carrier surcharges and registration delays add cost and friction beyond list price
- Confusing split between legacy SMS API and Messages API, including price-display discrepancies between their logs
- Volume discounts are not public, meaningful pricing requires a sales engagement
The pricing page we read
Source: https://www.vonage.com/communications-apis/sms/pricing/. Prices change, so confirm there before you commit.
Compare Vonage with alternatives
Other sms & messaging apis: Twilio, Telnyx, Plivo, Sinch, AWS End User Messaging (SNS).
Looking at quality rather than price? See the Vonage score on APIbenchmarks. Full entry: Vonage pricing.