Pricing
Pay for what you send. Nothing else.
Build free on the simulated carrier. When you go live, top up a prepaid balance and pay only for usage: no monthly fee, no minimums, no contract.
Test mode
Free
No card required
- The full API and every feature
- Simulated carrier + magic numbers
- Instant compliance, free numbers
- MCP server and SDKs
Pay as you go
Self-serveUsage-based
Prepaid credits, top up from $5
- Outbound SMS$0.012 / segment
- Inbound SMS$0.006 / segment
- Outbound MMS$0.04 / message
- Inbound MMS$0.015 / message
- Voice$0.02 / minute
- Live transcription$0.05 / minute
- Phone numbers$2.50 / month
- 10DLC registrationat cost
Scale
Custom
For embedding at volume
- Volume usage rates
- White-glove 10DLC onboarding
- Number porting
- Invoicing and net terms
- Founder-direct support
Building something ambitious? Early design partners lock in lower founding rates for life, plus white-glove onboarding and founder-direct support.
hello@handset.dev →A segment is one 160-character SMS (70 characters for messages with emoji or other Unicode); longer texts are split into multiple segments and billed per segment, the way carriers meter them. Prices are in USD. Carrier surcharges (e.g. per-message 10DLC fees) are passed through at cost and itemized. Credits never expire.
How prepaid works
Top up any amount
Add credits from $5 to $5,000 with a card. Bigger top-ups mean fewer checkouts, never a bigger commitment.
Pay as you go
Every text, minute, and number draws down your balance at the rates below. Watch it live in the console.
Never overspend
Live sending pauses at $0: no surprise invoices. We warn you before and when you run out.
Credits never expire
What you buy is yours until you use it. Cancel any time by simply not topping up.
Rate reference
Standard pay-as-you-go rates, in USD. Design partners get lower founding rates.
| Outbound SMS | $0.012 | per segment sent |
| Inbound SMS | $0.006 | per segment received |
| Outbound MMS | $0.04 | per message sent |
| Inbound MMS | $0.015 | per message received |
| Voice | $0.02 | per minute, inbound or outbound |
| Live transcription | $0.05 | per minute transcribed |
| Phone numbers | $2.50 | per number, per month |
| 10DLC brand + campaign | at cost | carrier registration fees passed through |
Segment
One 160-character SMS (70 characters for messages that include emoji or other Unicode). Longer texts are automatically split into multiple segments and billed per segment, exactly the way carriers meter them.
Minute
Voice and transcription bill per minute of connected time, rounded up. A 90-second call is 2 minutes.
MMS message
Billed per message, not per segment, one price whether it carries text, an image, or both.
10DLC at cost
US carriers charge one-time and monthly fees to register a brand and campaign (roughly $4 one-time + ~$10–$15/mo, set by The Campaign Registry and the carriers). We pass these through with no markup and itemize them.
What it costs in practice
Rough monthly estimates at standard rates. Your usage will vary, and design partners pay less.
Add texting to your SaaS
A vertical SaaS giving 25 customers their own number for two-way texting.
- 25 customer numbers$62.50
- 12,000 outbound segments$144.00
- 5,000 inbound segments$30.00
- 10DLC registration (at cost)~$12.00
≈ $249 / mo
Field-service at scale
A dispatch platform running appointment reminders and confirmations across 120 contractors.
- 120 customer numbers$300.00
- 60,000 outbound segments$720.00
- 25,000 inbound segments$150.00
- 10DLC campaigns (at cost)~$40.00
≈ $1,210 / mo
AI voice agent
An AI receptionist answering and transcribing calls for 15 clinics.
- 15 numbers$37.50
- 6,000 voice minutes$120.00
- 6,000 transcription minutes$300.00
- 3,000 outbound segments$36.00
≈ $494 / mo
Billing questions
Is there a monthly fee or minimum?
No. On pay-as-you-go you top up a prepaid balance and are billed only for usage. No base fee, no minimum spend, no contract.
Do credits expire?
Never. Whatever you top up stays on your balance until you use it.
What happens when my balance hits zero?
Live sending and calling pause so you can never run up a surprise bill. We email you before you run out and again if a send is blocked. Test mode keeps working for free. Add credits and everything resumes instantly.
Is test mode really free?
Yes. Every account gets a test key that runs against a fully simulated carrier (real webhooks, delivery receipts, voicemail, even raw call audio) at no cost and with no card. Build and rehearse failures before a real phone ever rings.
How do carrier and 10DLC fees work?
US application-to-person texting requires 10DLC registration. We handle it end to end and pass the carriers' one-time and monthly fees through at cost, itemized on your statement. Per-message carrier surcharges are passed through the same way.
Can I get an invoice instead of prepaid?
Yes, on the Scale plan. Higher-volume accounts can move to monthly invoicing with net terms and volume rates. Email hello@handset.dev.
What are design-partner rates?
Early partners lock in lower founding rates for life, plus white-glove 10DLC onboarding and founder-direct support. If you're building something ambitious, email hello@handset.dev.
Start free. Go live when you're ready.
A test key in seconds, no card required.