A2P 10DLC Cost Calculator: SMS and MMS Fee Estimator 2026
Estimate your full A2P 10DLC cost: one-time brand fees, recurring campaign charges, and per-message carrier surcharges by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon mix.
Mix is normalized automatically if the three values do not add up to 100%.
Cost breakdown
| One-time: brand registration | $4.00 |
| One-time: campaign vetting (1 campaign) | $15.00 |
| Recurring: monthly campaign fee | $3.00/mo |
| Per-message: blended carrier surcharge ($0.00/msg × 5,000) | $12.75/mo |
Estimates based on published carrier fee schedules as of 2026. Actual pricing varies by SMS provider and aggregator markup.
What this tool does
A2P 10DLC pricing is split across three layers most calculators skip, and this tool models all three. First, one-time setup: brand registration around 4 dollars, an optional brand vetting fee around 40 dollars that raises your trust score and throughput, and campaign vetting fees per campaign around 15 dollars. Second, a recurring monthly campaign fee that varies by use case, typically 1.50 to 10 dollars per campaign per month. Third, and often the biggest line item at real volume, per-message carrier surcharges that differ by network: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon each charge their own per-segment fee, and it differs for SMS versus MMS. Enter your brand type, number of campaigns, monthly message volume, an editable carrier mix, and SMS or MMS, and the tool blends everything into a monthly and yearly estimate with a full line-item breakdown.
Who it's for
Marketing teams and agencies budgeting an A2P 10DLC program before committing to volume, and anyone trying to sanity-check an invoice from their SMS provider against what the underlying registration and carrier fees should actually cost. It is especially useful for comparing the true cost difference between running a handful of high-volume campaigns versus many small ones, since campaign vetting and monthly fees apply per campaign.
How to use it
- Select your brand type: standard EIN-registered brand or sole proprietor.
- Enter your number of registered campaigns and your expected messages per month.
- Adjust the carrier mix sliders if your audience skews toward a specific network, or leave the typical U.S. default in place.
- Toggle SMS or MMS, and toggle brand vetting on if you plan to pay for a higher trust score.
- Pick the campaign use case that best matches your recurring monthly fee tier.
- Review the one-time, recurring, and per-message breakdown, plus the total monthly and yearly estimate.
Good to know
Figures are based on published carrier fee schedules and typical aggregator pricing as of 2026, used for planning purposes only. Actual pricing varies by SMS provider, aggregator markup, specific campaign use case classification, and carrier fee changes that happen periodically without much public notice, so treat this as a directional estimate and confirm exact rates with your own provider before budgeting against it.
Frequently asked questions
Why do AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon charge different per-message fees?
Each carrier sets its own A2P messaging fee schedule independently, and historically T-Mobile has charged a noticeably higher per-message surcharge than AT&T or Verizon, especially for MMS. Because your audience is rarely on just one carrier, this calculator blends a weighted average based on your editable carrier mix rather than assuming a single flat rate.
Is brand vetting worth the extra fee?
Brand vetting typically raises your trust score with carriers, which can increase your default daily throughput and reduce filtering, so it tends to pay for itself once you are sending meaningful volume through a standard brand. For very low-volume senders it is often skippable, which is why this calculator treats it as an optional toggle rather than a fixed cost.
Does a sole proprietor brand cost less than a standard EIN brand?
The one-time and recurring fees are similar, but sole proprietor registrations come with lower default throughput limits regardless of how much you are willing to pay, which can indirectly increase cost per message if you need multiple campaigns to handle volume a single standard brand could carry. Selecting brand type in this calculator reflects that registration path, not a fee discount.
Why does my campaign use case affect the monthly fee?
Carriers charge different recurring campaign fees depending on the declared use case, with categories like low-volume mixed or standard marketing generally cheaper than higher-risk use cases that get more scrutiny. Picking the wrong use case to save on the monthly fee is also a common reason campaigns get suspended, so match it to what you actually send.
Is MMS really that much more expensive than SMS at the carrier level?
Yes, per-message MMS surcharges are typically two to three times higher than SMS across all three major carriers, on top of MMS generally costing more at the platform level due to media hosting and larger payload handling. If your message does not need an image or video, sending as SMS is usually meaningfully cheaper at any real volume.
How accurate is the yearly estimate for budgeting purposes?
It is directionally accurate for planning since it is built from current published fee schedules, but real invoices can vary based on your specific aggregator's markup, mid-year carrier fee changes, and message volume that fluctuates month to month rather than staying flat. Treat the yearly figure as a starting budget line, not a locked-in quote.