Our Bulk SMS Services in India pricing is transparent, no-surprise — published volume slabs from ₹0.40 down to ₹0.12/SMS, the same for promotional, transactional, and OTP SMS. No setup fee. DLT registration included free — a saving most competitors charge ₹3,000-5,900 for.
Quick Answer — How much does bulk SMS cost in India? ₹0.40/SMS at 5,000 SMS, falling to ₹0.12/SMS from 1 lakh SMS, plus 18% GST — the same slabs for promotional, transactional, and OTP SMS. One-time DLT registration fee (₹5,900 (including GST), paid to telecom operator) is separate — MetaReach completes DLT for free as part of onboarding, while most competitors charge ₹3,000-5,900 extra for the same service. See the full pricing plans.
People search for bulk SMS pricing in different ways. They usually mean slightly different things, so here is a straight answer to each.
| You searched for | What it means | MetaReach answer |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk SMS price / bulk SMS rate in India | The amount charged for each SMS sent | ₹0.40 down to ₹0.12 per SMS by volume, the same for promotional, transactional and OTP, GST extra |
| Bulk SMS charges | Everything you may be billed for: per-SMS rate, setup, DLT and support | Per-SMS slab rate plus GST, no setup fee, DLT support free |
| Bulk SMS cost in India | Your total spend for a campaign or a month | Volume × slab rate + GST. For example, 10,000 SMS × ₹0.30 = ₹3,000 + GST (₹3,540 total) |
| One-time DLT charge | Telecom operator's entity registration fee | ₹5,900 including GST, paid once directly to the operator — see DLT registration charges |
Use the cost calculator below to estimate your monthly bulk SMS cost, or compare providers in our SMS pricing comparison.
All prices are per SMS. GST extra. Prices are for standard delivery routes. See detailed rates on our promotional SMS and OTP SMS pages.
| SMS Type | Use Case | Price / SMS | Delivery | DND Restriction | Time Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Promotional SMS | Offers, discounts, campaigns, announcements | ₹0.40–₹0.12 | ~5–30 sec | DND numbers blocked | 9 AM – 9 PM only |
| Transactional SMS | Order confirmations, booking alerts, account updates | ₹0.40–₹0.12 | ~3–10 sec | All numbers (incl. DND) | 24 × 7 |
| OTP / High-Priority | One-time passwords, bank authentication, login codes | ₹0.40–₹0.12 | <5 sec | All numbers (incl. DND) | 24 × 7 |
| International SMS | Global campaigns (US, UK, UAE, etc.) | Custom | Varies | Destination-specific | 24 × 7 |
* Per-SMS rate depends on monthly volume: ₹0.40 (5,000+), ₹0.30 (10,000+), ₹0.20 (20,000+), ₹0.15 (50,000+), ₹0.12 (1 lakh+). GST (18%) applicable on invoice. International rates quoted on request. For a plan-by-plan breakdown, see our full pricing page.
TRAI's DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) registration is mandatory for every commercial SMS sender in India, and the telecom operator's own fee — ₹5,900 (₹5,000 + 18% GST) — is unavoidable no matter which provider you choose. Where providers differ is what they charge on top of that. Most bulk SMS companies bill a separate service fee of ₹3,000–5,900 to walk you through entity registration, header setup, and template approval. MetaReach does all of this — entity registration, sender ID/header setup, and template approval — at zero cost, as part of standard onboarding. On a first-time setup, that alone can be a bigger saving than months of per-SMS discounts.
Read the full DLT registration guide →The more you send, the lower the rate. Slabs are based on monthly volume; rates exclude 18% GST.
Transactional and OTP SMS use the same slabs. See the full pricing plans or book a free demo for a custom quote below 5,000 or above 5 lakh SMS/month.
Estimate your monthly spend — move the slider or pick a volume to see your indicative rate.
Indicative estimate only. Actual rate confirmed after volume review — DLT registration is free either way. Messages over 160 characters (70 for Unicode/Hindi) split into multiple billed segments — check yours with the free SMS character & segment counter.
How different businesses typically budget for bulk SMS, based on common usage patterns.
Order confirmations, shipping updates, cart-abandonment nudges, and festive sale blasts. A mid-size store sending ~80,000 transactional + 40,000 promotional SMS/month (1.2 lakh in total) reaches the ₹0.12/SMS slab.
Est. ₹14,400/monthAppointment reminders, report-ready alerts, and prescription refill nudges are transactional and generally not subject to promotional DND preferences when registered under the applicable non-promotional category. A multi-branch clinic chain sending ~30,000 SMS/month falls in the ₹0.20/SMS slab.
Est. ₹6,000/monthOTPs, EMI due-date alerts, and fraud notifications need <5 second delivery. High-volume OTP senders (5 lakh+/month) move to custom enterprise pricing with priority routes.
Custom enterprise rateOrder-ready alerts, delivery tracking, and weekend offer blasts. A restaurant chain sending ~15,000 promotional + 15,000 transactional SMS/month (30,000 in total) falls in the ₹0.20/SMS slab.
Est. ₹6,000/monthFee-due reminders, exam-result alerts, and admission-drive campaigns. An institute sending ~25,000 SMS/month (mixed promotional and transactional) at the ₹0.20/SMS slab budgets around ₹5,000/month.
Est. ₹5,000/monthBooking confirmations, check-in reminders, and itinerary updates need reliable 24/7 transactional delivery. A travel agency sending ~40,000 SMS/month falls in the ₹0.20/SMS slab.
Est. ₹8,000/monthEstimates are indicative and based on typical usage at the listed volumes; excl. GST and one-time DLT/template setup (free with MetaReach). Get an exact number for your business — book a free demo.
A side-by-side look at what you actually pay across common providers in India.
| Factor | MetaReach | MSG91 (typical) | Exotel (typical) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Promotional SMS (1 lakh/month) | ₹0.12/SMS | ₹0.12–0.14/SMS | ₹0.13–0.16/SMS |
| Transactional / OTP SMS (1 lakh/month) | ₹0.12/SMS | ₹0.13–0.15/SMS | ₹0.14–0.17/SMS |
| DLT registration | Free (we handle it) | ₹3,000–5,000 service fee + TRAI charge | ₹4,000–5,900 service fee + TRAI charge |
| Setup fee | ₹0 | Sometimes charged | Often charged |
| Starting volume | Slabs from 5,000 SMS; custom quote below | Plan-dependent | Plan-dependent |
| Free trial | 99 SMS free | Limited credits | Limited credits |
| Support | WhatsApp + email, dedicated | Ticket-based | Ticket-based |
Competitor figures are indicative, publicly referenced typical ranges as of 2026 and can vary by plan, negotiation, and volume commitment. Always confirm current rates directly with each provider.
Three factors drive your final cost per SMS.
Direct operator routes (Jio, Airtel, Vodafone-Idea) give faster delivery (<5 sec) and better deliverability but cost slightly more. Aggregator routes are cheaper for high-volume promotional campaigns where speed is less critical. MetaReach uses direct operator routes for all transactional and OTP traffic.
MetaReach charges by monthly volume slab: ₹0.40/SMS for 5,000–9,999 SMS, ₹0.30 for 10,000–19,999, ₹0.20 for 20,000–49,999, ₹0.15 for 50,000–99,999 and ₹0.12 for 1,00,000–5,00,000 SMS, plus 18% GST. Below 5,000 or above 5 lakh SMS, we quote individually.
Promotional, transactional, and OTP SMS all use the same volume slabs. Promotional is restricted to non-DND numbers and daytime hours, while transactional and OTP SMS use priority delivery routes and are generally not subject to promotional DND preferences when registered under the applicable non-promotional category 24/7. Choose the right type to avoid TRAI compliance violations. See promotional SMS and OTP SMS details.
MetaReach pricing is transparent. Here's what's included at no extra charge:
One additional cost not included above: The ₹5,900 (including GST) one-time DLT registration fee is paid directly to the telecom operator (not to MetaReach). This is a TRAI-mandated charge — no provider can waive it. What MetaReach waives is its own service fee for handling that registration.
Tell us your monthly volume and use case — we'll send you a firm per-SMS rate within 2 hours, plus free DLT registration. No commitment needed.
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