Lifetime license vs per-message pricing
Enter your monthly volume and a cloud per-message rate. The calculator compares cumulative cost over one, three and five years against a lifetime license. Every default has a source, and every assumption is listed below the form.
What this calculator compares
Two ways to pay for sending SMS. A cloud platform charges per message segment, every month, forever. SMS Deliverer charges once for a lifetime license; after that, messages cost whatever your SIM plan costs. Neither model is always cheaper — the answer depends on volume, which is why every input is yours to change.
| Horizon | Cloud (cumulative) | Lifetime license (cumulative) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | $464 | $449 | License cheaper by $15 |
| 3 years | $1,391 | $809 | License cheaper by $582 |
| 5 years | $2,319 | $1,109 | License cheaper by $1,210 |
Over five years the one-time license is $1,210 cheaper under these assumptions.
Break-even: 61,408 messages, reached after about 20.5 months at this volume.
Prices captured 2026-11-04. Cloud rates change month to month; these figures are indicative, so check your provider's current quote before deciding.
Assumptions behind these numbers
- Modem hardware is included at $90, spread over three years, with a replacement every three years. A Windows PC and electricity are excluded because the machine usually runs anyway (a USB modem draws about 2.5 W).
- SIM plan is zero by default; enter your real monthly cost to add it to the local column.
- Maintenance time is included at $12.50 a month (30 minutes at $25/hour). The cloud side assumes no operations time.
- Cloud extras are now included: one rented number at $1.15 a month and optional 10DLC fees. Carrier fees are already inside the per-message rate.
- Taxes are excluded on both sides. Cloud billing counts segments: a long message is billed as several segments (153–160 characters each).
- License coverage: one license covers one computer. Multi-site deployments need one license per machine, or a heavier server product — see the NowSMS comparison.
Reading the result
Below the break-even volume, the cloud wins on cost and there is no hardware to buy — for a few hundred messages a month, a cloud account is the rational choice. Above it, the license pulls ahead and the gap widens every month. Cost is only one axis, though: data location, offline operation and sender identity often matter more than the invoice. Those are compared on the on-premise vs cloud page.
Questions about the cost model
Where do the default prices come from?
From public US A2P rates captured on 2026-11-04, with carrier fees included: Twilio $0.0125, Plivo $0.0122, Sinch $0.0123, Bird $0.0080 and Alibaba Cloud International $0.0086 per segment. The form uses the typical tier ($0.0125) and also shows conservative ($0.0130) and optimistic ($0.0075) tiers. Your quote depends on country and volume, which is why the field is editable.
Why is the SIM plan cost set to zero?
Because most buyers of an on-premise gateway already pay for the SIM cards they use. If you would buy a SIM plan only for sending, enter its monthly cost and the calculator adds it to the license column.
Does the cloud price include all fees?
Carrier fees are inside the per-message rate. Number rental ($1.15 a month for a US long code) is a separate field, and US 10DLC registration and campaign fees are an optional checkbox (brand registration $4–44 once, campaign vetting $15 once, $1.5–10 a month). Tax is the only item left out.
What is the break-even point with the default values?
About 61,400 messages over three years: the license, modem and maintenance outlay minus the cloud's fixed number rental, divided by the $0.0125 all-in rate. At 3,000 messages a month that point arrives in roughly 20.5 months; below that volume, the cloud option costs less.
Does the license really cover unlimited messages?
The license puts no cap on message count. The practical limits are your SIM plan, carrier throttling and the modem itself — see the modem compatibility library for realistic throughput.