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Bulk SMS rates in Sri Lanka
e-SMS charges Rs 0.99 per SMS segment, flat. That is Rs 990 for 1,000 messages and Rs 9,900 for 10,000, with no monthly fee, no plans, no volume tiers and no credit expiry. A segment holds up to 160 characters of English text, or 70 of Sinhala or Tamil.
Everything you pay for
The full rate card. If a cost is not on this list, e-SMS does not charge it.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| SMS to Dialog, Mobitel, Hutch or Airtel | Rs 0.99 per segment |
| Monthly fee | Rs 0 |
| Setup fee | Rs 0 |
| Volume tiers | None. The same rate at any volume |
| Credit expiry | Never |
| Sender name registration | Rs 1,000 once, refunded if the name is rejected |
| Smallest credit request | 100 credits (Rs 99) |
| Sign-up bonus | 10 free credits |
What a bulk SMS campaign costs
Cost of a campaign by number of recipients, for messages that fit in one, two or three segments.
| Recipients | 1 segment | 2 segments | 3 segments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | Rs 990 | Rs 1,980 | Rs 2,970 |
| 5,000 | Rs 4,950 | Rs 9,900 | Rs 14,850 |
| 10,000 | Rs 9,900 | Rs 19,800 | Rs 29,700 |
| 50,000 | Rs 49,500 | Rs 99,000 | Rs 148,500 |
| 100,000 | Rs 99,000 | Rs 198,000 | Rs 297,000 |
Example: an OTP or order update under 160 characters sent to 10,000 customers is 10,000 segments, or Rs 9,900.
How message length sets the price
You are billed per segment, not per message. Latin text (GSM-7) holds 160 characters in a single segment and 153 in each segment once a message is split. Sinhala, Tamil and emoji switch the message to Unicode, which holds 70 and 67.
| Segments | English (GSM-7) characters | Sinhala / Tamil (Unicode) characters | Cost per recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1–160 | 1–70 | Rs 0.99 |
| 2 | 161–306 | 71–134 | Rs 1.98 |
| 3 | 307–459 | 135–201 | Rs 2.97 |
| 4 | 460–612 | 202–268 | Rs 3.96 |
The composer and the /api/v3/sms/estimate endpoint show the segment count and the
exact cost before anything is sent.
How to compare SMS API prices in Sri Lanka
A low per-message figure on a rate card is not the same as a low bill. Compare these six costs across any bulk SMS provider before you choose.
Per segment or per message?
A 200-character English message is 2 segments. Ask whether the quoted price is per segment or per message. At Rs 0.99 a segment it costs Rs 1.98 per recipient here.
Monthly fees and minimums
A plan fee or minimum spend raises the real cost of a small campaign. e-SMS has neither.
Credit expiry
Credits that lapse are money lost. e-SMS credits stay on your account until used.
Sinhala, Tamil and emoji billing
Unicode holds 70 characters per segment, not 160, so the same text can cost more. Look for a price shown before you send.
Sender name fees
Registering a brand sender name may carry a one-time charge. Here it is Rs 1,000, refunded if the name is rejected.
Failed sends
Check whether you pay for messages that never leave. Credits for a send the gateway rejects are returned to your balance automatically.
Is e-SMS the cheapest SMS API in Sri Lanka?
Prices change, so check the current rate card of any provider you are comparing rather than relying on a claim. To compare fairly, use the total cost per delivered segment, including monthly fees, minimum spend, credit expiry, sender-name fees and Unicode billing. e-SMS publishes its full price on this page: Rs 0.99 per segment, no monthly fee, no expiry.
Bulk SMS pricing FAQ
How much does e-SMS charge per SMS?
Rs 0.99 per SMS segment, flat. A message of up to 160 characters is one segment, so it costs Rs 0.99 per recipient. The rate is the same on Dialog, Mobitel, Hutch and Airtel and does not change with volume.
Are there monthly fees or a minimum spend?
No. There is no monthly fee, setup fee, plan or volume tier. You buy credits when you need them and pay only for the segments you send. The smallest credit top-up you can request is 100 credits (Rs 99).
Do credits expire?
No. Credits stay on your account until you use them, and credits from a failed send are returned automatically.
How is a Sinhala or Tamil SMS priced?
Per segment, like any other message, but a Unicode segment holds only 70 characters (67 once a message spans several segments) against 160 (153) for Latin text. A 100-character Sinhala message is 2 segments, so it costs 2 x Rs 0.99 = Rs 1.98 per recipient.
What else can raise the cost of a bulk SMS campaign?
Three things: long messages that spill into extra segments, emoji or non-Latin characters that switch a whole message to Unicode, and the one-time Rs 1,000 sender-name registration fee. The composer and the estimate endpoint show the segment count and cost before anything is sent.
Is e-SMS the cheapest SMS API in Sri Lanka?
Prices change, so check the current rate card of any provider you are comparing rather than relying on a claim. To compare fairly, use the total cost per delivered segment, including monthly fees, minimum spend, credit expiry, sender-name fees and Unicode billing. e-SMS publishes its full price on this page: Rs 0.99 per segment, no monthly fee, no expiry.
Test it with 10 free credits
No card needed. Send a message to your own phone, check the cost it reports, and see the delivery receipt come back.
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