Pricing overview
Welcome to OpenPhone’s simple and transparent API pricing structure.
Our pricing philosophy
At OpenPhone, we believe in transparent and fair pricing. Sometimes it can be hard to understand the true cost of something when it’s buried in the fine print. We are committed to helping you clearly understand and manage your costs when using our platform.
Core pricing model
Our pricing is based on message segments, making it easy to calculate costs:
Local (US and Canada) SMS
$0.01 per segment
International SMS
$0.01 + country-specific rate per segment
Rates vary by destination country
For detailed international rates by country, see our International Pricing Guide.
Understanding message segments
A message segment is our basic billing unit. Learn more below:
Segment length
Segment length
Each segment can contain up to 160 standard characters (letters, numbers, spaces, basic punctuation)
Special characters
Special characters
Messages with special characters (é, ñ, emoji) have a 70 character limit per segment
Long messages
Long messages
Messages longer than one segment are automatically split and billed as multiple segments
Segment calculator
Segment calculator
Use our recommended Segment Calculator to estimate message costs
API message types
You’re only charged for outgoing API-powered messages, which include:
Direct API Usage
Messages sent through direct API calls
Integration Messages
Messages sent via applications built with our API
How our billing works
We use a credit-based system for all API messaging charges:
Purchase credits
Add funds to your account through the “Plans & Billing” tab
Automatic deduction
Credits are automatically deducted when messages are sent
Credit management
Monitor your balance and enable auto-recharge to prevent service interruptions
Important service notes
Requirements & limitations
- An active OpenPhone subscription is required for API access.
- MMS is not supported in the current API version.
- Partial credits cannot be used for sending messages; the API will return an error.
If your credit balance is insufficient for a message’s full cost, the API will return an error and the message won’t be sent.