Twilio SMS marketing without writing code
What Twilio can and can’t do on its own, what it costs, and the no-code ways to send campaigns from your own Twilio account.
We make TextScaleHQ, one of the tools in this guide. Twilio facts come from Twilio’s own docs and price list, checked October 21, 2026, with links.
Key takeaways
- Twilio has no way to send to a list without code: each text is its own API request.
- Its earlier bulk options are gone: Notify ended December 31, 2025 and Engage Premier’s SMS campaigns on December 15, 2025.
- Twilio charges $0.0083 a text plus a carrier fee of about $0.003 to $0.005, and $1.15 or $2.15 a month for a number.
- To send campaigns without code, connect a tool to your Twilio account. Twilio keeps billing you directly, at its own price.
Can you send campaigns in Twilio alone?
Not without code. Twilio’s own help center says each new text has to be sent with a separate API request, so sending to a list means a program that loops through your numbers. Here is what each Twilio tool does.
| Twilio tool | What it does | Sends to a list without code? |
|---|---|---|
| Console “Send an SMS” | A test page. On a trial you pick from ready-made message bodies. | No |
| Messaging Services | Groups your numbers and settings, like opt-out replies. You set it up in the Console. | No. Sending still goes through the API. |
| Scheduling | Sends a message at a set time, 15 minutes to 35 days ahead. | No. API only. |
| Studio | A drag-and-drop flow builder. The first 1,000 runs a month are free, then $0.0025 each. | No. A flow that texts first starts with one API call per contact. |
| Notify | Twilio’s old one-call bulk sender. | Ended December 31, 2025 |
| Engage Premier | Segment’s SMS campaign product. | Ended December 15, 2025 |
| Marketing Campaigns | SendGrid’s email marketing. | Email only |
Sending to a list, Scheduling, Studio, Studio pricing, Notify end of life, Engage Premier end of life, Marketing Campaigns
What Twilio costs
Twilio charges per text, plus a carrier fee it passes through without markup, plus a monthly number. The per-text price is $0.0083 up to 150,000 texts a month, with lower rates above that.
| What | Twilio list price |
|---|---|
| Each text (SMS) | $0.0083 per part up to 150,000 a month, on local and toll-free numbers |
| Each picture message (MMS) | $0.022 |
| Carrier fees per text | About $0.003 to $0.005, depending on the carrier |
| Local number | $1.15 a month |
| Toll-free number | $2.15 a month |
| Failed message | $0.001 |
For 2,000 texts a month on a toll-free number that comes to about $16.60 for the texts, about $6 to $10 in carrier fees and $2.15 for the number: about $25 to $29 before any software. Our SMS cost guide compares that with all-in platforms.
Before your first text
- A paid account
- A trial account can only text up to 5 verified numbers, using Twilio’s ready-made messages. Registration needs a paid account. Trial limits
- Toll-free verification
- A toll-free number can’t text the US or Canada until its verification is approved. You file it in the Console. Our step-by-step guide covers what to put in it. Toll-free onboarding
- Or 10DLC registration
- Local numbers need a registered brand and campaign. Unregistered traffic has been blocked since September 1, 2023 (error 30034). Brand registration is $4.50 for sole proprietors and low-volume brands, $46 for standard brands. 10DLC or toll-free? compares the two. Blocking notice, 10DLC fees
The rules for marketing texts
Twilio’s messaging policy applies whatever tool you use:
- Get express written consent before sending promotions, and keep proof of it.
- Never use bought, rented or shared lists.
- Name your business in every text.
- Make opting out one step, and include “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” in the first message.
- Never text someone again after they opt out. A text they send you isn’t consent for marketing.
Twilio answers STOP, START and HELP for you on local and toll-free numbers, and blocks further texts to anyone who opted out (error 21610). For quiet hours, its Compliance Toolkit setting, in beta, can hold non-essential texts back during federal quiet hours and those of selected states.
Messaging policy, Opt-out keywords, Compliance Toolkit, State quiet hours
Your no-code options
A developer writes the sending loop, the sign-up form, opt-out handling and scheduling. Cheapest to run, slowest to start.
You keep your Twilio account and number; a tool adds campaigns on top. Twilio still bills you directly for each text.
SimpleTexting, EZ Texting and SlickText supply the number themselves and sell texts as credits. Nothing to connect, higher price per text.
At 2,000 texts a month, credit platforms come to about $84 to $90; Twilio plus a flat-fee tool, about $56.
Tools that run on your own Twilio
| Tool on your own Twilio | How it charges | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| TextScaleHQ | Flat $29, $59 or $199 a month | Built for campaigns to lists, several businesses per account |
| Textmagic BYOC | 1¢ per message part on top of Twilio | Adds a shared inbox; works with Vonage, Sinch and Bandwidth too |
| Salesmsg | A per-message fee it doesn’t publish | Must be set up when you sign up; built for one-to-one sales texting |
Textmagic and Salesmsg details from their own sites; see our comparisons with Textmagic and Salesmsg.
Setting it up, step by step
- Upgrade your Twilio account
Add a payment method so you can buy a number and register it.
- Get a toll-free number
Buy one in Twilio, or in TextScaleHQ, which shows the price before you buy.
- Connect the account
Copy your Account SID and Auth Token from the Twilio Console into the tool. Anyone with both has full access to your account, so only paste them into tools you trust.
- File toll-free verification
In TextScaleHQ you fill it in on the dashboard and we file it with Twilio; any rejection comes back in plain words.
- Collect consent
Put up a sign-up form, a QR code or a keyword, or import people who already agreed to texts.
- Schedule your first campaign
Once the number is verified, write the text, check the cost and schedule it.
If you change your Auth Token in Twilio, update it in every connected tool, or they stop sending. Auth Tokens
Questions
Can I send bulk SMS from the Twilio Console?
No. The Console’s Send an SMS page is a test tool. Twilio sends each text with its own API request, so sending to a list takes code or a tool that does it for you.
Can Twilio Studio send a campaign?
Not by itself. Studio builds flows without code, but a flow that texts someone first has to be started with an API call for each contact.
How much does Twilio charge per text?
$0.0083 per part for SMS on local and toll-free numbers, plus a carrier fee of about $0.003 to $0.005 depending on the carrier, as of October 2026.
Do I need 10DLC registration or toll-free verification?
One of them. Local numbers need A2P 10DLC registration and toll-free numbers need toll-free verification before they can text US numbers.
Does Twilio handle STOP replies?
Yes, on local and toll-free numbers by default. It replies, stops further texts to that person, and starts again if they text START.
If I use a tool on my Twilio, who owns the number?
You do. The number is bought in your Twilio account and stays there if you stop using the tool.
SimpleTexting, EZ Texting, SlickText, Textmagic, Salesmsg, Textedly, ClickSend, Twilio and Vonage are trademarks of their owners. TextScaleHQ isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
