Before choosing an SMS provider, it helps to understand how SMS works inside the platform as a whole. The provider only handles delivery. Sender selection, credits, and campaign behavior are controlled by the platform logic around it.
This guide is the shared foundation for all SMS provider setup guides that follow.
What SMS providers are used for
SMS providers are used for review request campaigns sent by text message. When a customer or campaign automation sends an SMS review request, that message goes through the SMS provider connected to the relevant account setup.
The 3-tier sender system
From the agency point of view, SMS routing involves two separate decisions: which provider carries the message, and which sender identity is used inside that provider.
- Provider selection runs: (1) the customer's own connected SMS provider, (2) the provider assigned to that organization, (3) the agency default provider
- Separately, the sender used inside the chosen provider runs: (1) a contact-list level sender override, (2) the organization-level sender override, (3) the provider's own default sender
The practical takeaway is simple: one provider can still support different businesses with different sender identities without forcing the agency to create a separate provider every time.
Assigning organizations to SMS providers
Once an SMS provider is set up, you can assign specific customer organizations to it and configure the sender identity they should use. This is how the 3-tier sender system becomes useful in real agency operations.
From the SMS providers list, open the provider, go to the organizations area, and add the customer organization you want to tie to that provider.
- Phone-number-based providers use an organization-specific phone number where appropriate
- Sender-name-based providers use an organization-specific sender name where appropriate
- Providers that support both let you choose the most sensible sender identity for that business
In practice, this lets one agency-wide provider support multiple customer businesses cleanly without every client needing a totally separate provider account.
How SMS credits work
SMS credits are consumed by message segment, not simply by message count. A standard SMS can hold 160 standard characters in one segment. Longer messages split into multiple segments, and each segment costs another credit.
If the message contains special character sets such as emoji or certain non-standard characters, the segment size drops and the total credit cost can rise faster than expected.
- Standard multi-part messages use 153 characters per segment
- Special-character multi-part messages use 67 characters per segment
- The platform sanitises some punctuation styles so messages do not become more expensive unnecessarily
| Message example | Credit cost |
|---|---|
| 140 standard characters | 1 credit |
| 200 standard characters | 2 credits |
| 400 standard characters | 3 credits |
| MMS with image | Text segment cost plus 1 extra credit |
MMS support
MMS adds image support to the review request, but it also adds to the credit cost. Not every SMS provider supports MMS in the platform.
- Twilio, TextGrid and SignalHouse support MMS
- All other SMS providers in the platform are SMS-only
Which provider direction usually makes sense
| Customer location | Recommended direction | Why |
|---|---|---|
| United States or Canada | SignalHouse (recommended), then Twilio or TextGrid | Best alignment with carrier requirements and local messaging expectations |
| Europe or United Kingdom | Brevo or GatewayAPI | Strong coverage and support for sender IDs in European markets |
| Australia or New Zealand | Kudosity | Local relevance and regional coverage advantages |
| Global or mixed footprint | Twilio | Broad international coverage and predictable reach |
Full provider comparison
This table covers the most common providers — the `Add SMS Provider` modal lists around 14 in total.
| Feature | Twilio | TextGrid | SignalHouse | Brevo | GatewayAPI | Kudosity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended for | US and Canada, global reach | US and Canada budget use | US 10DLC with the fastest brand and campaign approval | Europe and UK | Europe with strong cost focus | Australia and New Zealand |
| Setup style | Short guided flow | Short guided flow | Guided in-app registration | Full wizard | Full wizard | Full wizard |
| Credentials needed | SID, Auth Token, phone number | SID, Auth Token, phone number | Connected through a guided in-app registration (no API keys to paste) | API key and sender name | API token and sender identity | API key and sender identity |
| Sender options | Phone number or sender name | Phone number | US 10DLC local numbers chosen in the wizard | Sender name | Phone number or sender name | Phone number, short code, or sender name |
| MMS support in platform | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Best price region | Global breadth more than cheapest local pricing | US and Canada | United States | Europe | Europe | Australia |
What to read next
Use this guide as the overview, then move into the specific provider setup guide that matches where your customers are located and how much operational control you need. For North America, start with SignalHouse, then Twilio or TextGrid. For Europe, Brevo SMS and GatewayAPI are the natural next guides. For Australia and New Zealand, start with Kudosity.