How much does bulk SMS cost in Uganda?
Updated
With Bulk SMS Uganda, one SMS costs between UGX 25 and UGX 40, depending on how much you top up at a time — the bigger the top-up, the lower the rate. There is no monthly subscription or setup fee, credits never expire, and new accounts get 5 free SMS credits to test with.
Price per SMS by top-up amount
Your rate is set by the size of each top-up (deposit) in UGX. The whole top-up is charged at its tier's rate:
| Tier | Top-up amount | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | up to UGX 5,000 | UGX 40 per SMS |
| Growth | UGX 5,001 - 500,000 | UGX 35 per SMS |
| Business | UGX 500,001 - 5,000,000 | UGX 30 per SMS |
| Enterprise | UGX 5,000,001 or more | UGX 25 per SMS |
Credits are calculated by dividing the top-up by its tier's price per SMS and rounding down to a whole number of credits.
How many SMS will my budget buy?
| Top-up | SMS credits you receive |
|---|---|
| UGX 5,000 | 125 SMS |
| UGX 50,000 | 1,428 SMS |
| UGX 500,000 | 14,285 SMS |
| UGX 1,000,000 | 33,333 SMS |
| UGX 10,000,000 | 400,000 SMS |
One credit sends one standard SMS (up to 160 characters of plain text) to one recipient. Sending a one-part message to 1,000 contacts uses 1,000 credits.
Are there any other fees?
- No monthly subscription and no setup fee — you only pay for the credits you buy.
- Credits never expire, so there's no pressure to use them by a deadline.
- Top up instantly with Mobile Money (MTN, Airtel) or a Visa/Mastercard card.
- Every new account gets 5 free SMS credits, no credit card required.
How to lower your cost per message
- Top up a larger amount at once to move into a cheaper tier.
- Keep messages within 160 plain-text characters so each one uses a single credit — see how SMS length affects credits.
- Avoid emoji: a single emoji switches the whole message to Unicode, where one SMS holds only 70 characters.
- Clean your contact list. When you send to a list, contacts with a missing or malformed phone number are skipped and not charged.
Related questions
Is there a monthly subscription for bulk SMS?
No. Bulk SMS Uganda is pay-as-you-go: you buy SMS credits when you need them, with no subscription and no setup fee.
Do unused SMS credits expire?
No. Purchased credits stay on your account until you use them.
What is the cheapest bulk SMS rate in Uganda?
On Bulk SMS Uganda the lowest rate is UGX 25 per SMS, which applies to top-ups in the highest tier. Smaller top-ups start at UGX 40 per SMS.
Can I try bulk SMS before paying?
Yes. Every new account receives 5 free SMS credits automatically after sign-up, with no credit card required.
Try it free with 5 SMS credits
Pay-as-you-go, credits never expire, and no credit card is needed to start.
Create a free account