2,000 texts a month to South Africa
| Twilio | DroidSender | |
|---|---|---|
| Price of the texts | $271.00 ($0.1355 each) | $11.99/month (Starter) + your mobile plan |
| Phone number | A South African mobile number costs $4 a month | The number you already have |
| Registration | See the rules below | None |
| Replies | Depend on the sender | In your inbox, same conversation |
What it takes to send business SMS in South Africa
- No brand names. Alphanumeric sender IDs are not available in South Africa: providers like BulkSMS and Clickatell replace every sender with one of their local numbers.
- Marketing hours. According to Twilio's guidelines, marketing SMS is not allowed on Sundays and public holidays, on Saturdays before 09:00 or after 13:00, or on other days between 20:00 and 08:00, unless the customer agreed.
- International senders are replaced by a random local number outside Twilio.
Sending from your own SIM in South Africa
South African contracts with unlimited texts include MTN SuperFlex (from R329 a month).
- Characters: English and Afrikaans fit in a normal 160-character SMS.
- Number format: South African mobile numbers have 10 digits starting with 06, 07 or 08, or +27 in international format.
- How it works: install the DroidSender app on an Android phone, upload your list from Excel or use the API, and the phone sends each text from your number. Replies arrive in one inbox on your computer.
See the price in every country on the Twilio SMS pricing by country page.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an SMS cost in South Africa on Twilio?
- Twilio's base price is $0.1355 per SMS segment to South African mobiles (October 2026), so 2,000 texts cost $271.
- Can I send SMS with my company name in South Africa?
- No. Sender IDs are not available in South Africa; providers send from their own local numbers. With DroidSender the texts come from your own number, which your customers already know.
- When can I send marketing SMS in South Africa?
- According to Twilio's guidelines, not on Sundays or public holidays, not on Saturdays before 09:00 or after 13:00, and not between 20:00 and 08:00 on other days, unless the customer agreed.
Sources: Twilio prices from twilio.com (SMS pricing and country guidelines), local providers from their own websites, mobile plans from the operators' websites. Checked 13–14 October 2026. Prices change, so check before you decide. Twilio is a trademark of Twilio Inc.; DroidSender is not affiliated with Twilio or the providers named here.