Key Takeaways
- Pricing-reality device-count planning means sizing connected Androids (including a charged spare), not wishing for extra radios inside a volume SKU.
- Catalog caps: Free 1, Developer 1, Starter 2, Professional 5, Business 15.
- Starter / Professional / Business uncap platform send volume; devices still meter. Developer and Free still cap SMS. Operator airtime is yours.
- Starter, Professional, and Business list Unlimited SMS as platform send volume; that is not unmetered carrier SMS. Carrier fair-use and OEM ceilings remain.
- Service pricing is based on device count and total SMS sent through the gateway. You need a working Android phone with a SIM and SMS credit from your mobile operator. Operator message costs are yours—we do not sell carrier SMS balance.
Android SMS gateway pricing reality for device-count planning is: how many phones will be paired on a Tuesday at 08:00, including the one you unplug in a drill. Volume SKUs do not sprout radios. Operator credit does not come from us.
Service pricing is based on device count and total SMS sent through the gateway. Numbers from pricing— keep them in sync with the catalog, not a blog memory.
If the spare is not a connected device, it is not in the plan and it is not failover.
Devices are the meter
Free: 1 device, 300 SMS lifetime. Developer: 1 device, $50/year with a published SMS cap. Starter $19 / 2 devices. Professional $39 / 5. Business $77 / 15. Starter, Professional, and Business include unlimited platform send volume; they do not uncap carrier fair-use or hand you extra SIMs. You need a working Android phone with a SIM and SMS credit from your mobile operator. Operator message costs are yours—we do not sell carrier SMS balance.
Plan caps vs a real fleet
| Job | Handsets (min) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lab / Free | 1 | Prove pairing; not launch week |
| OTP only | 1 + spare | Needs Starter (2) once you pair the spare |
| OTP + receipts | 2 + spare | Isolation; Professional if you also promo |
| OTP + ops + promo + spare | 4+ | Professional 5 or Business 15 |
| Peak-hour blast + OTP | Peak radios + OTP pool | Do not share; size for the spike |
Count the spare
Failover that is not paired does not consume a slot and does not send. Failover setup.
OTP, ops, promo each want a radio
That is three jobs before a spare. Starter’s two slots cover OTP + spare or OTP + receipts — not all four. OTP.
Volume is not extra phones
Platform send volume on Starter/Pro/Business is not a device grant. Raising OEM rate ceilings still meets carrier fair-use. Compare honestly to aggregators on Twilio vs Android.
Checklist
- Write Tuesday 08:00 device list, including spare.
- Map list to a catalog cap.
- OTP not on the promo id.
- Airtime per SIM, not blended into the gateway fee.
- Free/Developer SMS caps respected for canaries.
- No “unlimited SMS” title on the plan-of-record doc.
Next steps
Count docks, pick the cap on pricing, pair via downloads.
Related product pages
Jump to the live product docs for this topic—not another long-form article.
- device and SMS volume pricingPlans and allowances
- Android SMS gateway product guideDefinition, product, and how to buy
- SMS API documentationLive endpoint reference
- download the Android gateway appGet the APK
