SimplyRCS sends RCS business messages in the US at $0.0039 per text segment and $0.0150 per card or media message, files the Google and carrier verification for you, and falls back to SMS or MMS automatically. See the rates or book a meeting to see it on your phone.
RCS vs SMS vs MMS for business
| RCS business messaging | SMS | MMS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who the customer sees | Your verified name, logo and checkmark | A phone number or short code | A phone number or short code |
| What a message can hold | Text, images, video, cards, carousels, buttons | Plain text, 160 characters per segment | An image or short video, compressed by the carrier |
| What the customer can do | Tap buttons and suggested replies, or type | Type a reply | Type a reply |
| What you can measure | Delivery, reads, taps and replies | Delivery | Delivery |
| Reach in the US | Modern Android phones and iPhones on iOS 18 or later; the rest get the SMS or MMS version | Every mobile phone | Nearly every mobile phone |
| Cost on SimplyRCS | $0.0039 a text segment, $0.0150 a card or media message | $0.0039 a segment | $0.0150 a message |
Carrier fees are added at cost on every channel; they are listed carrier by carrier on US RCS and SMS carrier fees.
How the business gets verified
A business does not send RCS from an ordinary phone. It registers an RCS sender, sometimes called an agent: the brand name, logo, colors and contact details customers will see. Google verifies that the brand is who it says it is, the US carriers (AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile) approve the sender for its stated use, and the sender goes through Aegis vetting. On SimplyRCS the team files all of it for you, along with the 10DLC registration for the SMS fallback, and targets a first verified US send in two to four weeks. Setup and review is a one-time $250 per sender; Aegis vetting ($200 a year) and T-Mobile activation ($500 one-time) are passed through at cost.
What it costs
On SimplyRCS an RCS text segment costs the same as an SMS, $0.0039, and any card, carousel or media message costs $0.0150, the same as an MMS, with no monthly platform fee. The pricing page has every rate, and how much RCS costs compares providers. For the Google side of the program, see Google RCS Business Messaging explained.
- RCS business messages arrive in the phone's built-in messaging app under a verified brand name, logo and checkmark.
- They can carry images, video, cards, carousels and buttons, and report reads and taps.
- Phones that cannot receive RCS get the same message as SMS or MMS.
- A business needs a verified RCS sender, approved by Google and the US carriers, before it can send.