Conversations on a short code.

Two-way SMS lets people text a short code (a five digit number) and get replies from the same number. Messages they send are delivered to your backend in real time over a signed webhook, and you reply with one API call - for surveys, marketing opt-ins and customer support.

A dedicated short code solely belongs to you, so every message sent to it is yours. A shared short code is used by multiple businesses and messages are routed by a keyword - the first word of the message, for example JOIN. Shared is faster and cheaper to launch; dedicated suits high volume and long-term programmes.

On a standard rated short code the end user pays their normal SMS rate to send a message and receives replies free. On a toll free short code the end user pays nothing; the owner of the code pays for all SMS sent and received on it.

Pricing is per country in USD: a one-time setup fee, a monthly maintenance fee (VAT inclusive), and a price per incoming and per outgoing SMS. Per-SMS prices follow the country's Basic SMS rate - the USD price shown as Basic on our pricing page - unless a custom two-way price is set for that country. In Nigeria, for example, it is USD 100 setup, USD 50 per month, and incoming and outgoing SMS at Nigeria's Basic SMS rate (currently USD 0.0069 per SMS) on MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9mobile.

No - two-way replies are sent from your short code. If you also send one-way SMS with a branded Sender ID, a registration fee applies per country: USD 150 one-time covering all networks in Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana, Somalia and Tanzania; per-network fees in Kenya and Uganda; confirmed during onboarding elsewhere. Sender ID fees are charged only when the request is approved.

Requesting a short code is free. The setup fee and the first monthly fee are charged from your eSMS wallet only when your request is approved - nothing is charged if it is rejected. The monthly fee then renews every 30 days, and incoming and outgoing SMS are billed as they happen.

We never drop a customer's message. Incoming messages are still stored and flagged unbilled, and you are notified. If a monthly fee cannot be charged the service is marked past due and retried daily; after 7 days forwarding to your webhook pauses until you top up, while messages keep being stored.

Your company or business information and KYC documents - typically a business registration certificate, tax registration, an ID for a director or authorised signatory and an authorisation letter. Final requirements depend on the number configuration and on each network's rules in that country.

Set a webhook URL on your service. Every inbound message is posted as a signed message.inbound event with a two_way block (service, number, keyword, type, toll free), retried after 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 hours and 8 hours if your endpoint fails. Reply with POST /api/two-way/services/{id}/reply and the SMS is sent from your short code.

eSMS Two-Way SMS is offered across all 54 African countries, with prices and the networks served listed per country in the table on this page. Toll free short codes are available where networks support them.