Any comparison of MSG91 vs UDO SMS pricing is written by one of the two providers. This one is written by UDO. That is worth knowing before you read a word of it.
So here is what makes it checkable rather than merely confident. MSG91 publishes its full rate card publicly, and so do we. Every figure below links back to the page it came from, and you can verify each one in about a minute.
The short version: we are cheaper at every published tier, but by less than most comparison pages would have you believe. At negotiated enterprise rates the difference can disappear entirely.
MSG91 prices SMS in volume slabs, from ₹0.25 per SMS at 5,000 messages down to ₹0.16 at roughly 9.6 lakh, with lower negotiated rates on request. UDO charges a flat ₹0.13 per SMS at every volume, with no setup fee and no monthly subscription. At 1 lakh SMS a month that is about ₹13,000 against roughly ₹17,000 — a saving of around 23%. Both exclude 18% GST.
- UDO is cheaper at every published tier — roughly 48% at 10,000 SMS, 23% at 1 lakh, 19% near 9.6 lakh.
- MSG91's published rate falls as you grow. Quoting its ₹0.25 entry rate against enterprise volume, as many comparisons do, overstates the gap by more than double.
- MSG91 negotiates down to ₹0.13 — matching our list rate. At enterprise scale, price stops being the differentiator.
- Ask whether you are billed on sent or delivered. At 92% delivery, sent-based billing costs about 8.7% more per message that actually arrives.
- MSG91 is broader. Ticketing, automation, segmentation, email and push from one vendor is a real advantage if you need it.
- Both quote before GST, which is 18% on top. Mixed inclusive/exclusive quotes are the most common reason two numbers look closer than they are.
MSG91 vs UDO SMS pricing, as each publishes it
This is where most comparison articles go wrong. They take a competitor's entry-level rate and apply it to enterprise volume. Both companies publish their numbers, so here they are exactly as published.
| Monthly SMS | Rate per SMS | Total (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | ₹0.25 | ₹1,250 |
| 16,500 | ₹0.20 | ₹3,300 |
| 30,000 | ₹0.18 | ₹5,400 |
| 60,000 | ₹0.17 | ₹10,200 |
| 1,17,648 | ₹0.17 | ₹20,000 |
| 4,50,000 | ₹0.17 | ₹76,500 |
| 9,62,500 | ₹0.16 | ₹1,54,000 |
Source: MSG91 SMS pricing, India, as published and re-checked on 18 September 2026. MSG91 also states negotiated pricing can reach ₹0.13 per SMS. Excludes 18% GST.
| Message type | Rate per SMS | Volume slabs |
|---|---|---|
| Transactional | ₹0.13 | None |
| OTP | ₹0.13 | None |
| Promotional | ₹0.13 | None |
| Setup fee | ₹0 | — |
| Monthly subscription | ₹0 | — |
Source: UDO bulk SMS pricing. Excludes 18% GST. UDO bills on delivered messages only.
What the difference is worth at your volume
Slab pricing means MSG91's rate falls as you grow. So the gap is widest for smaller senders and narrows at scale. When you compare MSG91 vs UDO SMS pricing, run your own volume rather than trusting a headline — including ours.
The same volume, priced both ways
MSG91 figures are read off its published slab table. UDO is flat, so the sum is volume × ₹0.13. Both exclude 18% GST.
The caveat that most comparison pages leave out
MSG91 states that negotiated pricing can reach ₹0.13 per SMS — the same as our list rate. If you have the volume and the procurement time to negotiate an enterprise contract, the price difference can disappear entirely. What does not disappear is how the two models behave: one is a number you are quoted once, the other is a number you re-negotiate as you grow.
Where the two models genuinely differ
Once you account for slabs and negotiation, price alone is a thin basis for a decision. Three structural differences matter more over a year.
Predictable vs re-negotiated
With a flat rate, your cost per message on day one is your cost at ten times the volume. A slab model works differently. Your effective rate depends on which tier you land in that month, and improving it means a commercial conversation, not an automatic outcome.
Sent vs delivered billing
UDO bills only on messages that are actually delivered. This matters more than a paisa on the list rate. At 92% delivery, paying for sent messages costs roughly 8.7% more per message that reaches someone. So confirm which basis a quote uses before comparing two numbers.
Breadth vs focus
MSG91 sells a wider platform: ticketing, campaign automation, segmentation, chat, email and push. It also has a mature self-serve product and a public pricing calculator. If you want one vendor across several channels, that breadth is a genuine advantage. UDO is narrower, and priced accordingly.
What neither provider can change
Some costs are regulatory, and identical whoever you buy from. TRAI's Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations require DLT registration in three parts. You register your business as a principal entity, then your sender ID or header, then every content template you send. Promotional messages are also filtered by DND preferences and confined to a daytime window. Transactional messages are not.
Regional-language SMS costs the same more on both. Indian scripts need Unicode encoding, which fits 70 characters per message part instead of 160 under the GSM 03.38 standard. So a campaign that is one part in English is often two in Hindi or Tamil. Model your volume in parts, not messages.
Which fits your case
The right answer changes with volume and with how much platform you need alongside the messages.
Where flat wins clearly
- Gap is widest here — roughly 30–48%
- MSG91's lower slabs need volume you do not have yet
- No setup fee and no subscription to absorb at low volume
- Budgeting is one multiplication, not a tier lookup
Worth doing the sum properly
- Gap narrows to roughly 19–23% at published rates
- Ask both providers for delivered cost, not list rate
- Confirm whether unused credits expire on either side
- Quantify against your real monthly volume, not a headline
Where the price argument runs out
- MSG91's negotiated rate can reach ₹0.13 — matching our list price
- At that point decide on delivery reporting, DLT support and billing basis
- If you want ticketing, segmentation and campaign automation from one vendor, MSG91's platform is genuinely broader
- Consolidating channels with one vendor often beats a marginal rate difference
Frequently asked questions
At published rates, yes, at every volume tier. UDO charges a flat ₹0.13 per SMS while MSG91's published slabs run from ₹0.25 down to ₹0.16. The saving is largest for smaller senders, around 48% at 10,000 messages, and narrows to roughly 19% near 9.6 lakh. MSG91 states negotiated pricing can reach ₹0.13, at which point the published gap closes.
MSG91's published India-to-India SMS pricing starts at ₹0.25 per SMS for 5,000 messages and decreases through slabs: ₹0.20 at 16,500, ₹0.18 at 30,000, ₹0.17 from 60,000, and ₹0.16 around 9.6 lakh. All rates exclude 18% GST. MSG91 also offers negotiated pricing down to ₹0.13 on request.
No. UDO publishes a ₹0 account opening fee and ₹0 monthly subscription, so the per-message rate is the whole cost. Always confirm the same for any provider, because setup and platform fees can outweigh a per-message difference at lower volumes.
With UDO, no — billing is on delivered messages only. This varies by provider and is rarely advertised, so ask directly. If you are billed on messages sent at 92% delivery, you pay roughly 8.7% more per message that actually reaches someone than the quoted rate suggests.
Yes. DLT registration is a TRAI requirement, not a provider policy, so it applies whoever you buy from. It covers three separate registrations: principal entity, sender ID or header, and each content template. What differs is how much of that work the provider does for you during onboarding.
Yes, on breadth. MSG91 sells a wider platform including ticketing, campaign automation, segmentation, email and push, alongside a mature self-serve product and a public pricing calculator. If you want several channels from one vendor with minimal sales contact, that is a real advantage. UDO is narrower and competes on price, flat billing and delivered-only charging.
No. Both providers quote before tax and 18% GST applies on top. Comparing a GST-inclusive quote against an exclusive one is one of the most common ways two SMS quotes end up looking closer, or further apart, than they really are.
Run a small paid pilot against a sample of your own database rather than a clean test list. Route quality and delivery rates only reveal themselves against real contacts across the operator and circle mix you actually send to. Keep the pilot small but representative.
