--- title: "Voice, Voice AI, and SMS Usage Costs" slug: "voice-and-sms-phone-number-costs" description: "Phone numbers for use with Voice and SMS can be purchased directly in Gladly. Cost to purchase and maintain phone numbers are included in telephony invoice." updated: 2026-03-06T07:33:22Z published: 2026-03-06T07:33:22Z canonical: "help.gladly.com/voice-and-sms-phone-number-costs" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gladly.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Voice, Voice AI, and SMS Usage Costs Your monthly [telephony invoice](https://help.gladly.com/implementation/docs/invoice-and-billing-overview#telephony-platform-invoices) includes the cost to buy and maintain phone numbers and telephony usage fees. Fees for phone numbers and usage depend on several factors. These may include: - **Type of phone number –** Toll-free, local, mobile, or national - **Capabilities –** SMS, Voice, or MMS - **Country –** The country the phone number is based in ### Local and toll-free numbers for the US | Estimates* | Local Number | Toll-Free Number | | --- | --- | --- | | Incoming Per Minute | $0.01860 | $0.02794 | | Outgoing Per Minute | $0.02296 | $0.02296 | | SMS In or Out | $0.00273 | $0.00637 | | MMS In | $0.01213 | $0.01698 | | MMS Out | $0.01455 | $0.01698 | ### Local and toll-free numbers for Canada | **Estimates*** | **Local Number** | **Toll-Free Number** | | --- | --- | --- | | Incoming Per Minute | $0.01860 | $0.02794 | | Outgoing Per Minute | $0.02296 | $0.02296 | | SMS In or Out | $0.00273 | $0.00594 | | MMS In | $0.01213 | $0.01213 | | MMS Out | $0.02426 | $0.02426 | ****What's included with Gladly Team Voice**** Gladly Team Voice includes premium features such as: - [Voice Summaries](/docs/voice-summaries) - [Call Conference](https://help.gladly.com/docs/end-transfer-and-conference-calls) - [Call quality monitoring](https://help.gladly.com/docs/listen-coach-or-join-phone-calls) - Recording - Voice storage - [IVR](https://help.gladly.com/docs/whats-an-ivr) See [Telephone Invoices](https://help.gladly.com/implementation/docs/invoice-and-billing-overview#telephony-platform-invoices) to understand Gladly Team Voice billing structure. Contact Gladly Support your CSM, or your Gladly Account Executive for international rates. ## SMS UCS-2 and GSM encoding costs (Segments) SMS rates are calculated per segment. [Segments](https://www.twilio.com/blog/2017/03/what-the-heck-is-a-segment.html#message) calculate the number of messaging chunks measured in bytes. For example, GSM encoding allows for 160 characters per segment, which means 161 or more characters create two messaging segments. 480 or more characters are three Segments, etc. Each segment of 160 characters utilizes 7 bits to encode. SMSes are subject to [UCS-2](https://www.twilio.com/docs/glossary/what-is-ucs-2-character-encoding) and [GSM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_03.38#GSM_7-bit_default_alphabet_and_extension_table_of_3GPP_TS_23.038_.2F_GSM_03.38) encoding based on the characters used in each message. UCS-2 encoding allows for characters such as emojis but requires more data bits to encode (16 bits) and is limited to 70 characters. For example, a UCS-2 encoded message of 140 characters equals two segments. This would only be one segment with GSM encoding. Besides emojis, be careful with accented characters including accented characters such as ñ, à, and ö, but not including others such as á, í, or ú. Keeping text messages as plain as possible within the [GSM basic character set](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_03.38#GSM_7-bit_default_alphabet_and_extension_table_of_3GPP_TS_23.038_.2F_GSM_03.38) can reduce the need for multiple segments. > [!WARNING] > **Encoding 'gotchas'** > > - 1600 characters are the maximum limit for the entire SMS message. Message delivery may fail or an error may appear if this limit is reached. > - The kinds of characters used in an SMS determine the encoding used (GSM or USC-2). Try to be cognizant of the characters used before sending messages. You can also use this [segment calculator](https://twiliodeved.github.io/message-segment-calculator/) to check or test how messages will be encoded and how many segments they may use. > - Hyperlinks, extra characters — as well as emojis — are counted as characters and directly influence segments. See [Segments](https://www.twilio.com/blog/2017/03/what-the-heck-is-a-segment.html#message) for an in-depth explanation, along with how characters are encoded. ## Voice input phrases Certain [nodes](https://help.gladly.com/docs/what-are-nodes), like the Menu node, allow callers to say their option (e.g., "1, won, one") using the *Voice Input Phrase* field along with pressing their selection via DTMF (i.e., press 1). Voice entry utilizes voice recognition technology, which is charged separately on top of other voice charges you may incur. | **Voice Input** | **Price Per Segment** | **Notes** | | --- | --- | --- | | Voice Input Phrase | $0.01050 per 15 seconds | “Per Segment” is the time used to translate the voice entry. | ## Voice AI usage costs When [Voice AI](https://help.gladly.com/docs/what-is-sidekick-voice) engages a call, a $0.06216 per-minute fee applies in addition to the standard telephony rate. This fee accounts for the resources that help Gladly AI actively listen, transcribe, understand context, manage interruptions, answer questions, take action, and adapt in real time to ensure a high-quality user experience. ![Call breakdown showing total duration, Voice AI participation, and cost details.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/voice ai pricing.png) Telphone fee example with Voice AI Below are additional examples using the toll-free telephony rate for illustrative purposes. Example 1Example 2 A 5-minute conversation where Voice AI is active the entire time: - 5 minutes x $0.02794 (standard telephony) = $0.1397 - 5 minutes x $0.06216 (Voice AI) = $0.3108 **Total = $0.4505** A 5-minute conversation where Voice AI is active for just 1 minute: - 5 minutes x $0.02794 (standard telephony) = $0.1397 - 1 minute x $0.06216 (Voice AI) = $0.06216 **Total = $0.20186** ## Purchase phone numbers To purchase new phone numbers for Voice, see [Purchase and Configure Voice Phone Numbers](https://help.gladly.com/docs/purchase-and-configure-voice-phone-numbers). To purchase new phone numbers for SMS, see [Purchase and Configure SMS Phone Numbers](https://help.gladly.com/docs/purchase-and-configure-sms-phone-numbers). ### **Automatic mobile phone number identification lookup rate** Gladly charges a per-lookup fee for the API that allows [automatic mobile number identification](https://help.gladly.com/docs/activate-mobile-phone-number-identification). | **Region** | **Rate** | **Notes** | | --- | --- | --- | | USA/Carrier Lookup – API | $0.001342 | Per lookup | | International Lookup – API | $0.004697 | Per lookup | --- *****Estimates shown are for a typical call and include Call Conferencing, Quality Monitoring, Recording, and Storage. Actual charges will vary based on usage (international rates vary). Rates are subject to change. Users assigned the **Team Manager** or **Administrator** roles can contact [Gladly Support](https://help.gladly.com/product-docs/pages/en/contact-gladly-support-team). Log into Gladly as one of these roles, click![hamburger-menu-icon(1)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/hamburger-menu-icon(1).svg)on the top-left corner, then click **Contact Gladly Support**. Gladly Support's primary operating hours are Monday through Friday, 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time, but you can submit a request anytime. - Please select the correct business impact (P1 to P4). - Most requests should be sent as a P4.