While SMS messages cost money—either on a per-message basis or included with your cellular plan—the messages sent through data-only texting apps will all be free (even if the app itself is not). To put together this list, I tested more than 30 different apps.
How much do messages cost?
SMS volume pricing
| SMS messages per month |
Messages received |
Messages sent |
| Next 75 million messages |
$ 0.0030 |
$ 0.0032 |
| Next 150 million messages |
$ 0.0020 |
$ 0.0021 |
| Next 250 million messages |
$ 0.0015 |
$ 0.0016 |
| Next 500 million messages |
$ 0.0010 |
$ 0.0011 |
Are Apple messages free?
You can send pictures or text messages through iMessage to any iOS or Mac device for free. However, the iMessage is not free when you send messages to a different platform such as Android. I have several friends complaining about their service provider charge them for sending SMS messages to iPhones.
Does it cost money to iMessage someone in another country?
Sending an iMessage Internationally
No matter which country someone is in, you can send them iMessage for free of cost. As iMessage doesn’t work like SMS, the only charges you have to incur are the data charges.
Is messages free to use? – Related Questions
Do I get charged if someone texts me internationally?
Do I get charged for receiving international texts? No, as long as you don’t reply. In general, most phone plans only charge for outgoing messages, not incoming ones. If you get a text from someone in another country, you won’t be charged as long as you don’t reply to it.
Is texting internationally free?
In general, sending an international text will cost you between $0.25 and $0.50 per text message. Of course, this fee can vary depending on your carrier and plan.
Does iMessage work across countries?
Yes, you can still use iMessage in this case. The phone number used in country A is registered with Apple’s servers, so when you use iMessage to message that number, they’ll send the message to the devices logged in to iCloud with the account that has that phone number registered for iMessage.
Can you iMessage internationally?
International messaging: Because iMessage uses the Internet, you can message friends and family in other countries who have iPhones without the need for an international data plan. Access on tablets: You don’t have to have a phone number to use iMessage. Simply use an iCloud email address to send messages over WiFi.
Is it free to iMessage internationally with AT&T?
iMessage is an Apple service, hence no charge for any iMessage regardless of the recipient since an iMessage can only be sent to another iMessage user.
Can you iMessage internationally with WiFi?
iMessage uses a data network, either cellular or WiFi, to transmit messages via Apples servers. If you are traveling internationally and have access to a free WiFi network, iMessage will work to communicate with other Apple users at no added cost.
Are calls between iPhones free?
There are also apps like Skype that you can use over wifi as well, but to truly answer your question, calls between iPhones are not free.
Can I FaceTime internationally for free?
Helpful answers. The cost of using Facetime to Call Internationally is completely free. If the other end has an iphone 4 or any device that has Facetime, it will work. FYI, a Facetime call over cellular is using data, not the cellular connection, and it is not an international call.
What is iMessage vs text message?
Without a data connection or WiFi, iMessage does not work. So, when an iPhone user has to send a text to another iPhone user, he/she can use either iMessage or text messages. But when a message has to be sent to a person using an Android phone, an iPhone user has to use the SMS service.
What is the point of using iMessage?
iMessages are texts, photos, or videos that you send to another iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac over Wi-Fi or cellular-data networks. These messages are always encrypted and appear in blue text bubbles.
Why do I need iMessage?
Since iMessage sends messages over the Internet, it can send a wider range of different kinds of data. iMessage is far better than text messages in this respect — you aren’t limited to 160 characters and a blurry picture. Apple’s instant messaging service lets you send any of the following types of media: GIFs.
What happens if I turn off iMessage on my iPhone?
If iMessage is turned off on ALL your devices, all messages sent to you will be sent as regular green text messages. You will therefore not receive any new messages if you turn iMessage on later.
Should I have iMessage on or off?
Which is better for you? Most iPhone users will want to use iMessages, so long as they have a good plan that can handle the data usage. The only reason to use SMS instead of iMessage is if you’re chatting with people who don’t have Apple devices, or if you don’t have any data on your phone.
Does iMessages use data?
Yes, unless you’re connected to Wi-Fi. Unlike traditional text messages, iMessage sends information over the internet. That means it uses either Wi-Fi or your cellular data to send messages. So make sure you aren’t sending too many selfies to your friends and family if you aren’t connected to a Wi-Fi network.
Do you have to use iMessage on iPhone?
If you’re not using iMessage, you can use SMS/MMS. These messages are texts and photos you can send to other mobile phones or another iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. SMS/MMS messages won’t be encrypted and will appear in green text bubbles on your device. To use SMS/MMS on iPhone, you’ll need a text messaging plan.
What SMS means?
SMS stands for Short Message Service and is commonly known as texting. It’s a way to send text-only messages of up to 160 characters between phones. Play video.