Short codes are the easiest way for a business to send and receive SMS messages at scale. With a default base rate of 50 SMS messages per second (higher rates available upon request), Plivo’s short code service is perfect for time-sensitive info that needs to reach large audiences.
Under US carrier regulations, only short codes are allowed for application-to-person (A2P) communications. Long codes are only allowed for person-to-person communication (P2P). Carrier regulations also require that the ratio of inbound to outbound SMS for long codes be better than 1:3; there are no such restrictions on short codes. Long codes are tied to an area code, while short codes remain the same nationwide. It’s for these reasons that businesses that need to communicate to customers on a large scale exclusively use short codes.
We support both vanity short codes and random short codes.
For more information, see What is the difference between long codes and short codes?