The Clickatell Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Clickatell in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Clickatell
The Insider’s Guide
Chat commerce platform and SMS APIs for large brands
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among SMS and chat marketing tools, read from Clickatell’s own pages.
Made by Clickatell · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Clickatell’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Clickatell’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.6
GPA, above 0 of the 31 other SMS and chat marketing tools we grade
Clickatell is a chat commerce platform for large consumer brands. It sends broadcasts and automated conversations over SMS, WhatsApp, Apple Messages, web chat and USSD, and adds AI chatbots, a live agent inbox and in-chat payments. SMS pricing is calculated by country, and the platform itself is sold through sales.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Clickatell, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Platform and API setup with sales involvement.
- 1
Best for large brands sending chat and SMS at scale
Clickatell is a chat commerce platform and SMS API aimed at large global brands, with broadcasts, chatbots and in-chat payments.
- 2
It runs on Web
Web.
- 3
Broadcasts
Campaigns are defined, personalized and scheduled across countries and time zones, from a web interface or through the API, with sign-up and opt-out management.
- 4
Automations
A drag-and-drop workflow editor and integration hub build automated self-service journeys, with buttons, lists and catalogs inside chat.
- 5
AI chatbots
Chatbots can be trained on business-specific information, and Clickatell describes a private model kept in a secure environment.
- 6
A 1.6 GPA, above 0 of 31
That is against the other SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
To replace Clickatell you would be making texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Clickatell at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Clickatell, since 2000
- Category
- SMS & Chat Marketing
- Our grade
- 1.6 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for large brands sending chat and SMS at scale
Clickatell is a chat commerce platform and SMS API aimed at large global brands, with broadcasts, chatbots and in-chat payments. No plan prices are published and the SMS rate depends on a country-by-country calculator, so a small team will find it heavier than it needs.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No plan price is published; platform pricing goes through sales and SMS rates come from a calculator, so it sits at the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | F | No free plan and no trial on the pages read. |
| Features | C | Broadcasts, automations, AI chatbots, a live agent inbox and in-chat payments. It is aimed at large brands, and the pages show little for small teams. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. Platform and API setup with sales involvement. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web platform and APIs only; no separate mobile or desktop apps are listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Clickatell is for
- Fits if you are a large brand that wants chat commerce and SMS in one platform
- Works for developers who want an SMS API with global reach
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want a published price, as platform pricing goes through sales
- Too light for a quick start: the pricing page is an estimate tool, so a country's rate was not captured
- Not for you if you are a small team, since the site says it serves large global brands
- Watch out: only a web platform and APIs are listed, with no mobile or desktop apps
Good to know
Good for
- Banks, telecoms, airlines and retailers messaging customers at scale
- Developers who need an SMS API with country coverage
- Teams that want payments inside WhatsApp or SMS chats
Worth knowing
- No plan prices are published: platform pricing goes through the sales team, and SMS rates come from a country-by-country calculator.
- The pricing page we could read is an interactive estimate tool, so the rates for a given country were not captured.
- The site says it serves large global brands, so small teams may find it heavier than they need.
- Pages read list a web platform and APIs only, with no separate desktop or mobile apps.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Clickatell's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No plan price is published; platform pricing goes through sales and SMS rates come from a calculator, so it sits at the middle.
We could not confirm Clickatell’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. clickatell.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Chat commerce platform and SMS APIs for large brands. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, workflow automation, AI agents, sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging, chatbots.
Broadcasts, automations, AI chatbots, a live agent inbox and in-chat payments.
- Broadcasts
- Campaigns are defined, personalized and scheduled across countries and time zones, from a web interface or through the API, with sign-up and opt-out management.
- Automations
- A drag-and-drop workflow editor and integration hub build automated self-service journeys, with buttons, lists and catalogs inside chat.
- AI chatbots
- Chatbots can be trained on business-specific information, and Clickatell describes a private model kept in a secure environment.
- Live agent inbox
- A unified inbox lets agents take over chats, transfer them between agents and departments, and use tags, notes and chat history.
- In-chat payments
- Customers can pay inside the chat thread through a hosted checkout page or a one-tap tokenized flow.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Clickatell is made by Clickatell, and has been around since 2000.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
0/31
Other SMS and chat marketing tools it is graded above
Clickatell's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 0 of the 31 other SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on value for money (C, above 6 of 31) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 32 SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Clickatell’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 31
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 31
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 31
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 31
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 31
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Clickatell you would be making texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 29 of the 31 other SMS and chat marketing tools grade higher.
What you could not
- Texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers.
- The WhatsApp Business API, which Meta opens only through approved partners.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- A chatbot builder hooked into the messaging apps.
What this rests on. Clickatell’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Infobip, Sinch, ClickSend and Kudosity
The 4 tools Clickatell is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Infobip
Free trial
Omnichannel messaging platform with SMS, WhatsApp, RCS and AI agents.
- Clickatell also covers workflow automation and AI agents.
- Infobip also covers marketing automation.
- 2.0GPA
Sinch
Paid
Messaging, voice and email APIs plus campaign apps.
- Clickatell also covers workflow automation and AI agents.
- Sinch also covers email campaigns.
- 1.8GPA
ClickSend
Free trial · from $20
Prepaid SMS and MMS sending by app, API or email, with no monthly fee.
- Clickatell also covers workflow automation, AI agents, whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
- ClickSend also covers business texting.
- 2.0GPA
Kudosity
Free trial
Pay-as-you-go SMS, MMS, WhatsApp and RCS platform from Australia.
- Clickatell also covers workflow automation, AI agents and chatbots.
- Kudosity also covers business texting.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
10
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Clickatell free?
No. Clickatell is a paid product.
What platforms does Clickatell work on?
Clickatell is available on Web.
Does Clickatell have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Clickatell is listed for Web.
Does Clickatell have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Clickatell is listed for Web.
Is Clickatell open source?
Clickatell is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Clickatell have an API?
Yes. Clickatell offers a public API, according to its own site.
Who makes Clickatell?
Clickatell is made by a company of the same name. It dates from 2000.
What are the alternatives to Clickatell?
The closest alternatives to Clickatell in our directory are Infobip, Sinch, ClickSend and Kudosity.
How does Clickatell compare with other SMS and chat marketing tools?
Clickatell's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 0 of the 31 other SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, and level with 2.
Could I make my own version of Clickatell?
To replace Clickatell you would be making texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Clickatell’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Clickatell's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Clickatell. Prices change, so check clickatell.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Clickatell, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/clickatell
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Clickatell: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/clickatell
Know someone choosing between SMS and chat marketing tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/clickatell/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded SMS and chat marketing tools after Clickatell, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- SMS & Chat Marketing Insider's GuideEvery one of the 32 SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, compared
- Chatfuel Insider's GuideAI chatbots for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook with a usage wallet2.6 GPA
- Interakt Insider's GuideWhatsApp and Instagram marketing, inbox and chatbots for Indian brands2.6 GPA
- AiSensy Insider's GuideWhatsApp API for broadcasts, retargeting and click-to-WhatsApp ads2.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Clickatell’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Clickatell is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Clickatell. Prices and plans change: check clickatell.com before you buy.