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Understand SMS vs MMS

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Summary

Learn how SMS and MMS differ in functionality, cost, and use cases.

This article covers:

SMS (Short Message Service)

  • Text-only - SMS supports only plain text messages
  • Character Limit - Limited to 160 characters per message. Longer messages may be split and reassembled on the recipient’s device
  • No Rich Media - SMS does not support images, videos, GIFs, or formatted text
  • Lower Cost - Generally cheaper and supported across all mobile networks and devices
  • Use Case - Commonly used for notifications, alerts, two-factor authentication (2FA), and simple text-based communication

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)

  • Supports Media - MMS allows sending images, videos, GIFs, audio files, and formatted text
  • Higher Character Limit - Up to 1,600 characters or more, depending on the carrier
  • More Expensive - MMS messages usually cost more and require more data to send
  • Internet Dependency - Often requires a mobile data connection to send and receive messages
  • Use Case - Ideal for marketing campaigns, promotional images, and media-rich communication
Note: MMS needs to be enabled at the office level. You can do this from 'Settings › General › SMS' by turning on 'Allow MMS to be sent' for the relevant office.

Key Differences in Practical Use

Feature SMS MMS
Text Formatting Plain text only Supports bold, italics, and other formatting
Character Limit 160 characters Up to 1,600 characters or more
Media Support No (text only) Yes (images, videos, audio, GIFs)
Cost Lower Higher
Internet Required? No Often yes (for media delivery)
Use Cases Notifications, alerts, short messages Marketing, media-rich communication
Note: Since SMS does not support rich formatting, messages sent from Box+Dice lose paragraph spacing and advanced formatting. 

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