Salesforce does not ship SMS natively in Sales Cloud. Teams that want to send SMS from Salesforce have three options: Salesforce Digital Engagement (part of Service Cloud), AppExchange apps (Mogli, SMS Magic, 360 SMS), or a CRM that ships SMS natively. This page compares the three paths on functionality, cost, and compliance.
Teams searching how to send SMS using Salesforce usually run into one of four problems: 1) Salesforce Sales Cloud has no native SMS, 2) Digital Engagement requires Service Cloud and is priced per conversation, 3) AppExchange apps add per-seat cost on top of Salesforce, 4) compliance (TCPA consent, opt-out, carrier filtering) is complex regardless of path. This page walks each.
Salesforce Sales Cloud (the sales-focused CRM) does not include native SMS. Reps running outbound SMS motions need to layer in Digital Engagement (if the org has Service Cloud) or AppExchange apps. The gap surprises teams expecting SMS in-the-box.
Salesforce Digital Engagement (SMS, WhatsApp, chat, Facebook Messenger) runs $75 per seat per month on top of Service Cloud ($225 per seat for Enterprise). For a sales team wanting SMS without inherently needing Service Cloud, the stack cost is heavy.
AppExchange SMS apps (Mogli, SMS Magic, 360 SMS, Flow SMS) run $15 to $45 per seat per month plus per-message fees. For a 50-rep team, the SMS add-on cost runs $750 to $2,250 per month on top of Salesforce base pricing. Message fees stack separately.
US SMS requires TCPA consent capture, 10DLC campaign registration, and opt-out handling. With Salesforce plus a messaging app, the compliance surface spans multiple tools. Consent captured in Salesforce must flow to the messaging app; opt-out captured in the messaging app must flow back to Salesforce.
With AppExchange SMS apps, reps context-switch between the Salesforce contact page and the SMS composer. Native SMS panels in Lightning layouts help but do not fully solve the workflow. Reps who send SMS all day feel the friction.
SMS delivery requires sender reputation (10DLC-registered long codes, approved short codes). Shared codes risk carrier filtering when another sender gets flagged. Dedicated numbers plus 10DLC registration plus proper opt-out help. The responsibility maps across Salesforce, the messaging app, and the carrier.
Salesforce Digital Engagement is the Salesforce-first-party option. It requires Service Cloud and prices per seat plus per conversation. Best fit for teams already on Service Cloud and running omni-channel service.
Digital Engagement adds SMS, WhatsApp Business, chat, Facebook Messenger, and Apple Business Chat to the Service Cloud agent console. Agents handle SMS alongside cases, with routing rules, response templates, and quick-text snippets.
Digital Engagement runs $75 per seat per month on top of Service Cloud ($225 per seat for Enterprise, $330 for Unlimited). For 50 agents on Service Cloud Enterprise with Digital Engagement, the stack cost runs $180,000 per year before per-message fees.
Setup requires omni-channel configuration (routing rules, queue setup, capacity-based assignment), SMS campaign registration, phone number provisioning via a third-party carrier or Salesforce-provided numbers, and template library build. Partner-assisted setup typical for mid-market teams.
Digital Engagement handles 10DLC campaign registration, TCPA consent flow, opt-out and opt-in management natively within Service Cloud. Compliance surface stays within Salesforce boundaries. Audit log preserves consent and opt-out events.
Digital Engagement is the right path for service teams running omni-channel (case management plus SMS plus chat plus WhatsApp from one console). For pure sales teams without Service Cloud, Digital Engagement is overkill and expensive.
Digital Engagement is not the best fit for sales teams running outbound-SMS cadences (follow-up SMS from reps, demo-reminder SMS, meeting-confirmation SMS). The console is service-oriented, not sales-cadence-oriented. AppExchange apps or native-SMS CRM alternatives fit better.
AppExchange SMS apps add SMS capability to Sales Cloud without requiring Service Cloud. Pricing per seat plus per message. Functionality varies by app. Best fit for sales teams that want SMS on top of existing Sales Cloud.
Mogli ships SMS, WhatsApp, and surveys for both Sales Cloud and Service Cloud. Lightning components for contact-page SMS, bulk-send campaigns, and automation via Flow. Pricing from $15 per seat per month plus per-message fees. Common choice for nonprofit and SMB sales teams.
SMS Magic ships SMS, MMS, and WhatsApp with campaign management, bulk send, automation triggers, and compliance management. Pricing from $35 per seat per month plus per-message fees. Common choice for mid-market and enterprise teams needing campaign depth.
360 SMS ships SMS, WhatsApp, and more with Lightning-native UX, bulk send, and AI-powered template generation. Pricing from $20 per seat per month plus per-message fees. Common choice for teams wanting modern UX in Lightning.
Flow SMS integrates SMS into Salesforce Flow for automation-first workflows: send SMS on flow transition, SMS reminder on upcoming meeting, SMS confirmation on deal close. Pricing varies. Common choice for teams building SMS into automation rather than ad-hoc rep send.
All AppExchange SMS apps charge per-message fees in addition to per-seat pricing. US SMS typically runs $0.015 to $0.025 per message. MMS runs $0.05 to $0.07. 10DLC pass-through fees add $0.001 to $0.004 per message. International SMS varies widely by destination.
Setup requires 10DLC campaign registration (brand registration plus campaign approval), phone number provisioning, template library build (quick-text snippets), and consent-flow configuration. Each app provides a setup wizard. Full setup typically takes 2 to 6 weeks.
For teams starting fresh or evaluating alternatives, a CRM that ships SMS natively eliminates the per-seat SMS add-on and the compliance-surface fragmentation. Strkr Messaging is the native SMS surface in the Strkr CRM.
Strkr Messaging is native: SMS and MMS send from the contact page, from campaigns, and from automation triggers without an add-on app. Base pricing is $29 per month plus per-message markup ($0.02 SMS, $0.05 MMS). No per-seat SMS fee on top of CRM seats.
TCPA consent capture, 10DLC campaign registration, opt-out handling, and DNC cross-check are native. Consent flows from CRM form captures to the messaging record. Opt-out received via SMS flows back to the CRM contact. One compliance surface, not three.
Dialer, SMS, and email outbound sit on the Strkr contact page and in the sequence builder. Reps run multi-channel sequences (call, SMS, email) from one tool. No tab-switching between SMS app and CRM. Activity logging is unified.
Automation triggers: SMS reminder N hours before meeting, SMS confirmation on demo booked, SMS alert on account health drop, SMS follow-up on stage transition. Triggers configured in the Strkr automation builder without external orchestration.
Teams migrating from Salesforce plus AppExchange SMS can export SMS history and consent records on the Salesforce side and import to Strkr. Historical SMS preserves with original timestamps. Opt-out records import to prevent re-contacting opted-out numbers.
Pricing: $29 per month base for the Messaging module plus per-message markup. For a 50-rep team sending 10,000 SMS per month, estimated cost is $29 base plus $200 messaging markup, substantially under the $750-plus AppExchange add-on math at the same volume.
US SMS compliance applies to all three paths. The surface area differs by path. This section covers what each path handles and where the integration gaps commonly leak compliance.
TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) requires written consent before SMS to US numbers. Consent capture needs to prove: 1) the recipient opted in, 2) when, 3) via what channel (web form, SMS keyword, verbal with recording), 4) for what purpose. Audit retention: 4 years typical.
10DLC (10-digit long code) requires brand registration (company info, EIN, verification) and per-campaign registration (campaign purpose, sample messages, opt-in flow). Unregistered 10DLC traffic is heavily filtered or blocked by US carriers. Registration takes 1 to 4 weeks.
Opt-out keywords (STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT) must trigger immediate opt-out and a one-time confirmation reply. The opted-out number must be suppressed from all future SMS. Across Salesforce plus AppExchange, opt-out can leak if the integration does not sync back to Salesforce.
For sales motions, DNC (Do Not Call) cross-check against the National DNC Registry prevents regulatory exposure. Strkr Messaging ships native DNC cross-check. AppExchange apps vary. Digital Engagement focuses on service motions where DNC applies differently.
Some US states apply calling-hour rules (8 AM to 9 PM in recipient time zone typical) to SMS. Native enforcement in Strkr Messaging. AppExchange apps vary; Digital Engagement supports via business hours configuration.
International SMS adds GDPR (EU), UK consent requirements, Canada CASL, Australia privacy law, and country-specific regulations. The compliance surface widens quickly. Pick a path (Digital Engagement, AppExchange, native) that supports your target geographies before scaling SMS volume.
| Feature | Strkr | Salesforce + AppExchange SMS |
|---|---|---|
| Base pricing | $29 per month base plus per-message markup | Sales Cloud at $165 per seat plus app at $15-45 per seat |
| Per-seat SMS fee | No per-seat SMS fee | $15-45 per seat for the AppExchange app |
| Compliance surface | Single tool: TCPA, 10DLC, DNC, opt-out native | Multi-tool: compliance split across SF and app |
| Rep workflow | SMS on contact page and sequence; no tab switch | Lightning components; variable depth |
| Automation triggers | SMS triggers in automation builder | SF Flow plus app connector |
| Multi-channel sequences | Call, SMS, email in one sequence | Call and email in SF; SMS via separate app |
| Setup time | 10DLC registration plus connector; 1-3 weeks | App install plus 10DLC plus flow build; 2-6 weeks |
| 50-rep annual cost estimate | Base plus messaging markup | App seats plus message fees plus optional implementation partner |
Teams already on Service Cloud running omni-channel service motions should use Digital Engagement. The $75-per-seat add-on is reasonable in context of Service Cloud, and SMS integrates with case management, routing, and templates in the Service agent console.
Teams on Sales Cloud without Service Cloud should pick an AppExchange SMS app that fits motion: Mogli for SMB, SMS Magic for mid-market enterprise campaigns, 360 SMS for modern UX, Flow SMS for automation-first. Expect $15-45 per seat add-on plus message fees.
Teams evaluating Salesforce alternatives (Strkr, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho) should factor native SMS into the comparison. Strkr ships native SMS without per-seat add-on. HubSpot Sales Hub ships SMS via integration. Pipedrive and Zoho require marketplace apps. Native SMS removes the per-seat tax and the compliance fragmentation.
Teams sending 100,000-plus SMS per month need dedicated sender infrastructure (dedicated long codes or short codes), 10DLC campaign-level throughput provisioning, and warm-up strategy. The native-SMS CRM path simplifies the sender-reputation management; the Salesforce-plus-app path requires the app to handle it.
Teams scaling internationally need country-by-country compliance (GDPR, UK, Canada CASL, Australia). All three paths handle international SMS but with varying coverage. Validate target countries against path before scaling. Strkr Messaging ships country-specific compliance for US, Canada, UK, Australia; AppExchange apps vary.
Start a 14-day Strkr trial, register your 10DLC campaign, and send SMS directly from the contact page and from sequence steps. No AppExchange app, no Service Cloud add-on. Compliance surface stays in one tool. Multi-channel sequences include SMS natively.
No. Salesforce Sales Cloud does not include native SMS. To send SMS from Sales Cloud, teams either add Service Cloud with Digital Engagement ($225-plus $75 per seat per month), add an AppExchange SMS app ($15-45 per seat per month plus per-message fees), or switch to a CRM that ships SMS natively.
Digital Engagement runs $75 per seat per month on top of Service Cloud, which is $225 per seat per month at Enterprise or $330 at Unlimited. For a 50-agent team on Service Cloud Enterprise with Digital Engagement, the stack cost is $180,000 per year before per-message fees. Digital Engagement is a strong fit for omni-channel service teams but overkill for pure sales teams.
The main AppExchange SMS apps are Mogli ($15-plus per seat; SMB and nonprofit fit), SMS Magic ($35-plus per seat; mid-market and enterprise campaigns), 360 SMS ($20-plus per seat; Lightning-native UX), and Flow SMS (automation-first via Salesforce Flow). All add per-message fees on top of per-seat pricing. 10DLC registration required for US sending.
Strkr Messaging estimate for 50 reps sending 10,000 SMS per month: $29 base plus $200 messaging markup. Salesforce plus AppExchange estimate for the same volume: Sales Cloud at $165 per seat ($8,250) plus AppExchange app at $25 per seat ($1,250) plus per-message fees ($200), totaling $9,700 per month on Salesforce stack versus a much smaller incremental on Strkr. Native SMS removes the per-seat SMS tax.
US SMS requires TCPA consent capture, 10DLC campaign registration (brand plus campaign), opt-out handling (STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL keywords), DNC cross-check for sales motions, and state-level quiet hours. International SMS adds GDPR, UK, Canada CASL, Australia requirements. All three paths (Digital Engagement, AppExchange, native-SMS CRM) handle compliance but the surface area and gap risk differ. Native-SMS CRM reduces fragmentation.
Yes. Salesforce SMS history (sent, received, delivery status) exports via Data Loader or the Salesforce API. The import side (Strkr Messaging or equivalent) accepts historical records with original timestamps preserved. Opt-out records import to prevent re-contacting opted-out numbers. The migration typically completes alongside the broader Salesforce-to-alternative migration playbook (45 to 180 days depending on team size).
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