RingCentral Bulk SMS: Can You Send Mass Texts with RingCentral? (And At What Cost?)

Bulk SMS or mass texting is one of the most effective ways for businesses to reach thousands of customers instantly, whether they’re sending urgent notifications, appointment reminders, service updates, or running promotional campaigns. 

If you’ve already got a RingCentral account for calls and video, and now need to send a text to a couple of hundred customers about a promotion, the question that arises is, “Can RingCentral do this?” 

The short answer is yes, RingCentral SMS supports bulk SMS via the RingCentral app. But. this comes with important limitations you can’t ignore, including added-up overcharge fees, plan caps and restrictions, carrier registration requirements, and compliance requirements. 

This article explores what sending bulk SMS with RingCentral actually looks like, what it really costs, and a much better alternative for sending mass texts for your business.

Can You Send Bulk SMS With RingCentral?

Yes, RingCentral allows businesses to send bulk SMS messages to multiple recipients at once through the RingCentral app. However, it’s important to note that RingCentral's bulk messaging capabilities are designed primarily for business communications, not large-scale SMS marketing. 

Businesses can upload contact lists, personalize messages, schedule campaigns, and track message delivery. Depending on the messaging volume and use case, users may also need to complete carrier registration requirements, such as 10DLC registration, to ensure compliance and maintain message deliverability. 

While RingCentral can support mass texting needs, businesses planning to send frequent marketing campaigns or high-volume promotional messages should carefully evaluate its pricing structure, messaging limits, and automation capabilities before choosing it as their primary bulk SMS platform.

Group SMS vs Bulk SMS in RingCentral

While RingCentral offers bulk SMS via its RingCentral app, it also provides group SMS as a business messaging feature. 

However, it's important to understand the difference between group messaging and bulk SMS. 

In a group text, all recipients are part of the same conversation and can potentially see and respond to messages within the group. Bulk SMS, on the other hand, works differently. In bulk SMS, the same message is delivered individually to each recipient, creating separate one-on-one conversations. 

This provides a more professional customer experience, improves privacy, and allows businesses to manage replies more effectively.

When does RingCentral Bulk SMS Work?

RingCentral bulk SMS is a good fit for businesses that primarily need to communicate with customers rather than for advanced SMS marketing. It's particularly well-suited for: 

• Existing RingCentral customers looking to manage calls, messaging, and SMS from a single platform. 
• Small to mid-sized businesses with moderate SMS sending volumes. 
• Businesses running occasional promotional campaigns rather than high-frequency marketing programs. 
• Organizations sending transactional messages such as order updates, account notifications, and event reminders. 
• Organizations prioritizing unified communications and wanting voice, video, messaging, and SMS under one vendor. 
• Teams that benefit from a shared inbox where multiple employees manage customer text conversations. 
• Sales teams conduct personalized outreach and follow-up conversations through SMS. 
• Customer support teams that need to send updates, follow-ups, and respond to customer inquiries via text. 
• Businesses that need to send internal notifications, including IT alerts, shift reminders and system updates.

RingCentral may not be ideal if you need advanced audience segmentation, high-volume SMS marketing campaigns, extensive marketing automation, multi-step drip campaigns, and SMS marketing features, such as loyalty programs, keyword campaigns, and advanced campaigns.

How to Send Bulk Texts with RingCentral?

Unlike some dedicated SMS marketing platforms where bulk texting is built directly into the core application, RingCentral's standard services are primarily designed for one-to-one and group business messaging. 

For true bulk SMS campaigns, RingCentral directs users to its SMS Campaigns App (also called the High Volume SMS App), available through the RingCentral App Gallery.

Here are the steps to send bulk texts with RingCentral: 

1. Get a RingCentral-enabled SMS number

Before you can send any bulk SMS, you must have a RingCentral business phone number with SMS capabilities enabled.

For this, you’ll need a RingCentral account and an SMS-enabled local number or toll-free business number that's assigned to the extension.

Limitations: 

• SMS is not automatically enabled on every RingCentral phone number. 
  
• Toll-free numbers require Toll-Free Verification before outbound SMS is enabled. 
  
• Local numbers require approved Brand and Campaign (10DLC) registration before SMS can be activated.

2. Complete 10DLC Registration

For businesses sending SMS in the U.S., RingCentral requires registration with The Campaign Registry (TCR). 

This involves brand registration, campaign registration, and assigning your phone number(s) to the approved campaign. Only after approval can your number send business SMS.

Limitations: 

If your campaign isn't approved or your number isn't linked to it, SMS sending won't work. The 10DLC registration process with RingCentral is completely manual, and the approval can take several days depending on carrier review. 

3. Assess the SMS Campaigns App

Unlike dedicated mass texting services that provide an intuitive dashboard for easily sending bulk SMS campaigns, RingCentral primarily offers desktop and mobile apps for individual and group messaging. 

Businesses that want to run bulk SMS campaigns must use the separate SMS Campaigns app, available through the RingCentral App Gallery.

Within the app, you can create SMS Campaigns, personalize messages, upload recipients list, schedule campaigns, and track campaign performance.

4. Import your contact list

Within the SMS Campaigns App, you can build your recipients list by uploading a CSV file, copying and pasting phone numbers, or creating reusable contact lists.

The platform also supports message personalization using contact fields from uploaded CSV files.

Limitations:

However, it’s important to note that RingCentral does not generate or collect customer opt-ins on your behalf; you must maintain compliant contact lists. 

5. Compose and personalize your SMS Campaign

The next step is to create the SMS campaign you would like to send. It allows you to write a message, use templates, insert personalized fields, add emojis, and attach supported media, if applicable. 

To create a new campaign: 

• Click the (+) or the New Actions button at the top right of the app. 
  
• Select Send new text. 
  
• Alternatively, you can also go to Inbox in the left navigation and select the Send new text icon.
  
• Click the Text from field and choose the correct number option from the dropdown if you have multiple caller IDs. 
  
• Enter up to 10 phone numbers or names in the To field. 
  
• Uncheck the Create group text box. 
  
• Enter your message in the text field. If required, you can also attach files or insert emojis using the Attach files and Emoji buttons.

Note: RingCentral supports contact segmentation and message personalization through its SMS Campaigns app and Advanced SMS features. Unlike dedicated SMS marketing platforms, these capabilities are provided as separate SMS solutions rather than being part of the standard RingEX messaging experience.

6. Send immediately or schedule the campaign

Once your campaign is ready, you can either send it immediately or schedule it for a later date and time. RingCentral also supports recurring campaign workflows through its enhanced SMS capabilities. 

Before hitting the send button, make sure to review all details, including recipient count, message, and send time.

Limitations:

While the platform provides basic delivery reports, such as delivered, bounced, and click rates, it lacks engagement tracking, and you need to export data if you need reports manually. 

RingCentral Bulk SMS Pricing Explained 

RingCentral's SMS pricing can be confusing because there isn't a single "bulk SMS plan." 

Instead, the total cost depends on several factors, including your RingEX subscription, included SMS allowance, message usage, registration status, and per-message rates once your allowance is exhausted. 

The platform doesn't charge separately just to enable SMS. Business texting is included with RingEX subscriptions, and each account receives a monthly pool of SMS credits.

A few important points:

• The SMS allowance is pooled across all users on the account.
• Included messages do not roll over to the next month.
• Once the monthly allowance is exhausted, every additional SMS or MMS is billed per message.

Here are the base plan costs and SMS allotments: 

Monthly billing carries a real penalty. Skipping the annual contract adds roughly 33% to every tier. Core jumps from $20 to $30, Advanced from $25 to $35, Ultra from $35 to $45.

What Happens Once You Exceed the Allotment?

RingCentral doesn't cut off texting when you hit the cap; it charges overages. Based on current published rates, overages range from $0.01 to $0.02 per message beyond your plan's included volume, though the exact rate can vary by plan tier and account setup.

As an alternative to per-message overage billing, RingCentral also lets you purchase SMS bundles in advance if you know you'll consistently exceed your allotment. 

After your included allowance is used, RingCentral charges based on the type of message sent.

The Add-On Layer for Serious Bulk/Campaign Use

If you need shared-inbox management, reply templates, or built-in compliance tooling for bulk texting, features the base plans don't include, RingCentral sells this as a separate product:

• Business SMS Booster: priced around $25/month as an add-on, adding a shared SMS inbox 
  
• Customer Engagement Bundle: bundles RingEX Ultra with the Business SMS Booster and the Call Queues Booster.

RingCentral Bulk SMS vs TXTImpact Mass Texting: Cost Comparison 

When it comes to running bulk SMS campaigns, the two platforms take fundamentally different pricing approaches, like we have already discussed about Ringcentral pricing  in the above section, TXTImpact builds its plans around SMS credits designed for high-volume sending.

TXTImpact Pricing: Starts at $29/month with 750 SMS credits included, scaling to higher-tier plans (~$99/month and up) with larger credit pools as volume grows. See pricing.

Now that we've looked at the pricing models of both platforms, let's compare how much it costs to send the same volume of SMS messages with each one:

Cost Scenario 1: Small team (2 users, 400 SMS/month) 

TXTImpact savings: $35/month vs. RingCentral monthly billing, but only ~$15/month vs. RingCentral annual billing.

Cost Scenario 2: Growing team (5 users, 2,000 SMS/month)

Savings with TXTImpact: $73/month vs. RingCentral monthly billing, $23/month vs. RingCentral annual billing  and TXTImpact still have 2,000 unused credits of headroom to grow into before hitting its next tier.

Takeaway: RingCentral's SMS costs stack on top of a per-user phone system license, so the more people on your team and the more you text, the wider the gap grows. Even on annual billing  RingCentral's cheapest option  a dedicated platform like TXTImpact still comes out ahead once bulk SMS volume increases, because its pricing is built around message credits rather than seat licenses with thin SMS allowances.

TXTImpact Bulk SMS Gets Even Cheaper as You Scale

Unlike RingCentral, where the overage rate stays fixed at $0.0119/message no matter how much you send, TXTImpact's per-credit cost actually drops as you move to higher-volume plans: 

At the API-plan tier, TXTImpact's per-message cost ($0.0075) is roughly 37% cheaper than RingCentral's fixed overage rate ($0.0119)  and that's before even accounting for RingCentral's per-user seat licensing stacking on top. Also at TXTImpact the unused text credits will be rolled over for 90 days whereas this is not available in Ringcentral.

RingCentral Bulk SMS Limitations: Where It Falls Short  

Here are the biggest RingCentral gaps and limitations that businesses hit when they try to scale. 

• Not built specifically for SMS marketing: RingCentral is primarily a unified communications platform, with SMS serving as an additional feature rather than the core product. 
• Limited native segmentation capabilities: Audience targeting options are less advanced than those offered by SMS-first marketing platforms. 
• Limited advanced marketing automation: Lacks the sophisticated customer journeys, behavioral triggers, and automation workflows found in dedicated SMS marketing platforms. 
• Mandatory 10DLC and compliance registration: Businesses must complete registration and approval processes before sending large-scale SMS campaigns. 
• Limited keyword campaign functionality: SMS keywords and automated keyword responses are less robust than those on dedicated texting platforms. 
• Less suitable for high-volume marketing campaigns: The platform is better suited for customer communications, notifications, and support messaging than frequent promotional texting campaigns. 
• SMS costs can be difficult to predict at scale: Monthly allowances, carrier fees, registration fees, and per-message charges can complicate budgeting.

RingCentral Bulk SMS vs TXTImpact Mass Texting Service: Side-by-Side Features Comparison 

Both RingCentral and TXTImpact support business texting, but they're built for different use cases. Here’s a detailed side-by-side comparison of the two platforms. 

What Makes TXTImpact More Affordable and Valuable Than RingCentral?

TXTImpact is specifically built for business texting. As a result, businesses that rely heavily on SMS often find TXTImpact offers better value, lower overall costs, and more specialized features.

While RingCentral is a unified communications platform that combines voice, video, and messaging, TXTImpact is built specifically for business texting and SMS marketing. This means businesses don't have to pay for additional user licenses or communication features they may not need. 

TXTImpact includes mass texting, drip campaigns, keyword campaigns, autoresponders, contact segmentation, and scheduling within a single platform. In contrast, RingCentral's bulk SMS capabilities are more limited and often require a separate SMS Campaigns app. 

For organizations sending frequent or high-volume text campaigns, TXTImpact provides a more scalable, cost-effective, and feature-rich solution with easier-to-predict messaging costs.

Besides, 

• RingCentral charges for every SMS sent. TXTImpact tiers pricing to reward bulk sending; the more you send, the lower your per-message cost. 
• RingCentral also charges for features you might not use (calling, video, conferencing). TXTImpact is SMS-focused, so you're not paying for unnecessary features. 
• TXTImpact is more affordable than many other dedicated SMS platforms. Instead of offering discounts only on annual contracts, it provides comparable discounts on its monthly plans, making it more cost-effective for businesses. Read: Cheapest mass texting platforms (Compared and ranked)
• Moreover, TXTImpact includes more messaging credits at the same price, offers a 90-day credit rollover feature, and delivers better overall value than many competitors.

Who Should Use RingCentral Bulk SMS? (And Who Should Switch?) 

How to Migrate from RingCentral to TXTImpact (In two Step)

The good news is that you don't have to leave RingCentral completely to upgrade your business texting.

If you're happy with RingCentral for voice calls, you can continue using it for your phone system while moving your texting to TXTImpact's Landline Texting (Hosted SMS) platform. This allows you to keep your existing business phone number and use TXTImpact's advanced SMS marketing and business texting features giving you the best of both worlds.

How It Works: 

• Sign Up for Free Trial
• From the Dashboard Just Submit Request to Enable Landing Texting with TXTImpact.

Voila there you go, now you have the best of both worlds! Voice powered by Ringcentral and Text powered by the best in the industry texting platform, TXTImpact. Backed by more than 20 years of experience and 30,000+ businesses served so far. 

Conclusion  

RingCentral can handle bulk SMS, making it a reasonable option for businesses that already use the platform for calling, messaging, and team collaboration. 

However, once messaging volume increases, businesses may encounter limitations such as low SMS allowances, overage charges, manual compliance processes, and a lack of advanced marketing features. 

If SMS is a core part of your marketing and customer engagement strategy, a dedicated platform like TXTImpact offers greater flexibility, advanced automation, better segmentation, more predictable pricing, and the scalability needed to efficiently support high-volume texting campaigns. 

If you want to send a large number of messages and run a successful bulk SMS campaign at affordable pricing, contact us at TXTImpact or start a free trial to learn more.

FAQs  

Yes, but the toll-free number must be verified before it can be used for large-scale business texting.

♦ Does RingCentral have SMS marketing features?

No. RingCentral can send bulk SMS, but it lacks marketing features: no templates, scheduling, automation, segmentation or A/B testing.

♦ What if I need more than RingCentral's basic SMS capabilities?

If you need drip campaigns, keyword automation, audience segmentation, and detailed campaign analytics, TXTImpact provides these features natively without requiring additional tools.

♦ Does RingCentral offer advanced SMS automation?

RingCentral offers basic automation features, but businesses seeking automated customer journeys, welcome series, autoresponders, and re-engagement campaigns may find TXTImpact a more comprehensive solution.

♦ When should a business consider switching from RingCentral to TXTImpact?

If SMS has become a key channel for marketing, customer engagement, lead nurturing, or high-volume notifications, TXTImpact can provide greater flexibility, more advanced features, and better long-term value.

About the Author:

Rahul Kumar (Marketing Specialist) Rahul Kumar is a Digital marketer with 7+ years of experience in SEO, AEO,SMS marketing, WhatsApp marketing, SaaS, and WordPress. He has led successful growth campaigns for startups and tech brands, combining data-driven strategies with compelling content. His work has been featured on top SaaS blogs, and he’s known for turning complex ideas into high-converting digital strategies.