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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Monster SMS. Can't find your answer? Email our team - we reply within one business day.
Everything you need to know about Monster SMS. Can't find your answer? Email our team - we reply within one business day.
Monster SMS is an Australian SMS marketing and AI communication platform. It lets you send bulk SMS campaigns, manage two-way conversations with your customers, and set up AI-powered auto-reply agents - all from one dashboard.
You sign up, verify your number, upload your contacts, and start sending. The platform handles SMS delivery via Twilio's carrier network, so your messages reach Australian (and international) numbers reliably and fast.
No. The Free plan is completely free with no credit card required. You get 100 messages (one-off sign-up bonus) to try everything out. A card is only needed when you upgrade to a paid plan.
Most users send their first SMS within 5 minutes of signing up. The steps are:
Check out our Quick Start Guide for a step-by-step walkthrough.
Monster SMS is used across a broad range of Australian industries:
The Free plan acts as a permanent sandbox - you can use it indefinitely. There's no separate time-limited trial of paid plans, but you can upgrade at any time and cancel before your next billing date if it's not the right fit.
Want a guided demo? Email our team and we'll walk you through the platform.
The Free plan gives you full platform access with some limits:
The Free plan does not include priority support, SLA guarantees, or advanced features like multi-workspace agency mode. It's designed for you to test the platform fully before committing.
All prices are in AUD and billed monthly:
Need extra messages mid-cycle? Top up anytime: 500 messages at 6¢ each or 1,000 messages at 5.5¢ each.
See the full pricing page for feature breakdowns per plan.
When you hit your monthly limit, new outgoing messages will queue but not be sent until you top up or upgrade. You have two options:
Monthly plan messages do not roll over. Your allowance resets on your billing anniversary each month regardless of usage.
Top-up credits are different - they remain in your account and don't expire at the end of your monthly cycle. Top up once and use them whenever you need them.
Upgrades take effect immediately. You'll be charged a pro-rata amount for the remainder of your current billing period, and your new message allowance activates straight away.
Downgrades take effect at the start of your next billing cycle. You'll keep your current plan features and allowance until then. No refunds are issued for the remaining period on a downgrade.
We currently offer monthly billing as standard. Annual billing options and volume discounts are available for Enterprise customers. Contact our team to discuss your requirements and we'll put together a custom quote.
Monster SMS's AI auto-reply uses Microsoft Azure AI to automatically respond to inbound SMS messages on your behalf - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no coding required.
Setup is straightforward:
The AI reads each inbound message in context and generates a relevant reply. You can review all conversations and jump in to handle any message manually at any point.
Yes. Every SMS sent by the AI auto-reply counts against your monthly message allowance, exactly the same as manually sent messages. If you expect high inbound volumes, ensure your plan has sufficient capacity or purchase top-up credits in advance.
Yes. The AI maintains context across a conversation thread and can handle multi-turn exchanges - not just one-shot replies. It's capable of:
For sensitive or complex situations (complaints, refunds), you can configure the AI to flag the conversation for human follow-up with a designated team member.
Basic AI auto-reply is available on the Free plan with limited conversations. Full AI agent capabilities - including custom knowledge bases, unlimited conversations, and advanced configuration - are available on Starter and above.
See the AI Agents page for a full feature comparison.
Yes. You can configure separate AI agents for different inbound numbers or conversation flows - for example, one agent for sales enquiries and another for appointment bookings. Each agent can have its own system prompt, knowledge base, and escalation rules.
Yes. The campaign builder lets you schedule sends for any future date and time, including across different Australian time zones. You can also set up recurring campaigns for regular communications - weekly promotions, monthly newsletters, or seasonal reminders.
Scheduled campaigns can be edited or cancelled right up until the send time.
Yes. Monster SMS supports merge tags so every message feels personal. Standard tags include:
{FirstName}{LastName}{Company}You can also add custom fields to your contact list (e.g. appointment date, order number, suburb) and reference them with custom merge tags. Personalised messages consistently outperform generic blasts.
Yes. You can organise contacts into lists and groups, and target campaigns to specific segments. Segmentation options include:
A standard SMS is 160 characters. Messages longer than 160 characters are automatically split and sent as concatenated SMS (multi-part messages). Each 153-character segment beyond the first counts as an additional message credit.
Monster SMS shows you a live character count and credit cost as you type, so there are no surprises.
Yes. Monster SMS provides real-time delivery reporting for every campaign:
Two-way SMS lets your customers reply to your messages, and you or your AI agent can respond back - creating a real conversation over SMS, just like texting a friend.
You get a dedicated Australian virtual mobile number (or import your existing Twilio number) that acts as your SMS phone line. Inbound messages appear in your Monster SMS inbox in real time, where you can reply manually or let the AI handle it automatically.
Yes. Monster SMS supports a shared team inbox - multiple team members can see and respond to inbound conversations from the same dashboard. You can:
Receiving inbound messages is free - you're only charged for messages you send (outbound). So if a customer replies to your campaign, you don't pay for their inbound message. You only pay when you (or your AI agent) replies back.
Yes - this is a legal requirement. Under the Spam Act 2003 (Cth), you must have consent from recipients before sending commercial electronic messages, including SMS. There are two types of consent:
Every commercial SMS must also contain a clear and functional unsubscribe mechanism. In Australia, that's typically "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" - and you must honour opt-outs within 5 business days.
Monster SMS is built for Australian compliance. Built-in tools include:
Important: Legal responsibility for compliance always rests with you as the sender. Monster SMS provides the tools - you must use them correctly. We recommend reviewing the ACMA guidelines at acma.gov.au.
Monster SMS operates in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). We handle personal data (phone numbers, names, contact records) in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
As a data controller for your own contacts, you are responsible for ensuring your collection, use, and storage of customer data is lawful. Monster SMS acts as a data processor on your behalf.
No - this is not permitted on Monster SMS and is likely illegal under the Spam Act 2003. Purchased lists rarely carry valid consent for the specific messages you intend to send. Sending marketing SMS to a purchased list risks:
You must only message people who have given you their number directly and consented to receive SMS from your business.
Yes. Monster SMS offers a REST API for developers who want to integrate SMS into their own systems, apps, or workflows. With the API you can:
API access is available on Starter plans and above. Generate your API key in Account Settings → Developer. Full API documentation is available in the dashboard.
Yes. Monster SMS supports outbound webhooks to notify your systems of real-time events including:
Webhooks can be configured per virtual number or globally for your account. Configure them in Account Settings → Webhooks.
Yes. Monster SMS is built on Twilio's infrastructure and supports Twilio number import. If your virtual number is currently provisioned via Twilio, you can connect it directly to Monster SMS without porting - keeping your existing number and all its history.
For numbers on other carriers, porting availability depends on your provider and number type (long code, shortcode, 1300). Contact our support team to discuss your specific requirements.
For a full walkthrough of moving from any SMS provider to Monster SMS, see our step-by-step migration guide.
Yes. You can integrate Monster SMS with your existing business tools in several ways:
Popular integrations include HubSpot, Salesforce, Shopify, Calendly, and Mindbody. Get in touch if you need help setting up a specific integration.
Most messages to Australian numbers are delivered within a few seconds. Delivery time can vary based on:
International messages typically take a few seconds to a minute. You can track real-time delivery status for each message in your Monster SMS dashboard.
Yes. Monster SMS can send to international numbers. Rates vary by destination country. Enter international numbers in E.164 format (e.g. +44 for UK, +1 for US/Canada).
Compliance note: Australian Spam Act rules apply to messages sent by Australian businesses, regardless of the recipient's country. You should also be aware of applicable regulations in the recipient's jurisdiction (e.g. TCPA in the US, GDPR in Europe).
Contact [email protected] for international rate information.
Yes. There are two ways to bring your existing number to Monster SMS:
Email our team with your number details and we'll walk you through the best approach.
Yes. You can provision a dedicated Australian virtual mobile number (long code) directly from within Monster SMS. This number is yours - all inbound and outbound messages go through it, building consistent brand recognition with your audience.
Shortcodes (e.g. 18XXXX) are also available for high-volume senders. Contact us for availability and pricing on shortcodes.
Yes. Monster SMS supports alphanumeric sender IDs - your business name (up to 11 characters) appears as the sender instead of a phone number. This is great for brand recognition in one-way campaigns.
Important limitation: Alphanumeric sender IDs are one-way only - recipients cannot reply to messages sent from an alphanumeric ID. For two-way conversations, you'll need a dedicated virtual mobile number.
Alphanumeric sender IDs are subject to carrier approval in Australia. Contact us for setup.
Paid plans are billed monthly in advance on the date you first subscribe. For example, if you sign up on the 15th, you'll be billed on the 15th of each month. Tax invoices are generated automatically and emailed to your registered address - you can also download them from your account dashboard.
We don't offer refunds for partial months or unused message credits as standard policy. If you cancel, you retain access until the end of your paid period.
If you believe you are entitled to a remedy under the Australian Consumer Law, please contact us at [email protected] and we'll review your situation fairly.
You can cancel at any time - no lock-in contracts, no cancellation fees. Here's how:
Your account reverts to the Free plan at the end of your billing period. Your contacts, campaigns, and data are retained - you won't lose anything. You can reactivate a paid plan at any time.
Prefer us to handle it? Email [email protected] with "Cancel my subscription" and we'll take care of it within one business day.
Absolutely. Monster SMS does not store your credit card details on our servers. All payment processing is handled by our PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant payment provider. Your card data is encrypted and tokenised at the point of entry - we only hold a token reference, never your raw card number.
We accept all major credit and debit cards including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. For Enterprise accounts, we can arrange invoice-based billing. Contact us for payment options on Enterprise plans.
Yes. Monster SMS supports multi-tenant agency workspaces. Agencies can manage separate client workspaces - each with their own:
Switch between client workspaces instantly from a single login. This is ideal for marketing agencies, franchisors, or any business that needs to manage SMS for multiple brands.
Contact us about agency pricing - we offer volume discounts for multi-workspace accounts.
Yes. You can invite team members with role-based access control:
Team invitations are available on Starter plans and above.
White-label options are available for qualifying agency and reseller partners. This allows you to offer Monster SMS capabilities under your own brand to your clients. Get in touch to discuss partnership and white-label arrangements.