When you text your customers or your community with a texting platform, you have two options when selecting a phone number:
A local phone number — you can choose your desired area code ###-555–5555.
A toll-free phone number — starts with 888, 877, 866, 855, or 844.
What’s the difference between local vs. toll-free numbers?
Depending on your needs, audience size, and marketing strategy, you may prefer one over the other.
☎️ Local phone numbers are great if:
Telephone carriers typically limit the number of text messages sent from one local phone number per day to about 100 recipients.
You like to send MMS/images — text messages with previewable pictures.
You want to retain your local area code to connect to your business and customers in the area.
Good for internal team members' communications.
You are working under a budget — all Pony Express HQ accounts come with one free dedicated local phone number (unlike competitors, who charge a recurring monthly fee)!
📲 Toll-Free phone numbers are great if:
You have thousands of people on your subscriber list.
You need to send messages quickly — up to 3 messages per second.
You send MMS/pictures that will be sent as a link.
Good for your business marketing communications.
Toll-free phone numbers are not very restricted in terms of content filtering like local phone numbers.
You told us we listened! We launched toll-free numbers when Pony Express HQ users
said they needed to reach larger audiences without getting blocked by carriers. 🌟
Frequently asked questions about toll-free vs. local numbers
In this section, we'll go through 4 frequently asked questions about toll-free and local numbers. We hope the answers can help the success of your text marketing campaigns.
1. How do I reach more people but still retain a local area code?
Telephone carriers typically limit the number of text marketing messages sent from one local phone number per day to about 100 recipients. Pony Express HQ automatically assigns you one free local phone number. But you can purchase additional local phone numbers for a low monthly fee, and you can text more people. Many of our local businesses do this in their text marketing campaigns when their subscriber lists grow past 200 but stay under 300.
2. Can I switch from a local phone number to a toll-free phone number at any time? Or vice versa?
Yes, it’s easy to switch from one to the other in the Pony Express HQ dashboard as your marketing needs change. Remember that once you make the switch, your former phone number will go back into the pool of available numbers.
3. Are there any limits to how many people I can reach with a toll-free number?
No! A toll-free number is a popular option for people who have mobile subscriber lists of 1,000+.
4. Do I still have the same pricing and dashboard features with either option?
Yes! Whether you pick a local or toll-free phone number, you’ll still get the same great rates and dashboard features of Pony Express HQ. Send online text messages as low as 1 cent per text.
Sign-up for a free trial of Pony Express HQ to activate your SMS text marketing. We hope this guide was helpful! Leave us a comment with any questions.
Discover more about text marketing: What is SMS marketing? Types, users, benefits... Happy Texting ✨ The Pony Express HQ Team