Dedicated Short Codes
5-digit sms short codes are the best option for high-message-throughput, reliable, non-carrier-filtered, emoji/multilingual-supported, two-way mass texting. And Clearstream is a vetted Premiere Partner with the Short Code Registry, the registrar for all U.S. short codes.
Send a text to 50 or 50,000 people and have two-way conversations with your people through a dedicated 5-digit short code.
What's a dedicated short code?
A dedicated short code is a 5-digit number used solely by your organization for high-volume, reliable, non-carrier-filtered texting.
With Clearstream, your dedicated short code can do more than high-volume mass texting. They're two-way enabled, meaning that people can respond, and your team can manage those conversations within a shared inbox.
Clearstream is able to setup (or migrate) a dedicated short code for your church in about 3-6 weeks, sometimes quicker. Industry standard is around 8-12 weeks.
Dedicated short code pricing
Short code lease fee – $500/mo (random number) or $1,000/mo (custom number). This fee is charged by and paid directly to The Short Code Registry.
Short code hosting fee – $0. For comparison, Twilio charges an additional $500/mo to host a dedicated short code.
Clearstream plan – Pick any monthly plan that works for you. Upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time. And there's no contract.
No additional carrier fees – Many providers charge pass-through carrier fees, which average about $.0035 per message on top of your per message cost. Where this is often a hidden cost with other SMS providers, we absorb these fees.
Why the largest churches trust Clearstream
Our Team
We're a product-focused team that's completely dedicated to building reliable and powerful communication software for the church. And we've been doing this for 12 years.
Cost
There is no other SMS provider in the U.S. that offers better dedicated short code pricing than Clearstream. No "short code management fees" and no carrier surcharges passed on to you.
Carrier Connection
We use a direct Tier 1 aggregator for our carrier connections (we're not built on an SMS API like Twilio). This results in higher throughput, faster troubleshooting directly with carriers, and more insight into message delivery.
Customer Support
We consider support a part of our product. Our team is extremely knowledgeable and insanely fast through live chat, video calls, or pigeon post. Read our customer reviews.
Powerful API
Our web-based texting software (and iOS/Android app) is powerful enough for most churches. But should you need to build SMS capabilities on your end, we have a REST API for that.
Message Throughput
We average around 300 messages per second when delivering your mass texts. For comparison, Twilio averages 100mps.
Message Deliverability
We're connected to all carriers in the U.S. (minus a few tiny regional carriers). We even automatically reroute failed messages through a local phone number should a subscriber not receive your short code messages.
Web + Mobile Apps
Our full-featured web-based texting software (plus native iOS/Android apps) gives you all the capabilities you'll need to engage and communicate with your people and community via text message.
Short Code SMS
Clearstream is a vetted top application provider with the Short Code Registry, the registrar for all U.S. short codes. Short codes are the single-best option for mass texting, and ours average around 300 messages per second.
No Contract
If you want to move your dedicated short code from Clearstream to another provider, you're welcome to without incurring termination fees.
Setup Process
Step 1
Fill out our initial intake form to get the process started. Afterward, we'll create a Short Code Registry account for your church.
Step 2
We'll invite you to your new Short Code Registry account, you'll enter your billing information, and we'll purchase your short code.
Step 3
Clearstream will file your Short Code Program Brief (i.e. – lots of paperwork) with all wireless carriers in the U.S.
Step 4
Wait for each carrier to approve your short code. This takes between 3-6 weeks and is the longest step of the process.
Step 5
If you haven't already, you'll need to create a Clearstream account. This is a good time to explore subaccounts for multiple ministries and set up your users.
Step 6
Go live! Once all carriers have approved your short code, we'll add your short code to your Clearstream account and you can begin using it immediately.
Compare Twilio to Clearstream PDF
Download a comprehensive Twilio and Clearstream comparison
Ready to get started?
Easier than following the yellow brick road. Start by filling out this online form. Once submitted, our team will start setting up your dedicated short code. Still have questions? Email us at shortcodes@clearstream.io.