Alintro Blog
MSG91, Gupshup, and Kaleyra together route the majority of transactional SMS traffic in India. If you're setting up SMS on your Shopify store, odds are you're choosing between these three.
We hooked all three into the same store and sent 10,000 order confirmations through each over 30 days. Below is what we actually learned.
Side-by-side
| MSG91 | Gupshup | Kaleyra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transactional SMS (India) | ₹0.18 | ₹0.20 | ₹0.22 |
| Promotional SMS | ₹0.20 | ₹0.22 | ₹0.25 |
| WhatsApp (business-initiated) | ₹0.72 | ₹0.70 | ₹0.75 |
| DLT fee | Included | Included | Included |
| Self-serve DLT registration | Yes | Yes | Assisted |
| Minimum recharge | ₹200 | ₹500 | ₹1,000 |
| Delivery webhooks | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Setup time | 10 min | 15 min | 25 min |
| Support SLA | Email 12h | Email 8h + chat | Phone + dedicated AM |
MSG91 — the cheapest "just works" option
Pros: lowest transactional rate, fastest onboarding (you can be live in 10 minutes), clean REST API, good developer docs, self-serve DLT from the dashboard.
Cons: support is email-only unless you pay enterprise; during peak retail days (Diwali, Black Friday) we've seen delivery lag 30–60s.
Use it if: you're a direct-to-consumer Shopify store under ~200k SMS/month and you want the lowest cost. MSG91 setup guide →
Gupshup — best if you also need WhatsApp
Pros: one vendor for SMS + WhatsApp Cloud API (as a BSP), chat support, solid uptime, good delivery headers.
Cons: slightly higher SMS rate than MSG91, dashboard is busier, minimum top-up ₹500.
Use it if: you want SMS & WhatsApp from one vendor, especially if you're planning marketing campaigns too. Gupshup setup guide →
Kaleyra — enterprise-grade, dedicated AM
Pros: phone support, a named account manager, dedicated IP routes, works well for BFSI / regulated verticals, stellar compliance.
Cons: price is 20–25% higher than MSG91, longer onboarding, minimum recharge ₹1,000.
Use it if: you're doing > 500k SMS/month and want a human on speed-dial. Kaleyra setup guide →
Our pick
For 9 out of 10 Shopify stores we advise, MSG91 is the right answer. Move up to Gupshup if you want WhatsApp under the same invoice. Move up to Kaleyra only when you've outgrown self-service support.
The good news: it doesn't matter what we recommend. Alintro supports all three (plus 120+ others) with a 1-click switch — so you can start on MSG91 and move to Kaleyra later without touching your Shopify setup.