Marketing Automation SMS Costs Are Confusing and Not Accurate

Marketing Automation SMS Costs Are Confusing and Not Accurate

I am a Zoho One user, and I am incredibly confused by the projected Marketing Automation costs. I have opened up several tickets and even had a virtual meeting with a representative, and no one can explain to me the cost of a credit. I am redirected to articles and screenshots that contradict one another. 



Upon logging into MA and going to SMS settings, you're told that a MA campaign costs approximately 15,000 SMS credits. After much back and forth via a ticket (because you can't purchase these yourself), it was explained that I would need to purchase the 15,000 credit add-on. See screenshot below. 


The link referenced in the email is this article. 

I am then directed by support to purchase the add-on for the prices in the screenshot below. 



These prices contradict one another, as the article says that 1664 credits are equal to $4, meaning that one credit = $0.0024. However, the screenshot above provided by support puts the cost of one credit at $0.0288. This is more than 10x the cost quoted in the article. I brought this up in the support ticket, but continued to receive the same responses linking me to the article and also sending me the screenshot of the cost table. Eventually, I was able to have a support call with a representative, but while I thought I received clarification, it's evident that I did not. I purchased 15,000 credits just to move things along. 

I registered my brand and was charged 1664 credits as stated. (Registration took 14 days, instead of the quoted 7 and I had to email every day for an update past the deadline.) 

Today, I've moved forward to register my campaign and am met with a quote of 18720 credits to submit my campaign. 

I am directed to buy MORE credits, but remember, I can't even add these credits myself.... so now I've had to submit yet another ticket to request to purchase more credits. 

For some reason, despite being quoted at $0.0288 per credit in the screenshot (which would have made 15,000 credits $432), I was only charged 203.82, which I imagine is some sort of pro-rating, as there are less than 6 months left on my annual subscription. However, if the credits are one time use and not renewable by month, why is there pro-rating involved? 


At this point, I've spent $203, and have submitted a ticket for another 15,000 credits (which I do not know how much they will cost me).... and I've yet to send a single text message despite working through this for more than a month. I feel scammed by this product and support team while I'm being peppered for updates from my team and boss and have nothing to show them from the last months. 

    • Sticky Posts

    • How to Add Users to your Organization in ZohoMail?

      A better clarity so you can create other users to start using Zoho Mail. You can directly Add Users from the Control Panel to your Organization. You can invite users with the existing email address. If the person (user) already uses ZohoCRM, then you can import users from Zoho CRM. You can also import them using a .csv file. (if you are planning to add them in Bulk)  In this topic, We will be discussing on how to Add and Invite users only.  The Import options are self explanatory. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
    • Recent Topics

    • Error 553

      Não estou conseguindo enviar ou receber e-mail, sempre dando o erro 553, sendo que há mais de um mês o domínio está pago e liberado. Preciso de um suporte urgente
    • Automate insurance document workflows with Zoho Writer

      Insurance companies have to deal with creating and managing complex documents and forms, such as policy applications, explanation of benefits documents, brochures, renewals, and claim forms. Handling all of this manually is hugely time and effort intensive,
    • Create PDFs with Text so that we can copy from a generated PDF

      Currently, any information that a user enters into a field cannot be highlighted and copied from the PDF that Zoho Sign renders. For example, if someone were to provide a phone number in a Zoho Sign text field, you would not be able to copy the phone
    • How To Insert Data into Zoho Table using Api

      Hi Community, I have created a table inside zoho tables. How do I insert data into table using API. Please tell the exact endpoint and payload , I just have to insert data into table columns. Also tell how to find tableid, viewid, baseid etc. which are
    • How do I delete a folder in Marketing Automation?

      Folders are used across contact lists and segments, and email templates. How do I delete a folder once it's been created?
    • Portal Approval Process

      Hi Zoho team and fellow users, I am seeking a method to establish a multi-step approval process between a Zoho user and a portal user (Custom Portal) to review and approve requests through the Custom Portal. For instance, within this setup, one of the
    • Narrative 8: Intelligent in-app support that's instantly available anytime and anywhere

      Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system - BTS Series Narrative 8: Intelligent in-app support that's instantly available anytime and anywhere The App Support Across Platforms (ASAP) add-on for Zoho Desk is an independent application that integrates
    • Navigation issue — unable to return to Customer page after opening Receipt from Transactions

      Steps to reproduce: Open a Customer record. Go to Transactions tab and open a Receipt by clicking its receipt number. After viewing the receipt, clicking browser Back or closing the receipt does not reliably return me to the original Customer record (I
    • Thermal Printer Option Needed for Delivery Challan Templates

      Currently in Zoho Books, the Delivery Challan template only supports A4 and A5 page sizes. However, in many businesses (especially retail and hardware), we use thermal printers (like 3-inch or 4-inch rolls) to print delivery challans. It would be very
    • Separate Default Payment Modes for Receipts vs. Payments

      Right now, when I set a default Payment Mode via a customer invoice or Payments Received screen, that same mode shows up for vendor payments (Purchases → Payments Made). 🔹 Request: We need different default modes for: Customer receipts (e.g., default
    • Update/Change GSTIN in GST Settings of zohobooks

      We are trying to update our GSTIN under the GST settings section of our Zohobooks account Initially, we had entered a dummy GSTIN (123456789123456) to generate a sample invoice before obtaining our official GST registration. After receiving our actual
    • Link Payment Mode and Paid Through Accounts

      For most users, it's very difficult for them to understand that the Payment Mode is totally independent of the Paid Through account when paying bills. It seems (and is) redundant for them to have to select what is basically the same thing twice. The current
    • Lets enable business to choose the default payment mode

      Lets enable business to choose the default payment mode so that we do not have choose payment mode again and again for each and every transsctions
    • Add Attachment Support to Zoho Flow Mailhook / Email Trigger Module

      Dear Zoho Support Team, We hope you are well. We would like to kindly request a feature enhancement for the Mailhook module in Zoho Flow. Currently, the email trigger in Zoho Flow provides access to the message body, subject, from address, and to address,
    • South African Payment Gateways

      Since the "Demise" of Wave many South African users have moved over to Zoho and yet for years users have been requesting Integration with a South African Payment Gateway to no avail. Payfast was the most commonly requested gateway as it supports recurring
    • Has anyone verified if Zoho is PCI compliant?

      We are planning on using Zoho to process payments via Authorize.net. We have everything set up and are attempting to complete the PCI DSS SAQ-A requirement for our merchant account. This requires us to prove Zoho has completed the SAQ-D for Service Providers. We need a way to verify compliance, or a copy of an attestation of compliance signed by the appropriate officer at Zoho. I assume I'm not the first person to use Zoho to process payment, and therefore not the first to require this information
    • Support for Custom Fonts in Zoho Recruit Career Site and Candidate Portal

      Dear Zoho Recruit Team, I hope you're doing well. We would like to request the ability to use custom fonts in the Zoho Recruit Career Site and Candidate Portal. Currently only the default fonts (Roboto, Lato, and Montserrat) are available. While these
    • Bigin Plugin for Outlook

      Could we get this added? The Gmail version already exists, and I would like to avoid having to make a switch.
    • Date does not fit the field

      Hi There. I am having fun learning zoho sign API. Today I noticed the "Signed Date" field does not fit, or alternatively the font is to large for the auto field space. See screenshot below. The signed date field is created by putting {{Signdate}} on the
    • Tip of the Week #69 – Automate your Zoho TeamInbox tasks with n8n integration.

      Don’t waste time repeating the same tasks—like sending follow-up emails or adding new contacts. Let automation save the day. With n8n, an open-source automation tool, you can connect your favorite apps and let them handle the busywork for you. You don’t
    • Multi Page/Step Forms in creator

      Greetings i was wondering if it's possible to create multipage/step forms on creator similar to what we have on zoho forms. is that possbile? Thanks
    • Package Geometry

      how can i add the dimensions and weight capacity of the available boxes to be default in the system everytime we use it ?
    • How to create a Master Kanban Board that syncs with Child Projects?

      Hello, We're currently using Zoho Sprints for managing our interdepartmental teams, and we're looking to enhance our workflow using Kanban boards as part of a company-wide productivity improvement initiative. Our goal is to implement a project structure
    • Writer.. Broken?

      Hello,  Writer has been really good to me during the months I've used it, up until now.  I usually launch the app by tapping the icon and I could immediately pick up where I left off.  Now I'm greeted by a loading circle not reaching 100% and I only have the option to create a new account.  By pressing that button it now switches to a login screen and I can access my account. However, it seems (only speculating ofc) to be stuck in cell-phone mode? everything looks scrambled.  I can't access any of
    • How to access Recruit Variables in a Deluge function?

      I have set up Recruit Variables in Zoho Recruit, and I would like to know how to retrieve these variables from within a Recruit custom function (Deluge). Could someone please explain the correct way to access them? I tried the following code, but it did
    • Upon De activate a user what name doe sthe contacts candidates go under?

      When deactivating a user, does the user name remain the same, as the candidate owner? If not what/who, does it change to? Do I need to change the user name in contacts and candidates before I deactivate the user?
    • Weekly Tips: Customize alerts from your Priority Users

      You might receive hundreds of emails daily, but messages from your manager, clients, or team leads often require immediate attention, as they may contain urgent requests or critical updates. How would you ensure you never miss important messages from
    • Maximum 100 records in Sheet View is limiting. How can I increase this?

      Thanks in advance for any help with this. There was a similar post that showed answered but it did not help with increasing the number of records you see in a Sheet View. Editing in the Sheet View is fast and efficient but I have 3500 records and I need
    • Revenue Management: #3 Revenue Recognition Simplified

      In continuation of the previous post on how to compute revenue recognition, let's explore a solution that helps businesses handle real-world complexities. While the Accounting Standards provide a clear framework for recognizing revenue, the real challenge
    • Tip #40- Strengthen Remote Support with IP-based Restrictions in Zoho Assist– ‘Insider Insights’

      Protecting sensitive data and preventing unauthorized access is a top priority for any organization. With IP-based restrictions in Zoho Assist, you can ensure that only users from trusted networks can initiate remote support sessions. Say your IT team
    • Push Invoices to Xero Manually

      Hi guys, I'm wondering if anyone has wanted to do this and has a workaround or knows of an app that may be able to help with this. I sell B2B and B2C. The customers can purchase on our website or through marketplace, all of which send sales to zoho. The
    • OpenAI error code: 1010 in a Zobot

      Please see short linked screen recording. Insights welcome. Please and thank you! https://workdrive.zohoexternal.com/external/f3247ba9c872639157b707700c0300c433c7664aea924a034f4da3c3ad2e355f
    • Ability to Create Sub-Modules in Zoho CRM

      We believe there needs to be a better, more native way to manage related records in Zoho CRM without creating clutter. Ideally, Zoho would support "sub-modules" that we can create and associate under a parent module. Our use case: We have a custom module
    • Installing EMAIL Setup in New Domain

      Respected Support team, I'm facing an issue with cloudflare in Pakistan, I want to setup Zoho Mail Setup but I Don't know how to enable Zoho mail setup without cloudflare. My Website https://stumbleguymod.com/ is using CF, and I want a different Zoho
    • Does Zoho Sheet Supports https://n8n.io ?

      Does Zoho Sheet Supports https://n8n.io ? If not, can we take this as an idea and deploy in future please? Thanks
    • Signature change

      I cannot see how to change signature or out of office details easily now in the new format.
    • Inventory API - Retrieve all uploaded product / item images

      I know that I can get the primary image for each product / item or composite item, by using the /image endpoint.  https://inventory.zoho.com/api/v1/compositeitems/<item-id>/image?authtoken=<TOKEN> This will return only one photo, even if the item has multiple images uploaded. Is there a way to retrieve all images stored for an item via the Zoho Inventory API?
    • Ebay Integration malfunction

      My eBay integration in Inventory has always worked well. It suddenly malfunctioned. It is creating its own parts in Inventory that are unavailable instead of selling the parts I've always sold. Tech help was unable to resolve this. The latest sale attempt
    • Introducing Bin Locations In Zoho Inventory

      Hello users, We are excited to let you know that your wait for the Bin Locations feature has now come to an end! Yes, you heard us right! We are here to introduce the much-awaited Bin Locations now in Zoho Inventory. But before we dive into the feature
    • how to get all the records in the custom View more than 200 records , Without using the page Concept

      how to get all the records in the custom View more than 200 records , Without giveing page as default in the Loop Concept Pls help how We can Achive this void schedule.Lead_Attempt_To_contact_schedule_10_30() { pages = {1,2}; for each pg in pages { query_map
    • Next Page