HonkIOChoosing an SMS provider in Canada
Texting people in Canada is not the same as texting in the US. The number types, the carrier rules, the law and the bill all differ. This guide walks through what to check, including where HonkIO is not the right fit.
. This guide explains Canadian rules in general terms for people who build software. It is not legal advice: for your own situation, talk to a lawyer.
Start with the number you send from
A business text in Canada comes from one of three kinds of number. Alphanumeric sender IDs, common in Europe, are not supported by Canadian carriers.
| Type | What it is | Good for | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local number | A 10-digit number with a Canadian area code | Conversations, reminders, alerts and codes at modest volume | Low throughput per number; carriers filter high-volume traffic from local numbers |
| Toll-free number | A 10-digit number starting with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 or 888 | Higher-volume notifications from a number not tied to a city | The business behind it is verified before it can send, which takes time and may cost a fee |
| Short code | A 5 or 6 digit number leased through the Canadian Common Short Code program | Large campaigns and high-throughput alerts | An application, carrier approval and a lease; plan on weeks before the first message |
Pick the type for the traffic you will actually send. A clinic sending reminders or a SaaS sending codes rarely needs a short code; a national retailer texting promotions to hundreds of thousands of people probably does.
Throughput and carrier filtering
Canadian carriers filter application-to-person traffic, and a provider’s limits partly reflect what carriers accept. Ask each provider how many message parts a minute one number can send, what happens when you send faster, and how filtered messages show up in delivery receipts.
Content matters as much as volume. Carriers are wary of public link shorteners, of the same text spread across many numbers to beat per-number limits, and of messages with no way to opt out. A provider that refuses those before they reach a carrier saves you from finding out through falling delivery rates.
HonkIO’s figures, for comparison: a local number sends 10 message parts a minute and a verified toll-free number up to 1,200; new accounts start at 250 live messages a day, with a probation period before they can ask for more. The pricing and limits docs have the details, and the toll-free docs cover verification.
CASL and STOP handling
Every commercial text to a Canadian number needs consent, sender identification and a working opt-out. A provider cannot make your messages compliant, but it decides how much of the work you do yourself. Ask:
- Does it record consent, and refuse a send without it?
- Does it handle STOP replies, and the French ARRET, without code on your side?
- Does it report opt-outs by webhook, so your own records stay in sync?
- Does it keep an opt-out when you delete a contact’s data?
The CASL guide for developers explains what the law asks of each message.
French, segments and cost
A text is billed by segment. A message in the GSM-7 alphabet fits 160 characters in one segment; a single character outside it, such as ê, ô or ç, switches the whole message to UCS-2 and 70 characters a segment. French messages run into this often, so test your real templates and compare costs per segment, not per message. Why one accent can triple your SMS bill shows which characters are affected.
Then compare prices in the currency you pay in. A price in US dollars moves with the exchange rate. Ask whether carrier fees are added on top of the per-message rate, and for the all-in cost of a Canadian message in Canadian dollars.
HonkIO charges $0.03 per segment, sent or received, from a prepaid balance in Canadian dollars. A local number is $2.50 a month plus a one-time $1.00 activation; a toll-free number is $99.00 a month. The pricing page has the rest.
Where your data lives
Message bodies, phone numbers and opt-out lists are personal information. Ask where the provider stores them, where it processes them, how long it keeps message bodies, and whether you can erase a person’s data on request. If you serve Quebec residents or public-sector customers, you will need these answers for your own privacy assessments.
HonkIO stores data in Canada, in AWS ca-central-1 in Montréal; API requests may be processed on US-hosted infrastructure before they are stored. Message bodies are purged after 90 days by default. The privacy policy lists every subprocessor.
Questions to ask any provider
- Which number types can I use for Canadian recipients, and how long does each take to set up?
- How many message parts a minute can one number send, and what are the daily limits for a new account?
- Are consent checks and STOP handling built in, in English and French?
- What does a Canadian message cost all in, in Canadian dollars?
- Where are message bodies and numbers stored and processed, and for how long?
- Is there a test mode that runs the same checks without sending or charging?
- Do delivery receipts and inbound messages arrive as signed webhooks?
When HonkIO is not the right fit
HonkIO is built for transactional and relationship messages to Canadian numbers. Look elsewhere if you need:
- short codes: HonkIO offers local and toll-free numbers only
- texts to numbers outside Canada
- bulk marketing campaigns at high daily volume from the first day
- voice calls, or chat apps such as WhatsApp
If what you send is codes, reminders, alerts and replies to people in Canada, the comparison of SMS APIs for Canada shows how HonkIO lines up, and the SMS quickstart gets a test message out in a few minutes.
Questions
- Can I send SMS in Canada from an alphanumeric sender ID?
- No. Canadian carriers do not support alphanumeric sender IDs, so business texts come from a local number, a toll-free number or a short code.
- Do I need a short code?
- Only for very high volume or campaign traffic. Short codes are leased through the Canadian Common Short Code program and need carrier approval, which takes weeks. Local and verified toll-free numbers suit codes, reminders and alerts.
- Does a toll-free number need verification before it can send texts?
- Yes: the carrier verifies the business behind a toll-free number before it can send texts. On HonkIO, one application covers up to five numbers, with a one-time $499.00 fee.
- Can a provider outside Canada send texts to Canadians?
- Yes. CASL applies to the messages wherever the provider is based. Where the provider is affects where your data is stored and processed, and which currency you pay in.
- Why do French messages cost more?
- Characters such as ê, ô and ç are outside the GSM-7 alphabet, so a message containing one is sent as UCS-2 and fits 70 characters per segment instead of 160. Each segment is billed.
Sources
The laws, regulator guidance and standards this guide draws on, checked in October 2026. If something has changed, tell us at support@honkio.ca and we will correct it.