SMS vs MMS: What's the Difference?

SMS (Short Message Service) is plain-text messaging capped at 160 characters per message, sent over the cellular network without needing a data or Wi-Fi connection.

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) supports images, GIFs, audio, and video alongside text, with a much higher character allowance - up to roughly 1,600 characters - but it requires an internet connection to send and receive, and typically costs about twice as much per message as SMS.

The choice between them comes down to whether the content needs the extra capability enough to justify the extra cost. A straightforward appointment reminder, order update, or one-time passcode has no real use for images or a longer character count, so SMS covers it at the lower price point and without depending on the recipient having a data connection. A product launch, a visual sale announcement, or anything where seeing the item matters more than reading about it benefits from MMS's media support enough to be worth the roughly doubled cost per message. Since MMS depends on both sender and recipient having a working data connection, it's also less reliable in low-connectivity conditions than SMS, which is one more reason it's used selectively rather than as the default.