SMS vs MMS: What's the difference?

We’re spoiled for choice regarding internet messaging platforms, but not everyone has moved on to WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal. Plenty of users across the globe still rely on SMS and MMS to communicate with loved ones. But which protocol is better? Read on for our SMS vs MMS breakdown.

What is SMS?

SMS, or Short Message Service, lets users send text-only messages of up to 160 characters across cellular networks. The protocol was created to work across carriers’ voice infrastructure for much older and simpler mobile hardware. Unlike modern messaging services, there’s no need for any data signal to send an SMS. Nevertheless, the protocol is still available and going strong in 2023, with many mobile phone plans offering free or unlimited SMSes as a perk.

Although SMSes are limited to 160 characters, you can send longer texts that many apps can read as a single message. However, whenever you breach that 160-character limit, you’ll be charged for another SMS.

Unlike more modern data-based protocols like MMS and RCS, SMS does not facilitate media. This means you can only send text characters (numbers, letters, symbols, and simple emoji) to others.

What is MMS?

MMS, or Multimedia Messaging Service, is an evolution of SMS. Unlike its simpler counterpart, MMS often requires a data connection as the protocol supports attached media (images, videos, and audio).

Although MMS became commercially available in the early 2000s, the protocol only gained traction around a decade later, as data networks were more prevalent and phones became increasingly feature-filled. A much higher character limit exists for an MMS of 1600 characters (roughly between 200 and 400 words). Thanks to its enhanced functionality over SMS, MMS messages are usually slightly more expensive than SMS. We’re talking cents at most, though.

SMS vs MMS: How do they compare?

Here’s a breakdown of SMS vs MMS protocols, their limitations, pros and cons, and more.

Should you use SMS or MMS?

You shouldn’t use just one protocol, as SMS and MMS have clear advantages over one another in specific use cases.

If your carrier plan comes with unlimited SMSes and you don’t need to send media to other users, it makes sense to use SMS. However, if you want to use richer media messaging and don’t like the idea of WhatsApp or other messaging platforms, MMS is your go-to. MMS may also be useful if you need to send a longer message but don’t have the data to send an RCS or a message on another data-reliant platform.

Thankfully, most modern text messaging apps can send and receive SMSes and MMSes, so switching between them as required is a much simpler task.

What about RCS?

Of course, there’s also the question of RCS messaging. Rich Communication Services, to give it its full title, is effectively the upgraded version of SMS and MMS, allowing for read receipts, media transfers, and encryption. It’s a protocol that’s now common on Android smartphones and is making its way to iPhones, too.

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