Key Takeaways
- A “free self-hosted SMS server” search mixes two ideas. Our Free plan is a hosted control plane: 1 device, 300 SMS lifetime, 300 contacts.
- The Android + SIM is always yours to operate. We do not ship a free on-prem SMS SKU you unzip onto a VPS as the radio.
- cPanel PHP can call our API. It cannot replace the handset. Shared-hosting myth is a sibling spoke.
- OSS DIY gateways are another class — you patch them. That is not this Free plan.
- Service pricing is based on device count and total SMS sent through the gateway. You need a working Android phone with a SIM and SMS credit from your mobile operator. Operator message costs are yours—we do not sell carrier SMS balance.
Free SMS server self-hosted is a search that usually wants a zip on a $5 VPS that blasts SMS. Two honest paths exist: (1) our hosted Free plan plus your Android, or (2) a DIY open-source stack you patch. They are not the same SKU. Mixing them is how you expect cPanel to be a modem.
Service pricing is based on device count and total SMS sent through the gateway. Architecture: server guide. Myth: shared hosting. OSS: open source. Pricing.
If the README says “install the SMS server on shared hosting” and never mentions a phone, close the tab.
Free is hosted, the radio is yours
Pair the app from downloads. The control plane is ours on Free. You still own power, OEM, and prepaid. You need a working Android phone with a SIM and SMS credit from your mobile operator. Operator message costs are yours—we do not sell carrier SMS balance.
Self-host vs Free plan
| Layer | Our Free plan | DIY self-host |
|---|---|---|
| Enqueue / API | Hosted, metered | You run it, you patch it |
| Android radio | Your phone, 1 device slot | Your phone, your agent APK |
| Platform SMS | 300 lifetime, then pause | Whatever you built — still carrier billed |
| Contacts | 300 | Your database |
DIY OSS is a different product
Score last commit and license separately. Support and updates.
A VPS is not a modem
Node/PHP on a droplet can hold the API key and call POST /messages. The PDU still leaves a SIM. Setup.
What Free actually meters
1 device, 300 SMS lifetime, 300 contacts. Bulk on Free is still those caps — see Free bulk. Not unlimited, not a rollover pack.
Checklist
- Decide hosted Free vs OSS DIY — not both in one weekend.
- Phone paired, exempted, funded.
- No “self-hosted unlimited SMS” in the README.
- Keys off the docroot if you proxy from a VPS.
- OpenAPI this week if you send through us.
Next steps
If you wanted a zip modem, you wanted a different class of product. If you wanted a lab on our API, pair one phone and stay inside the lifetime cap until the canary works.
Related product pages
Jump to the live product docs for this topic—not another long-form article.
- device and SMS volume pricingPlans and allowances
- Android SMS gateway product guideDefinition, product, and how to buy
- SMS API documentationLive endpoint reference
- download the Android gateway appGet the APK
