By Timur Ali — Sep 23, 2025

Attentive Pricing Guide: Real Costs, Contract Terms & Better Alternatives for Ecommerce (2025)

Attentive pricing isn't posted anywhere on their website. There's a reason for that.

After researching actual customer contracts, speaking with current users, and analyzing billing statements, here's what Attentive actually costs—and whether it makes sense for your ecommerce store.

What Attentive Actually Costs

The Real Numbers

Attentive requires a $2,000-$3,000 quarterly minimum spend, regardless of how many messages you actually send (source: Emitrr pricing analysis). This breaks down to roughly $667-$1,000 per month before you send a single text.

Here's the complete cost structure:

The platform fee starts at $300+ monthly, plus your quarterly commitment of $2,000-$3,000 regardless of usage. Message costs are variable and include carrier fees. If you need a short code for high-volume sending, add another $500 monthly.

All contracts require 6-12 month commitments.

Real-World Examples

Small Store (10,000 subscribers):

Quarterly minimum: $2,000
Actual usage: ~$800/quarter
Total cost: $2,000/quarter (you pay the minimum regardless)
Effective cost per message: Often 3-5x the actual rate

Medium Store (50,000 subscribers):

Quarterly spend: $4,000-$6,000
Message volume: 15,000-25,000/month
Monthly cost: $1,300-$2,000

Large Store (200,000+ subscribers):

Quarterly spend: $10,000+
Message volume: 50,000+/month
Monthly cost: $3,300+

The problem? Most stores under $1M annual revenue struggle to justify these minimums, especially when starting SMS marketing.

Hidden Costs Store Owners Miss

Several hidden costs catch store owners off guard. Setup and migration often cost $2,000-$5,000 upfront. Exceeding message limits triggers premium pricing. Custom integrations may require expensive developer hours. Some contracts include penalties for early termination.

Contract Terms You Need to Know

The Fine Print

Attentive contracts include several terms that lock you in:

Minimum Commitment Clauses: You must hit quarterly spending minimums or pay the difference (source: Attentive help documentation). This means if you only spend $1,500 in a quarter with a $2,500 minimum, you still owe $1,000.

Auto-Renewal Terms: Contracts typically auto-renew for the same period unless cancelled 60-90 days in advance.

Data Portability Restrictions: Multiple users report difficulty exporting subscriber lists when switching platforms (source: Software Advice reviews).

What Happens If You Want to Leave

Unlike month-to-month platforms, exiting Attentive requires:

60-90 day notice (varies by contract)
Paying any remaining quarterly minimums
Potential data migration challenges
Loss of phone numbers (short codes are leased, not owned)

This creates significant switching costs that many store owners underestimate.

When Attentive Makes Sense

Revenue Thresholds

Attentive works financially when SMS drives significant revenue. Based on customer data, you need:

Attentive works financially when SMS drives significant revenue. You need at least 15% of total store revenue from SMS alone, with subscriber click rates consistently above 25%. Your average order value should exceed $75 to absorb messaging costs, and monthly revenue should hit $50,000+ to justify the platform fees.

Business Size Indicators

You're ready for Attentive when monthly revenue exceeds $100,000 and email marketing already generates 25% or more of your revenue. You need dedicated marketing staff and should view SMS as a strategic priority rather than an experiment. Most successful Attentive customers send over 20,000 messages monthly.

Industry Fit

Attentive performs best for:

Fashion and apparel brands
Beauty and cosmetics
Home goods and furniture
Food and beverage (with frequent promotions)

These industries see higher SMS engagement rates (25-35% vs. 15-20% average) that justify the platform costs.

Honest Comparison: Attentive vs Alternatives

Side-by-Side Cost Analysis

Feature	Attentive	Klaviyo SMS	Postscript
Starting Cost	$667/month minimum	$20/month (Email + SMS)	$30/month
Contract	6-12 months required	Month-to-month	Month-to-month
Message Cost	Custom pricing	$0.01/SMS (credit-based)	$0.015/message
Setup Fee	$2,000-$5,000	Free	Free
Platform Fee	$300+/month	Included in plan	Included in plan
Short Code	$500/month	$500/month	$500/month

Feature Comparison

Attentive delivers superior AI personalization and white-glove onboarding support that justifies its premium pricing. The platform offers advanced segmentation tools, enterprise-grade deliverability, and sophisticated two-way conversational messaging capabilities.

Klaviyo's strength lies in its unified email and SMS platform with transparent, predictable pricing. The platform excels at automation workflows and ecommerce integrations while requiring no minimum commitments.

Postscript offers Shopify-native integration with quick 24-48 hour setup times. The platform provides strong abandoned cart recovery features at competitive pricing with solid customer support.

ROI Calculations by Business Size

$50K Monthly Revenue Store:

Attentive: $8,000 annual minimum vs. potential $7,500 SMS revenue = Negative ROI
Klaviyo: $2,400 annual cost vs. potential $7,500 SMS revenue = 3.1x ROI

$200K Monthly Revenue Store:

Attentive: $12,000 annual cost vs. potential $30,000 SMS revenue = 2.5x ROI
Klaviyo: $6,000 annual cost vs. potential $25,000 SMS revenue = 4.2x ROI

$500K+ Monthly Revenue Store:

Attentive: $20,000+ annual cost vs. potential $75,000+ SMS revenue = 3.8x ROI
Klaviyo: $15,000 annual cost vs. potential $60,000 SMS revenue = 4x ROI

The math shows Attentive rarely outperforms alternatives until you reach significant scale.

Red Flags & Negotiation Tips

Contract Red Flags

Avoid quarterly minimums that exceed your projected 6-month usage and auto-renewal periods longer than 12 months. Watch for data export restrictions or fees, bundled services you don't actually need, and penalty clauses for underutilization.

Negotiation Strategies

Request usage-based pricing instead of minimums and push for 6-month contracts initially. Demand guarantees for data portability to ensure you can export all subscriber data. Require SLAs for deliverability rates and performance metrics.

Questions to Ask Sales Reps:

"What's the total cost if we only send 5,000 messages monthly?"
"Can you provide references from stores our size?"
"What's included in the platform fee vs. additional charges?"
"How do we cancel if performance doesn't meet expectations?"

Leverage Points

Get quotes from Klaviyo and Postscript first, then share lower competitor pricing with Attentive. Emphasize your growth potential and consider starting with a competitor before switching later once you reach scale.

Many Attentive customers report negotiating 20-30% below initial quotes by using these tactics.

Better Options for Most Stores

Why Klaviyo SMS Makes More Sense

For stores already using Klaviyo for email (or considering it), adding SMS creates powerful advantages:

Unified Customer Data: Email and SMS share the same customer profiles, enabling better segmentation and personalization.

Cross-Channel Automation: Trigger SMS based on email engagement and vice versa. For example, send SMS to subscribers who haven't opened recent emails.

Simplified Attribution: Track revenue across both channels in one dashboard instead of reconciling multiple platforms.

Cost Efficiency: Eliminate the need for separate contracts, onboarding, and team training.

Klaviyo SMS Pricing Breakdown

Transparent Structure:

Email plan starts at $20/month
Email + SMS plans from $35/month
SMS costs ~$0.01 per message via credits (all-inclusive)
No platform fees or minimums
Month-to-month flexibility

Real Example: A store sending 10,000 SMS monthly pays:

Plan fee: $35/month (email + SMS plan for small list)
Message costs: $100/month (10,000 × $0.01 via credits)
Total: $135/month vs. Attentive's $667+ minimum

When to Consolidate Email + SMS

You should consolidate email and SMS platforms if you're currently using separate tools and spending over $500 monthly on marketing software. Consolidation makes sense when you want better customer journey tracking, simpler reporting, and have limited marketing team resources.

Migration Timeline:

Klaviyo setup: 1-2 weeks
Data migration: 1 week
Campaign launch: Week 3
Total: 3-4 weeks vs. Attentive's 6-8 week onboarding

Alternative Recommendations by Store Size

Under $25K Monthly Revenue: Start with Klaviyo's free plan. Add SMS when email generates 20%+ of revenue.

$25K-$100K Monthly Revenue: Klaviyo SMS provides the best balance of features and cost. Expect 3-6 month payback period.

$100K-$500K Monthly Revenue: Consider Klaviyo first, evaluate Attentive if SMS becomes 20%+ of revenue.

$500K+ Monthly Revenue: Both platforms viable. Choose based on team resources and growth trajectory.

Decision Framework

Choose Attentive when monthly revenue exceeds $200,000 and SMS currently drives 15% or more of total revenue. You need dedicated marketing operations staff and view advanced AI personalization as critical. Your budget should allow $8,000+ annual SMS spend, and you're committed to SMS as a primary channel.

Choose Klaviyo when monthly revenue stays under $200,000 or you want email and SMS in one platform. Klaviyo works best when starting or scaling SMS marketing, needing predictable pricing, wanting month-to-month flexibility, or currently using multiple marketing tools.

Choose Postscript for Shopify stores prioritizing quick setup with monthly revenue between $25K-$150K. The platform suits stores needing SMS-first features and competitive pricing without minimums.

Action Steps

If You're Evaluating Attentive:

Calculate Current SMS Revenue: Determine what percentage SMS drives now
Project Growth: Estimate realistic 12-month SMS revenue potential
Compare Total Costs: Include platform fees, minimums, and setup costs
Get Competitive Quotes: Price Klaviyo and Postscript alternatives
Negotiate Terms: Use leverage points to reduce minimums and commitments

If You're Switching to Klaviyo:

Audit Current Setup: Document integrations, automations, and segments
Plan Migration: Schedule during low-activity periods
Set Up Klaviyo: Start with email, add SMS after successful migration
Test Everything: Verify data accuracy and automation triggers
Monitor Performance: Track SMS performance for 90 days before optimization

If You're Staying with Attentive:

Review Contract Terms: Identify opportunities to renegotiate
Optimize Usage: Ensure you're hitting quarterly minimums efficiently
Track ROI: Monitor SMS attribution and customer lifetime value
Plan Exit Strategy: Document data and integration requirements

The Bottom Line

Attentive is a premium SMS platform with premium pricing. For most ecommerce stores under $200K monthly revenue, the quarterly minimums and contract commitments don't make financial sense.

Klaviyo SMS offers 80% of Attentive's functionality at 30% of the cost, with the added benefit of unified email and SMS marketing. Unless you have specific enterprise needs or SMS drives significant revenue, start with Klaviyo.

The goal isn't to pick the most expensive platform—it's to choose the one that drives the highest ROI for your specific business. For most stores, that's not Attentive.

Ready to switch? Start with a free Klaviyo account and test SMS with their included credits. You can always upgrade later when revenue justifies premium features.

Looking for help migrating from Attentive to Klaviyo? Our team specializes in seamless platform transitions that preserve your customer data and automations. Get a free migration consultation.