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Marketing · head to head

Postscript vs Terraform

Postscript logo

Postscript

Marketing

SMS marketing built for Shopify merchants, with carrier fees billed on top of message rates

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Terraform logo

Terraform

Technology

Automate infrastructure on any cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Terraform has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Postscript carrier pass-through fees are billed on top of the per-message rate, roughly $0.00418 per SMS and $0.00841 per MMS in the United States, and are routinely missing from the cost comparisons buyers build.; Terraform hCL syntax requires learning a domain-specific language with limited GUI alternatives
  • They diverge on capability: Postscript covers Shopify segmentation, Terraform covers Infrastructure as code.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Postscript and Terraform actually diverge.

Attributes where Postscript and Terraform differ
AttributePostscriptTerraform
Starting price$49/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month plus per message sentUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOSLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryMarketingTechnology
FoundedUnknown2012

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Postscript

  • Shopify segmentation
  • Automated flows
  • Subscriber acquisition
  • Two-way conversations
  • MMS campaigns
  • Revenue attribution
  • Headless SDK
  • Usage-based tiers

Only in Terraform

  • Infrastructure as code
  • Resource graph
  • Plan & apply
  • State management
  • Provider ecosystem
  • Modules
  • Workspaces
  • Remote backends

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Postscript

  • A Shopify direct-to-consumer brand that wants abandoned cart recovery by text rather than another email in an ignored inboxnot Terraform
  • A brand running a product drop where a timed broadcast to an opted-in list is the whole launch mechanismnot Terraform
  • A merchant segmenting by past purchase and variant to send replenishment reminders at the right intervalnot Terraform
  • A store on headless Shopify or a custom stack that still wants SMS built on order data through the SDKnot Terraform

Terraform

  • Multi-cloud provisioningnot Postscript
  • Infrastructure automationnot Postscript
  • Environment replicationnot Postscript
  • Disaster recoverynot Postscript
  • Compliance automationnot Postscript

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Postscript

  • Carrier pass-through fees are billed on top of the per-message rate, roughly $0.00418 per SMS and $0.00841 per MMS in the United States, and are routinely missing from the cost comparisons buyers build.
  • The cheapest per-message rates require the $500 a month plan, so a small sender pays more than double the headline low rate per text.
  • The $0 Starter plan carries a $49 minimum monthly spend, so it is not a free tier and quiet months still generate a bill.
  • US SMS marketing carries real legal exposure under consent, quiet hours and carrier registration rules, and the compliance obligation sits with the merchant, not the platform.
  • It is SMS and MMS only, so email, push and on-site messaging live in a separate tool and audience suppression between the two has to be managed across systems.

Terraform

  • HCL syntax requires learning a domain-specific language with limited GUI alternatives
  • State file management is complex, especially at scale with multiple workspaces
  • terraform import workflow is fiddly and must be done one resource at a time
  • No native error handling or try-catch capabilities like traditional programming languages
  • No automatic rollback capability - must manually delete and re-run if needed

Pricing, plan by plan

Postscript

$49/month
  • Starter$49/month
    • $0 base fee but a $49 minimum monthly spend
    • SMS at $0.015 and MMS at $0.045 per message
    • Campaigns, automations, acquisition tools and analytics
  • Growth$100/month
    • Lower per-message rates than Starter
    • Full campaign and automation feature set
    • No contract required
  • Professional$500/month
    • Rates falling towards $0.007 SMS and $0.024 MMS
    • Suited to high-volume senders
    • Upgrade or downgrade at any time
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom pricing on a contract
    • Negotiated message rates and support terms

Terraform

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Terraform review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Postscript if

  • You need shopify segmentation.
  • You work on Web, iOS.
  • You also want automated flows.
Postscript review

Choose Terraform if

  • You need infrastructure as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want resource graph.
Terraform review

Questions people ask

Is Postscript or Terraform better?
Neither clearly leads. Postscript starts at $49/month and Terraform at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Postscript or Terraform?
Terraform has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for Postscript and Free for Terraform.
Does Postscript or Terraform run on more platforms?
Postscript runs on Web, iOS. Terraform runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Terraform for free?
Yes. Terraform has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Postscript starts at $49/month.
What is Postscript best used for?
Postscript is most often used for a shopify direct-to-consumer brand that wants abandoned cart recovery by text rather than another email in an ignored inbox, a brand running a product drop where a timed broadcast to an opted-in list is the whole launch mechanism, a merchant segmenting by past purchase and variant to send replenishment reminders at the right interval, a store on headless shopify or a custom stack that still wants sms built on order data through the sdk. Of those, a shopify direct-to-consumer brand that wants abandoned cart recovery by text rather than another email in an ignored inbox and a brand running a product drop where a timed broadcast to an opted-in list is the whole launch mechanism are not what Terraform is typically brought in for.
What can Postscript do that Terraform cannot?
Postscript covers Shopify segmentation, Automated flows, Subscriber acquisition, Two-way conversations. Terraform covers Infrastructure as code, Resource graph, Plan & apply, State management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Postscript: Is Postscript only for Shopify?

It is built for Shopify and that is where its segmentation advantage lies, but headless and non-Shopify stores are supported through an SDK with more setup work.

Terraform: Is there a free tier?

Yes. The free tier supports up to 500 managed resources and 1 concurrent run. The legacy free tier ends March 31, 2026; remaining organizations auto-convert to the enhanced free tier.

Source
Postscript: What is the real cost per text?

The plan rate plus carrier fees. On Starter that is about $0.015 plus roughly $0.00418 in US carrier fees per SMS, so budget close to two cents a message before discounts.

Terraform: What clouds does Terraform support?

Terraform supports AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Oracle Cloud, Docker, and HashiCorp's own HCP Terraform managed service, with over 2000 providers available.

Source
Postscript: Is the Starter plan free?

No. The base fee is $0 but there is a $49 minimum monthly spend, so it functions as a $49 floor.

Terraform: Do I need HCP Terraform Cloud or can I run locally?

Terraform runs locally by default, storing state on your machine. For team collaboration and production use, remote backends like S3, Azure Storage, or HCP Terraform are recommended for locking and security.

Source
Postscript: Do I need a contract?

No. Contracts are offered but not required, and plans can be moved up or down at any time under usage-based billing.

Terraform: Is HCL hard to learn?

HCL is designed to be human-readable and sits between JSON and YAML. It supports comments, variables, functions, and conditional logic. While beginners can get started quickly, mastering advanced features takes practice.

Source
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