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Message Type Guide

Each message type solves a different business problem. The right choice depends on urgency, deliverability, content richness, and whether you need Kakao-native UX.

Quick comparison

Section titled “Quick comparison”
Type Best for Strengths Tradeoffs
SMS OTP, urgent alerts, universal reach Highest reach, no template registration required Limited formatting and length
LMS Longer operational notices More room for detail, optional subject Higher cost than SMS
AlimTalk Transactional Kakao notifications High open rate, structured variables, lower cost than SMS in many flows Kakao template setup required
FriendTalk Promotional Kakao messages Better visual/marketing experience Requires Kakao channel relationship
RCS and others Specialized provider-dependent flows Rich messaging where supported Availability depends on provider/runtime setup

When to choose SMS

Section titled “When to choose SMS”

Use SMS when:

  • every phone number must be reachable
  • the message is short and urgent
  • pre-approved Kakao templates would slow you down
await kmsg.send({
  to: "01012345678",
  text: "Your verification code is 123456.",
});

When to choose LMS

Section titled “When to choose LMS”

Use LMS when:

  • the message exceeds SMS length
  • you need a subject line
  • the user needs more operational detail in one message
await kmsg.send({
  type: "LMS",
  to: "01012345678",
  subject: "[Notice] Planned maintenance",
  text: "Maintenance is scheduled from 02:00 to 04:00 KST. Some services may be unavailable.",
});

When to choose AlimTalk

Section titled “When to choose AlimTalk”

Use AlimTalk when:

  • the message is transactional
  • Kakao reach is acceptable for your audience
  • a pre-approved template is operationally worth it
await kmsg.send({
  type: "ALIMTALK",
  to: "01012345678",
  templateId: "ORDER_CONFIRMED",
  variables: {
    orderNo: "20260307-001",
    customerName: "Jane",
  },
});

When to choose FriendTalk

Section titled “When to choose FriendTalk”

Use FriendTalk when:

  • the message is promotional or engagement-oriented
  • button-rich Kakao UX matters
  • your audience already has a Kakao channel relationship

Practical selection rules

Section titled “Practical selection rules”
  • Start with SMS for OTP and high-risk delivery requirements.
  • Start with AlimTalk for transactional commerce notifications.
  • Use FriendTalk for marketing only after consent and channel relationship rules are satisfied.
  • Keep LMS as the fallback when SMS is too short or you need more context.

Fallback strategy

Section titled “Fallback strategy”

For important transactional Kakao flows, consider an SMS or LMS fallback when Kakao delivery is not enough for the business SLA.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”