The 9 Best SMS Marketing Platforms for Explosive Growth

Where are you in your SMS marketing journey?

Maybe you know exactly where you’re going and you just need the right tool to take you there.

Or, perhaps, your SMS software isn’t able to keep up with your business’s growth.

Either way, I have good news: The best SMS marketing platform for your business is out there. But first, you’ve got to find it. 

I’m here to help, and I’ve compiled a thorough list of the top nine SMS marketing tools out there. 

I know what you’re thinking, though: “You work for an SMS marketing company. You’re biased.” 

Guilty as charged. But as someone who works in the industry, I research platforms like ours almost daily. I’ve seen the best and the worst, and I know how customers perceive the most popular tools.

While ours is on that list (and many other third-party lists), I won’t hold back on telling you what we do right and where we fall short. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is an SMS Marketing Platform?
• Why Your Business Needs an SMS Marketing Platform
• How to Choose the Best SMS Marketing Tool
• EZ Texting
• Textedly
• TextMagic
• SimpleTexting
• HeyMarket
• SlickText
• PostScript
• Klaviyo
• Podium

What is an SMS Marketing Platform?

Before I list out the top text messaging platforms, I should clarify what we’re talking about here.

An SMS marketing platform is software that helps businesses and organizations send text message marketing campaigns to their customers and contacts. 

Pretty straightforward, right?

SMS marketing platforms aren’t — or at least, shouldn’t be — complicated, and this guide will make your selection process even simpler.

How SMS Marketing Software Companies Differ

These platforms provide features that let businesses create and manage SMS campaigns, but they vary on things like:

• How many keywords and contacts you can have
• The level of sophistication of their segmentation and personalization tools
• User experience and how long it takes to become familiar with the platform
• Industry specialties (for example, some platforms prioritize e-commerce business needs)
• Customer ratings and reviews
• Affordability and pricing plan flexibility

Common Features of SMS Marketing Software

At the very least, your SMS marketing platform should allow you to:

• Schedule text message campaigns.
• Send automated text messages.
• Have two-way text message conversations.
• Personalize messages with contact details.
• Create and manage contact lists.
• Segment your audience.
• Track campaign performance.
• Integrate with common business and marketing tools.

These are all points to make a note of as you evaluate which SMS marketing tool is right for your business or organization.

Who Uses SMS Marketing Tools?

We’re obviously big fans of texting around here, and we think nearly every business and organization can benefit from SMS marketing. 

That’s because smartphones are so prevalent (85% of Americans now own a smartphone) and so many people are open to receiving texts from businesses (a whopping 70% of consumers). 

But a few industries tend to gravitate towards SMS marketing more than most.

• E-commerce businesses send promotional messages and product updates to customers.
• Retail stores use SMS to announce new product arrivals, sales, and discounts to their customers.
• Nonprofit organizations send texts to promote their causes, encourage donations, and keep supporters up-to-date on their activities.
• Educational institutions use SMS to send reminders about class schedules, exam dates, and other important information to their students, parents, and faculty.
• Healthcare providers send appointment reminders and health tips to their patients.

You can see how other industries rely on SMS marketing in our text message marketing guides.

Why SMS Marketing Platforms Are a Must-have for Businesses

Like saying yes to the dress or buying your first car, it’s a magical moment when you find the best SMS marketing tool for your exact needs.

You’ll enjoy benefits like:

Automated campaigns: No more setting reminders for yourself to launch a text message at a specific time. With an SMS marketing platform, you can schedule messages by time and date, customer behaviors, and more.

High open and read rates: SMS has a high open and conversion rate, compared to other forms of digital marketing. According to some studies, SMS messages have an open rate of around 98% and a conversion rate of 45%. This means that SMS messages are more likely to be seen and read by customers, making them an effective marketing channel.

Immediate communication: SMS are delivered directly to customers’ mobile phones, making them direct forms of communication. This allows businesses to communicate with their customers in real time, which can be particularly effective for time-sensitive promotions or urgent updates.

How to Choose the Best SMS Marketing Software

Which SMS marketing platform will work best for you depends on your business needs and goals. Here are a few factors to consider when making your decision:

1. Make sure the platform fits in your budget. Compare prices and check how many credits you get in each pricing tier.
2. Test to see if the platform is easy to use. Nobody wants to spend hours trying to figure out how to navigate a complicated app. Give the platform a test run with a free trial to make sure it’s user-friendly.
3. Look for built-in SMS automation. That will help you save time by setting up features like autoresponders and scheduled messages. This means you can respond to your clients faster and keep them engaged.
4. See if it has the ability to personalize texts at scale. You might not always have time to send personal messages to every single client, but you still want them to feel seen. Look for features like custom fields and the ability to segment your contacts.
5. Don’t forget to check privacy and security features. You want to make sure that the app you choose is secure and encrypted to protect your clients and your brand.
6. If you run into any issues or have questions, you’ll need a responsive support team. Check out third-party review sites to see what other customers are saying about the app’s customer service.
7. Finally, you need to ability to track the performance of your texts. Look for apps that provide detailed analytics so you can see whether your mass text campaigns are getting people to take actions like clicking on links to your site.

The 9 Best SMS Marketing Platforms

Ready to see the top SMS marketing service providers in the industry? 

Drumroll, please…

The best SMS marketing platforms are (in no particular order):

1. EZ Texting

If you’re new to SMS marketing or aren’t comfortable using most SaaS tools, you’ll love EZ Texting‘s intuitive platform and helpful features. They’re the only SMS marketing service that offers a native integration with Shutterstock for stock photos, which can save you time when looking for the perfect image for your MMS campaigns.

What’s really great is that EZ Texting also provides a beginner’s guide, so you can get up and running quickly without feeling overwhelmed. And if you’re still not sure, you can try the platform for free for 14 days to see if it’s the right fit for you.

What customers love: 

• The platform has a short learning curve, so even complete SMS marketing newbies will find it easy to use.
• EZ Texting has a huge template library that speeds up the campaign creation process.

What customers dislike: 

• If you’re on a lower pricing plan with this SMS marketing platform, you won’t be able to send MMS messages, schedule recurring texts, run drip campaigns, or access their API for advanced integrations. 
• It’s a bit more expensive than some other options on this list and unused messaging credits don’t carry over month-to-month.
• They have a mobile app, but customers have reported that the features on mobile are limited.

Pricing

EZ Texting offers four different pricing tiers to choose from: Value, Essentials, Premium, and Custom. 

• Value plan: Starts at $24 per month for 200 credits. With this plan, you won’t be able to use MMS messaging, web sign-up forms, recurring texts, drip campaigns, link tracking, reporting, or API access. You’ll also be limited to just one keyword.
• Essentials plan: Starts at $36 per month for 200 credits. While it still doesn’t include recurring texts, drip campaigns, or API access, you’ll be able to use up to three keywords.
• Premium plan: Starts at $61 per month for 200 credits. This plan includes everything in the Essentials plan, plus API access and an upgraded high-volume number. You’ll also be able to use up to six keywords.
• Custom plan: Starts at $374 per month. This plan includes everything in the Premium plan and you’ll have the ability to use an unlimited number of keywords.

2. Textedly

Textedly is a great option for small businesses with a tight budget. This texting platform is simple yet effective, offering just the right suite of features to help you get your messages out there without breaking the bank.

If you’re looking for more texting power beyond the basic features, Textedly offers advanced apps for an additional one-time fee. These include personalization, auto-replies, Instagram texting integration, and drip campaigns.

What customers love: 

• Textedly is one of the least expensive SMS platforms on the market.
• Its interface is simple and user-friendly.

What customers dislike: 

• Customers looking for a way to manage their SMS campaigns on the go will be disappointed to hear that Textedly is a desktop-only application.
• The platform doesn’t have an API available for custom integrations — just Zapier-powered integrations.
• Contact segmentation capabilities are limited compared to other top SMS software companies. 

Pricing

Textedly offers eight pricing tiers, ranging from a $24/month plan with 1,200 messaging credits and one custom keyword to the $350/month plan, which includes 30,000 credits and 10 keywords. 

You can also try the platform free for 14 days with 50 credits, and they’ll create a custom plan for businesses with unique needs.

3. TextMagic

TextMagic is a solid SMS marketing platform that lets you get up and running quickly. It’s unique in that it offers international service, so you can reach customers outside the U.S. and Canada. Though anyone can use TextMagic, its user experience and pay-as-you-go pricing structure is most useful for small businesses.

What customers love: 

• TextMagic has a pay-as-you-go pricing model instead of monthly or annual plans like most of their competitors.
• You can text contacts in 200 countries.
• One of its features lets you send business text messages from your email. 

What customers dislike: 

• The pricing model may not be cost-effective for companies sending a high volume of texts.
• MMS attachments (like photos and videos) appear as a link instead of being embedded into the text itself, which can create a clunky experience for your contacts.

Pricing

TextMagic has a pay-as-you-go pricing model, meaning you pay by the message instead of through a monthly or annual subscription. Pricing starts at $0.04 per text to numbers in the U.S., and they offer custom pricing on message volumes of 10,000 per month or more.

4. SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting offers a user-friendly platform with a comprehensive set of features that are available across all pricing plans. These features include two-way messaging, mass texting, scheduled and recurring texts, autoresponders, and segmentation capabilities. 

With built-in tools like web forms, click-to-text buttons, keywords, and popup widgets, you can easily acquire more contacts with just a few clicks.

The best part is that you can use SimpleTexting on your computer or on their mobile app, so you’ll never miss a message from your customers. If you use Zapier, you can even connect SimpleTexting to your other favorite tools and platforms, or you can have SimpleTexting’s team create and maintain custom integrations for you.

What customers love: 

• If you have multiple numbers and users, you can manage them all from one central admin account.
• SimpleTexting integrates with thousands of apps via its Zapier integration, and you can take advantage of our custom integrations team that builds and maintains integrations for you.
• There’s no limit to the number of templates and keywords you can set up.
• Live customer support is available seven days a week if you need assistance.

What customers dislike: 

• SimpleTexting is a North America-only platform, so you can only send messages to phone numbers in the U.S., Canada, and some mobile carriers in the Carribean. 
• It’s not designed for one industry specifically, so if you’re looking for a platform that’s custom-built for your niche, this one may not be for you.

Pricing

SimpleTexting’s plans start at $29/month, which gives you 500 messaging credits. If you don’t use all of your credits for the month, they’ll roll over to the next month (for one month only). If you need more credits, you can add them at any time using the self-serve billing dashboard.

You can try the platform for free for 14 days, and they won’t ask for your credit card information until you’re ready to upgrade. That way, you can see if it’s the right fit for you before you commit.

5. HeyMarket

Like the rest of the companies in this list, HeyMarket offers an SMS marketing platform for businesses to communicate with customers and employees. What sets it apart is that you can send and receive messages across platforms like iMessage, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and more. 

HeyMarket is also known for its team features like unlimited users and the ability to send private chats to other users on your account. Even cooler, it uses machine learning to incorporate features like sentiment, intent, and keyword analysis.

I could see this being an especially useful platform for large customer support or sales teams that need to have one-on-one conversations with leads.

What customers love: 

• HeyMarket places a heavy emphasis on collaboration, so large remote teams will find features like is shared inbox and private messaging to be indispensable.
• It takes an omnichannel approach to messaging, thanks to integrations with Google Business Messaging, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other communication apps.

What customers dislike: 

• Integrations and access to the API aren’t available for the standard plan.
• HeyMarket charges by user in addition to a separate charge for SMS and MMS, and there’s a two-user minimum — meaning it could be cost-prohibitive for some businesses.

Pricing

Unlike most SMS marketing platforms on this list, HeyMarket charges by the user (with a two-user minimum) in addition to charges for SMS and MMS.

The Standard plan starts at $23 per user per month, and the lowest messaging subscription is $30/month for 1,000 message credits. You can also try the platform free for 14 days.

6. SlickText

SlickText is a highly-rated SMS marketing platform with core features like two-way messaging, mass texting, MMS, and keywords. It also offers advanced capabilities like automated workflows, personalization tools, and loyalty program software. 

The company also offers a solid library of how-to videos as well as one-on-one onboarding sessions for customers on higher pricing plans.

What customers love: 

• You can message contacts and manage campaigns on the go with SlickText’s mobile app.
• Customers on $139/month plans or higher get a free one-on-one onboarding session.
• It’s the only SMS service provider on this list to offer a built-in loyalty program tool.
• Unused messaging credits roll over to the next month.

What customers dislike: 

• You’re limited in the number of keywords (or textwords, as they call them) you get, depending on your pricing plan.
• If you want to talk to a customer support rep in real time, you can only do so Monday through Friday. 

Pricing

SlickText’s pricing starts at $29/month for 500 messaging credits and that plan comes with two textwords (but doesn’t include automated workflows). 

You can also try it free for 14 days with 50 messaging credits.

7. Postscript

If you’re using Shopify to run your online store, Postscript is the tool for you. It’s designed to help Shopify stores grow their contact lists, engage in two-way conversations, and use their store’s historical data for more personalized SMS campaigns.

One of the best things about Postscript is its automation features, which help can help you recover abandoned carts, send shipping notifications, welcome new contacts, and even reward customers with loyalty offers. These features help you save time and create a better shopping experience for your customers.

What customers love:

• It’s specifically made for Shopify stores.
• All of Postscript’s pricing plans offer unlimited contact segments and advanced analytics that use your Shopify data.
• If you’re new to SMS, the free plan is a great way to get started even though it has some limitations.

What customers dislike: 

• Some customers have expressed frustration with the platform’s user interface and analytics dashboard.

Pricing

Postscript offers four different pricing tiers:

• Free: If you’re just starting out, the free tier might be right for you. There’s no monthly cost, and you only pay for messaging credits and carrier fees.
• Growth: This tier is $100 per month, plus messaging credits and carrier fees. You’ll get unlimited keywords and integrations, which is a great thing for expanding your marketing strategy.
• Professional: The Professional tier costs $500 per month, plus messaging credits and carrier fees. You’ll get a dedicated onboarding specialist, priority customer support, and API access.
• Enterprise: This plan is best for larger businesses with more complex needs. The price varies based on your specific needs, but you’ll get a dedicated account manager and priority support.

8. Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a marketing platform that combines both email and SMS, and it’s perfect for online stores looking to grow and retain their customers.

It’s especially helpful for creating personalized messages and segments for your customers based on their actions in your store, like when they abandon their cart or make a purchase.

That means you can send targeted messages like order updates and review requests to specific customer groups. Plus, Klaviyo has powerful analytics to help you assess the success of your campaigns and improve on them.

What customers love:

• Klaviyo combines email and SMS marketing in one place, so you can streamline your messaging efforts.
• One standout feature is its A/B tests. You can experiment with different content and send times to see what works best with your audience.
• Another thing that’s awesome about Klaviyo is the “flow” feature. It lets you visualize and automate your campaigns and even has a library of pre-built workflows to help you get started.
• Klaviyo also makes it super easy to integrate with top e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce.

What customers dislike:

• If you’re already using an email service, you’d need to switch to Klaviyo’s email and SMS platform since they don’t offer just the SMS service.
• Some customers have complained about long wait times to speak with support reps.
• Keep in mind that Klaviyo has limits on the number of contacts you can send messages to based on your pricing plan.

Pricing

Klaviyo’s pricing is based on the number of email and SMS contacts you have and how many messages you want to send.

You can get started for just $20 a month, which includes up to 500 contacts, 150 monthly messaging credits, and 5,000 monthly email sends.

Plus, there’s a totally free plan available for those with 250 contacts or fewer. This free plan gives you 500 monthly email sends and 150 monthly messaging credits.

9. Podium

Designed specifically with local businesses in mind, Podium is the perfect solution to help you reach new customers and grow your business. 

With its easy-to-use SMS marketing service, you can send mass text messages to your customers, request reviews to boost your reputation, chat with customers in real time, send text blasts to promote your latest offers, and even collect payments through text.

What customers love: 

• Podium has built-in features that make it easy for you to collect reviews and payments via text.
• You can manage customer reviews from several different platforms within your Podium dashboard. 
• For businesses that get a high volume of customer questions, the website chat feature can help you respond to them quickly and reduce the number of phone calls you have to answer.

What customers dislike: 

• Customers who have reached out to Podium’s support team didn’t love the long wait times and level of care they received.
• Pricing is higher than many competitors and the lowest pricing plan has limited features, which may not be ideal for some businesses. 

Pricing

Podium has three straightforward pricing plans:

• Essentials: Starts at $289/month for 1,000 contacts and three team members
• Standard: $449/month with unlimited contacts and team members
• Professional: $649/month with unlimited contacts and team members

The higher the plan, the more features you have access to. You can also try Podium free for 14 days.

Which SMS Marketing Platform Will You Choose?

The perfect SMS marketing platform for you depends on your business or organization’s specific use cases. Compare the pricing, features, and reviews for the companies on your short-list, and take advantage of free trials.

My hope is that this list has given you a solid starting point. Good luck in your search!