Best SMS Marketing Software 2021

SMS marketing software is built to support various types of businesses in leveraging text messaging for communications. There are general software solutions designed for a range of businesses, as well as specialized services dedicated to specific industries. The SMS marketing space includes all-in-one solutions as well as solutions best for specific use cases, such as mass texting.

These solutions typically offer features like subscriber list building, segmenting, text campaigns, and automated messages. SMS Marketing software provides value for a wide range of user types, from churches to ecommerce businesses. SMS marketing tools are often used in combination with email marketing software, social media management software, and SEO software by marketers at larger organizations. Read our full introduction to SMS marketing software.

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Highest Rated SMS Marketing Software

SMS marketing software is used by all types of businesses to promote their services with new and existing customers through text messages. SMS marketing software is often used for lead generation, growth marketing, and customer retention.

SlickText
Rating: 90
Starting Price: $29 per month

SlickText is an all-in-one SMS marketing tool that has been used by over 70,000 businesses. It is ideal for small and medium sized businesses looking for a SMS marketing solution with flexible subscriber data collection and powerful list building options. Although SlickText is an all-in-one tool designed for all types of businesses, ecommerce stores might prefer more specialized solutions for their use cases.

Pros:
  • SlickText's web forms are extremely effective for capturing subscriber information
  • SlickText's unlimited custom fields enable marketers to collect data for segmentation and personalization
  • Analytics are highly detailed with individual pages dedicated to every campaign and automation you build
Cons:
  • SlickText is one of the more expensive SMS marketing solutions
  • SlickText is not as specialized for ecommerce businesses as SMSBump or Postscript
  • SlickText does not offer a diverse selection of native integrations, although Zapier is supported
SMSBump
Rating: 88
Starting Price: $0.0149 per message

SMSBump is a SMS marketing platform for Shopify and BigCommerce used by over 90,000 businesses. Standout features like campaign flows, segmentations, and automations make SMSBump the most powerful text marketing solution for ecommerce businesses.

Pros:
  • SMSBump's flow builder is one of the most powerful SMS marketing campaign builders
  • SMSBump has a plethora of segment conditions specific to ecommerce businesses
  • Relevant and helpful templates are provided for both segmentations and automations
Cons:
  • Flow building and A/B testing are not available for BigCommerce
  • Custom fields cannot be created to store alternative customer information
  • A/B testing is only available in SMSBump's most expensive plan
SimpleTexting
Rating: 87
Starting Price: $25 per month

SimpleTexting is a SMS marketing platform used by a diverse range of businesses. SimpleTexting is ideal for small businesses new to SMS marketing due to affordability, accessiblity, and an attentive customer service team. Businesses looking for a more powerful solution will find SimpleTexting's subscriber data storage and segmentation opportunities limiting.

Pros:
  • SimpleTexting is one of the more affordable SMS marketing solutions
  • SimpleTexting's learning curve is very accessible for businesses new to SMS marketing
  • SimpleTexting offers a multitude of prebuilt, engaging campaigns to choose from
Cons:
  • Segments cannot be grouped together with and-or statements, which limits targeted marketing
  • There are few opportunities to capture subscriber data in SimpleTexting
  • Analytics are very basic for ecommerce and retail businesses
Emotive
Rating: 87
Starting Price: $200 per month

Emotive is an SMS marketing platform for fast-growing ecommerce businesses looking to execute successful SMS marketing campaigns. Over 750 businesses have used Emotive for their ecommerce stores. Its standout features are its segmentation and automated messaging flows.

Pros:
  • Emotive offers a dedicated customer success manager and copywriter for your business
  • Emotive comes with a plethora of segment dimensions related to customer activity
  • Emotive’s automated messaging features are very powerful
Cons:
  • Emotive is generally more expensive than SMSBump and Postscript
  • Unique custom fields cannot be created in Emotive
  • Emotive does not have an analytics dashboard and instead offers downloadable reports
Postscript
Rating: 85
Starting Price: $25 per month

Postscript is a SMS marketing tool for Shopify that has been used by over 1,000 businesses. It is ideal for Shopify businesses looking for an effective yet affordable SMS marketing solution designed specifically for ecommerce businesses.

Pros:
  • Postscript is the most budget-friendly SMS marketing tool for Shopify businesses
  • Prebuilt automations are robust and designed specifically for ecommerce businesses
  • Shopify businesses will find ecommerce-specific segment conditions very helpful
Cons:
  • Campaign creation options are limited to solely custom campaign creation
  • Many crucial analytics for Shopify businesses are not available
  • There are very few custom fields for personalized messages
Avochato
Rating: 84
Starting Price: $92 per month

Avochato is an affordable SMS marketing solution currently used by over 1,000 businesses. Avochato offers common SMS marketing software features such as customer list building, segmentation, and campaigns. Its standout features are its two-way messaging capabilities and list building options.

Pros:
  • Avochato's plans all include 2000 messages per month
  • Avochato allows you to create unlimited keywords that subscribers can text to opt-in
  • Avochato's text surveys and website widgets are very effective for capturing subscriber information
Cons:
  • You cannot send MMS messages in keyword autoresponders and custom campaigns
  • Segments cannot be stored in Avochato's system and must be exported as .csv files instead
  • There are few drill down opportunities available in Avochato's analytics reports
ZipWhip
Rating: 83
Starting Price: $30 per month

ZipWhip is an SMS marketing platform currently used by over 40,000 businesses. It includes a majority of features most SMS marketing tools have, excluding segmentation. Its standout points are its mass texting and two-way messaging capabilities.

Pros:
  • ZipWhip is one of the best SMS marketing tools for customer service
  • All plans over $60 per month come with unlimited messaging
  • ZipWhip’s inbox is very user-friendly for two-way messaging
Cons:
  • Automations and integrations are only available with ZipWhip's most expensive plan
  • You cannot sign up for ZipWhip with a number that is already text enabled
  • Segmentation is not available in ZipWhip, which limits targeted marketing
EZ Texting
Rating: 82
Starting Price: $24 per month

EZ Texting is an intuitive SMS marketing solution currently used by over 30,000 businesses. It includes a majority of features most SMS marketing tools have, including customer list building, segmentation, and campaigns. Its strongest feature is its custom campaign builder.

Pros:
  • EZ Texting is one of the best SMS marketing tools for text blasts
  • EZ Texting’s web form creator helps your business gain new subscribers and subscriber information
  • There is a diverse range of engaging campaigns to choose from
Cons:
  • EZ Texting is one of the more expensive SMS marketing solutions
  • You can only segment customers by their opt-in sources
  • Drip campaigns have limited scheduling options for more experienced marketers
Textedly
Rating: 81
Starting Price: $24 per month

Textedly is a SMS marketing platform used by a diverse range of businesses. Textedly offers common SMS marketing software features like customer list building, segmentation, and campaigns. These features are serviceable for businesses new to SMS marketing. Businesses looking to leverage diverse campaigns and segmentation will find Textedly limiting.

Pros:
  • Textedly is one of the more affordable SMS marketing solutions on the market today
  • Textedly's inbox helps facilitate two-way conversations between your business and customers
  • Textedly is one of the only solutions that can send single texts up to 455 characters long
Cons:
  • Custom fields, drip campaigns, and autoresponders all must be purchased for seperate one time fees
  • Segments cannot be stored in Textedly’s system and must be exported as .csv files instead
  • There are very few statistics and drill down opportunities available in Textedly's analytics section
TextMagic
Rating: 75
Starting Price: $0.04 per message

TextMagic is a basic SMS marketing solution used by over 100,000 businesses. It includes a majority of features most SMS marketing tools have, excluding segmentation. Its strongest features are its surveys and two-way messaging.

Pros:
  • Text-based surveys in TextMagic are very easy to set up
  • TextMagic’s inbox facilitates two-way conversations with your business and customers
  • TextMagic offers a REST API for all users
Cons:
  • TextMagic is one of the most expensive SMS marketing solutions
  • TextMagic does not support customer segmentation, which heavily limits targeted marketing
  • MMS messages are sent as links instead of actual media

SMS Marketing Software Prices

SMS marketing software prices range from free to thousands of dollars per month. Most small businesses pay around $25 to $100 per month for SMS marketing software. Here's details that will help you compare prices for the most popular SMS marketing software platforms.

Software VendorStarting Monthly PricePer Message FeeFree TrialSubscription Add-Ons
SlickText$29Included in SubscriptionYes
  • None
SMSBump$0$0.0149No
  • None
SimpleTexting$25$0.045Yes
  • Additional numbers: $10 per number per month
Emotive$200$0.02Yes
  • None
Postscript$25$0.01Yes
  • None
Avochato$92$0.03Yes
  • None
ZipWhip$30Included in SubscriptionYes
  • Additional keywords: $10 per keyword per month
EZ Texting$24$0.04Yes
  • Additional numbers: $25 per number per month
  • Additional keywords: $25 per keyword per month
Textedly$24Included in SubscriptionYes
  • Additional texts: $20 for 500 texts
  • Additional keywords: $5 per keyword
TextMagic$0$0.04Yes
  • Additional numbers: $4 per number per month

SMS Marketing Software FAQs

SMS marketing software allows small and medium sized businesses to promote their services with new and existing customers through text messages. Common features include customer list building, customer segmentation, and campaign building.

There are numerous benefits that SMS marketing software offers. This includes:

  • Building a unique and efficient line of communication with your customers
  • Generating leads and new customers
  • Sending text blasts, such as appointment reminders or alerts
  • Retaining customers efficiently by automating engaging campaigns

The cost of SMS marketing software usually depends on how many messages you send per month. However, some companies charge additionally for features. If this is the case, platform fees usually range from $20 to $350 dollars.

For companies that charge solely on messages sent per month, businesses that send anything from 500 to 25,000 messages per month should expect to pay $20 to $600 dollars per month.

The best SMS marketing software for you depends on what your business needs. The best software for companies that want a powerful solution is SlickText. Companies who have more simple use cases, such as text blasts or appointment reminders, will find SimpleTexting ideal. Finally, SMSBump is the best text marketing software for ecommerce businesses.

EZTexting and TextMagic are two of the most popular SMS marketing tools in the market today. Both have served over 100,000 customers.

The most common SMS marketing software features are:

  • Subscriber list building
  • Segmentation
  • Campaign building
  • Automations
  • Two-way messaging
  • Analytics

SMS Marketing Software Research & Advice

What is SMS Marketing?

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This ultimate guide to SMS marketing software will help you learn the basics of SMS marketing, the benefits for your business and customers...Read More >

SlickText vs. EZ Texting

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Is SlickText or EZ Texting the better solution for you? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you decide which SMS...Read More >

SlickText vs. Avochato

By Yousef Fatehpour |

Is SlickText or Avochato the better solution for you? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you decide which SMS marketing...Read More >

Textedly vs. SimpleTexting

By Yousef Fatehpour |

Is Textedly or SimpleTexting the better solution for you? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you decide which SMS...Read More >

Why You Should Trust Our Recommendations

The team at SoftwarePundit has been testing software since 2017. We’ve hand-tested over 250 software products in that time, including four in the SMS marketing category. We applied the same rigorous process to each piece of SMS marketing software that we analyzed. The specifics of our SMS marketing category research process are outlined below.

Yousef led our analysis of SMS marketing software. He has spent more than 250 hours evaluating leading SMS marketing software solutions.

In addition, all research and content was overseen by Bruce Hogan, SoftwarePundit’s Co-founder & CEO. Bruce has more than a decade of experience researching, building, and reviewing the world’s best software products. His technology advice has been featured on a wide range of media sites such as AngelList, CMSWire, Dental Economics, iPhone Life, Reader’s Digest, Thrive Global, U.S. News, and the Zapier Blog.

How We Selected the Best SMS Marketing Software

We selected the best SMS marketing software based upon a number of criteria. The most important criteria were each software tool’s features, usability, price, and customer support. The details of our analyses are captured in the in-depth reviews we publish about each software tool.

There are a handful of critical features that you should look for in SMS marketing software. We prioritized the following features in our analysis:

  • Custom List Building: SMS marketing tools let you build subscriber lists to later segment and build campaigns for. Keywords are the primary list building method. However, tools that offer multiple list building options help your business generate more subscribers.
  • Segmentation: Once you build your list, you’ll want to segment your subscribers based on various conditions, such as total amount spent or opt-in date. It’s important that a tool offers enough segment conditions so you can target subscribers as specifically as possible.
  • Campaign Building: Building campaigns is the primary way your business will communicate with subscribers. If a tool has multiple campaign building options, your business gains unique ways to engage with and retain subscribers.
  • Automations: Automations are fundamental to keeping your subscriber communication efficient. It’s very important that a tool has flexible automation that can be utilized in both list and campaign building. This makes subscriber growth and engagement for your business highly efficient.

How We Evaluated SMS Marketing Software

We used the same rigorous process to evaluate SMS marketing software as all other software categories. For the SMS marketing category, Yousef invested several weeks researching the market, testing out key SMS marketing features, and publishing his insights about the tools.

We interviewed most of the teams at the software companies listed above. Our conversations with the companies included questions about each company's product, the size of business each product works best for, pricing, customer support, and business strength. After a general interview, Yousef spent additional time participating in a product demo led by each company. This provided Yousef with the opportunity to ask detailed questions about the features and functionality of the SMS marketing software.

Yousef signed up for free trials of each solution listed above to gain a deeper understanding of each SMS marketing tool. This allowed him to authenticate the features offered by each solution. He used several numbers and spent hours testing each tools’ subscriber list building, segmentation, campaign creation, automation, two-way messaging and analytics capabilities. He also downloaded the mobile app version of SMS marketing solutions to understand the mobile experience for text marketers.

In addition to conducting conversations with the software companies and hand-testing every piece of software, Yousef also spent dozens of hours interviewing real customers of the software tools listed above. SMS marketing software customers that provided insights that were included in our analysis and reviews were:

  • Alex Jasso: Alex Jasso is a marketer at Herrman & Herrman PLLC. His company currently uses SimpleTexting.
  • Jason Hill: Jason Hill is a founder at Sound Advice Careers. His company currently uses SMS-Magic.
  • Tracie Pang: Tracie Pang is an email marketing manager at Emazing Group. Her company currently uses Attentive.