ZipWhip Competitors & Alternatives
ZipWhip is one of the most popular SMS marketing solutions specialized for business communications. However, it exists in a competitive market. Therefore, we recommend comparing ZipWhip against its top alternatives before purchasing.
There are many excellent competitors in the SMS marketing space that are worth considering. Most of ZipWhip’s top competitors offer more robust features at more expensive prices. Here’s a breakdown of our review criteria and how ZipWhip’s competitors performed in each category.
| Software Company | Analyst Rating | Features | Usability | Pricing | Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SlickText | 90 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8.5 |
| SMSBump | 88 | 9 | 9 | 8.5 | 9 |
| SimpleTexting | 87 | 8 | 9 | 8.5 | 9 |
| Emotive | 87 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9.5 |
| Postscript | 85 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9.5 |
| Avochato | 84 | 8 | 7.5 | 8 | 10 |
| ZipWhip | 83 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| EZ Texting | 82 | 7.5 | 9 | 7 | 10 |
| Textedly | 81 | 7 | 8.5 | 9 | 7 |
Throughout this article, we’ll provide an overview of the main ZipWhip competitors and alternatives, which are:
- SlickText
- SMSBump
- SimpleTexting
- Emotive
- Postscript
- Avochato
- EZ Texting
- Textedly
In this guide, we examine ZipWhip’s features and pricing, and compare these factors against competitors. To gain a full understanding of ZipWhip as a solution, you can read our in-depth ZipWhip review.
All of the information in this article is based upon research, discussions with SMS marketers, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing the leader SMS marketing software platforms. To learn more about our research and reviews, read about our unbiased review process.
Table of Contents
- ZipWhip Features
- ZipWhip Competitor Overview: Features
- ZipWhip Competitor Overview: Pricing
- Top ZipWhip Competitors
- Bottom Line
ZipWhip Features
Before we compare ZipWhip against its competitors, it’s important to understand the features that are included in ZipWhip. ZipWhip’s features are basic compared to alternatives.
ZipWhip’s strong points are its mass texting and two-way messaging opportunities. This is because ZipWhip has unlimited messages starting at $60 per month, and is designed specifically for business communications. However, alternatives like SlickText or SimpleTexting have far more powerful targeted marketing opportunities with their subscriber list building, segmentation, and campaign features.
The seven most important features that ZipWhip offers are described in the table below.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Subscriber List Building | ZipWhip does not have a wide range of subscriber list building tools. You can build your list through manual imports and opt-in keywords. Opt-in keywords cannot be linked to a list you’ve created. This means that organizing your subscribers is more difficult than alternative tools. |
| Segmentation | ZipWhip does not offer a subscriber segmentation feature. This means that businesses looking to leverage SMS marketing solutions primarily for targeted marketing should consider other tools. |
| Message Creation | Message creation in ZipWhip is adequate in features. You can send MMS messages, templates, and include custom fields. One standout feature in ZipWhip’s message creation is its automated warning if you are utilizing a custom field that is not yet filled with data. |
| Campaign Building | ZipWhip’s campaigns are very strong. Its standout campaign comes in its SMS flows. These are visualized, complex campaign builders similar to drip campaigns. We found that they are one of the most powerful ways to build customer engagement and retention. |
| Two-Way Conversations | Campaign building in ZipWhip is good for mass texting and limited for any other campaign type. This is because you can only create mass texting campaigns. You can pair this with ZipWhip’s unlimited messages to carry out non-personalized mass texting. |
| Automated Messages | ZipWhip’s automated message capabilities are basic feature-wise. You can set up auto replies to be sent automatically. More expensive alternatives offer complex automated messaging features such as drip campaigns. ZipWhip’s auto replies are best for businesses looking to streamline their customer service. |
| Analytics | ZipWhip’s analytics dashboard is basic. You can track your messages and keywords, but there are very few drill down opportunities. We also analyzed that analytics took some time to update rather than updating immediately like alternatives. |
ZipWhip Competitor Overview: Features
Below is a chart that compares each platform’s features and affordability. They differ primarily based on how advanced each platform is and the user base each is best suited for. For example, solutions like Textedly or ZipWhip do not support robust segmentation. This means they are best suited for businesses looking to send text blasts rather than targeted marketing campaigns.
We also recommend looking into tools that are designed for a variety of industries. SMSBump and Postscript might both have the same features as alternative tools, but these features are designed specifically for ecommerce businesses integrated with Shopify or BigCommerce. This contrasts with alternatives like SimpleTexting or SlickText, which are all-in-one solutions for a variety of businesses.
ZipWhip Competitor Overview: Pricing
ZipWhip’s pricing begins at $30 per month. Compared to its competitors’ pricing, ZipWhip typically falls in the middle for low volume messages and becomes far more affordable at higher volumes.
Here are the prices of ZipWhip and its top competitors based on the volume of messages sent per month:
| Company | Price for 500 Messages | Price for 5,000 Messages | Price for 10,000 Messages | Price for 25,000 Messages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SlickText | $29 | $189 | $350 | $750 |
| SMSBump | $26 | $93 | $168 | $391 |
| SimpleTexting | $25 | $155 | $195 | $375 |
| Emotive | $210 | $300 | $400 | $700 |
| Postscript | $25 | $50 | $100 | $250 |
| Avochato | $92 | $182 | $332 | $782 |
| ZipWhip | $30 | $60 | $60 | $60 |
| EZ Texting | $42 | $224 | $424 | $1,024 |
| Textedly | $24 | $70 | $140 | $350 |
Top ZipWhip Competitors
Below are one-to-one comparisons between ZipWhip and its top alternatives. ZipWhip is best for marketers who leverage SMS marketing for non-personalized mass texting and two-way messaging. We’ve ranked ZipWhip’s top eight competitors based on their features, pricing, and usability.
#1: SlickText
SlickText is a more expensive alternative to ZipWhip designed for a wider range of businesses. If you are looking for the most powerful all-in-one SMS marketing solution, we highly suggest SlickText over ZipWhip.
SlickText's features are more robust all across the board, and it includes advanced features like drip campaigns that aren’t included in ZipWhip. However, SlickText does not offer free unlimited messages like ZipWhip.
- You are looking for one of the most affordable SMS marketing solutions
- You leverage SMS marketing for non-personalized mass texting and two-way communication
- You do not need advanced automated messaging features such as drip campaigns
- You are looking for the most powerful general SMS marketing solution
- You want to capture customer data for personalized campaigns and messages
- You want to utilize unique campaigns for engagement such as text surveys
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.
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#2: SMSBump
SMSBump is an alternative to ZipWhip specialized for ecommerce stores. There is no doubt that you should consider SMSBump if you are an ecommerce store looking to target your customers for acquisition and retention.
However, if you are an ecommerce store simply looking to carry out customer service through text messaging, ZipWhip’s unlimited messages could be the best option for you.
- You only want to use SMS marketing for customer service
- You are not an ecommerce business looking to target your customers
- You do not need advanced automated messaging features such as drip campaigns
- You need a solution with features dedicated to ecommerce businesses
- You usually don’t need to take advantage of two-way messaging for communication
- You want to utilize complex segmentation to target your customers as best as possible
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.
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#3: SimpleTexting
SimpleTexting is an alternative to ZipWhip designed for marketers looking for an affordable all-in-one solution. This means that SimpleTexting has more targeted marketing opportunities than ZipWhip. SimpleTexting also excels in mass texting, but has more robust segmentation and campaigns. If these features are important to you, we suggest SimpleTexting.
- You are not looking to build your subscriber list through SMS marketing
- You want unlimited messages per month
- You leverage SMS marketing for non-personalized messaging
- You utilize SMS marketing for targeted marketing
- You often don’t need to take advantage of two-way messaging for communication
- You want to utilize subscriber list building to capture subscriber information
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.
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#4: Emotive
Emotive is a more expensive alternative to SimpleTexting dedicated for fast-growing ecommerce businesses. Emotive is less hands-off than ZipWhip. The primary difference between Emotive and ZipWhip is that Emotive is built for personalized and targeted marketing.
ZipWhip is for non-personalized mass texting and two-way messaging. Generally, we find that both of these solutions are effective for your business depending on your specific use case.
- You are looking to send non-personalized mass texts
- You want one of the most affordable SMS marketing solutions
- You do not need robust automated messaging and segmentations
- You want a dedicated customer success manager and copywriter for your business
- You need advanced segmentation for targeted marketing
- You need access to complex SMS flows and automated messaging
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.
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#5: Postscript
Postscript is an alternative to ZipWhip similar to SMSBump. It is also built specifically for ecommerce businesses. Postscript’s opportunities for targeted marketing are limited compared to alternatives.
We find that ecommerce stores should still consider Postscript over ZipWhip if they are looking for an affordable ecommerce solution. This is because it still offers segmentation and automated messages dedicated to ecommerce businesses.
- You are not looking to build your subscriber list through SMS marketing
- You want unlimited messages per month
- You leverage SMS marketing for non-personalized messaging
- You are looking for the most affordable SMS marketing solution for ecommerce businesses
- You primarily send text blasts or general automations like abandoned cart messages
- You do not need access to robust analytics
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.
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#6: Avochato
Avochato is a more expensive alternative to ZipWhip. We recommend ZipWhip if you are looking to use non-personalized mass texting or two-way messaging. Avochato offers unique two-way messaging opportunities in its subscriber list builders, but similarly priced alternatives like SlickText or SimpleTexting are better for targeted marketing.
- You leverage SMS marketing for two-way conversations
- You want unlimited messages starting at $60 per month
- You prefer importing existing customers into your list rather than using list building tools
- You only need basic drip campaigns for customer retention
- You do not need advanced segmentation for targeted marketing
- You want unique subscriber list building options such as website widgets
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.
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#7: EZ Texting
EZ Texting is a more expensive and generally limited alternative to ZipWhip. Although EZ Texting has more campaigns, list builders, and automated messaging features than ZipWhip, more affordable alternatives like SlickText and Avochato do as well.
Still, we feel that EZ Texting’s campaigns and subscriber list builders are fairly unique and have decent customer data collection opportunities.
- You do not need drip campaigns for customer retention
- You want unlimited messages starting at $60 per month
- You do not need to create custom fields for targeted marketing
- You want to use web forms and custom fields to capture unique customer information
- You want to utilize simple drip campaigns to automate messages
- You want to capture subscribers creatively with QR codes and posters
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.
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#8: Textedly
Textedly is one of the most affordable solutions we’ve evaluated in the SMS marketing space. It is, however, one of the least robust SMS marketing solutions.
If you want an affordable solution that focuses more on mass texting and two-way messaging, we highly recommend ZipWhip over Textedly. Textedly’s best feature is its 455 single text character limit – but ZipWhip outperforms here with a 600 character limit.
- You want unlimited messages starting at $60 per month
- You leverage SMS marketing for non-personalized messaging
- You want to send single text messages up to 600 characters long
- You want a very affordable all-in-one SMS marketing solution
- You do not need segmentation for subscriber targeting
- You only need to send single text messages up to 455 characters long
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.
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Bottom Line
ZipWhip is a very strong SMS marketing tool for non-personalized mass texting and two-way communication. Its unlimited messaging starting at $60 per month can be paired with its campaign creator or inbox to facilitate business communications very well.
It is, however, not at all designed for targeted marketing or executing advanced user journeys. This is because it lacks segmentation, drip campaigns, and unique subscriber list builders
Before you make your purchase, we also suggest comparing ZipWhip to other highly rated platforms:
- SlickText is best for marketers looking for the most powerful SMS marketing solution on the market today.
- SMSBump is best for Shopify or BigCommerce businesses looking for the most powerful solution that is specialized for eCommerce.
- Avochato is ideal for marketers with more simple marketing needs who still require drip campaigns and two-way messaging opportunities.
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