As you might have come to figure out through your exploration to find the best and most complete SMS marketing software that fits your business, you might notice that not all SMS services are engineered and designed the same.
With a bunch of options to choose from, it can give you some decision paralysis because you start to ask, what option will fit my team’s tech stack, be the most cost effective and bring the return on investment we are looking for?
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In this article, you’ll find a list of the best SMS marketing tools in the market and a quick comparison of how they stack up against each other.
SMS Software Qualities You Should Look For
The best SMS marketing software is a business text marketing platform or service that allows your business to send and receive (SMS, MMS, Whatsapp and RCS) for sales, marketing, customer engagement and operational intent. It is the easiest way to scale your mobile marketing program because it gives you all the tools to grow, manage and scale your mobile subscriber database with ease. What makes a SMS marketing service really good is how well it fits your business intent. Here are some core features to consider when you are shopping for the best sms marketing software in the market:
- Group Messaging: Reach a wide audience instantly with mass text messages for promotions, announcements, or urgent updates.
- Scheduled Messaging: Ensure timely delivery of messages by scheduling them in advance or even create rotational messages to eliminate campaign setup redundancy.
- Data Collection Versatility: Grow your subscriber database using different data collection features and allow customers to opt-in to your marketing efforts using text-enabled keywords, QR codes, webforms and keypads to receive updates, join loyalty programs, and access exclusive offers.
- Two-Way Conversations: Foster direct communication with customers through two-way texting for support, feedback, and appointment confirmations.
- Automated Workflows: Streamline your processes and save time with customized automated responses, follow-ups, and reminders.
- Personalized Communication: Enhance customer experience with personalized messages that include their name or other relevant details.
- In-Depth Analytics: Track key metrics like delivery rates, open rates, and click-through rates to optimize your campaigns.
- Compliance and Security: Adhere to regulations like TCPA and GDPR with built-in compliance tools and opt-out management features.
- Multimedia Messaging: Engage your audience with rich, visual content through MMS, including images, videos, audio and GIFs.
If you find that your SMS marketing application has these features, you are most likely in the right place. Again, you might not need all of these features because of your business needs and that is okay. Which leads us to our comparison to help you find what you are looking for.
Ranking The Best SMS Marketing Software For Your Business
The service that is more compatible with your business depends on your specific needs, such as budget, feature depth and use cases. Here are some of the top options.
- Textmunication
Coming in at #1 and founded in 2009, we have SAM by Textmunication. SAM by Textmunication is a great option for small to medium size businesses because of the user-experience, reliability and cross-system integration ecosystem. They also give agencies the ability to white-label their platform out-of-the-box and deep programmable SMS documentation.
Great for: Small to medium sized organizations seeking product feature depth, user-friendliness, reliability and cross-app integrations.
Features: Campaign Center (Outbound and inbound messages), Automated Messaging, Inbox, Opt-in Toolkit, Advanced Reporting and Gamification Suite (Mobile Scratcher), SAM Assist AI (coming soon), SAMChat, SAMTeletext.
Pricing: Starts at $0.022 per text with pay-as-you-go options with flexible overages fees and usage-based subscriptions with no contracts.
- Twilio
Founded in 2009, Twilio has been in the game for a long time and focuses on developers and enterprise teams. They most focus on businesses that need highly customizable SMS, voice, and video solutions. Their contact center is called Twilio Flex and is extremely robust, but a little hard to learn.
Great for: Developers and larger enterprises.
Features: Deep messaging, voice and video API capabilities, two-way messaging, domestic and international scope.
Pricing: Pay-as-you-go model with no contracts.
- Klaviyo
Founded in 2012, Klaviyo is an SMS marketing service that is primarily designed for ecommerce businesses looking to get their SMS marketing program off the ground. They also offer email automation and the ability to integrate with your online store.
Great for: Audience segmentation, dynamic website SMS sign-up forms and general SMS marketing functionality.
Features: SMS automation, Email Automation, Mobile Push, Reviews, and Klaviyo AI.
Pricing: Starts at $45/month, but also has volume based discounts built in.
- Postscript
Founded in 2018, Postscript is a SMS marketing service that has an emphasis towards e-commerce brands and retailers. They have over 13,000+ Shopify brands in their network that work with them.
Great for: Shopify brands, two-way conversations, loyalty programs, collecting customer feedback and product recommendations.
Features: SMS Marketing, SMS Sales, Postscript AI, Postscript Plus
Pricing: Starts at $0.015 per text (SMS) and $0.045 per text (MMS) plus carrier fees.
- EZ Texting
Founded in 2004, EZ Texting is a mass texting software that allows you to engage your customers, as the name says it, easily.
Great for: User-friendly platform and simplicity, Deep messaging, voice and video API capabilities, global service reach and .
Features: Unlimited Free Contact Uploads, Contact Profiles, Age Verification and Contact Segmentation.
Pricing: Flexible pricing plans to fit any budget.
- SimpleTexting
Founded in 2010, SimpleTexting is a text message marketing company that was originally intended to be a marketing agency, but shifted focus into SMS marketing. The company is now part of Sinch, a global cloud communications company.
Great for: Cross-application integrations and marketplace, mass texting, data collecting, and automated drip campaigns.
Features: Mass Texting, Two-way Messaging, Auto-Replies, Drip Campaigns and Scheduled Campaigns
Pricing: Starts at $39/month which includes 500 credits, but also offers subscription pricing.
- Textla
Founded in 2022, Textla is a text messaging marketing company that provides SMS solutions. The company’s main goal is to democratize the text message marketing space and offer unmatchable pricing.
Great for: Price and user-friendly app experience.
Features: Outbound and Inbound SMS, Text-enabled Keywords, Campaign management, and Personalization.
Pricing: Competitive pricing with options for both small and large-scale use. Offers a 14-day free trial with 100 free texting credits, no credit card required.
- Community
Founded in 2019, Community is an SMS marketing app with an emphasis on influencers and their remarkable user-experience.
Great for: Mass messaging, emphasis on gen AI toolkits and UX.
Features: AI Message Generator, Custom Sign-Up Fields, Personalization, and Message Follow-Ups.
Pricing: Starts at $199/month with additional costs for messaging fees.
So, How Do I Make A Choice?
This is a question our team has to answer all the time. With so many options in the SMS software market, how do we choose? We believe the most important and key considerations can be narrowed down to the following:
- Budget: Look for a service that aligns with your financial capabilities. Also does it have affordable implementation requirements.
- Features: Decide which features are essential for your business, like automation, integrations, or two-way messaging.
- Ease of Use: Some platforms are more user-friendly than others.
- Pace of innovation: Choose a platform that’s constantly evolving to meet your business needs.
With declining targeting precision due to the saturation of competitors, increasing ad spend and consumer skepticism, SMS marketing provides a powerful direct engagement solution. Your SMS marketing platform is the key to unlocking the potential of your campaign placements through the digital noise. Which is why it is important to choose wisely.
Want to start texting your customers and build your mobile subscriber database? Book a demo!
