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SlickText is our best overall pick for teams that want list growth, automation and a shared inbox. EZ Texting starts at $20, while Salesmsg starts at $21, but their listed entry prices don’t tell the whole cost story: both summaries flag add-ons or fees. For ecommerce, compare Postscript and Emotive; both start at $100, and Postscript’s AI plan is listed at $699. We favor tools with clear use cases and flag when pricing is unpublished or message costs need a closer look.
Quick picksThe shortlist
SlickTextSlickTextBest overall · $29/mo
SimpleTextingSimpleTextingBest for small businesses · $33.20/mo
EZ TextingEZ TextingBest low entry price · $20/mo
TextMagicTextMagicBest pay-as-you-go · Custom
PostscriptPostscriptBest for ecommerce SMS · $100/mo
EmotiveEmotiveBest for expert support · $100/mo- SalesmsgSalesmsgBest for CRM texting · $21/mo
TextedlyTextedlyBest for occasional campaigns · $29/mo
Text RequestText RequestBest for business texting · $59.99/mo
HeymarketHeymarketBest for shared team inboxes · $49/mo
01Compared at a glance
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SlickTextSlickText | 7.0 | $29/mo | Yes | 14 days |
| SimpleTextingSimpleTexting | 6.4 | $33.20/mo | No | — |
| EZ TextingEZ Texting | 6.6 | $20/mo | No | 14 days |
| TextMagicTextMagic | 7.2 | Custom | No | — |
| PostscriptPostscript | 6.2 | $100/mo | Yes | 30 days |
| EmotiveEmotive | 7.2 | $100/mo | No | 14 days |
| SalesmsgSalesmsg | 6.8 | $21/mo | No | 14 days |
| TextedlyTextedly | 5.7 | $29/mo | Yes | — |
| Text RequestText Request | 6.0 | $59.99/mo | No | — |
| HeymarketHeymarket | 6.8 | $49/mo | No | — |
02The picks, in detail
- Best overallSlickTextSlickText
SlickText is our strongest all-around fit for teams building an SMS list and automating customer journeys. The published details highlight list-growth tools, automation and shared conversations, with a free plan and paid plans from $29. Credit costs and carrier fees can change the total, so check those alongside the plan price before choosing it.
What works
- Free plan available
- Unlimited contacts on listed paid plans
- Unused credits roll over
What doesn't
- Paid plans have monthly credit limits
- Carrier fees apply and vary
- Annual per-month prices are not published
- Best for small businessesSimpleTextingSimpleTexting
SimpleTexting covers the basics many small businesses need: SMS campaigns, two-way texting and API access. The published pricing starts at $33.20. Its feature set is practical, but the summary warns that higher-volume texting can cost more than the entry price suggests. Compare the full price at your expected send volume before committing.
What works
- SMS campaigns and two-way texting
- Automated welcome and behavior-based messages
- Opt-in tools include popups and keywords
What doesn't
- 500 credits cost $39 monthly
- Higher-volume plan prices aren’t published
- Extra credits cost 5.5¢ each
- Best low entry priceEZ TextingEZ Texting
EZ Texting is the lowest-priced option on this list with a published starting price: $20. It offers campaign tools, SMS and MMS, and no-code workflows, making it a plausible starting point for a small team. The trade-off is tight included credits and add-on costs, so the cheapest plan may not be the cheapest fit once you send more.
What works
- Bulk SMS and MMS, two-way texting, and automated workflows
- Drag-and-drop campaign builder and templates
- Contact management and opt-in tools
What doesn't
- Launch, Boost, and Scale each include just 500 monthly credits
- Overage credits cost extra on every listed plan
- Launch adds a $5 monthly Telecom Fee
- Best pay-as-you-goTextMagicTextMagic
TextMagic suits teams whose SMS volume varies and who prefer pay-as-you-go pricing. The published details also point to automation for customer follow-ups and permission-based campaigns. A starting price is not published in the comparison, so ask for the current rates and check number, MMS and registration fees before comparing it with a monthly-plan service.
What works
- Pay-as-you-go outbound SMS pricing
- Inbound SMS is free
- Unlimited contacts and users listed
What doesn't
- No fixed monthly starting price is published
- Texting numbers cost $10 per month
- MMS costs $0.08 per sent or received message
- Best for ecommerce SMSPostscriptPostscript
Postscript is aimed at brands building and scaling an SMS program, with AI-led marketing journeys among its selling points. The published details list a free plan and pricing from $100, but message fees narrow the value. The AI plan is listed at $699, so smaller teams should check which features require that tier before treating it as a necessary upgrade.
What works
- Starter plan has no monthly subscription price
- Supports SMS, MMS, RCS and email
- Includes AI-powered shopper journeys
What doesn't
- Starter has a $49 monthly minimum spend
- Message charges are additional to plan prices
- Carrier fees pass through at cost
- Best for expert supportEmotiveEmotive
Emotive is worth comparing for ecommerce teams that want specialist campaign support and conversational SMS flows. The published details list a starting price of $100 and flag message fees, so budget beyond the plan price. It is a less obvious choice for a small team seeking the lowest-cost sending tool; its fit depends on whether the campaign support matters to you.
What works
- Starter includes 10,000 contacts
- No minimum spend on Starter
- Two-way messaging and conversational flows
What doesn't
- Starter costs $100/month before message fees
- SMS and MMS usage are billed separately
- No free plan is listed
- Best for CRM texting
SalesmsgSalesmsg
Salesmsg is a good match for teams that need CRM-linked texting, shared customer conversations and automated SMS follow-ups. The published pricing starts at $21. That entry price is only part of the comparison: the summary flags credits, add-ons and separate carrier fees. Check how those costs apply to your CRM setup and planned message volume.
What works
- Shared inbox keeps team conversations together
- Supports two-way SMS, MMS, broadcasts and drip campaigns
- Calling includes recording, transcription and CRM logging
What doesn't
- Basic includes 500 monthly credits
- Pro costs $329 monthly or $277 billed annually
- Unused credits do not roll over
- Best for occasional campaignsTextedlyTextedly
Textedly offers a broad SMS toolkit for small teams, including two-way texting, automation, payments and reviews by text. The published details list a free plan and pricing from $29, with message caps called out as a key limit. The same summary notes enough support complaints to warrant caution, so clarify support terms and plan limits before switching.
What works
- Free plan includes 50 messages and one custom keyword
- Paid plans start at $29/month for 500 messages
- All listed paid plans include all features
What doesn't
- Annual plan prices are not published
- The $29 plan is capped at 500 monthly messages
- Higher message allowances require pricier plans
- Best for business textingText RequestText Request
Text Request is built around texting customers from a business number, with reminders and two-way replies among its listed strengths. Pricing starts at $59.99. The published summary warns buyers to check caps and add-ons, making this a better fit for teams that value the business-texting workflow than for senders choosing on entry price alone.
What works
- Supports two-way SMS and MMS
- Includes scheduling, reminders, and mass texting
- Offers payments and review-request workflows
What doesn't
- Basic starts at $59.99/month
- Basic includes only 1,000 texts monthly
- Extra texts cost $0.058 each on Basic
- Best for shared team inboxesHeymarketHeymarket
Heymarket combines shared business SMS inboxes with text campaigns and CRM integrations, making it a contender for sales teams handling conversations together. The published details list pricing from $49. Its per-user plans and credit charges need careful budgeting: estimate costs for the full team and expected messaging volume, not just one seat.
What works
- Shared inboxes cover business texts and email
- Campaigns, lists, and automations are available on Plus
- AI Essentials is included with Plus
What doesn't
- No free plan is listed
- Every listed self-serve plan requires at least two users
- Monthly-billing rates are not published
03How we chose
We weigh published pricing and plan limits, product documentation, and Reddit sentiment when comparing SMS marketing platforms. We also consider how clearly each source explains what is included, where usage caps apply, and what a buyer should verify before switching. The published materials for this page include the category description and vendor list, but no vendor pricing, plan details, documentation, or Reddit posts. We therefore do not claim to have verified individual products, ranked them by performance, or run hands-on tests; vendor-specific facts should be added only when supported by sources.
04Choose an SMS platform around the job it needs to do
Start with the messages you need to send, not the vendor’s broadest feature list. The category includes SMS, push and other mobile messages, but the published materials do not confirm which listed products support each channel. Check the docs before shortlisting.
- For campaign marketing, verify how the platform handles audience selection, scheduling and reporting.
- For customer conversations, check whether replies and team workflows fit your process.
- If you need more than SMS, confirm the channels you’ll actually use and whether they are included in your intended plan.
Then compare the same requirements across your shortlist. The listed vendors include Postscript, Attentive, SimpleTexting, OneSignal and others, but there is not enough source information here to recommend one for a specific use case. Treat each product’s published documentation as the deciding evidence.
05Compare the bill and switching costs before choosing
A low advertised price is not enough to call a platform cheap. Compare the published plan price with its limits, what usage is included, and which capabilities require a higher plan. The published materials do not provide current prices or caps for the listed vendors, so we can’t make a defensible price ranking.
Before switching, make a checklist of the features and data your current setup depends on. Ask shortlisted vendors to confirm, in writing, whether those needs are supported and what the relevant plan costs. Verify any limits that could change your bill as your sending volume or team grows. Also check what the product docs say about moving contacts, message history and integrations; the available published material does not establish how any named vendor handles those tasks. Compare like for like, and mark unpublished details as unknown rather than assuming they are included.
Questions people ask
Is SMS marketing legal in the USA?
The published materials do not include legal sources, so we can’t give a reliable yes-or-no answer or summarize current requirements. Treat compliance as a buying requirement: consult qualified legal advice and ask each vendor for documentation on its relevant consent, opt-out and recordkeeping features.
What is the best software for sending SMS messages?
There is not enough sourced product information here to name a best platform. Start by defining whether you need campaigns, customer conversations, or SMS alongside push and other mobile messages. Then compare published plan limits and documentation against those needs; don’t treat an unsupported feature claim as a reason to switch.
What is the cheapest platform for SMS marketing?
We can’t identify the cheapest option from the published materials: they contain no current prices, plan limits or usage charges for the listed vendors. Compare each vendor’s published price with the plan’s caps and included features. If a price or limit is not published, treat it as unknown and request confirmation.
What is replacing SMS?
The published sources do not establish that SMS is being replaced or identify a single successor. For a shortlist, compare SMS with the other channels your business may need, such as push or other mobile messaging, and verify which channels each platform documents. Choose based on your audience and requirements, not a blanket replacement claim.