15 Best Free & Cost-Effective SMS Marketing Platforms for 2024

You most likely know already that SMS marketing is one of the best channels to get cut through with your customers.

I’ll start off with this key statistic - some companies have seen open rates of up to 98% through SMS marketing campaigns. 

However, you may still have these questions running through your head, which I commonly get asked by clients and companies I work with. 

• How effective is it really as a channel for your eCommerce business or SaaS? 
• Is it worth the focus and investment?
• How can it impact and drive more sales, as well as revenue?
• Which platforms provide the best value for money in terms of features?

I’ll share my thoughts about the first 3 questions which I chat about with my clients.The 4th question (and why you’re ultimately here), I answer in greater detail below.

I can say from experience that I’ve seen campaigns I’ve launched surpass 90%+ open rates and awesome click-through rates. This is definitely evident compared to email campaigns.

In a ‘busy’ email marketing world, consumers are receiving emails for all types of services, so it’s hard to stand out. This challenge is certainly heightened when you really want to make sure a campaign is seen by your key customers. 

That’s why text message marketing is not only just an effective channel in terms of open and click-through rates, it provides brands with a faster way to communicate a particular campaign or message.

The best part of text message marketing? It’s also a really great low-cost channel.

So, you can see why I’m a fan of SMS as a channel. It can help with many use cases, such as sending out time-based promotions, competition/giveaway announcements, customer updates for shipping, and much more. 

Okay, so which text message marketing software is the best value for money?

Read this before going through the list.

What key features are important to look out for when deciding which SMS marketing software is best for your business? 

In this article, I share my top recommendations for ‘stand alone’ platforms that focus on SMS marketing.

There are many marketing automation companies that offer SMS marketing services as part of its suite of products (e.g. Hubspot, Klaviyo, Yotpo, etc), but in this list, I’m focusing on platforms focused on text-based messaging.

When going through this list of SMS marketing tools, these are the criteria, questions and key factors you should look for (as well as discuss and evaluate with your team): 

• What are the segmentation capabilities? How advanced and personalised can you organise your lists?
• What personalisation options can it provide?
• How advanced are the tracking and analytics?
• Do they have technology which helps with deliverability?
• What third party apps and integrations are available? 
• Are there templates available for journey flows?

These are just a handful of considerations, not an exhaustive list. 

Additionally, you will have specific questions depending on your business type, whether it be eCommerce, SaaS, marketplace, DTC or B2B. 

Without further ado, let’s get into these recommendations. 

1. Attentive 

Attentive is one of the most comprehensive text message marketing solutions for eCommerce brands as it drives over 20% of revenue for the likes of Rebecca Minkoff, Urban Outfitters, and Supergoop. It banks on personalised text messaging to inspire action and conversion among consumers. While other text messaging platforms don’t allow replies, Attentive as a platform encourages engagement and conversation with the recipients.

Cool awesome features:

• Tracks the activity of every subscriber in order to create a unique experience and method of engagement for each one
• Allows you to refine your audience using demographic insights such as age or location
• Uses emojis, GIFs, and attachments to make your marketing text messages more engaging and appealing
• The tools used by the platform highlight TCPA and CTIA compliance for the customer’s protection
• Offers dedicated guidance from their team of strategists to ensure that you meet your KPI goals
• Has the Attentive University, a knowledge resource through which you can access training, best practices, and guidelines on how to create content and encourage engagement
• Regularly holds events such as case study presentations, virtual training sessions, and executive panels for customers
• Features customisable text messaging sign-up templates that you could use for your website
• It lets you build custom integration with partner platforms such as MailChimp and ZenDesk so you can simplify workflow and unify customer data

Plans & pricing

Attentive only offer custom plans. There is no free trial available, so you would have to book a demo for your business to get a quote for your needs.

2. Messagebird 

Messagebird is a messaging marketing solution that can send and receive SMS to and from any number in any country in the world. If you want to go beyond SMS, it can also host interactions via different messaging channels, such as Whatsapp, Instagram Direct, Kakao Talk, and even Google Maps! Accordingly, it is used by major companies such as Google, Facebook, and Uber.

Cool awesome features:

• Messagebird has direct connections in over 140 countries using 240 carriers
• Offers customisable auto-replies and allows automation of workflow, customer support, and tasks
• Can forward SMS to email for notification when someone replies to your messages
• Automates abandoned cart SMS reminders
• Messages sent and received through different channels can all be streamlined in one inbox
• It offers the omni channel customer thread, where agents can also access full customer interactions and relationships. This includes order information and delivery details
• Uses artificial intelligence to detect languages, conduct auto-translation, identify sentiment, and render suggested replies
• Highlights the Flow Builder, which enables you to build data pipelines and flows across different providers, systems, and tools
• You can send bulk sms campaigns no matter the scale, from hundreds to thousands to millions
• Secures accounts by providing two-factor authentication and single-use passwords
• Allows attachment of images, audio, videos, location, and documents for a richer interactive experience
• Customer support 24/7

Plans & pricing

Messagebird offers a free plan that allows for up to a total of 1,000 messages received and sent. Meanwhile, the paid plan will be a tailor fit for your company depending on your needs and demands, and will then be priced accordingly.

3. Twilio 

Twilio simplifies the complications of customer communication and could help your business scale without you having to worry about the usual hurdles. One of the platform’s earliest investors is Amazon, and now, Amazon Web Services hosts Twilio’s communication structure using APIs. Some of Twilio’s most famous clients include Marks and Spencer and Door Dash, and it now has over 1,500 partner carriers.

Cool awesome features:

• It is a single platform that uses the functionality of flexible APIs to offer different solutions for various channels
• Offers cloud-scale messaging APIs, wherein you can message customers on their preferred messaging app regardless of where they are in the world
• Notifies and updates customers of their account activity, purchases, and shipping tracking numbers using programmable messaging
• Has the capacity to deliver time-sensitive messages to both customers and employees at a mass scale
• Allows you to build customer relationships using cross-channel communications
• Protects the security of users by offering one-time passwords for verification
• Can switch between manual replies and using artificial intelligence and bots at any point in a conversation
• Redacts the text body and phone numbers for security purposes
• Translates content across different channels
• Analyses message deliverability and monitors engagement and conversions
• Provides performance trends, which can be sorted by carrier, channel, or country
• Allows customisation of customer profiles and pulls data from your CRM so your SMS marketing agents can provide a more personalized experience

Plans & pricing

The price of using Twilio will vary depending on the country you send messages to and from, the type of message sent, and the server used. Twilio uses a pay-as-you-go system, and in the United States, it costs $0.0079 per message sent and $0.0075 per message received whereas in Australia, it costs $0.045 to send a message and $0.0075 to receive a message.

4. Text Magic

Text Magic has been around in the SMS marketing industry since 2001. It is considered one of the most simple, yet detailed platforms to date. Over 15 million messages are coursed through their program every month, and they cater to over 20,000 businesses worldwide, with a concentration in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. It is highly rated on Trust Pilot, Capterra, and G2, with an average of 4.9 stars.

Cool awesome features:

• Send mass texts directly through their platform or app to recipients in over 190 countries
• Offers an email to SMS gateway 
• Has a text message software compatible with your PC or Mac for easier access and functionality, and an app downloadable for iOS and Android
• Can forward essential emails as SMS using distribution lists
• Allows you to pre-schedule important text alerts, such as campaigns and reminders for your convenience
• Supports attachments such as images, PDF, and Word files
• Can import mobile numbers via an Excel sheet, thereby making inputting and automation easier and faster – even less than a minute!
• Customers have the freedom to unsubscribe from your messaging lists as they choose
• Provides performance reports and analytics including delivery rates, reply stats, and costs
• Prevalidates carriers and numbers to avoid unnecessary cost
• It has an SMS gateway API that you can seamlessly integrate with your website
• All messages are fully backed up so no data will be lost
• Allows SMS messages up to 918 characters

Plans & pricing

Creating an account with Text Magic is completely free, and it already has access to all premium features. You will only be charged for the text messages you send; the price per text varies depending on the country. A text message to a United States subscriber will cost $0.04, and a message to Australia will cost $0.045. Meanwhile, a text message to the United Kingdom will cost $0.068.

5. Clicksend

Clicksend is a global text messaging service based in Australia, and it provides various SMS solutions depending on your needs, such as web-based SMS and multi-user SMS. It is cloud-based and allows businesses to easily connect with their customers and employees. The company caters to over 90,000 customers and has an average of 4.3 stars across Trust Pilot, G2, and Capterra.

Cool awesome features:

• Highly integrable with various business apps and platforms, including Zoho, Google, Slack, Salesforce, Shopify, and WordPress
• SMS text message market blasts always go through direct routes, regardless if you’re sending messages to ten or ten million. This means that your messages are always received immediately
• Offers human tech staff support, 24/7
• The platform and software are built on high-level security and have a 100% uptime SLA guarantee
• Can convert text to speech in multiple languages and male and female voices, depending on the audience
• No SMS software download is required. You can immediately access the API or dashboard upon signing up, making the process easier and faster
• The online web gateway allows you to send SMS messages from any web-connected computer
• Offers seamless integration for SMS to email messages
• The platform is built with developers in mind, and it can adapt and cater to your existing mobile messaging application software and technical structure
• Can send up to 4,800 messages per minute with a character limit of 1,224

Plans & pricing

The pricing for SMS messages varies on demand. It will cost $0.07 Australian dollars per SMS for less than 2,000 messages, $0.065 Australian dollars for 2,001 to 10,000 messages, $0.06 Australian dollars for 10,001 to 100,000 messages, and $0.055 Australian dollars for over 100,000 messages.

6. Heymarket 

Heymarket is a fairly new text messaging solution that proudly highlights its shared inbox capabilities when messaging with customers, contractors, and partners. It reached $15 million in funding in 2022 and plans to expand its operations and capacity even more. With Heymarket, you can message people on multiple channels and platforms and see all the interactions seamlessly integrated into one interface.

Cool awesome features:

• Highlights conversational SMS, which allows agents to convert more leads by following up with prospects and establishing business relationships
• Can send personalised text messages to multiple recipients at once
• Messages received are immediately filtered and routed to the team or agent that can address that customer’s query or issue
• Offers built-in integrations with various eCommerce platforms and business software such as Shopify, Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and Slack
• Manages customer messages via a shared inbox so team members can share information and reply to or assign these messages accordingly
• Allows you the capacity to leave comments and have conversations with other team members in a separate window, even while you’re having a conversation with a customer
• Houses built in SMS templates
• Segments customers into lists and gives you room to run drip campaigns
• Allows automation of responses to common questions during set hours
• It shows you important customer data as you chat with them
• Tracks most used templates, the amount of time spent in conversations with customers, and which agents might need assistance or training
• Shows the topics that customers inquire most about and whether these topics ignite positive or negative reactions
• Lets you assign different inboxes to different teams, with varying levels of permissions among the members
• Can export all chats in a single file

Plans & pricing

Because Heymarket is directed towards teams, it is priced depending on how many users or team members will be using the platform. The Standard plan that has the most essential features (not including analytics) costs $19 per user. The Plus plan, which is the best value for money and is the most popular, costs $39 per user. Enterprise-level plans will be quoted on a case-to-case basis.

7. Salesmsg

Salesmsg is a two-way SMS marketing software that takes pride in its simplicity and scalability. The company was founded in 2017 but has already won recognition in the industry as it made the Capterra Shortlist in 2022 and the Software Advice Frontrunners in 2021. It is used by the University of Cincinnati, Crossfit, and Comcast among others.

Cool awesome features:

• It has a simple, easy-to-use dashboard wherein you can send, receive, and manage text messages with your customers
• Allows for unlimited contacts
• Can insert GIFs, images, and videos in the messages
• Has the option for private and shared inboxes, depending on the situation. Each sales rep can opt to have private inboxes or they can run a centralised inbox through which they can address conversations and concerns together
• Tracks conversions, clicks, and revenue made from SMS conversions
• It can be integrated with apps such as Hubspot, Pipedrive, and Active Campaign. It’s also compatible with over 1,500 apps through Zapier
• Sends messages using local numbers and allows you to choose area codes
• Can add internal notes to conversations, which can be viewed by relevant team members
• Can provide toll-free numbers
• Has landline texting
• Offers optional double opt-in to subscribers to ensure compliance. It also has a quick and easy opt-out option
• Sends and receives GIFs, pictures, videos, PDF, Word files, Excel files, and even Vcards
• You can move conversations out of the inbox and into the archive, which you can just as easily access
• Segments contacts and conversations using tags, country, activity, and area

Plans & pricing

The cost of Salesmsg for your company will depend on how many messages you plan on sending out per month. 500 messages will cost $25, 2,500 messages will cost $99, and 5,000 messages will cost $179. Anything beyond 10,000 messages will require a custom plan.

8. Tatango

Tatango is especially known for being a political messaging software and has been around since 2007. It is generally used by candidates and party lists in building campaigns and a following, and promoting fundraising efforts. However, it may still arguably be used for business purposes. To give you an idea of its reach, it made $3.2 million in one hour via SMS donations during the presidential elections in 2020. Users have also generally seen a 500% return on investment, with an open rate of 99% on SMS.

Cool awesome features:

• Has partners from which you can get phone numbers to reach
• Seamlessly integrates with apps such as Hubspot and Salesforce
• Is the number one provider of political shortcodes
• Offers advanced functionalities that help customise and target messages
• Can send mass messages to millions of people in a single click, with no delay in receiving
• Shows analytics on how many people received the message, clicked on the message, and converted.
• Very particular about customer segmenting, as you need to make sure that you’re sending the right messages to the right people
• Automates and schedules text messages
• Particularly effective for non-profit efforts
• Conducts trainings on how to effectively use and maximise the platform

Plans & pricing

Pricing will depend on a case-to-case basis, so you would have to request a quotation from the Tatango team.

9. Whispir 

Whispir headlines itself as a company that reimagined communications and messaging marketing by using automated workflows. It features time-saving features and cost-cutting tools that help in engaging your audience and building your brand. However, their ultimate goal is to give a human touch to machinations and communications. The company was founded in 2001, and it continues to serve over 800 customers to this day.

Cool awesome features:

• Uses AI-powered tone of voice which helps in ensuring that the message you’re sending is consistent and appealing
• Whispir’s Message Builder will show information about how your message sounds, giving you analytics and engagement scores to see how your content will fare
• Keeps an engagement store 
• It has a web-to-SMS functionality
• Allows two-way communication at every level of interaction
• Offers templates that feature pre-built conversation workflows
• Can set triggers that will handle situations on your behalf as events and circumstances occur
• Shows information on messages sent, opened, the number of people who replied, and those that unsubscribed
• Has audit trail reporting and real-time confirmations
• Segments contacts and lets you tailor communications depending on how each group prefers to engage
• See the times that incur the highest level of engagement

Plans & pricing

Whispir has a free 14 day trial, after which prices will vary depending on your company’s needs and demands.

10. Simple Texting 

Simple texting is a fast, and easy messaging platform that allows for one-to-one conversations and mass send-outs to customers, employees, and anyone else you may need to contact. It is used by small businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike, with the same, consistent quality being offered regardless of scale. It has a 4.7-star rating across Shopper, Capterra, and G2.

Cool awesome features:

• Allows for two-way texting
• Organises messages by time waiting or time received
• Can include images, videos, and trackable links
• Can schedule your messages and campaigns ahead of time
• It gives you the freedom to create your own templates for commonly used lines and messages
• Creates auto responders that help you follow up on subscribers and previous concerns
• Segments your lists based on custom data and preferences
• Has custom fields that help you automatically personalise messages to subscribers
• Analytics that show the number of click-throughs, delivery rates, and subscriber growth
• Streamlines data collection by allowing subscribers to text information to you
• Integrates with Zapier and allows you to connect with multiple apps
• Hosts text to win sweepstakes and contests
• Offers toll-free, local numbers, and dedicated short codes
• Has landline texting
• A dedicated account representative will be assigned to you upon sign up
• Sets automated birthday messages for subscribers
• It gives up to 306 characters

Plans & pricing

Simple Texting starts at $29 per month for 500 messages, $109 for 3,000 messages, $229 for 7,500 messages, $549 for 25,000 messages, $899 for 50,000 messages. Plans involving upwards of 50,000 messages will require a custom plan.

11. Gupshup 

Gupshup is the leading text messaging platform when it comes to conversational messaging, as they course over 9 billion messages every month. It was only launched in 2010, but they have worked on expanding its systems and solutions since. Both large and small enterprises utilize the network, and it continues to grow its emerging market partnerships. As of this writing, it has Walmart, HSBC, and Citibank as part of its impressive client list.

Cool awesome features:

• Gupshup’s carrier-grade messaging platform has a single messaging API for over 30 channels
• Uses AI to build conversational conversations and interactions via text messaging
• Offers a variety of market partnerships among device manufacturers, regional partners, and telcos
• Compatible with apps like Slack, Telegram, and Whatsapp
• Has bot builder tools to automate the messaging system more effectively and efficiently
• Delivers text messages to 225 countries
• Utilises built in models that are capable of predicting customer behaviour and intent based on present interactions, thereby allowing agents to navigate conversations better
• Allows user profiling across different channels
• Re-engages with customers using user affinities and previous patterns
• Uses dedicated long codes and short codes
• Allows usage of unicode, special characters, and regional languages
• Secures transactions using one-time passwords and two-factor authentication codes
• 24/7 support should you encounter pressing issues with international laws and regulations

Plans & pricing

Gupshup only offers personalised plans, so you would need to contact the sales team for pricing according to your scaling and needs.

12. TextUs 

TextUs is a leading option when it comes to business messaging solutions, as it has won multiple awards from G2, including the small business users are most likely to recommend and the easiest setup in the mid-market. It is said to be the world’s first real-time communications platform with a 98% read rate and a 40% response rate.

Cool awesome features:

• Integrates with Salesforce, Wanderly, and Great Recruiters
• Uses organisational mapping to determine the teams and individuals who have access to your account settings, templates, and integrations
• Fully utilises opt-out management to ensure that you are only interacting with an engaged audience
• Can White label the TextUs app using your company branding
• Allows conversation management and filtering for easier sorting
• It has a speech-to-text feature, which means that you can talk instead of typing your messages
• Provides you with conversation history and data
• Releases analytics on active convos, response rates, number of messages exchanged per convo, and more
• Keeps all messages in a centralised platform so team members can all access the same data
• Provides multiple phone numbers for different team members
• Shows you when another team member is replying to a conversation
• Schedule multiple campaigns at once, at any scale
• Syncs the TextUs contact centre with your CRM/ATS contact database, thereby helping you track data more accurately
• Search and filter by tags and categories
• Has a Chrome extension and mobile app for better ease of use and access

Plans & pricing

Pricing will depend on your business needs, so you would need to schedule a demo on their website.

13. Text Request 

Text Request is a business messaging platform that is designed to scale with you and your business, as you go from tens and hundreds to millions. It is recommended and promoted by Twilio, and the company has grown 1,299% within the last three years. This is despite having just been founded in 2014, with $0 outside investment taken.

Cool awesome features:

• Allows requesting and receiving of payments through text messages
• Allows mass testing and peer-to-peer texting at scale
• Features text message templates to ensure consistency in your messaging
• Has merge fields that help you personalise messages by pulling data
• Lets you attach flyers, images, emojis, and GIFs to your messages
• It uses message tags to help you keep track of your topics
• Has a spam blocker that ensures spam messages do not reach your business inbox
• Shows the delivery status of your messages
• Allows the scheduling of messages
• Registers your business with mobile carriers under the 10LDC registration
• Has ready-made reports that feature all important analytics such as engagement, click-through rates, opt-outs, and more
• Uses multiple dashboards to organise your workflow better
• Lets agents use custom signatures, so customers know who they’re dealing with at any given moment in time
• Can utilise location tracking with the permission of your customers
• Utilises auto-responses to inbound texts
• Accessible via a Chrome extension and mobile apps
• Uses end-to-end encryption and third-party audits for utmost security

Plans & pricing

The basic plan of $59 per month allows for 1,000 messages sent and a singular dashboard. The starter plan of $139 per month is the most popular plan, with two dashboards and 2,500 messages inclusive. The corporate plan is worth $279 per month for 6,500 texts, whereas the enterprise plan is worth $549 for 20,000 texts. An additional charge per text message in excess of plan inclusions will be enforced.

14. Textline 

Textline is rated as the #1 SMS software in Capterra, and for a good reason. It takes pride in being the most secure text messaging platform and centers its efforts on building good customer experiences. Hence, it is used by large companies such as Stuart Weitzman and Lyft among many others.

Cool awesome features:

• All traffic is proxied through Cloudflare using an encrypted data connection. AEES 256 encryption is applied to data at rest.
• All interactions are monitored for security threats
• Customers’ data are safeguarded and heavily protected
• End-to-end compliance with TCPA, CCPA, GDPR, SOC 2, HIPAA, and Privacy Shield
• Customer consent is valued on all levels, and there is multi-factor authentication when necessary
• Integrates with Salesforce, Slack, Messenger, and Shopify
• Allows emojis, links, images, and file attachments to spruce up engagement
• It has a verified app on the App Store and Google Play, and is accessible via web
• Features shortcuts and templates to make the workflow more efficient
• Schedules text messages in advance and allows for automatic replies to certain triggers
• Measures analytics such as time to respond, time to resolution, active agents, new contacts, and more

Plans & pricing

Textline has a free 14-day trial, after which you would need to avail of a plan. The limited plan is $59.97 monthly, which allows for three agents. The standard plan, which is most popular, costs $89.97 and allows for up to 10 agents and necessary premium features. Do note that the messaging cost is a separate charge, and will typically cost $0.012 per message.

15. Call Loop 

Call Loop is a messaging and calling software that is used by brands like Uber, Nestle, and UCLA. It is a complete solution that can assist in your marketing efforts, regardless of your chosen communication style.

Cool awesome features:

• Uses text to join keywords that customers can message you with
• Can schedule bulk texts in advance
• Automatically stores customer information during interactions
• Offers analytics and reporting in real-time, showing you the number of people who clicked on your message, who responded, and who didn’t even check the message
• Has SMs triggers that could help automate and ease your workflow
• Lets you use SMS short codes
• Integrates with Zapier, Hubspot, and MailChimp
• Features an all-in-one SMS portal from which you can access all messages

Plans & pricing

Call Loop has a free 14-day trial. Afterwards, you can opt for a paid plan. The basic goes for $29 a month and only offers 250 messages. The pro plan goes for $49 a month and includes 1,000 messages. The max is $99 a month and includes 2,250 messages.

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⚡ Frequently Asked Questions ⚡

For eCommerce stores, which is the best SMS marketing software that helps drive sales and important communications?

From my experience, there are three leaders in the ecommerce space for text-based campaigns and automation - Klaviyo, Attentive and Clicksend. Each of these software providers platforms have comprehensive features for high-growth brands. Most importantly, they have advanced segmentation and personalised capabilities, which don’t require advanced skills and highly-skilled individuals to setup.

Which SMS marketing platforms have the best automation and advanced capabilities for SaaS companies?

All of the SMS marketing tools mentioned in this article have good automation and advanced customisation features that SaaS startups are looking for. From my experience, Twilio, Hey Market, and TextMagic. They all have lots of integrations available, whether native or through Zapier, so you can easily connect with your preferred applications and workflows.

Which are the best free & cheapest SMS marketing platforms?

Many of the platforms mentioned have a free trial or ‘free credits’ option, so you can trial out the software before determing a long-term commitment and roll out. However, nothing is every truly for free if you’re looking for scale or volume (as well as advanced features), so you will need to pay for sms services to unlock the platform’s full potential. So, the best SMS services with the best trial/free plans, as well as lowest cost sms messaging plans are; Messagebird, Twilio, Clicksend, TextMagic and Salesmessage. A key thing to remember is if you’re making an ROI off the subscription, then it’s well worth the investment of a platform that can provide awesome capabilities.

Which SMS marketing services let you send bulk text messages?

There are many sms services and software providers that let you send bulk text message campaigns. Whilst it’s one thing to send mass text message marketing campaigns, it comes down to segmenting audiences by user behaviour and customer activity, personalisation, as well as the analytics you receive to learn and optimise. The top sms marketing software providers that enable great capabilities for larger blast campaigns that I recommend are Simple Texting, Textline and Sales message.

Who are the companies that do the best SMS marketing campaigns?

There are many DTC and eCommerce brands who’ve done a brilliant job with text-based marketing campaigns across their customer journey. Some of the brands I love that you should check out (even if you’re not their target customer) to get inspiration from include; Smile Direct Club, Abercrombie, Amazon, OLLY, Brooks Brothers, Kindra, Clevr Blends, and Snow Teeth Whitening.