Skip to main content

SMS marketing software might be your answer to tanking response rates due to cluttered inboxes. But with dozens of options screaming, 'buy me, buy me,' picking the right tool can be challenging.

As a marketer who's been running SMS marketing campaigns since the days of CallFire's SMS Broadcasting solution, I know first hand what it's like dealing with the endless feature lists, pricing tiers, and technical jargon that only leaves you confused.

But you need to jump on the SMS marketing comeback train, right? To help you do that, I've combined my firsthand experience of what works and what doesn't with our fancy software review system to put together a list of the 30 best SMS marketing software that excel in message personalization, deliverability, and all the important elements.

Why Trust Our Reviews

We’ve been testing and reviewing marketing software since 2022. As marketing experts ourselves, we know how critical and difficult it is to make the right decision when selecting software.

We invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions. We’ve tested more than 2,000 tools for different marketing use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & our software review methodology.

The 10 Best SMS Marketing Software Summary

Tools Price
Omnisend From $16/month
Klaviyo.com From $45/month
EZ Texting From $39/month
Keap From $249/month (billed annually)
HubSpot Marketing From $800/month + $45/month for additional seats
Textedly $26/month (500 msg)
Mobile Text Alerts From $25/month
SlickText From $29/month
SimpleTexting From $45/month
Attentive $300/month + 0.02/SMS
Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.

Compare Software

How to Choose SMS Marketing Software

When selecting software for your business, especially when considering a specialized tool such as SMS marketing software, it's essential to approach the decision with a strategic mindset. Here’s a checklist that balances general software selection principles with specific considerations for SMS marketing software:

  1. Ease of Use: Choose software that is user-friendly and requires minimal training for your team. In the context of SMS marketing software, it should offer an intuitive interface for creating, sending, and monitoring text message campaigns.
  2. Features and Functionality: Identify key features essential for your business needs. For SMS marketing, look for capabilities such as automated messaging, segmentation, personalization, and analytics to track campaign performance.
  3. Cost and ROI: Evaluate the software’s pricing structure against your budget and consider the potential return on investment. For SMS marketing, calculate costs per message, monthly subscription fees, and expected increase in customer engagement and sales.
  4. Support and Training: Consider the level of customer support and training provided. Reliable support is crucial for troubleshooting and optimizing the use of your SMS marketing software.
  5. Vendor Reputation and Reliability: Research the software provider’s reputation, customer reviews, and case studies to gauge their reliability and the effectiveness of their software in similar business contexts.
  6. Customization and Flexibility: Look for software that offers customization options to tailor the tool to your specific business processes and branding needs. In SMS marketing, this could mean customizable message templates or branding options for messages.

Best SMS Marketing Software Reviews

These are the 10 best SMS marketing software on my longlist of picks. You can find the rest of my selection at the bottom of the article if you don’t find what you are looking for here.

Best SMS + email marketing packages

  • Free plan available
  • From $16/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.6/5

Omnisend is an SMS marketing tool for building targeted campaigns, automating customer segmentation, and tracking customer behavior. You can customize SMS messages to target specific groups or even individual customers.

Why I Picked Omnisend: Omnisend enables you to engage with customers at key points in their customer journey like when they sign up for a list, place an order, or abandon their cart. The software supports all country codes, making it easy to reach customers worldwide. Omnisend's SMS for one-off campaigns eliminates the need to set up a recurring campaign, making it ideal for businesses that want to send time-sensitive messages. It implements an SMS credits subscription system, allowing users to refill or cancel as needed.

Omnisend Standout Features and Integrations

Key features include robust omnichannel marketing automation, allowing businesses to seamlessly integrate and automate their marketing campaigns across multiple channels such as email, SMS, and push notifications, ensuring consistent and personalized messaging across various touchpoints. Omnisend provides advanced segmentation and targeting options, empowering businesses to create highly targeted and relevant campaigns based on customer behavior, preferences, and purchase history. 

Integrations include 29Next, Megento, AfterShip, Shopify, WooCommerce, Alloy Automation, Amazon Advertising, BigCommerce, Cartloop, Easyship, GemPages, Intercom, Involve.me, LiveChat, Shopify, and dozens of other tools for customer support, CRM, workflow automations, and website builders.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Great for ecommerce businesses
  • Free 50 messages/month (250 contacts)
  • Multichannel marketing automation

Cons:

  • Steeper learning curve
  • Non-ecomm brands may struggle

Best for advanced segmentation

  • Free plan available
  • From $45/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.6/5

Klaviyo is a marketing automation platform that helps businesses build smarter digital relationships with their customers. It offers a range of tools, including email, SMS, mobile push, and web forms, as well as features for segmentation, flows, campaigns, and reporting.

Why I Picked Klaviyo: I like the platform's advanced segmentation capabilities that enable businesses to create highly personalized messages based on detailed customer data, such as purchase history and predicted lifetime value. Furthermore, Klaviyo supports multiple sending options, including toll-free numbers and shortcodes, and ensures compliance with regulations through features like automatic consent management and quiet hours. 

Klaviyo Standout Features and Integrations

Key features include SMS and email marketing capabilities, a customer data platform that consolidates data from various sources, providing a unified view of each customer, and over 60 pre-built flow templates, which can be customized using a drag-and-drop flow builder. Other notable features include AI-driven insights and web forms.

Integrations include Shopify, Salesforce, Wix, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce (Magento), BigCommerce, Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, Instagram, Stripe, PayPal, QuickBooks, Zendesk, and Slack.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good reporting and analytics features with AI-driven insights
  • A range of pre-built templates
  • Good automation capabilities for personalized campaigns

Cons:

  • Potential learning curve for new users
  • Can get expensive with more active profiles

Best for AI-driven text marketing

  • 100 free credits (1 credit per text)
  • From $39/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

EZ Texting is a text marketing platform that leverages artificial intelligence to facilitate effective SMS communication between businesses and their customers. Its AI-driven features, such as AI Compose, Team Inbox, and AI Reply, support rapid and personalized interactions, positioning EZ Texting as a leading solution for businesses aiming to enhance customer engagement through text marketing.

Why I Picked EZ Texting: EZ Texting stands out as an SMS marketing software by enabling businesses to effectively engage with their audience through targeted text message campaigns. It simplifies creating, sending, and managing bulk SMS messages, offering features like automated responses, customizable templates, and keyword opt-ins to grow subscriber lists. The platform excels in delivering measurable results through detailed analytics, allowing businesses to assess the impact of their campaigns and refine strategies for better engagement.

EZ Texting Standout Features and Integrations

Features include sophisticated automation tools that allow businesses to schedule and send text messages based on specific triggers or events. This includes drip campaigns, appointment reminders, and follow-ups, which can be automated to ensure timely and relevant communication with customers. This feature saves time and improves efficiency by automating routine communications, allowing businesses to focus on strategic activities.

Integrations include HubSpot, Constant Contact, Squarespace, Shutterstock, Magento, Volusion, Shift4Shop, iContact, Shippo, BigCommerce, Big Cartel, Google Ads, Keap, and dozens of other options across ecommerce software, CRMs, and marketing apps.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Robust integration capabilities
  • Supports MMS to text images, videos, and audio
  • Keyword opt-in feature enables customers to sign up for messages

Cons:

  • Texting to the US and Canada only
  • Learning curve for advanced features

Best for personalized messaging

  • 14-day free trial + free demo available
  • From $249/month (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.2/5

Keap is a small business CRM and automation platform that offers solutions for organizing, marketing, selling, and growing a business. It provides tools for marketing automation, lead capture, sales automation, and lifecycle automation,

Why I Picked Keap: Keap offers a comprehensive SMS marketing solution that integrates with its CRM and marketing automation platform. The software allows businesses to send personalized text messages, automate follow-ups, and track customer interactions, enhancing engagement. Keap's platform includes features such as contact management, segmentation, and analytics, which help businesses target their audience more effectively. 

Keap Standout Features and Integrations

Features include appointment scheduling, invoicing, payment processing, multi-channel communication, dynamic form creation, lead capture, pipeline management, marketing and sales automation, contact management, and sales reporting.

Integrations include AppointmentCare, Bonjoro, Gmail, Jotform, PlusThis, AdEspresso, BigCommerce, Outlook, ScheduleOnce, WordPress, Wistia, and thousands more through Zapier. Keap also has an open API for custom integrations.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good marketing automation capabilities
  • Many customization options
  • Robust CRM features

Cons:

  • May not be ideal for larger businesses with more complex needs
  • Can be pricey for businesses with limited resources

Best for comprehensive CRM integration

  • Free plan + demo available
  • From $800/month + $45/month for additional seats
Visit Website
Rating: 5/5

HubSpot Marketing is a comprehensive CRM integration tool that seamlessly integrates marketing, sales, and customer service functions into one powerful platform. Its unique selling point lies in its ability to provide comprehensive CRM integration, offering features such as marketing automation, sales, support, chat, email marketing, and social media management.

Why I Picked HubSpot Marketing: I chose HubSpot Marketing for SMS marketing software because it offers a comprehensive CRM integration, including features such as lead scoring, interaction tracking, and sales forecasting. What makes HubSpot stand out is its wide range of marketing automation tools, including email tracking, social media management, and a drag-and-drop email editor. It is best for comprehensive CRM integration because it also offers features such as contact management, task management, and mobile app availability, making it a one-stop solution for all marketing and CRM needs.

HubSpot Marketing Standout Features and Integrations

Features include marketing automation software that leverages CRM data to create automated campaigns, email marketing tools for bulk email optimization and drip campaigns, and a free online form builder for capturing leads. Additionally, HubSpot provides a landing page builder, ads software, and various forms like exit intent and pop-up forms to engage visitors and convert leads.

Integrations include Gmail, Google Calendar, HubSpot for WordPress, Outlook, Zapier, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Zoom, Slack, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Mailchimp, Instagram, Twitter, Canva, Salesforce, Eventbrite, and Stripe.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Detailed analytics and reporting features
  • Integrated CMS offers insight into customer journeys and tools for personalized content
  • Automation features for email campaigns, customer journey management, and social media marketing

Cons:

  • The platform is designed to be an all-in-one solution, and using it for only a few select features may not be cost-effective
  • Some advanced features are limited to higher-tier plans which cost extra

Best for collecting customer reviews

  • 14-day trial (50 msg free)
  • $26/month (500 msg)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Textedly is a cloud-based SMS marketing platform that helps businesses of all sizes send bulk text messages to their customers. It's designed to make it easy for you to create, manage, and track your text message marketing campaigns, all from a user-friendly dashboard. With Textedly, you can send out promotions, updates, and alerts to your customers.

Why I Picked Textedly: Textedly excels in SMS marketing, particularly when it comes to soliciting business reviews on platforms like Facebook or Google. By utilizing Textedly's SMS campaigns, businesses can send targeted messages to their customers, encouraging them to leave reviews on popular review platforms. The software allows for personalized messages that include specific links to the business's review pages, making it convenient for customers to navigate directly to the desired platform. With Textedly's robust analytics and tracking features, businesses can monitor the effectiveness of their review request campaigns and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Textedly Standout Features & Integrations

Key features include the ability to send to up to 18,000 messages per month on the highest plan, which means you can send dozens or hundreds of campaigns out a year without hitting a limit. You can store and manage unlimited contacts, no matter which plan you are on, and then segment them into targetted lists and send out campaigns accordingly. Another useful feature is the ability to schedule messages in advance, so you can plan your campaigns and ensure your messages go out at the perfect time.

Integrations include Slack, Salesforce, Hubspot, Intercom, Pipedrive, Shopify, Mailchimp, Facebook Lead Ads, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Calendar, WordPress, Zoho CRM, Helpscout, Twitter, and others. You can unlock further integrations using Zapier, but that requires a separate subscription and may incur additional costs.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Opt-in compliance
  • Robust analytics & tracking features
  • Targeted & personalized messages

Cons:

  • Customers sometimes hesitant to give out phone numbers online

Best for robust SMS marketing automation

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $25/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.6/5

Mobile Text Alerts is a software that facilitates SMS marketing automation for businesses, offering a suite of features to connect with customers through text messaging. The service stands out due to its comprehensive automation capabilities, including automated drip campaigns and smart replies, as well as its ability to personalize messages.

Why I chose Mobile Text Alerts: I selected this tool because of its automation capabilities. You can schedule messages, create smart replies, and easily sync your contacts by integrating the platform with your other tools. It also provides in-depth data analytics and AI technology for campaign optimization. The software's mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Mobile Text Alerts Standout Features & Integrations

Key features include the range of SMS capabilities provided by the platform. These cover mass texting to send messages to large groups, and MMS messaging for sending multimedia content. The platform also allows for message scheduling and two-way texting for interactive communication. Other cool features are mobile surveys, automated messages, text-to-join options, and customizable keywords for automated responses or alert sign-ups.

Integrations can be configured using a paid Zapier account.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • User-friendly and easy to learn
  • Incremental pricing tiers based on message quantities
  • Excellent customer service

Cons:

  • Limited spam and security threat detection
  • 160 character SMS limit

Best for managing SMS marketing campaigns

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $29/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.9/5

SlickText is an SMS marketing platform designed to facilitate communication between businesses and their customers via text messages. It also provides a suite of tools that support the creation, delivery, and analysis of text message campaigns.

Why I Picked SlickText: This platform offers various SMS capabilities like text to win, text to join, and text message surveys. It can also help you set up automated texts and auto-responses to incoming texts. But what really sets it apart from other providers is its focus on campaign building and management. You can create automated workflows using the software, and then track the performance of your campaigns over time. Its robust analytics tool can track key metrics like click rates, response data, opt-in stats, and abandoned cart revenue.

SlickText Standout Features & Integrations

Key features include the platform's personalization tools. You can capture and store key customer information from leads and customers, like first name or product preference. Then, you can use that information to send more targeted SMS marketing communications. Personalization can be used for both one-on-one and mass-text initiatives, supporting your marketing and you customer support teams.

Integrations include Salesforce, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Shopify, Slack, GetResponse, HubSpot, and Campaign Monitor, among others. A paid Zapier account can also unlock additional integrations.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Lots of plan tiers to cater to various needs
  • Rollover texts with all paid plans
  • Quick and easy set-up process

Cons:

  • No automated workflows in lower-tier plans
  • Message limits with all plans

Best for messaging automation

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $45/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.7/5

SimpleTexting is a versatile text messaging platform that allows businesses to efficiently engage with their customers through SMS marketing and communication.

Why I Picked SimpleTexting: SimpleTexting allows you to do 2-way messaging with your customer with a new toll-free or local number. You can facilitate customer support and filter responses by time-waiting and time-received. You can add notes to a conversation and organize each conversation along with its historical data in a streamlined fashion along with the recipient’s data collected from your CRM. You schedule texts and set up specific dates and times for your messages to go out. This helps you plan your messaging cycle months in advance.

SimpleTexting Standout Features and Integrations

Key features include advanced automation capabilities, enabling businesses to create automated workflows and drip campaigns, saving time and effort by sending targeted messages based on customer behavior or specific triggers.Plus, SimpleTexting provides a seamless two-way messaging system that allows businesses to have real-time conversations with their customers, fostering meaningful interactions and building stronger relationships. 

Integrations include Shopify, BigCommerce, Zoho, Mailchimp, and HubSpot. Additional possibilities are possible through Zapier, allowing it to work with 1000+ apps, but this requires a separate sign-up and may incur additional costs.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Segmentation and personalization options
  • Two-way messaging system
  • Intuitive and user-friendly interface

Cons:

  • Contact sync and advanced automations cost extra
  • Limited integration options

Best for designing loyalty programs

  • 60-day free trial
  • $300/month + 0.02/SMS
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Attentive is a text messaging tool that analyzes customer behavior and has features like abandoned cart recovery, page visits, and personalized text messages. Attentive also lets you send transactional messages like order confirmation and shipment notifications.

Why I Picked Attentive: Attentive excels in the realm of SMS marketing and loyalty programs by providing businesses with a comprehensive solution to engage and retain customers effectively. With Attentive, businesses can leverage the power of SMS messaging to deliver personalized and timely messages, including promotional offers, exclusive discounts, and loyalty rewards. The platform's robust targeting and segmentation capabilities enable businesses to tailor their messages based on customer behavior, preferences, and purchase history, ensuring relevant and engaging content. Attentive also offers powerful automation features, allowing businesses to set up automated loyalty program workflows that nurture customer relationships and drive repeat purchases.

Attentive Standout Features and Integrations

Key features include its coupons tool. Attentive lets you upload a CSV file of unique coupons (individualized for each subscriber), create a static coupon (same coupon for all subscribers), or pull unique coupon codes from a third party database. The reporting feature gives real-time analytics so you can conduct A/B tests on what’s working best for your business. Attentive also has rich media support, where you can coordinate a comprehensive text messaging campaign across SMS, MMS, and video.

Integrations include Amperity, Prehook, Daasity, Okendo, LoyaltyLion, Punchh, Malomo, Olo, Gorgias, Ometria, and Recharge. They have over 100 pre-built integrations and offer access to their flexible APIs.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • A/B testing capabilities
  • Design loyalty programs and coupons
  • 100+ pre-built integrations

Cons:

  • Need more BI integrations options
  • Costly for smaller teams

If you still haven't found what you're looking for here, check out these tools closely related to digital marketing strategy that we've tested and evaluated.

Selection Criteria for SMS Marketing Software

Selecting the right SMS marketing software involves a careful evaluation of what they have to offer. Through extensive personal trials and research, I've developed criteria to guide software buyers towards making an informed decision.

Core Functionality: 25% of total weighting score

  • Automated messages: Trigger messages based on customer actions or milestones.
  • Personalization: Customize messages using customer data to increase relevance.
  • Segmentation: Group customers based on demographics, behavior, or purchase history.
  • Analytics: Monitor campaign performance, including open rates and conversion rates.
  • Compliance management: Ensure messages meet regulatory standards and consent requirements.

Additional Standout Features: 25% of total weighting score

  • Advanced automation capabilities, such as predictive send times based on user engagement patterns.
  • Integration with advanced analytics tools for deeper insights into campaign effectiveness and customer behavior.
  • AI-driven content personalization to craft messages that resonate on an individual level.
  • Rich media support, allowing the inclusion of images, videos, or GIFs in messages to increase engagement.
  • Cross-channel campaign management for a cohesive marketing strategy across SMS, email, and social media.

Usability: 10% of total weighting score

  • The interface should be clean and intuitive, allowing for quick navigation between different features such as campaign management, contact lists, and analytics.
  • Look for drag-and-drop editors for crafting messages, as well as easy-to-use scheduling calendars for planning campaigns.

Onboarding: 10% of total weighting score

  • Assess the availability of comprehensive training materials, including video tutorials and interactive product tours.
  • Evaluate the presence of template libraries to accelerate campaign creation.
  • Check for proactive customer onboarding assistance, such as live chat support or dedicated account managers.

Customer Support: 10% of total weighting score

  • Priority is given to providers offering 24/7 support via multiple channels, including live chat, email, and phone.
  • Look for an extensive online knowledge base that allows users to quickly find answers to common questions.

Value For Money: 10% of total weighting score

  • Compare pricing models across providers, looking for transparent costs without hidden fees.
  • Evaluate the cost-effectiveness of each plan based on the feature set, support level, and scalability options.

Customer Reviews: 10% of total weighting score

  • Seek out feedback on reliability, user experience, and customer service effectiveness.
  • Prioritize tools with consistently high ratings across a broad user base, indicating widespread satisfaction and trust in the tool.

In SMS marketing, the ability to deliver personalized, timely promotions directly to customers' phones is paramount. By meticulously applying these criteria, businesses can choose a tool that not only meets their current needs but also supports growth and evolves with their marketing strategies.

Here are some trends I’ve noticed for SMS marketing technology, plus what they might mean for the future of the marketing industry. I sourced countless product updates, press releases, and release logs to tease out the most important insights.

  1. Enhanced E-commerce and Automation Features: Automation is becoming increasingly important, especially for e-commerce businesses. The trend is towards solutions that offer deep integration with e-commerce platforms, enabling automated, targeted campaigns and segmentation based on customer behavior and purchase history. Features like legal compliance safeguards are also highlighted to ensure adherence to regulations.
  2. Conversational SMS and Shared Inboxes: There's a move towards platforms that support conversational SMS, allowing businesses to engage in two-way conversations with customers. This includes capabilities like shared inboxes, which streamline communication and help in managing interactions more effectively, improving the customer experience and lead conversion rates.
  3. Comprehensive Customer Engagement Strategies: There's an increasing use of SMS marketing for broader digital marketing efforts, such as soliciting online reviews. This approach helps businesses enhance their digital presence and manage their online reputation through targeted SMS campaigns.
  4. Marketing Automation Across Platforms: The industry is seeing a greater emphasis on automation, with features that support scheduled messaging, automated replies, and integration with other platforms for optimized campaign management. This includes capabilities for sending multimedia content, conducting mobile surveys, and offering text-to-join options.

Marketing professionals looking for SMS marketing solutions are increasingly focusing on flexibility, scalability, and a comprehensive feature set that supports sophisticated, multi-channel marketing strategies.

What Is SMS Marketing Software?

SMS marketing software is a tool that enables businesses to send bulk text messages for marketing purposes to a targeted audience. The purpose is to allow for the creation, scheduling, and dispatching of personalized messages, often used for promotions, alerts, and customer engagement. This software also provides features for managing contact lists, segmenting audiences, and analyzing the effectiveness of campaigns through metrics like delivery rates and response rates.

Features of SMS Marketing Software

SMS marketing software typically offers a range of key features designed to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of SMS marketing campaigns. Some key features include:

  1. Bulk Text Messaging: The ability to send SMS messages to a large number of recipients simultaneously, streamlining the process of reaching a wide audience with promotional messages, updates, or alerts.
  2. Automated Messaging: Automation features allow businesses to set up triggers and workflows that automatically send SMS messages based on specific customer actions or events, such as abandoned carts, birthdays, or order confirmations. This saves time and ensures timely communication with customers.
  3. Subscriber Management and Segmentation: Tools for managing and organizing subscriber lists, allowing businesses to collect and store customer contact information. Segmentation capabilities enable businesses to segment subscribers based on specific criteria, enabling targeted messaging to specific customer segments.
  4. Personalization: The ability to personalize SMS messages by dynamically inserting customer data, such as names or purchase history, to create more personalized and engaging content. Personalization helps businesses build stronger connections with customers and improve campaign performance.
  5. Analytics and Reporting: Comprehensive analytics and reporting features provide insights into the performance of SMS campaigns. Businesses can track metrics like delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to assess campaign effectiveness and make data-driven decisions.
  6. Two-Way Messaging: Interactive communication capabilities that allow businesses to engage in two-way conversations with customers via SMS. This feature enables customers to respond to messages, ask questions, or provide feedback, fostering engagement and strengthening customer relationships.
  7. Compliance and Opt-Out Management: SMS marketing software typically includes features to ensure compliance with regulations, such as obtaining proper consent from subscribers and managing opt-outs or unsubscribe requests.
  8. Contact Management: Practice of organizing and maintaining a database of contacts or business relationships. It involves capturing, updating, and organizing contact information such as names, mobile phone numbers, and email addresses.
  9. Autoresponders: Automated systems that send pre-set messages as responses to incoming text messages. They are commonly used for various purposes, such as acknowledging message receipt, providing information, or managing customer interactions.

These key features collectively enable businesses to execute effective SMS marketing campaigns, reach their target audience, and optimize customer engagement and conversions.

Benefits of SMS Marketing Software

SMS marketing software is revolutionizing the way businesses communicate with their customers, offering a direct and effective channel to engage audiences, promote services, and increase customer loyalty. Here are five primary benefits of SMS marketing software:

  1. High Open Rates: Immediate and Direct Communication

SMS messages boast a significantly higher open rate compared to emails, ensuring that marketing messages are seen by a vast majority of recipients. This direct line of communication allows businesses to reach their audience effectively and promptly.

2. Personalization and Segmentation: Targeted Messaging

SMS marketing software enables businesses to personalize messages and segment their audience based on various criteria, ensuring that messages are relevant and tailored to the recipients. This increases engagement rates and fosters a deeper connection with the audience.

3. Ease of Use: Simple Campaign Management

With user-friendly interfaces and intuitive design, SMS marketing software simplifies the process of creating and managing text message campaigns, making it accessible to marketers regardless of their technical expertise.

4. Immediate Feedback and Interaction: Enhanced Customer Engagement

The software supports two-way messaging, allowing businesses to receive immediate feedback from customers, conduct surveys, and engage in real-time conversations. This enhances customer service and engagement, building stronger relationships with the audience.

5. Cost-Effectiveness: Affordable Marketing Solution

Compared to traditional and other digital marketing channels, SMS marketing is remarkably cost-effective, offering a high return on investment. Businesses can engage with their customers without a hefty price tag, making it ideal for all sizes of organizations.

SMS marketing software empowers businesses to leverage text messaging as a powerful marketing channel. By integrating SMS marketing into their overall strategy, organizations can enhance their marketing efforts, improve customer relations, and drive business growth.

Cost & Pricing for SMS Marketing Software

When it comes to SMS marketing software, picking the right tool isn't just about features—it's about finding a balance between capability and cost.

Pricing is often based on several factors, such as the number of messages sent per month, number of contacts, or additional features like automation and integration capabilities.

Below is a summary of common pricing tiers and what you can typically expect in terms of features.

Plan Comparison Table for SMS Marketing Software

Plan TypeAverage PriceCommon FeaturesBest For
Basic$25-50/moUp to 1,000 messages, basic segmentation, simple automations, basic analyticsSmall businesses or startups just beginning with SMS marketing
Standard$50-100/moUp to 5,000 messages, enhanced segmentation, basic CRM integration, detailed analytics, automationGrowing businesses or marketers looking for more advanced features
Premium$100-500/mo 10,000+ messages, advanced segmentation, full CRM integration, advanced analytics, custom automation, priority supportMedium to large businesses with complex marketing needs or agencies managing multiple clients
EnterpriseCustom PricingUnlimited messages, custom feature development, dedicated account manager, 24/7 supportLarge corporations or enterprises requiring tailored solutions and high-volume messaging
Free Option$0Up to 100-500 messages, limited segmentation, basic analyticsIndividuals or very small businesses wanting to test SMS marketing with minimal risk

When considering an SMS marketing software, buyers should first evaluate their specific needs, including expected volume of messages, desired features, and budget. The right plan not only fits current requirements but also offers room for growth as your marketing efforts scale.

People Also Ask

Here are a few questions I wanted to cover to complement this list.

How does SMS marketing compare to email marketing?

SMS marketing and email marketing may cover some of the same features—sending coupons and promos, for example. But they have some notable differences you should consider before deciding which to use for a marketing campaign:

SMS Marketing

Pros:

  • Immediate: Average read rate within 5 minutes.
  • High Open Rates: Nearly 98% of SMS messages are opened.
  • Direct: Bypasses spam filters.
    Concise: Forces concise messaging due to character limits.

Cons:

  • Limited Space: Typically 160 characters.
  • Cost: Can be more expensive per message.
  • Intrusive: Can be perceived as more invasive.
  • Opt-in Necessary: Must obtain explicit permission.

Email Marketing

Pros:

  • Detailed: Allows for longer, more detailed content.
  • Visual: Can include images, videos, and links.
  • Segmentation: Easy targeting and personalization possible.
  • Cost-effective: Often cheaper with bulk campaigns.

Cons:

  • Lower Open Rates: Typically 15-25%.
  • Spam: Risk of landing in spam folders.
  • Delays: Delivery and open times can vary.
  • Over-saturation: Many users receive numerous emails daily.

In Sum: SMS offers immediacy and high engagement, but at a cost and with brevity. Email provides depth and visuals, but risks being overlooked. Both can be effective depending on the message and target audience. Choose wisely.

How do you use SMS marketing?

Using SMS marketing services is a great way for companies to reach a large number of people at once via SMS texts. SMS marketing can be used in the following ways:

  1. Remind customers of upcoming events like meeting appointments
  2. Send coupons and gift cards based on their important life events or ongoing offers
  3. Send transactional communications like order confirmation or shipment information
  4. Send abandoned cart reminders to increase conversions
  5. Send automated responses to customers to acknowledge their queries
  6. Segment customers based on their behavioral journeys on your site
  7. Personalize marketing messages at scale and via automation

Can SMS marketing software integrate with CRM systems?

Yes, many SMS marketing tools are designed to integrate seamlessly with customer relationship management (CRM) systems. This integration allows marketers to sync customer data between the two platforms, enabling more personalized and targeted SMS campaigns. By leveraging CRM data, marketers can send SMS messages based on customer behavior, preferences, and purchase history, enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Additionally, this integration often enables automated workflows, where specific customer actions or milestones trigger SMS messages, further streamlining the marketing process.

How do SMS platforms comply with privacy laws?

SMS marketing platforms comply with privacy laws by incorporating features and protocols that ensure businesses can easily adhere to regulations like the GDPR in the European Union, the TCPA in the United States, and other similar privacy laws globally. These features include tools for obtaining explicit consent before sending marketing messages, maintaining records of consent, and providing straightforward mechanisms for recipients to opt out of future communications. Furthermore, reputable SMS marketing services regularly update their compliance measures in response to new legal requirements and best practices, helping protect both the business and its customers.

Are there any free SMS marketing tools available?

Indeed, there are free SMS marketing tools available, but they often come with limitations. These limitations might include a cap on the number of messages you can send per month, a restricted set of features, or only allowing you to send messages to a small number of contacts. Free plans are a great way to test an SMS marketing tool’s capabilities or to start small. However, as your needs grow, you may find the need to upgrade to paid plans to unlock higher sending limits, advanced features, and better support options. It’s always a good idea to evaluate both the short-term and long-term requirements of your marketing strategy when considering a free tool.

How do SMS marketing tools manage opt-in and opt-out processes?

SMS marketing tools manage opt-in and opt-out processes by providing mechanisms that allow recipients to easily subscribe to or unsubscribe from marketing messages. For opt-ins, this often involves sending a keyword to a short code (a short digit sequence) or signing up through a web form. To facilitate legal compliance and best practices, these tools also automate the opt-out process, typically by recognizing keywords like “STOP” and automatically removing those numbers from future campaigns. This not only ensures compliance with laws mandating clear opt-out options but also respects customer preferences, helping maintain a positive brand image.

Can SMS marketing platforms send messages internationally?

Many SMS marketing platforms offer the capability to send messages internationally, allowing businesses to reach customers across the globe. However, international SMS may involve additional costs and require adherence to the regulatory requirements of each country. This means businesses must be aware of and comply with international messaging laws and fees, which can vary significantly. Despite these complexities, the ability to send international SMS opens up vast opportunities for businesses to engage with a global audience, provided they navigate the regulatory and cost considerations effectively.

How to personalize mass SMS campaigns?

Personalizing mass SMS campaigns involves using customer data to tailor messages to the individual preferences, behaviors, and needs of recipients. This can be achieved by integrating the SMS marketing tool with your CRM system to leverage existing customer data for personalization. Techniques include addressing recipients by name, referencing their past interactions or purchases, and segmenting your audience to send targeted offers and messages that resonate with their specific interests. Personalization not only improves engagement rates but also strengthens customer relationships by making each recipient feel valued and understood

The Takeaway

When it comes to choosing the best SMS marketing software for your business, there are several exceptional options available. These top SMS marketing software solutions offer unique features and functionalities that cater to different business needs. By leveraging the power of SMS, businesses can engage with their audience, drive conversions, and achieve marketing success in today's mobile-centric world.

For tips on SMS marketing and more, subscribe to the CMO Newsletter.

Stephanie Hood
By Stephanie Hood

Stephanie Hood is an experienced marketing professional and Editor of The CMO. With nearly a decade spent as Marketing Manager at Discover Holidays and Executive Editor at VIVA Lifestyle & Travel, she built her career leading editorial and marketing teams and strategies that turn six-figure budgets into seven-figure profits. She now enjoys connecting with the world's top executives to learn their secrets to business success, and shares those insights right here with her community of like-minded professionals. Curious what she’s uncovered? Be sure to sign up for The CMO newsletter.