The Best Text Message Marketing Services of 2023

You can schedule campaigns in advance with Textedly’s intuitive calendar feature. The calendar can schedule a single text message or a group of messages to go out at any time you need.

Textedly also offers an AI-powered copywriting tool that lets users input a short prompt containing relevant information to be included in the message and then effortlessly generate a multitude of original message suggestions tailored to their target audience. Users can select their preferred message and customize it by incorporating links, media, emojis or additional details. The continually-improving AI Assist tool optimizes branded text messages, amplifying engagement and enhancing click-through rates.

Textedly charges on a month-to-month subscription basis, or you can pay annually for access to 20% more text messages per month. You get a 14-day free trial, during which you can set one custom keyword. Paid plans start at $24 per month for 1,200 text messages with one custom keyword. The highest tier costs $2,800 per month and includes 240,000 text messages.

EZ Texting’s other advanced tools include an open API, web signup forms and a link shortener. While other text messaging platforms offer advanced features, EZ Texting offers the most. Even its elementary features feel advanced – the messaging history view you can access from your inbox feels clearer and more familiar than with other brands.

The cheapest EZ Texting plan starts at $19. The most expensive plan costs $299 a month and allows unlimited keywords. All plans come with 200 credits – SMS messages cost one credit, MMS messages three – and additional credits cost a few pennies each.

EZ Texting’s client interface is intuitive and doesn’t take long to learn, which is an important consideration in a text message marketing service. The customization aspects are also a plus, as it’s easy to make your recipients feel special by sending them personalized messages. EZ Texting makes text message marketing feel more like a genuine interaction compared to other SMS services.

SlickText houses all these features in the loyalty program software that comes with your account. This program is easy to use, letting you run your loyalty program from right where you execute all your text message marketing campaigns. For both your marketing and loyalty initiatives, SlickText abounds with opportunities to schedule your messages in advance. This way, you can reach your customers at exactly the right time.

SlickText’s website includes videos explaining how to create an account, reserve a keyword and set up automatic replies. These explanations are clear and detailed enough for text messaging novices to understand – and readily accessible in case you forget how a function works. SlickText support staff is also available to answer your questions by toll-free phone number, email or live chat. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from SlickText’s full suite of options for any budget.

Thryv’s streamlined calendar management and appointment scheduling tools are a compelling reason for customer-facing companies to engage. Entire teams can sync their agendas to help operations run smoothly. The dynamic booking tool allows you to arrange visits with ease. At the same time, automated reminders and follow-up appointment requests decrease the risk of no-shows and increase customer retention.

There are no structured plans at Thryv, meaning pricing varies on a case-by-case basis. You’ll need to contact a sales agent for a quote on a custom package perfect for your company type and messaging volume requirements. As is the general rule, reaching out near the end of a sales quarter may get you a better rate.

In addition, Thryv offers ThryvPay. The mobile card reader and tap-to-pay integrations with Apple IOS and Google Android allow customers to pay from their homes. ThryvPay benefits text message marketing teams because they can direct customers to an easy POS via SMS. Users can even schedule payments in advance, which helps make sure customers and businesses get paid on time.

Thryv is a great choice for service providers who want a full suite of SMS marketing and business management tools in an uncomplicated interface.

SimpleTexting offers an SMS Template Generator, designed to inspire and streamline text marketing campaigns. Small businesses can select from over 100 curated SMS templates, with the option to customize individual messages and templates. Users can then send personalized messages to multiple customers, as well as enable two-way texting to boost reply rates and follow up with qualified leads.

With SimpleTexting, you purchase a package of credits to send prepaid messages. A standard SMS message costs one credit, while an MMS message costs three credits. The least expensive plan costs $29 per month for 500 credits. The most expensive plan offers 50,000 credits for $899 per month. (You can opt for annual payment to save 20% off the original plan price.) You’ll also get customization features at reasonable prices.

The platform also offers marketing automation options that can make campaign-building easier for small business users. Thanks to a newly designed marketing automation dashboard, users can browse a portfolio of prebuilt automation templates — including review referral automation and website retargeting automation templates. These templates are applied through a simple setup that’s as easy as selecting automation, customizing it and turning it on with the click of a button. They can send relevant marketing messages — based on how a customer interacts with a business — in a timely, efficient manner so customers can have their needs addressed even when a representative is unavailable.

Podium can further improve your customer relationships with its webchat widget and customer feedback surveys. You can install this widget on your website so that customers can reach you at any time. Their messages will arrive in your inbox alongside standard text messages. The customer surveys can give you a sense of your Net Promoter Score and how to better serve your customers.

As part of the platform, users have access to Podium Voice. Podium Voice helps connect businesses that use Podium with their customers by centralizing data from every call and every message. When a customer contacts your business, you’ll be able to see that customer’s message history with your brand, including their previous transactions, before you respond. This kind of personalization matters to customers and will help small businesses make deeper connections within their communities.

Although Podium is the only platform we reviewed that includes these CRM features, its advanced nature doesn’t make it tough to use. Podium gives you a guided tour of the platform when you first use it so you can start sending texts and getting reviews from the jump. It’s more than a text message marketing service – it’s a way to keep your customers engaged and happy. [Related article: How CRM Benefits Marketing Campaigns]

You can pull up all the most important ProTexting features from the dropdown menus on the left-hand side. That’s a lot easier than opening a tool that houses a bunch of smaller tools and trying to find the right one. All ProTexting tools are easy to use too, especially the messaging suite. There, you’ll see how your messages will look to customers as you create them. You can also add data tags, links and emojis in just one click each.

Protexting users can send videos, images and gifs with text thanks to its HubSpot MMS integration. MMS (multimedia messaging service) enhances the customer experience by allowing users to send instructional videos, funny gifs or important images to accompany a marketing message.

Although ProTexting lacks guided training and customization options, it’s so intuitive to navigate and use that you shouldn’t need any help or extra flexibility. Even its analytics tool – a space that can feel overwhelming on competing platforms – is full of clever visuals. ProTexting makes texting your customers – and understanding how and why you’re doing it – especially easy.

ProTexting allows for “additional users” to be added to text message marketing accounts to ensure the easy addition or subtraction of a team member. The feature divides your team into a “master user” and “sub-users.” The master user has access to all parts of the account, from purchasing or activating any new apps to adding or eliminating sub-users.

ProTexting also offers autoresponders for after-hours and holidays. This allows businesses to better serve their customers by sending an automated response when they are closed, providing alternative contact information, and letting them know when they will open back up for business. ProTexting users can activate the autoresponder with a certain SMS keyword of their choice. The after-hours and holiday hours feature can also be used alongside other automated messages. Simply choose the date range your business will be closed, and the autoresponder will inform your customers that you’re unavailable.

Twilio offers four primary types of reports. Your overview report is a basic summary of your incoming and outgoing texts. Your delivery and error reports can pinpoint trouble areas in getting your messages to your customers. With the responses report, you can visualize and filter customer replies. Your OTP report shows you all the data you’ve provided Twilio about your successful one-time password messages.

Twilio recently unveiled a significant enhancement by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to curate highly individualized experiences for its customers. Leveraging the powers of AI, businesses can now seamlessly merge their extensive customer data from the Segment Customer Data platform with the advanced text-generating features in Twilio Engage to create personalized customer experiences. By harnessing AI, businesses can generate content, respond to queries and enhance interactions in a way that mirrors human speech and writing. This integration paves the way for sharper, more targeted marketing campaigns at scale by allowing businesses to improve engagement levels and the customer experience.

Twilio and Google have partnered to incorporate Google Cloud’s generative AI into Twilio’s customer engagement products. The collaboration initially focuses on infusing generative AI into Twilio Flex, enabling personalized service, efficiency and deeper understanding for improved customer experiences.

Twilio uses a pay-as-you-go model for its text message marketing. Outbound and inbound texts in the U.S. start at less than 1 cent each (0.75 cents, to be exact). This payment model makes Twilio’s analytics competitively priced.

There are no preset packages with Tatango; you must reach out directly to the sales department for pricing information. To negotiate the best rate, contact the company near the end of the month or the quarter.

There are no month-to-month packages for Zingle, so you need to reach out to a sales agent for custom plan rates. Free three-day trials with up to 1,000 messages are available with no contract necessary. To negotiate the best rate, call near the end of the month or quarter.

Zingle’s impressive two-way messaging and full suite of customer experience and marketing tools make it a fantastic choice for client-facing companies and hospitality operators seeking an efficient and easy-to-use solution.

Impressive side-by-side text messaging and voice calling tools make Salesmsg an excellent choice for businesses that need a full-on communications infrastructure. It’s one of the few texting platforms we’ve reviewed with built-in voice calling. You can call anyone at all from your Salesmsg numbers and feel confident your text messages are going through. You can also text-enable your existing landline and make voice calls from your computer without an actual phone. Many tools that let you use your computer as a phone are relatively limited in text messaging capability, making Salesmsg a standout on this front.

Salesmsg’s advanced network capabilities ensure your company’s communications reach their intended audience quickly and accurately, inviting real-time engagement. You can correspond with prospects or reengage past customers with ease through Salesmsg’s responsive interface.

Businesses also have the ability to use Salesmsg’s smart conversation assignment function, which categorizes messages based on their sentiment and tone for faster issue resolution and more personalized customer service. Once conversations are finished, you can archive them for future review and documentation using the new export feature.

Salesmsg has five monthly plan options as well as custom packages. The least expensive plan costs $25 per month and provides up to 500 messages; the most expensive plan is $249 per month, allows 7,500 messages, and includes advanced features. Contact a sales agent for details on the right plan for your organization.

Alongside TextMarks’ great customer service comes a user-friendly, intuitive interface and additional lead generation services. You can quickly start using TextMarks to grow your marketing contact list and send messages such as promotions and alerts. Once you’re sending out campaigns, with TextMarks’ lead generation tools, you can quickly capture your customers’ names and phone numbers for future marketing use. This streamlined lead generation and hands-on support make TextMarks a great option for small businesses.

Pricing for TextMagic begins at 3 cents per outbound message for U.S.-based texting. There is no fee to register. Premium add-ons – features available for an extra fee – include an SMS gateway API and campaign analytics. TextMagic is a great pay-as-you-go SMS marketing provider that’s perfect for budget-conscious businesses and enterprise operators alike.