How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- Small businesses get the best value at $25 to $29 a month: EZ Texting ($25), Sakari ($25), SimpleTexting ($29) and SlickText ($29) all include the core features on every tier.
- Klaviyo SMS (about $15 per 1,000 US sends) is the pick for e-commerce brands already on Klaviyo: email and SMS share profiles, segments and flows.
- Twilio (from $0.0083 per segment, no platform fee) is infrastructure for developers, not a marketing app: buy it to build messaging in, not to run campaigns from.
- Attentive is quote-based with reported quarterly minimums: enterprise DTC brands only; everyone else should skip the sales call.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 SimpleTexting | Small teams wanting simplicity with everything included | $29/month (500 credits; toll-free number free) | No (free trial offered, no credit card required) |
 EZ Texting | Small businesses running broadcast promotions to modest lists | $25/month (Launch, 500 contacts; annual billing 20% less) | No (14-day free trial) |
 SlickText | Compliance-conscious SMBs running ongoing SMS programs | $29/month (500 credits; tiers to $939/month for 50,000 credits) | No (14-day free trial) |
 Sakari | Sales and marketing teams that text from their CRM | $25/month (one free dedicated number; unlimited users and contacts) | No (free trial with 100 messaging credits) |
 Twilio | Developer teams building messaging into products or CRMs | From $0.0083 per SMS segment plus carrier fees; numbers from $1.15/month | No (free trial with test credits) |
 Klaviyo SMS | DTC e-commerce brands already on Klaviyo for email | ~$15 per 1,000 US sends (MMS ~3x); requires a Klaviyo email plan from $20/month | Limited (Free plan includes $5/month of mobile messages; paid plan needed for volume) |
 Textedly | Budget-conscious small businesses and nonprofits | See website (tiered plans; third-party figures unverified on vendor page) | No (14-day trial with 50 messages, per vendor-supplied listing) |
 Attentive | Mid-market and enterprise DTC e-commerce brands | See website (no public pricing; every plan is a custom quote) | No (free trial for eligible businesses, per third-party reviews) |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Nobody reads your emails. They read your texts. SMS open rates sit above 90 percent while email fights for 20, which is why the channel prints money for appointment reminders, flash sales and order updates. These eight SMS platforms cover the range from $25-a-month campaign tools to the API the internet's messaging runs on.
Starting price$29/month (500 credits; toll-free number free)
Free planNo (free trial offered, no credit card required)
SimpleTexting's pitch is the absence of tier games. Every plan includes every feature: mass texting, two-way messaging, MMS, automations and API access, with unlimited contacts and free incoming messages. The credit math is simple: one 160-character SMS equals one credit, and unused credits roll over. Pricing is confirmed on the vendor's own blog: $29 a month for 500 credits with a free toll-free number.
The geography and the number are the caveats. Service covers the US and Canada only, and a local number adds $10 a month plus a $4 one-time carrier registration, so the real entry price with a local number is $39. MMS costs 3 credits, which punishes image-heavy campaigns. For a small team running promotions and two-way conversations, the everything-included model is the easiest yes on this list.
What we like- All features (mass texting, two-way messaging, MMS, automations, API) on every plan
- Unlimited contacts
- Unused credits roll over
Watch out for- US and Canada only
- A local number adds $10/month, making the real entry $39
#2
EZ Texting
Best for: Small businesses running broadcast promotions to modest lists
Visit eztexting.com
Starting price$25/month (Launch, 500 contacts; annual billing 20% less)
Free planNo (14-day free trial)
EZ Texting gets a small business from signup to first campaign fast, with compliance handled: TCPA and A2P 10DLC tooling plus unlimited keywords on every plan. AI message composition and a stock image library come standard rather than as upsells. Pricing is confirmed on the vendor's own FAQ: Launch $25, Boost $75, Scale $125 a month, with annual billing 20% less.
The credit ceiling is the thing to see. Every self-serve tier includes only 500 monthly credits while contact capacity grows with tiers, so the message allowance does not scale with the list and overages ($0.01 to $0.04 per credit) arrive fast. Launch adds a $5 monthly telecom fee and extra users cost $10 each monthly. For broadcast promotions to a modest list, the speed to first campaign is the appeal. For heavy senders, price the overages first.
What we like- Built-in TCPA/A2P compliance tooling with unlimited keywords on every plan
- AI message compose and image library included
- Core features not locked behind upgrades
Watch out for- All self-serve tiers include only 500 monthly credits regardless of contacts
- Launch carries a $5/month telecom fee and extra users cost $10/month each
#3
SlickText
Best for: Compliance-conscious SMBs running ongoing SMS programs
Visit slicktext.com
Starting price$29/month (500 credits; tiers to $939/month for 50,000 credits)
Free planNo (14-day free trial)
SlickText is the steady hand: all features, unlimited contacts and unlimited inbound texts on every paid plan, with unused credits rolling over and pricing tiers unchanged since early 2025. The compliance posture is a genuine selling point for regulated-adjacent businesses. Tiers run $29 a month for 500 credits up to $939 for 50,000, read from the vendor's own pricing page.
The limits are support hours and scale economics. Support runs Monday to Friday, unlike some 7-day competitors, which matters when a weekend campaign breaks. Heavy MMS or long-message campaigns burn credits fast (MMS equals 3 credits), and short codes cost extra. Setup is self-serve with one-on-one onboarding on larger plans. For an ongoing program where compliance and predictability matter, it is the reliable pick.
What we like- All features, unlimited contacts and unlimited inbound texts on every paid plan
- Unused credits roll over
- Strong compliance posture
Watch out for- Support is weekday-only
- Costs escalate quickly at high volumes
#4
Sakari
Best for: Sales and marketing teams that text from their CRM
Visit sakari.io
Starting price$25/month (one free dedicated number; unlimited users and contacts)
Free planNo (free trial with 100 messaging credits)
Sakari is the CRM texter's platform. Unlimited users and contacts on every plan means the whole sales and marketing team shares one $25-a-month plan with no per-seat math, and the HubSpot integration (plus 1,000-plus apps) puts texting inside the workflows teams already run. One dedicated US, CA, UK or FR number is free, and unused credits roll over 90 days. Pricing confirmed on the vendor's own page.
The credit counting has a catch: received messages count against credits too, which surprises teams running two-way conversations. MMS adds a $0.02 premium per message. Plans are month-to-month with no contract. For a team that lives in HubSpot and wants texting without per-seat fees, the model fits. For broadcast-only marketing, the campaign-first tools above are simpler.
What we like- Unlimited users and contacts on every plan with no per-seat fees
- Unused credits roll over 90 days
- Strong CRM integrations (HubSpot, 1,000-plus apps) and 160-plus country messaging
Watch out for- Both sent and received messages count against credits
- MMS carries a $0.02 premium per message
#5
Twilio
Best for: Developer teams building messaging into products or CRMs
Visit twilio.com
Starting priceFrom $0.0083 per SMS segment plus carrier fees; numbers from $1.15/month
Free planNo (free trial with test credits)
Twilio is what the SMS industry runs on, and it is not a marketing tool. The API gives full programmable control over SMS, MMS, RCS, WhatsApp and voice with no monthly platform fee: US SMS from $0.0083 per segment plus carrier fees, local numbers from $1.15 a month (verified on Twilio's own pricing pages, October 2026). For a developer team embedding messaging in a product or CRM, the flexibility and scale are unmatched.
Non-technical marketers get almost nothing without engineering: there is no campaign builder, no audience manager, no templates. Paid support starts at $250 a month. Setup is developer-led and takes weeks for a full build. Buy Twilio to build messaging into something, not to run campaigns from. If you want campaigns, every other tool on this list is the better purchase.
What we like- Full programmable control over SMS, MMS, RCS, WhatsApp and voice from one API
- Rock-solid global deliverability
- Massive SDK and documentation ecosystem
Watch out for- It is infrastructure, not a marketing app: no campaign dashboard or audience management
- Variable monthly bills from per-message, per-number, per-registration charges
#6
Klaviyo SMS
Best for: DTC e-commerce brands already on Klaviyo for email
Visit klaviyo.com
Starting price~$15 per 1,000 US sends (MMS ~3x); requires a Klaviyo email plan from $20/month
Free planLimited (Free plan includes $5/month of mobile messages; paid plan needed for volume)
Klaviyo SMS is the cross-channel play for brands already on Klaviyo. Subscriber profiles, segments and the flows builder are shared across email and SMS, so a cart-abandonment flow can try email, then text, with revenue attribution in one dashboard. Pricing is per-message at roughly $15 per 1,000 US sends (verified from Klaviyo's pricing page, August 2026), on top of the email plan from $20 a month.
The combined billing is the catch. SMS volume can dominate the bill at scale, international rates run much higher (Canada ~$18, Australia ~$29 per 1,000), and the pricing is built for e-commerce, not general B2B use. The free plan's $5 mobile credit does not allow buying more. For a DTC brand on Klaviyo, the unified flows are worth it. For SMS alone, the standalone tools above cost less.
What we like- Native email-plus-SMS with shared subscriber profiles and segmentation
- Flows builder shared across channels
- Built-in A2P 10DLC registration and quiet-hours enforcement
Watch out for- You pay for the email plan even if you only want SMS
- International rates run much higher
Starting priceSee website (tiered plans; third-party figures unverified on vendor page)
Free planNo (14-day trial with 50 messages, per vendor-supplied listing)
Textedly's 13-plus tiers let a business buy almost exactly its message volume instead of jumping between coarse tiers, and every plan includes all features with free incoming messages. For a nonprofit or small business watching every dollar, the granularity is genuinely useful.
The surcharge math needs attention. Third-party reviews report an $8-a-month telecom surcharge on every plan plus per-teammate costs, which inflates the sticker price, and the vendor pricing page could not be directly verified in research, so this article lists "See website." The API is limited ("coming soon" per one review), ruling it out for developers. Confirm the all-in monthly cost including surcharges before comparing against SimpleTexting or SlickText.
What we like- Wide range of 13-plus tiers matched to exact volume
- Every plan includes all features
- Free incoming messages on all plans
Watch out for- An $8/month telecom surcharge applies on every plan (per third-party reviews)
- API is limited, so developers should look elsewhere
Starting priceSee website (no public pricing; every plan is a custom quote)
Free planNo (free trial for eligible businesses, per third-party reviews)
Attentive is the managed SMS program for brands where texting drives serious revenue. The patented two-tap mobile sign-up units produce above-average opt-in rates, AI send-time optimization and cross-channel orchestration (SMS, email, RCS, push) run the program, and white-glove concierge onboarding sets it up. For a mid-market DTC brand, the managed performance is the product.
The contract is the filter. No public pricing, reported quarterly minimums of $2,000 to $3,000 with no rollover, overage penalties, and 6-to-12-month terms make it expensive for seasonal or smaller brands, with carrier fees stacking on top of quotes. Setup is white-glove; support includes dedicated CSMs. If SMS is a revenue channel worth a managed program, take the call. Otherwise, the $25-to-$29 tools above do the job.
What we like- Industry-leading two-tap mobile sign-up units drive above-average opt-in rates
- Deep cross-channel orchestration with AI send-time optimization
- 100-plus e-commerce and CRM integrations
Watch out for- Opaque pricing with reported quarterly minimums and 6-12 month contracts
- Total cost runs above initial quotes once carrier fees are added
The credit math that decides your bill
SMS pricing looks simple until the credits run out. The first variable is what a credit buys: one 160-character SMS equals one credit on most platforms, but MMS costs 3 credits and long messages split into multiple segments. A campaign with images to 5,000 contacts can burn 15,000 credits where a text-only version burns 5,000. The second variable is direction: most platforms count only sent messages, but Sakari counts received ones too, which changes the math for two-way conversations.
Then the fixed extras. Telecom surcharges ($5 a month at EZ Texting, $8 reported at Textedly), local number fees ($10 a month at SimpleTexting), extra users ($10 each at EZ Texting) and carrier registration fees all sit outside the plan price. Annual billing discounts (20% at SimpleTexting and EZ Texting, two free months at SlickText) cut the subscription but never the usage. Model a real month: your list size, your message length, your MMS share, your reply volume. Then compare totals, not plan prices.
Compliance is not optional: TCPA and 10DLC in plain terms
Every legitimate SMS platform enforces two things, and buyers should understand both. TCPA is the law: you need express consent before marketing texts, with real penalties per message for violations. 10DLC is the carrier system: businesses register their brand and campaign with carriers to send application-to-person texts from local numbers, which improves deliverability and is now effectively required.
The platforms here handle the mechanics differently. EZ Texting and SlickText build compliance tooling into the product. Klaviyo bakes in A2P 10DLC registration and quiet-hours enforcement. Twilio leaves compliance to your implementation. What no platform does is get consent for you: the opt-in has to happen on your website, at checkout or in person, with clear disclosure. Keep records of every opt-in. The fine for getting this wrong starts at $500 per message, which ends more SMS programs than any competitor.
How we chose
We started with the searches marketers actually run: SMS marketing platform, SMS marketing software, text message marketing and business texting. For each candidate we opened the vendor's own pricing page, checked plan names and prices against public reviews on G2 and Capterra and practitioner discussion on Reddit, and compared feature lists, credit models and company-size fit. Where a price could not be verified on the vendor's page we wrote "See website" instead of guessing. The shortlist mixes campaign tools with developer infrastructure and enterprise managed programs, because a pizza shop and a DTC brand are not texting the same way.
Frequently asked questions
How much does SMS marketing cost?
Small businesses pay $25 to $39 a month for the entry tiers (EZ Texting $25, Sakari $25, SimpleTexting and SlickText $29), plus usage: plan for your list size times messages per month, remembering MMS costs 3x. Mid-size programs run $75 to $300 monthly. Enterprise managed programs (Attentive) start at thousands per quarter. Twilio's API runs about $0.0083 per segment plus carrier fees with no platform fee.
Do I need a short code, a toll-free number, or a local number?
Most small businesses use a toll-free number (often free) or a local 10DLC number ($10 a month plus registration). Short codes (the 5-6 digit numbers) cost thousands annually and suit high-volume national brands. Toll-free works for most marketing; local numbers feel personal for two-way conversations. Your platform handles the registration either way.
What is the difference between SMS and MMS pricing?
SMS is text up to 160 characters per segment; MMS adds images, GIFs or long text. Nearly every platform charges MMS at roughly 3x the SMS rate (3 credits instead of 1). Image-heavy campaigns to large lists get expensive fast: model the MMS share of your sends before choosing a tier, because a 500-credit plan covers far fewer MMS campaigns than SMS ones.
How do I build an SMS subscriber list legally?
Offer a clear opt-in: a checkout checkbox, a website popup, a keyword ("Text JOIN to 12345"), or in-person signup, each with disclosure of message frequency and how to opt out. Never import phone numbers or text purchased lists; TCPA penalties start at $500 per message. Attentive's two-tap sign-up units exist because list growth is the hard part: the platform helps, but the offer (discount, early access) does the work.
Can I send SMS internationally?
Most of these platforms are US and Canada focused (SimpleTexting is US/CA only). Sakari supports 160-plus countries; Twilio is global by design. International per-message rates run much higher than US rates (Klaviyo charges roughly double for Canada and Australia versus the US). If your audience is international, confirm per-country rates before committing: they vary wildly.
SMS vs. email: which should a small business invest in first?
SMS wins on attention (90%+ open rates) and loses on cost and content depth. Email wins on cost per send and rich content. Most small businesses should do both: email for newsletters and nurture, SMS for time-sensitive messages (reminders, flash sales, order updates). If you can only afford one, pick the channel your customers already use to reach you.
Sources we checked (10)
- https://simpletexting.com/pricing/
- https://www.eztexting.com/pricing/
- https://slicktext.com/pricing/
- https://sakari.io/pricing
- https://www.twilio.com/en-us/sms/pricing/
- https://klaviyo.com/pricing
- https://www.textedly.com/pricing/
- https://www.attentive.com/
- https://www.g2.com/categories/sms-marketing
- https://www.capterra.com/sms-marketing-software/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.