How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- SimpleTexting and SlickText are the direct SMS first replacements, with campaigns, automations, and two way messaging from 29 to 39 dollars a month.
- Klaviyo and Omnisend are the picks when email and SMS should live on one customer profile, which is the gap in a Mailchimp plus add on setup.
- Postscript and Attentive serve ecommerce at higher volumes, Postscript for Shopify stores and Attentive for enterprise retail programs.
- Every platform here still leaves you responsible for consent: US texting requires opt in records and 10DLC registration, and no vendor's template fixes a bad list.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 SimpleTexting | All round small business texting | $39 per month | No |
 Klaviyo | Email plus SMS on one profile | $20 per month | Yes |
 SlickText | Features without tier gates | $29 per month | No |
 EZ Texting | Beginners and local organizations | $25 per month | No |
 Textedly | Large lists, simple campaigns | $29 per month | No |
 Omnisend | Ecommerce email, SMS, and push | $16 per month | Yes |
 Postscript | Shopify first SMS programs | See website | No |
 Attentive | Enterprise retail and DTC brands | See website | No |
 Textmagic | Pay as you go occasional sending | $0.049 per text | No |
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The best Mailchimp alternatives for SMS
#1SimpleTexting
Best for: All round small business texting4.7/5 on
G2 (647 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit simpletexting.com
Starting price$39 per month
Free planNo
What we like- SimpleTexting is the platform most Mailchimp defectors land on: mass campaigns, autoresponders, drip sequences, two way messaging, MMS, and polls in one clean interface, starting at 39 dollars a month for 500 credits with unlimited contacts, so list growth alone does not force an upgrade. Carrier registration is handled inside the signup flow, which removes the most confusing part of starting with business texting. Connections to HubSpot, Zapier, and Mailchimp itself make it easy to run beside an existing email setup rather than instead of it.
Watch out for- It serves the US and Canada only. The true first bill is higher than 39 dollars once the number fee and one time carrier registration land, and extra credits cost a few cents each. There is no free plan, only a trial, and email marketing is not its job, so the two channel shop runs two tools.
#2Klaviyo
Best for: Email plus SMS on one profile4.6/5 on
G2 (1,368 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit klaviyo.com
Starting price$20 per month
Free planYes
What we like- Klaviyo answers the exact weakness of Mailchimp's SMS add on: email and SMS live on one customer profile, so a flow can email first and text the people who did not open, with revenue attributed per message. SMS plans start at 20 dollars a month, and the free plan covers up to 250 profiles with a small monthly SMS allowance. Its segmentation, built on real purchase behaviour for ecommerce stores, is the deepest in this list, and benchmarks show you how your texts perform against similar stores.
Watch out for- Credits never roll over, so a quiet month wastes paid capacity. Klaviyo's full value assumes an ecommerce store
- A local services business pays for machinery it never uses. Pricing climbs with profile count on the email side, and the combined bill can pass Mailchimp's quickly at scale.
#3SlickText
Best for: Features without tier gates4.8/5 on
G2 (1,934 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit slicktext.com
Starting price$29 per month
Free planNo
What we like- SlickText starts at 29 dollars a month for 500 credits and takes a different line on packaging: most features, including automations, drip campaigns, and opt in tools such as popups, QR codes, and checkout forms, are present without climbing tiers to reach them. Rollover credits on its plans soften the use it or lose it problem common elsewhere. Its opt in tooling is genuinely strong, which matters because list growth is where SMS programs are won.
Watch out for- A campaign can fail mid send if credits run low, so balances need watching before big sends. MMS and long messages consume credits faster than the headline rate suggests. It is a texting specialist, so email stays in Mailchimp or another tool, with the integration work that implies.
#4EZ Texting
Best for: Beginners and local organizations4.5/5 on
G2 (744 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit eztexting.com
Starting price$25 per month
Free planNo
What we like- EZ Texting is built for first time texters: guided campaign setup, templates, a Shutterstock integration for MMS images, and AI help with message drafts, from 25 dollars a month plus a small number fee. Churches, schools, local retailers, and clubs form a large part of its customer base, and the product speaks that language rather than enterprise marketing. Two way messaging and automated workflows are included without needing a developer.
Watch out for- The entry Launch plan includes one user, so a team pays more sooner than expected. Credit and fee stacking, number rental and carrier charges, needs a careful read of the pricing page before budgeting. Reporting and segmentation run shallower than Klaviyo or Attentive for data driven programs.
#5Textedly
Best for: Large lists, simple campaigns4.6/5 on
G2 (1,451 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit textedly.com
Starting price$29 per month
Free planNo
What we like- Textedly pitches simplicity at volume: big contact lists, straightforward campaign sending, scheduling, and drip texts, from 29 dollars a month. For organizations whose texting is announcements and reminders to a large opted in list, a school district or a multi location business, its model is easy to budget. It supports multiple numbers and team access without turning setup into a project.
Watch out for- A monthly surcharge of about 8 dollars rides on top of plan prices, and 10DLC fees stack further, so the true starting cost is higher than the headline. Segmentation and automation depth are basic next to the ecommerce platforms. Per message economics at very high volume favour usage priced rivals.
#6Omnisend
Best for: Ecommerce email, SMS, and push4.6/5 on
G2 (1,255 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit omnisend.com
Starting price$16 per month
Free planYes
What we like- Omnisend combines email, SMS, and push notifications in prebuilt ecommerce workflows, cart recovery, post purchase, shipping notices, where the text is one step in a sequence rather than a separate campaign. A free plan covers small stores, Standard starts at 16 dollars a month, and Pro at 59 dollars is the tier new accounts need for full SMS sending, with SMS credits included in the price for many regions. For a Shopify or WooCommerce store leaving Mailchimp, it replaces both the email tool and the SMS add on in one move.
Watch out for- SMS on the cheaper tiers is limited, and the Pro requirement means the real entry price for texting is 59 dollars, not 16. Its centre of gravity is ecommerce
- A local business texting appointment reminders gets little from the workflow library. Segmentation is good but a step behind Klaviyo's.
#7Postscript
Best for: Shopify first SMS programs4.8/5 on
G2 (161 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit postscript.io
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Postscript does one thing completely: SMS marketing for Shopify stores. Subscriber collection at checkout and on site, segmentation from live Shopify data, two way conversations with shoppers, and automations for carts, shipping, and win backs are all built on the store's own data rather than an integration bridge. Pricing is usage based with no platform fee on entry terms and a monthly minimum spend, commonly with a trial credit to start, which suits stores that want cost tied to sends.
Watch out for- Current published minimums and rates vary between Postscript's pages and comparison sources, so this guide lists see website
- Get the current minimum in writing. If your store is not on Shopify, Postscript is not an option at all. High volume senders should model per message costs against flat credit platforms, because success makes usage bills grow.
#8Attentive
Best for: Enterprise retail and DTC brands4.6/5 on
G2 (1,078 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit attentive.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Attentive is the enterprise end of SMS: list growth tools, including its two tap mobile sign up, advanced segmentation, concierge style account support, and email added alongside SMS for large retail programs. Brands doing serious revenue through text use it because the deliverability operations and compliance support are staffed like a vendor partner rather than a self serve tool. It integrates across the enterprise marketing stack, commerce, loyalty, and data platforms.
Watch out for- Pricing is quote only, with comparison sources suggesting programs start in the hundreds per month plus commitments and setup, so this is not a small business tool. Contracts and onboarding are a sales process. For a business sending a few thousand texts a month, Attentive's machinery is more than the program needs.
#9Textmagic
Best for: Pay as you go occasional sending4.4/5 on
G2 (128 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit textmagic.com
Starting price$0.049 per text
Free planNo
What we like- Textmagic removes the subscription: buy credit, send texts at about 4.9 cents each in the US, across more than 200 countries, with two way messaging, email to SMS, and an API for developers. Businesses that text rarely, seasonal announcements, appointment reminders from another system, avoid paying monthly for idle capacity. Sub accounts and reporting cover basic team needs, and a small free test credit lets you verify deliverability to your own numbers first.
Watch out for- Per text pricing is the most expensive way to send at volume
- A business texting weekly will pay multiples of a SimpleTexting plan. You rent numbers and renew 10DLC registration separately, and credit sits as a prepaid balance rather than a plan. Marketing automation and opt in growth tools are thin next to the specialists.
How we chose
We compared SMS first platforms and combined email and SMS platforms on sending features, automation, opt in and list growth tooling, pricing model honesty, including carrier and registration extras, and US compliance support such as 10DLC handling. We favoured vendors with published prices and wrote see website where figures genuinely conflict between current sources. We excluded pure API providers without a marketing application, since Mailchimp's buyers need a tool a marketer can run.
How to choose the right Mailchimp alternative for SMS
Decide whether email moves too. If texting is the only gap, a specialist such as SimpleTexting or SlickText drops in beside Mailchimp and does the one job better. If the frustration is the add on model itself, Klaviyo or Omnisend replaces both channels on one customer record, and the migration should happen together so your flows and segments carry over.
Then do the credit arithmetic honestly. Count your list size, expected campaigns a month, and average message length, remembering that long texts and MMS count as multiple credits and that carrier fees ride on top. Compare the true monthly total on two or three finalists, including the number rental and registration, not the banner price. Finally, treat compliance as a feature: pick a platform whose opt in tools, consent records, and 10DLC handling you understand, because the fines and carrier blocks for bad texting practice land on your business, not your vendor. Start with a trial send to a small opted in segment and check deliverability before the first full campaign.
Frequently asked questions
Why not just use Mailchimp's own SMS add on?
Many businesses do, and for occasional texts to an existing email list it is adequate. The case for switching is the add on shape: SMS sits on top of an email plan in separate credits, texting specific segmentation and flows are limited, and heavy texters end up paying for two systems anyway. If texting is becoming a primary channel rather than an extra, an SMS first platform usually costs less and does more.
What is 10DLC and why does every platform mention it?
10DLC is the US system for registering local phone numbers for business texting. You register your brand and your campaign type with the carriers, pay small registration and monthly fees, and in return your messages get delivered instead of filtered as spam. Every legitimate platform here handles or guides the registration; a vendor that never mentions it is a warning sign.
How much does SMS marketing cost per month in practice?
A small business sending two campaigns a month to 1,000 subscribers typically lands between 40 and 120 dollars all in on credit based platforms, once number fees and carrier charges are counted. Ecommerce stores on usage pricing pay in proportion to sends and revenue. The honest method is to price your own expected volume on each finalist's page, extras included.
Is SMS marketing legal without consent?
No. In the US, marketing texts require prior express written consent under the TCPA, with clear opt out handling, and carriers enforce their own rules through 10DLC. Buy lists are therefore useless as well as risky: every platform here assumes an opted in list built through its signup tools, keywords, or checkout consent. This is general information, not legal advice; check your obligations with a professional if you are unsure.
Can I keep my email list and history if I leave Mailchimp?
Yes. Mailchimp lets you export audiences, including contact details and engagement history, and every platform here imports CSV lists. What does not transfer is consent proof for texting: an email subscriber is not an SMS subscriber. Only contacts who specifically opted in to texts, with records, should be imported into an SMS program, and the rest belong in email campaigns until they opt in properly.
Sources we checked (0)
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 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.