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
- Google Messages is the official successor and the only route to full RCS on a Galaxy phone, with typing indicators, read receipts and high quality media.
- Textra is the customisation pick for plain SMS and MMS, with a one time Pro purchase instead of a subscription.
- Pulse SMS is the multi device pick: text from computer, tablet and phone in sync, with the cross device features behind a subscription.
- Signal and WhatsApp are better messaging, not SMS replacements; they only work with contacts on the same service.
Quick comparison
Is your product missing or out of date?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.
The best Samsung Messages alternatives in 2026
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
For most people this article ends here, correctly. Google Messages is where Samsung is sending you, it is already on your phone, and it is the only app that keeps the modern RCS features Samsung Messages users were promised. The switch takes minutes: set it as the default SMS app and your history follows.
The complaints in Samsung's community forums are mostly about change itself and about Google's growing control of Android messaging, both understandable. Weigh them against the alternative: every other SMS app on this list gives up RCS, which in 2026 means giving up the features that make texting feel current.
What we like- Samsung's recommended replacement, preinstalled on new Galaxy phones and the default across Android, full RCS: typing indicators, read receipts, reactions and photo and video sharing up to 100MB, works with iPhone users over RCS now that Apple supports it, strong built in spam protection, and your existing SMS and MMS history carries over when you set it as default
Watch out for- RCS can pause briefly on some pre 2022 devices after switching, until both sides are on Google Messages, Google centred design is not to every Samsung user's taste, as community threads loudly document, customisation is lighter than Textra's themes and per contact settings, some Samsung Messages specific features and categories do not transfer
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Pulse answers the complaint Samsung Messages users with laptops always had: why can I not text from my computer like iPhone users do? Its sync is the best in the SMS app class, and people who adopt it tend to stay for exactly that.
Judge the subscription against your habits. If you send five texts a day from your phone, Pulse's free phone app is enough and its paid tier is pointless. If you live at a desk, the synced inbox is worth paying for, and nothing else here does it as well.
What we like- The iMessage style experience for Android: send and read texts from phone, computer, tablet and web in sync, clean design with customisation, scheduling and powerful search, free to use on the phone itself, multi device access is the paid tier, reasonably priced for what it replaces
Watch out for- SMS and MMS only, with no RCS, the cross device magic requires Pulse's cloud sync, which means trusting a third party with your message flow, subscription for the headline features, where rivals charge once or nothing, smaller operation than the platform owners in this list
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Chomp is Textra's maximalist sibling: same pedigree, more switches. The app lock and delayed send are the features its users cite most, small protections against the two classic texting accidents, the wrong reader and the wrong message.
Choose between the siblings by temperament. Textra is the cleaner design tool; Chomp is the utility belt. Both share the RCS limitation, and both have been maintained for years, which in the SMS app niche counts for a great deal.
What we like- From the Delicious Apps team behind Textra, aimed at power users: passcode app lock, privacy options and quick response templates, scheduled sending, delayed sending to catch mistakes, and extensive notification control, themes and emoji styles in depth, free with ads, with a paid upgrade path
Watch out for- No RCS, like every third party SMS app here, feature density makes settings a maze for casual users, ads on the free version, overlaps heavily with its sibling Textra, so most users should pick one
#5
Microsoft SMS Organizer
Best for: Sorting OTPs, bills and offers automatically
Visit microsoft.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
SMS Organizer solves a problem heavy in some markets and light in others: the inbox drowned by delivery codes, bank alerts and offers. Its automatic sorting is the best in class, and users who get twenty OTPs a day call it life changing without irony.
For a US Galaxy owner with a quiet inbox, it is a curiosity. For anyone whose texts are mostly machines, it may be the most useful app on this page. Regional availability decides whether the choice is yours to make.
What we like- Automatically sorts texts into personal, transactional and promotional folders, so one time codes and bills stop burying conversations, extracts reminders from bills and travel bookings, free, with no subscription pitch, smart cards surface OTPs ready to copy
Watch out for- Availability has historically centred on India, so check your region's Play Store listing before planning around it, no RCS, organisation features matter most to users flooded with transactional texts, which is a smaller group elsewhere, Microsoft's consumer app attention wanders
- Long term commitment is less certain than Google's
#6Signal
Best for: Private encrypted messaging4.4/5 on
G2 (453 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit signal.org
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Signal belongs here because for many Samsung users the real question is not which SMS app, but whether to leave carrier messaging entirely. If your close contacts will install it, Signal is simply better messaging: encrypted, clean and free of commercial noise.
Be honest about the migration cost. Group chats must be rebuilt person by person, and anyone outside Signal still reaches you by SMS in another app. Most Signal users end up running two apps, Signal for their circle and Google Messages for everyone else, which is a reasonable end state.
What we like- The privacy benchmark: end to end encryption by default, minimal data collection, run by a nonprofit foundation, disappearing messages, sealed sender and an open source protocol adopted across the industry, free with no ads and no business model pointed at your data, available on phone and desktop with synced history
Watch out for- Not an SMS app anymore: Signal removed SMS support, so it cannot be your texting default, conversations only exist with other Signal users, which means moving your people, not just your app, phone number based registration remains, despite username improvements, no RCS or carrier messaging features of any kind
#7WhatsApp
Best for: Messaging everyone you know4.6/5 on
G2 (250 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit whatsapp.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
WhatsApp is the pragmatic people's choice: the network effect is the feature. For international contacts especially, it replaced SMS years ago, and a Galaxy owner switching today will find most of their address book already present.
Its presence here comes with the same honesty as Signal's: installing WhatsApp does not replace your SMS app, it reduces how much you need it. The two app life, WhatsApp for people, Google Messages for codes and strays, is how much of the world already runs.
What we like- The largest messaging network in the world outside the US, and large inside it: your contacts are probably already there, end to end encrypted chats, calls and video, with groups and channels, cross platform, iPhone and Android on equal footing, unlike carrier texting, owned by Meta, with the engineering scale that implies
Watch out for- Not an SMS app: it cannot receive your carrier texts or serve as the default SMS client, a Meta product, with the metadata collection and business messaging push that comes with it, account is tied to your phone number and Meta's systems, business and broadcast features increasingly crowd the personal app
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Fossify Messages is the principled minimalist's pick, recommended in Samsung's forums by users furious about being moved to Google. It does the original job, texts in, texts out, with code anyone can inspect and nothing phoning home.
That purity is the product. If delayed message reports on some models worry you, test it alongside your fallback before committing. For users whose threat model is corporate data collection rather than missing features, Fossify is the only entry here that fully answers.
What we like- Free and open source, part of the Fossify suite that continues the Simple Mobile Tools tradition, no ads, no tracking, no account, just SMS and MMS handled cleanly, tiny and fast, respecting older hardware, privacy minded users in Samsung's own community recommend it as the anti Google option
Watch out for- No RCS, and the basics only: no themes economy, no cloud sync, no extras, community reports mention occasional delayed or missing text bugs on some devices, so verify your setup in the first week, development pace depends on a small open source team
How we chose
We split the field the way the switch actually presents itself: SMS replacement apps that keep your number working today, and internet messengers that replace texting only if your contacts follow. Samsung's July 2026 discontinuation and its recommendation of Google Messages are documented in Samsung support guidance reported across the sources below. The RCS limitation of third party SMS apps is stated in multiple guides and is the single most important fact in this category. All eight apps are free to start; paid tiers are noted per entry. Samsung Messages is excluded as the article's target. We did not claim hands-on testing.
Making the switch without losing your mind or your messages
Back up first. Google states that changing the default SMS app does not erase existing SMS and MMS, and in most cases your history simply appears in the new app. Samsung's community threads include users who hit missing threads on some Galaxy setups, so a backup with a dedicated SMS backup app costs five minutes and removes the risk entirely.
Then set the new app as default in Settings, under Apps, Default apps, SMS app, and send test messages both ways, including a group text and a photo. Watch the first week for delayed texts, especially if you chose a third party app. RCS users should expect a short pause on older devices while contacts' phones recognise the change; SMS keeps working throughout.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly did Samsung Messages shut down?
Samsung ended support in the United States in July 2026 for Galaxy devices running Android 12 and newer, recommending Google Messages. Devices on Android 11 and older kept a functional app per Samsung's guidance. New Galaxy models already ship with Google Messages as the default.
Will I lose my text history if I switch apps?
Normally no: your SMS and MMS live on the phone, and the new default app reads the same store. Features specific to Samsung Messages may not transfer, and a minority of users report missing threads on some setups, which is why a backup before switching is worth five minutes.
Why can Textra and Pulse not offer RCS?
Because Google has not opened RCS APIs to third party SMS apps. On Android, full RCS effectively runs through Google Messages (or a carrier app where offered). Every independent SMS app here is limited to SMS and MMS, however polished it is.
Can Signal or WhatsApp be my default texting app?
No. Neither receives carrier SMS. Signal removed SMS support entirely, and WhatsApp has never had it. They replace texting only for contacts on the same service, so most users run one of them beside an SMS app, not instead of one.
What should I pick if I just want the least disruption?
Google Messages. It is preinstalled, free, carries your history over, keeps RCS working with Android and iPhone contacts, and is the option Samsung itself supports. Explore Textra or Pulse afterwards only if customisation or desktop texting matters to you.
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.
Google Messages
Textra SMS
Pulse SMS
Chomp SMS
Fossify Messages