The Best SMS Marketing Platforms in 2024: Top 7 Picks

SMS is a powerful marketing tool, especially for small businesses that want to maximise reach without spending a fortune. It is cost-effective and achieves brilliant results.

According to BankMyCell, as of 2024, there are 8.31 billion mobile phones in use in the world, out of which 7.21 billion are smartphones. Your SMS marketing campaigns can reach all these people, including that wide gap of over a billion feature phones that may not have access to internet-based channels like email or third-party messaging apps. All that users need to receive SMS messages is a basic mobile phone with a native SMS messaging app and a cellular network.

But to send SMS messages as part of your text marketing efforts, you'll need to use an SMS marketing software platform – a specialised software built to facilitate your SMS marketing efforts, acting as an intermediary between your business and the mobile phone networks.

How to choose the best SMS marketing software: Selection criteria

Here are some of the most important factors you need to look out for when trying to compare and choose from a list of top SMS marketing solutions.

Pricing – check whether there's a free trial, monthly subscription, or pay-as-you-go option. Ideally, you'll only want to pay for the number of texts you send and not be tied into fixed messaging volumes when you know that your need to send SMS messages to your customers might vary.

Scalability – check whether you can scale your operations up or down according to your messaging needs. Certain SMS marketing software might not be able to support multiple SMS campaigns sent to huge numbers of subscribers.

Integrations – the best SMS marketing platform will have the capability to integrate with CRM and eCommerce systems. This way, you will not have to maintain separate, redundant sets of customer data. It will also promote efficiency and automation.

Level of personalisation – can the SMS campaign software utilise your customer data and enable you to send targeted campaigns to each recipient? At the very least, it should allow you to address each customer by name when sending bulk text messages.

Reporting and analytics – it's vital to check the performance of your SMS marketing strategy by tracking key performance indicators. Ensure your chosen text marketing platform offers the type of insights you need.

Security and compliance – many regions have strict rules about customer data protection, such as the GDPR in the EU. There are also laws in place that define the proper code of conduct for businesses sending out promotional SMS messages. Make sure you choose an SMS marketing service that is compliant and secure.

7 best SMS marketing platforms

To get you started with your research, we've compiled a list of seven top SMS marketing platforms that have earned a reputation for achieving great results.

Below is an overview of each of the best SMS marketing tools, along with their pros and cons.

1. Messente

Messente was founded in 2001 and has a strong reputation for its enterprise-level global messaging solutions. The company has partnerships with over 1,200 mobile networks in more than 190 countries. Thus, the versatile SMS marketing platform empowers businesses to reach anyone around the globe who has access to a mobile phone. Its exceptional quality of service has established Messente as one of the best text messaging platforms for business.

Key products/services offered by Messente

• SMS API – helping you deliver business-critical PIN codes, transactional communications, and marketing messages directly to customers.

• Viber Business Messages – enabling you to have rich content conversations with more than 1 billion Viber users.

• User Authentication API – so you can carry out user verification seamlessly through two-factor authentication.

Messente gives you access to mass text messages for blanket marketing campaigns. You can also review and schedule SMS campaigns, set up two-way messaging, efficiently manage your contacts, and carry out audience segmentation.

Messente pros

• Affordable SMS pricing based on volume – you can scale up or down as needed without any commitment because the pay-as-you-go pricing model helps manage costs easily.

• Adaptive routing – messages arrive virtually instantly due to smart routing algorithms.

• If subscribers can't be reached on SMS, Messente tries to deliver your message through fallback routes such as WhatsApp or Viber.

• Free comprehensive support is available for all customers, no matter the size of the business or its messaging requirements.

• Easy integration with more than 5,000 apps.

• Global SMS marketing solution.

• Simple user interface.

Messente cons

• Doesn't support MMS.

2. Sakari

Founded in 2016, Sakari provides business text messaging services in multiple countries. The company prides itself on being affordable, easy to use and reliable.

Key products/services offered by Sakari

• SMS API for text reminders, confirmations, alerts and marketing campaigns.

Sakari's text messaging software is strongly focused on SMS, offering two-way texting, MMS messaging, mass texting, and autoresponders, supplemented by its email-to-SMS service.

Sakari pros

• Supports rich text SMS messages where each message is a website page you can customise with your brand.

• Easy to use platform.

• Integrates with existing systems.

• Global solution.

• Reasonable pricing, starting at $16 per month.

Sakari cons:

• Doesn't support omnichannel messaging.

• Only supports MMS in the United States and Canada.

• Pricing is subscription-based, though you can cancel anytime.

3. EZ Texting

EZ Texting is a text marketing company aimed at small to medium-sized businesses. It provides high-ROI mobile marketing solutions that support businesses to grow.

Key products/services offered by EZ Texting

• SMS API for marketing and sales, customer service, and HR and employee operations.

EZ Texting's text marketing platform includes contact management, text messaging tools, customer list growth tools, template and design tools, and a range of textable number options.

EZ Texting pros

• Robust suite of features for a wide range of SMS campaigns.

• Supports MMS messages.

• Offers helpful resources such as getting started guides and video tutorials.

• Platform trusted by many businesses.

EZ Texting cons

• Doesn't support omnichannel messaging.

• Subscription-based prices.

• Only operates in the United States and Canada.

4. Boostly

Boostly was founded in 2017 and is an automated text marketing solution operating in a niche market: restaurants. It works seamlessly with POS providers and online ordering systems to drive incremental visits and gather reviews from diners.

Key products/services offered by Boostly

• Text marketing and feedback platform for restaurants.

One of the best SMS software for restaurants, Boostly can be used to collect customer text message opt-ins and feedback about their dining experience. The platform provides automated SMS marketing campaigns such as weekly offers, birthday deals and reservation reminders.

Boostly pros

• Achieves a 10x greater redemption rate compared to print advertising.

• Good ROI – restaurant partners get $10-$15 back for each dollar spent with Boostly.

Boostly cons

• Only suitable for restaurants in the United States and Canada.

• Not a complete messaging solution for most businesses.

• Pricing is not advertised; you'll have to book a demo first.

5. Twilio

One of the most diverse SMS marketing companies, Twilio has offices in fifteen countries and the infrastructure to support communications around the world. It provides simple tools that power customer interactions and solve complex problems.

Key products/services offered by Twilio

• Omnichannel messaging APIs – supporting SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Google Business Messages.

• Twilio Engage – a customer engagement solution that captures customer data.

• Trusted Activation – customisable verification solutions, including no-input verification.

• Twilio Flex – a cloud-based contact centre platform.

Using Twilio, you can carry out SMS marketing, streamline workforce operations and customer fulfilment, and deliver personalised customer service at scale.

Twilio pros

• Wide range of features, giving you everything you need to manage mobile customer communications.

• Omnichannel SMS marketing provider.

• Supports MMS.

• Pay-as-you-go pricing for SMS.

Twilio cons

• Complex to set up and requires coding knowledge.

• So many features can lead to overwhelm.

• Customer support is only available via email, not phone.

• Pricing can be confusing as it differs for each product/service.

6. Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a growth marketing platform founded in 2012. It offers automated email and SMS marketing and is especially geared towards eCommerce brands looking to deliver personalised experiences for customers.

Key products/services offered by Klaviyo

• Unified email and text message marketing solution mainly for retail and eCommerce businesses.

Through Klaviyo, businesses can drive repeat sales, increase revenue, and improve customer retention. The platform pulls data from your online store and other apps you use to send personalised, targeted email and SMS marketing. Through detailed SMS analytics, you can see where customers are in the buying process and how they've interacted with your campaigns.

Klaviyo pros

• Supports multiple communication channels, primarily focusing on SMS and email.

• Good selection of automated email flows.

• Advanced audience segmentation.

• Advanced analytics within the texting platform.

• Supports MMS.

• Free plan to get you started with a limited number of credits.

Klaviyo cons

• SMS is only available in the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia.

• No mobile app.

• Email builder is a little clunky, according to reviews.

• Expensive if you want to use email and SMS together.

7. Emotive

Established in 2018, Emotive is a relatively new text message marketing platform aimed at fast-growing eCommerce brands looking to reach customers through personalised text messages.

Key products/services offered by Emotive

• Emotive SMS marketing plugin for online retailers.

Emotive's features include subscriber list building, audience segmentation, SMS campaign creation, two-way messaging, automated campaigns, and analytics.

Emotive pros

• Each client gets access to Emotive's customer success team.

• Powerful automated SMS messaging features.

• Easy to use platform.

• 5x ROI guarantee.

• Supports MMS.

Emotive cons

• Only suitable for eCommerce stores.

• Supports one channel only.

• The pricing sliders can get confusing.

A comparison of the top 7 SMS marketing platforms: A quick overview

Must-have features in an SMS marketing service

Now that you’re familiar with some of the best SMS marketing companies with comprehensive feature sets, it’s important to talk about what you need. Depending on your intended usage and goals, you might want to consider an option

Bulk text messages

Any bulk SMS marketing software will allow you to text a single SMS marketing campaign to thousands of subscribers simultaneously. Find out how many contacts you can upload at a time into your choice of SMS platform for business.

MMS support

You might have noticed that often, even the best text marketing platforms don't offer MMS messaging support. If you want to send rich media content, this is something you might not want to compromise on. So, you'll have to make sure you choose a service that supports MMS messaging.

Scheduling and automation

Both are important features that save time. Automated text messaging can help you engage with customers even when you're busy with other tasks. It would be even better if you could build an SMS chatbot with the help of whichever SMS tool you choose.

Templates

Templates are also a nice-to-have feature. A good SMS platform will either offer some pre-made text message templates or the option to create and save your own for the future or even both. They can save you a significant amount of time in the copywriting phase and also help with text message marketing automation and scheduling.

Two-way communication

Businesses that expect a lot of back-and-forth with their customers or that have customers who like to really communicate their needs and feedback to their vendors should look into SMS software that supports replies.

Opt-in management

You should be able to use a variety of ways to get customers to sign up for your SMS marketing campaigns and allow them to easily opt out if they’re no longer interested. Choosing the best SMS marketing provider will give you the freedom to choose multiple methods and easily keep track of your subscriber list.

How to get started with an SMS marketing software

Typically, before you can start using any text marketing software, you must create an account with an SMS provider to receive your API key (your secure ID as a user), or you can send campaigns manually using their online service. Then, you'd apply for a sender name (or register your existing number). Once your SMS provider verifies the sender ID, you can start sending text messages through the provider's SMS platform or by integrating its API into your business systems.