9 Best Textlocal Alternatives for Business Communication

Textlocal is a popular cloud communications platform, especially in the UK. Businesses use it mainly to send promotional messages, personalized campaigns, and transactional messages. However, Textlocal’s announcement in April 2025 sent shockwaves through its loyal user base.

Effective Apr 2025, Textlocal stopped accepting new signups and started migrating existing users to Webex Interact. While it aspires to complete this migration process by the end of this year, users have begun voicing concerns about the transition and the new platform’s capabilities.

Webex Interact users report several issues, ranging from a complex user interface to latency problems and expensive pricing tiers. As businesses encounter feature limitations such as limited customization options and inconsistent mobile app performance, they have started seeking feature-rich, user-friendly alternatives.

To help speed up your hunt for the best alternatives to Textlocal, we’ve researched and compiled a list of top service providers that you can consider.

A quick comparison of the top 9 Textlocal alternatives

Before we get into a head-to-head comparison of leading Textlocal alternatives, here’s a feature grid that shows how these nine platforms stack up against each other.

	Messente	Twilio	ClickSend	Text Magic	SimpleTexting	The SMS Works	Bird	FireText	Voyage
SMS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
MMS	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
WhatsApp	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Viber	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
RCS	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Two-way SMS inbox	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mobile app for messaging	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Global coverage (beyond US/CA)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
API-first or developer-friendly	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Transparent, published pricing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Free trial	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Essential features to look for in a Textlocal alternative

While evaluating potential alternatives to Textlocal, it is necessary to start by assessing your business requirements. For instance, if omnichannel capabilities are non-negotiable, ensure the messaging platform of your choice supports other popular channels like WhatsApp Business API and Viber.

Determine what type of messages you want to send primarily. Would you like to send marketing messages to your existing and potential customers or just send transactional OTPs? Having a clear idea of what you want will help you narrow down your choice faster.

Keep these key factors in mind while you’re evaluating text messaging platforms:

• Omnichannel capabilities: Check whether the platform offers a unified communication API by seamlessly integrating voice, RCS, WhatsApp, Viber, and other messaging channels.

• Global reach and compliance: Ensure they can deliver messages across all your target regions while adhering to local and international regulations.

• Reliability: High uptime and delivery rates can never be overlooked in the search for a reliable SMS platform. Verify whether the platform offers features such as adaptive routing and fallback channels to ensure that your messages are delivered on time and without fail.

• Advanced features: To reduce manual intervention in campaign management, ensure the platform allows scheduling messages, creating drip campaigns, and automating workflows.

• Effortless integration: Choose a platform that deploys quickly, offers clear documentation, and connects easily with your existing tech stack.

The two most important factors to consider are transparent pricing and reliable support that helps you sort out any issues as they arise.

1. Messente

Messente is a reliable, transparent, and omnichannel cloud messaging platform that helps organizations send messages on SMS, WhatsApp, and Viber globally through a single API. It is renowned for its global reach, high reliability, and transparent pricing models where messaging credits never expire. Its direct carrier relationship across 190+ countries ensures that your messages reach their destination.

Key features

• Global omnichannel messaging: As Messsente seamlessly integrates SMS, WhatsApp, and Viber in a single API, businesses can reach their customers on their preferred communication channels.
• High deliverability and global reach: With high delivery rates worldwide and support for over 190 countries, Messente ensures that your messages reach their intended recipients. Its adaptive routing system promises reliable delivery even for businesses with a large international customer base.
• Transparent delivery reports: Messente offers a bird’s eye view of your messaging operations with a customizable dashboard. Its transparent delivery reports and comprehensive analytics remove ambiguity and keep you informed of your campaign’s performance.

• Intelligent fallback options: By automatically sending messages on a different channel with minimal disruption, Messente reduces the number of failed message deliveries. This helps businesses save money, prevent unpleasant surprises, and maximize customer lifetime value.
• Scalability and bulk messaging: Built for scale, Messente allows businesses to schedule, segment, and personalize messages with its intuitive nature. You can send bulk SMS anywhere from 25,000 messages to over a million messages monthly, without worrying about the expiration of messaging credits.

• Two-way communication: You can easily send replies to your customers via text, offer customer support, use surveys/polls to collect feedback, and keep your audience engaged effortlessly.

• Built for business users and developers: Whether your team comprises primarily business users or developers and product teams, Messente caters to both. Business users can schedule campaigns and measure results without IT effort. Development teams can make use of its detailed documentation and custom CRM integration options.
  

  
• Swift and reliable customer support: Known for its helpful and responsive customer support, their team typically answers support tickets in under an hour for the highest support tier. If you send more than a million messages per month, they offer a dedicated account manager for ongoing guidance.
• Transparent pricing: It offers both pay-as-you-go pricing and a fixed volume plan, giving businesses the liberty to choose the model they need. Businesses can optimize their marketing spend easily by leveraging their pricing API, real-time rate lookup, and auto-replace feature to reduce messaging expenses.

• Security and compliance: Taking a compliance-first route, Messente uses EU-based servers for GDPR compliance. Its ISO certifications and anti-fraud mechanisms make it the perfect choice for an enterprise that handles sensitive customer data.

Why choose Messente over Textlocal

For businesses transitioning from Textlocal, Messente is an excellent combination of reliability, innovation, and transparent pricing without any hidden costs. Its user-friendly interface, coupled with the lack of a learning curve, makes it a good alternative for Textlocal and Webex Interact’s highly documented UX issues.

Support quality is also a differentiator for Messente's customers, as support is human-powered with an average response time under an hour for high-value tiers. The tight security credentials platform, ranging from GDPR to ISO certifications, is attractive to industries with stringent regulatory requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and e-commerce.

Consideration for implementation

While Messente excels in nearly all aspects of operations, its feature-dense platform may be overkill for a small marketing team with basic texting needs. Additionally, organizations lacking technical capabilities may miss the opportunity to leverage their API functionalities fully.

2. Twilio

Twilio is the ideal choice for organizations that require the maximum capability and customization for their business communications infrastructure. In contrast to Textlocal's "one-size-fits-all" rigid vendor provisioning approach, Twilio provides everything that businesses need to build customized messaging solutions that evolve with shifting business needs.

Key features

• Comprehensive APIs: Twilio has an extensive collection of APIs for SMS, voice, video, and more. This allows developers to create nearly any type of communication experience.

• Global reach: It has an extensive global infrastructure, enabling businesses to communicate efficiently with customers in over 180 countries.

• Scalability and reliability: As the platform is designed for scale and is used by some of the world's largest organizations, you can trust that your messages will be sent quickly and reliably despite high volume.

• Flexible pricing: Its pay-as-you-go pricing model makes it an affordable option for organizations with varying messaging needs.

• Packaged solutions: As an enterprise-first CPaaS offering, it includes a range of specialized solutions, such as Twilio Flex (a digital customer engagement center), Verify (2FA services), and more.

Why choose Twilio over Textlocal

Twilio is an excellent alternative to Textlocal for companies that seek a scalable and feature-rich platform. Its documentation is extensive and developer-friendly, making it easy to get started. If you're looking at pricing models, its pay-as-you-go pricing can be enticing to companies of any size.

What you might not like about Twilio

The most significant negative for Twilio is that the platform comes with a steep learning curve due to its developer-first approach. Additionally, its customer support has been criticized for being slow and unhelpful, which can be a significant concern for companies seeking effective support.

3. ClickSend

ClickSend is a business communication service offering a range of products, including SMS, MMS, voice, email, and direct mail services. Its pay-as-you-go pricing model, combined with its easily integrated API gateway, makes it a good choice for those seeking a comprehensive communications platform.

Key features

• Rich communication offering: ClickSend offers SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, RCS (in beta), voice calling, email, fax, and physical mail, offering businesses an array of messaging capabilities in one platform.

• Pay-as-you-go flexibility: All messaging channels are charged for the actual usage with no commitment beyond that, going as low as $0.0081 per SMS as the volume increases (over 1.5 million messages).

• Global coverage: It has a presence in 190+ countries, offering competitive rates and local phone numbers for two-way messaging across international regions.

• Unified dashboard: Regardless of channel (SMS, MMS, voice, email, snail mail, and more), everything can be tracked from one dashboard, which offers a consistent reporting functionality.

• Developer-friendly APIs: Their comprehensive APIs across all products, with thorough documentation, facilitate technical teams to build deep integrations with their third-party systems and create custom workflows.  

Why choose ClickSend over TextLocal

Clicksend presents a robust and reliable alternative to Textlocal for businesses that have needs beyond SMS. It supports an array of communication channels, such as email and direct mail, providing a comprehensive range of communication options. Its flexible pricing model is another benefit for businesses with variable messaging needs that want to avoid a fixed monthly spend.

What you might not like about ClickSend

ClickSend is a flexible platform, but if your business is strictly SMS marketing-focused, consider other platforms. The user interface has been described as less intuitive than other SMS providers due to its feature-heavy nature.

4. Textmagic

Textmagic is a business SMS messaging tool known for its simplicity and ease of use. Businesses can use this platform to send notifications, alerts, reminders, and SMS marketing campaigns. And, it is especially popular with small and medium-sized enterprises.

Key features

• Two-way SMS chat: Textmagic has a clean and simple chat interface to engage in two-way SMS chat with your customers.

• Bulk SMS and scheduling: You can easily send mass text messages and schedule them for later.

• Pay-as-you-go pricing: Textmagic offers the flexibility of a pay-as-you-go SMS pricing model. You can also pay for a monthly plan to get reduced SMS rates if you are a higher-volume user.

• Email to SMS: You can convert an email into a text message and read incoming messages as replies in your inbox as emails.

• Mobile App: Textmagic has a mobile app for iOS and Android, enabling you to manage your campaigns on the go.
  

Why choose Textmagic over TextLocal

Textmagic is a reliable choice for a business that focuses on ease of use and simplicity. Its simple design and flexible pricing make Textmagic a pretty accessible SMS marketing platform for users who are just getting started with SMS marketing. Textmagic is a good option if you are looking for a no-fuss way to send and receive text messages.

What you might not like about Textmagic

Textmagic is suitable for the core SMS functions. Still, for businesses that benefit from advanced features like omnichannel messaging (WhatsApp and Viber) and complex API integrations, Textmagic is likely not the best fit. Textmagic prioritizes ease of use and, as a result, may not offer all the advanced features found in SMS platforms designed for enterprises.

5. SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting is a popular SMS marketing and two-way text messaging service for businesses of any size. Its notable features include user-friendliness, improved customer support, and a range of options beyond just sending texts.

Key features

• Two-way messaging: On SimpleTexting's platform is an easy-to-use inbox that enables you to handle one-on-one dialogue with customers.

• Apps and integrations: The platform integrates with several third-party apps through Zapier, allowing extensive opportunities for automation.

• Custom fields: You can send mass texts with personalized fields, allowing you to include individualized details for each message.

• Data collection: SimpleTexting allows you to collect data on your subscribers, such as their email addresses or preferences, via a simple text message.

• Mobile app: Whether you are in the office or on the go, you can manage your SMS campaigns on the SimpleTexting mobile app.
  

Why choose SimpleTexting over Textlocal

SimpleTexting offers a great SMS service along with an easy-to-use interface. Its robust support and extensive integrations make it a flexible and dependable alternative to Textlocal. If you are looking for a platform that grows with your business while providing reliable support along the way, SimpleTexting is a solid choice.

What you might not like about SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting primarily specializes in offering service to the US and Canadian markets, so it may not be the best option for businesses with significant international consumers. Also, while it does provide MMS, it does not offer other messaging channels such as WhatsApp or Viber, so its omnichannel capabilities are limited to an extent.

6. The SMS Works

The SMS Works is a reputable, UK-focused SMS API provider that focuses on delivering exceptional developer experience. It offers transparent pricing and billing, delivering solutions for businesses that require reliable A2P messaging services. Its approach ensures that clients can avoid the extra complexities, capabilities, and markup often associated with enterprise solutions.

Key features

• SMS API for developers: A simple, documented SMS API designed for developers to integrate SMS capability into their applications, eliminating the complexity often associated with enterprise messaging.

• Fair billing policies: Transparent pricing policies, including refunds for undelivered messages, enable businesses to only pay for messages delivered without concerns around hidden or unexpected fees.

• Two-way SMS: Virtual Reply Numbers (VRNs) and inbound SMS for businesses who wish to engage in two-way SMS engagement with customers.

• UK and international coverage: Despite being UK-focused, it supports sending and receiving SMS internationally whilst providing UK local industry knowledge and support for businesses who require it.

• Free trial credits: The SMS Works offers free credits and a free trial period for businesses to evaluate the delivery performance and integration for their use.

Why choose The SMS Works over TextLocal

The SMS Works’ emphasis on waste-free messaging and accurate analytics will appeal to businesses looking to control messaging costs and get a bird’s-eye view of their campaign performance. Its developer-oriented approach with detailed documentation will also make the implementation process quicker and easier.

What you might not like about The SMS Works

It focuses primarily on SMS only and does not support other messaging channels such as MMS, WhatsApp, or Viber. If businesses are looking for a fully-fledged omnichannel solution or advanced marketing automation features, SMS Works might not be the right fit.

7. Bird

Bird is a fully integrated CRM platform that unifies marketing, sales, and payments capabilities, along with omnichannel messaging. Formerly known as MessageBird, the platform rebranded in 2024 and made significant price cuts to compete aggressively in the market.

Key features

• Omnichannel messaging: Bird enables messaging across SMS, WhatsApp, email, and social media channels from one platform.

• Global reach: Bird offers messaging services in 140+ countries using local numbers and automatic failover.

• Fast messaging: Bird delivers 95% of SMS messages in under 2.5 seconds through 240+ direct carrier connections.

• Unified CRM: In addition to messaging, Bird has customer relationship management capabilities for marketing, sales, and payments.

• Competitive pricing: The platform has lowered prices by up to 90% following the rebrand, to compete with Twilio and major providers.
  

Why choose Bird over Textlocal

Bird offers a more comprehensive solution than Textlocal by combining messaging capabilities with CRM functionality. Bird also has a wider reach and omnichannel capabilities, which are favourable for businesses that operate internationally and have messaging across multiple channels. It purposefully slashed costs to deliver value for businesses that are scaling their messaging operations for the price of an SMS solution.

What you might not like about Bird

For businesses only needing basic SMS functionality, Bird's superset of capabilities may be a "too much of a good thing." Bird’s new interface and recent changes may require some learning and adjustment. While robust, the CRM functionality may require training and setup time compared to purely SMS-centric messaging solutions.

8. FireText

FireText is an SMS marketing platform that offers high delivery quality through UK Tier 1 connections. LINK Mobility has purchased the platform to strengthen its market dominance.

Key features

• UK-focused service: FireText is focused on the UK market, with the right local connections and regulatory compliance.

• Simple pricing: Our pricing is straightforward, starting at £9 per month, with no setup fees.

• Two-way messaging: FireText enables inbound and outbound SMS with keyword-activated responses and segmentation.

• Simple interface: The platform is designed to be user-friendly, with no learning curve.

• Reliable delivery: FireText ensures delivery and message quality through UK Tier 1 connections.

Why choose FireText over Textlocal

FireText offers a replacement for Textlocal users who want to stay with a UK-based provider. If you’re a business looking for a reliable SMS service without complex features, FireText might be a good choice. Additionally, being backed by LINK Mobility proves that the platform is stable with scope for future development.

What you might not like about FireText

FireText lacks advanced messaging capabilities, including omnichannel messaging (WhatsApp, Viber) and automation functionalities that other providers like Messente and Twilio offer. Also, as the platform has no MMS messaging options, businesses that need to send multimedia content need to look elsewhere.

9. Voyage

Voyage is a marketing and messaging service focused on driving revenue for e-commerce. It offers several features to help businesses grow subscriber lists, engage customers, and increase sales.

Key features

• SMS and MMS marketing: Voyage SMS enables you to create and send both text and multimedia marketing campaigns.

• List growth tools: The platform offers multiple tools to grow your SMS subscriber list, including popups, landing pages, and keywords.

• Segmentation and automation: You can segment your messaging audience and create automated campaigns based on behavior and other factors.

• Analytics and reporting: Voyage SMS offers detailed analytics and reporting features to help you track the performance of your campaigns.
  

Why choose Voyage over Attentive

Voyage SMS offers a viable alternative to Textlocal for e-commerce businesses seeking a platform to boost revenue. Its focus on message commerce and features geared towards driving revenue results in a comprehensive platform for online retail companies. If you are looking to leverage SMS marketing for e-commerce growth, Voyage SMS is worth considering.

What you might not like about Voyage

Voyage SMS is another service closely aligned with the e-commerce industry. If you do not operate an online retail business, this platform does not serve your needs. Additionally, several users have reported that Voyage SMS has occasionally been buggy for them, and the support response is not necessarily the quickest.

Kickstart your hunt for the ideal SMS marketing platform

Your best Textlocal alternative will depend on your needs. If you're looking for a reliable, omnichannel platform with global capabilities, Messente and Bird could be a good fit. If you are looking for a highly customizable, developer-centric platform, Twilio and The SMS Works offer some great features.

If you run an e-commerce business, Voyage SMS offers some deep integrations and revenue-generating features to enhance your SMS marketing. If you are looking for simple, easy-to-use options, consider Textmagic, SimpleTexting, or FireText.  

Kick start your hunt for the ideal Textlocal alternative by signing up for a free trial of Messente’s omnichannel messaging platform. See for yourselves how the platform offers a user-friendly interface, reliable delivery, and robust support to fulfill your business messaging needs.