If you have a small business, SMS is one of the best ways to keep in contact with your customers. For things like order confirmations, booking reminders, special offers, and updates, texts work better than &#;because people actually read them.
chinaskyline are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.
Of course, you can't just grab your smartphone and start sending messages; you run a business. SMS marketing apps let you message customers directly, or automate the whole process, so they get sent a text based on your booking calendar, marketing list, or other integrated app. Best of all, your customers can even text you straight back.
Don't miss a lead: automate your SMS messaging
I've been covering technology for more than 10 years, and I've been responsible for updating this list for the past six years, with a little help from other Zapier app testers. In that time, I've deeply researched and tested several dozen of the top SMS apps for small businesses. Based on all those experiences, here are my picks for the best SMS marketing tools.
SimpleTexting for easy-to-run SMS marketing campaigns
TextMagic for quickly sending texts from an SMS service
SlickText for collecting numbers and advanced marketing
Sakari for outgoing SMS marketing
Salesmsg for small, local businesses using SMS
EZ Texting for non-technical people who want guidance on SMS marketing
Twilio for customizing your SMS marketing
Our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site&#;we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog.
Are you more likely to read a text message or an ? The numbers don't lie: text message open rates are massively higher than open rates. Texts are also a super convenient way for your customers to reply. Smartphone messaging apps are quick, easy to use, and fit into day-to-day life, while is, to be honest, generally awful.
SMS marketing is a huge business around the world, so there are dozens of different SMS marketing platforms available. Most of them, however, aren't really appropriate for small businesses. Many of these apps are designed for enterprise companies, political campaigns, and other groups looking to send thousands of SMS messages a day as part of a marketing campaign, rather than smaller businesses that want to maintain a more personal relationship with their customers. Similarly, a lot of "apps" are actually API services that developers can use to add SMS functionality to their own projects, rather than a service you can sign up for and use straight away.
To cut through the huge range of options, I set five key criteria that I was looking for in SMS apps:
Easy to use for regular people. Setting up an SMS app for your business shouldn't require hiring a specialist marketing agency. There are plenty of great apps that can plug into whatever existing setup you have, without you needing a huge amount of technical knowledge. Some of the apps&#;and especially the API services&#;just weren't user-friendly enough to recommend. Yes, you might need to read through the help documents or ask the support team a question or two, but all of my picks are easy to get started with. In practice, this means that almost all the apps on the list have a dedicated web app you can log in to and use to send and receive messages. A lot of them also have the ability to send and receive text messages through your client or with mobile apps.
Capable of true two-way messaging, so you can have a conversation with your customers. This isn't a list of marketing SMS apps that can send 100,000 text messages with the click of a button. These are all apps for small businesses that want a way to directly communicate with their customers. This means proper two-way communication&#;just like when you're texting a friend&#;was essential for inclusion. You can still automate responses, collect survey data, and schedule texts with many of them.
Able to integrate with other apps and services, so you can automate things like reservation reminders. Integrations with other apps and services were a must. This means that, in addition to texting your customers directly, you can also (for example) have your online ordering service automatically confirm when an order is placed or ready for collection, and follow up with a customer satisfaction survey.
Affordable with low-volume requirements, so small businesses can get started. When it comes to sending SMS messages to your customers, pricing matters. I required all the SMS services on this list to be affordable for small businesses. This meant no high monthly pricing or large volume requirements. Instead, all the services are either pay-as-you-go or have low-volume, low-fee monthly plans.
Able to scale as needed. Being locked into a plan that's too small for your holiday marketing push isn't good either. All these services also had to allow you to scale up your SMS campaigns without charging ridiculous fees or forcing you to jump up to a much more expensive tier.
This means this isn't a list of multi-channel marketing apps designed to send thousands of texts at once&#;though some of the apps I chose can do that. Similarly, this isn't a list of universal customer support inboxes or live chat apps. These are apps that make it easy to send SMS messages to (and receive them from) your customers.
Note that, as of August , businesses sending texts to customers in the US need to register with The Campaign Registry. numbers that aren't registered are likely to be blocked by carriers, meaning all the companies on this list have taken measures to ensure compliance&#;some require you to fill out a form, while others handle the registration for you.
I checked out every SMS message app I could find, testing all the ones that appeared to meet these criteria. I signed up for whatever free trial was available and got straight into texting. As mentioned above, I was particularly concerned about the experience of directly communicating with customers, so I paid a lot of attention to how easy it was to do. I also tested receiving texts&#;which involved a lot of me pretending to have conversations with myself&#;and explored any automation and integration features.
Now, onto the apps.
Best for
Stand-out feature
Pricing
SimpleTexting
Easy-to-run SMS marketing campaigns
Built-in apps and integrations for surveys, competitions, and automation
From $39/month for 500 credits
TextMagic
Quickly sending texts
Intuitive web app and pay-as-you-go pricing
Starts at $0.04/text sent; dedicated virtual numbers from $10/month
SlickText
Collecting numbers and advanced marketing
Opt-in web forms and pop-ups, loyalty programs
From $29/month for 500 texts and 2 textwords
Sakari
Outgoing SMS marketing
Super affordable pricing for outbound text messages
From $16/month for 500 messages sent or received
Salesmsg
Small, local businesses using SMS
Local numbers in the U.S. and Canada, integrations with CRMs
From $25/month for 500 text messages and a single number
EZ Texting
Non-technical people who want some guidance
Onboarding and help docs, customer service available
From $25/month for 500 text messages and 1 textable number
Twilio
Customizing SMS marketing
Completely flexible and customizable, API for building custom apps
Text messages start at $0./message sent and received; dedicated numbers from $1.15/month
SimpleTexting pros:
Makes setting up a marketing list very easy
Built-in apps and integrations allow you to run surveys and competitions and automate everything
SimpleTexting cons:
Sending individual messages is possible but not intuitive
SimpleTexting is the best option if you're looking to run marketing campaigns quickly. Like TextMagic, the user interface is intuitive, with everything accessible from the main screen&#;I didn't even need to view any tutorials to grasp how things worked. SimpleTexting doesn't require you to fill out a registration form for The Campaign Registry&#;the company claims it registers your number on your behalf after you sign up.
While you can contact customers directly, SimpleTexting is more focused on easy-to-run marketing campaigns, where you text the same message to everyone on a list. Go to the Campaigns tab, click New, give it a name, and you're ready to start marketing to your customers.
To get new prospects on your list, set up a keyword in the Keywords tab. For example, potential customers can text SAUSAGE to and get put on your Sausage and Hot Dog Deals list. As soon as they join, an autoresponder can immediately text them with a discount code and ask them if they want more information. If they do, it can respond with another text. With SimpleTexting's built-in apps available in the Apps tab, you can also conduct more technical marketing efforts like running surveys, polls, and sweepstakes.
Of course, for any marketing effort, you need analytics. SimpleTexting's Analytics tab offers detailed breakdowns of how your campaigns are going with information like the number of new subscribers, what keyword they're using to join, how many autoresponders have triggered, how many people have unsubscribed, and what responses you've been sent.
And there are lots of other nice features too. You can configure an away message in case a customer texts you when you're closed, and the cheapest plan comes with three user seats so you can collaborate with your team. You can leave notes on conversations or assign them to your teammates. All in all, it just checks a lot of boxes.
SimpleTexting also integrates with Zapier, so you can do things like automatically add people to your Sausage and Hot Dog Deals list from Facebook lead ads or anywhere else you get your leads.
SimpleTexting, Slack
Facebook Lead Ads, SimpleTexting
SimpleTexting price: From $39/month for 500 credits (enough for 500 short texts). Additional credits cost $0.055 on the entry plan; there are higher volume plans if you need to send more texts.
TextMagic pros:
The web app is very intuitive and easy to use
Pay-as-you-go pricing means you aren't locked into a plan
TextMagic cons:
Automation features aren't as advanced as some of the other picks
Once upon a time you could sign up for TextMagic and start sending messages. That's not true anymore&#;now you need to go through a process to register your marketing campaign with The Campaign Registry before you can send any texts, and there's no way to skip that step. This was the longest process of any I tested, though that might be a good thing: they're really working to keep spammers off of their platform.
And after setting up, you can send messages easily. Unlike other apps, which open up to a dashboard cluttered with widgets and options, TextMagic takes you straight to what you want to do: send a text.
But that doesn't mean that TextMagic isn't functional or powerful. You can send messages from TextMagic's number so replies go to the API, web app, or your ; or from your own mobile number so replies go directly to your . You can build contact lists by importing an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file, manually entering them in the Contacts tab of the app, saving the number of anyone who texts you, or using a click-to-text form on your website.
In the Scheduled tab, you can schedule messages, for example, to send out a Friday Specials text every week. You can also set up templates in the Templates tab to make it faster to send recurring messages&#;like appointment confirmations&#;and automate responses to customer texts. And of course, you can quickly and easily send customers a text from the web or the iOS and Android apps.
Really, TextMagic hits that sweet spot of being both a joy to use and powerful enough for almost anything a small business needs. And even better, text credits are entirely pay-as-you-go, so you're not locked into an expensive ongoing contract. You prepay for credit, pay $10/month for a virtual number, and then just send texts&#;which start at $0.04&#;as much or as little as you need.
You can also connect TextMagic to thousands of organizational tools, scheduling calendars, and other apps through Zapier, so you can do things like automatically follow up with leads. Here are some examples, but you can connect TextMagic to thousands of other apps using Zapier.
Facebook Lead Ads, TextMagic SMS
Google Sheets, TextMagic SMS
TextMagic price: Pay-as-you-go starts at $0.04/text sent; dedicated virtual numbers from $10/month.
SlickText pros:
Opt-in web forms and pop-ups make it super easy to collect numbers through your website or social media accounts, plus you can use it to run a loyalty program
Solid onboarding and helpful hints throughout the app make it easy to get started no matter how technical you are
SlickText cons:
Advanced features like workflows are pretty expensive
SlickText is the most marketing-focused app on this list&#;and it almost didn't make the cut because of it. It's more suited for collecting numbers and sending mass marketing messages than for chatting one-on-one with your existing customers.
With that said, if you're looking for an SMS app that makes it easy to collect numbers in a variety of different ways and to run marketing campaigns by texting them, it's one of the best options out there. The onboarding is quick and comprehensive, with a wizard that asks you what industry you're in, and it guides you through relevant features. The free trial is notably less restricted than others in this list&#;you can send a message to any number, so long as you check a box stating that you asked for permission before sending.
The tutorials introduce SlickText's best feature: its Marketing Tools. Here you'll find easy-to-set-up opt-in web forms, website pop-ups, text surveys, automatic opt-in links, coupons, contests, promo codes, loyalty programs, and more&#;along with helpful hints on how to use them. I was most impressed by how nice the default templates looked. For example, you can get a good-looking pop-up on your website ready to collect numbers in just a few minutes, which is more than can be said for a lot of other SMS marketing apps.
It's the same for all of SlickText's other marketing tools&#;they're just good. Really, it's surprising how much functionality is tucked away in one section of the app when the rest of it is a bit barebones.
Messaging your marketing lists is simple too. You go to Send a Message, select the list you want to target, enter your text message, and hit send. (You can also schedule it for some time in the future, or set it to send regularly, like on Fridays or the last day of the month.)
Alternatively, you can integrate SlickText with Zapier so that anyone who fills in a form, abandons their cart, or takes any other sort of action gets a text. Here are a couple examples.
Facebook Lead Ads, SlickText
Manychat, SlickText
On higher priced plans, SlickText also has its own Workflows that allow you to further automate your SMS marketing plans.
SlickText price: From $29/month for 500 texts and 2 textwords; from $139/month for automated workflows.
Sakari pros:
Super affordable for outbound text messages
Solid pricing combined with its integration with Zapier makes it a great option for automating your SMS workflow behind the scenes
Sakari cons:
You have to pay for inbound messages
You can't sign up with an @gmail.com account
If you mostly plan to send outgoing text messages to your customers, like booking confirmations, delivery notifications, and other similar texts, Sakari is one of the best options&#;and could save you some money.
Like all the apps on this list, Sakari is a fully-featured SMS messaging app with a great web app. When you log in, you're able to send a message straight away, but only to people who have specifically opted in to get messages from you&#;anyone can opt in by sending a message to your Sakari number along with the word start. This changes when you leave the free trial, start paying for the service, and register with The Campaign Registry: you'll be able to text normally after that.
From the left sidebar, you can see your Conversations with customers, create marketing campaigns in the Campaigns tab, integrate things with apps like Zapier in the Integrations tab, and generally do everything you'd want with an SMS messaging app.
What sets Sakari apart is the pricing. It starts at $16/month for 500 SMS messages sent or received. That's $9 cheaper than with TextMagic (which would be $25 to send 500 messages), but with it, inbound messages are free. Additional messages start at $0.032 compared to TextMagic's $0.04, and the differences are more extreme with greater volume.
Say you run a delivery takeaway service and send 6,000 texts per month but only receive 250 replies from customers. With Sakari, you could hop on the $170/month Team plan, which includes 6,250 SMS messages, whereas with TextMagic, you'd have to pay $240&#;$0.04 for every text you send, and nothing for every one you receive.
This is especially handy if you want to use Sakari and Zapier to integrate with other apps for outgoing messages, so you can do things like automatically message contacts you add to a Google Sheet or instantly send an based on a message.
Pipedrive, Sakari SMS
Sakari SMS, Slack
Sakari price: From $16/month for the Starter plan with 500 messages sent or received, including one free number; additional SMS messages from $0.032.
Salesmsg pros:
Allows you to get a local number wherever you are in the U.S. or Canada
Integrates with HubSpot, Pipedrive, and other CRMs
Salesmsg cons:
Web app is a bit simplistic
Free trial requires a credit card number
Salesmsg is a great option for U.S.- or Canada-based small businesses&#;unfortunately, it's not available internationally beyond that.
Salesmsg has one of the most basic web apps of any of the services on this list. There are only a few tabs in the sidebar: Conversations, Contacts, Broadcasts, Triggers, Analytics, and Keywords. If you want more power from Salesmsg, you'll need to integrate it with other apps&#;though the service is still beta testing a Workflows automation feature (I haven't tested it yet).
As soon as you sign up for Salesmsg, you're prompted to create a local number. This is the number that all your texts will appear to come from, and you can assign a separate number for each team member. You'll also be asked if you want to start the compliance process, though you can test the application during your free trial without doing this.
If you want, you can also enable call forwarding, so if a customer calls your text number, they'll get forwarded to your personal or business , or just answer calls using the web app. (Testing this was kind of silly as the calls were being routed through VoIP servers all over the world for my voice to travel six inches.)
Salesmsg integrates with CRM platforms like HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Zoho, so you can use your CRM of choice and have Salesmsg automatically handle the text messaging. You can also use its triggers to create a webhook that you can use to send specific kinds of messages like appointment reminders. Or you can use Zapier to connect Salesmsg to any service you want&#;here are some examples.
Salesmsg, ActiveCampaign
For more information, please visit sms hub.
Airtable, Salesmsg
Despite the simple web app, Salesmsg has a lot of power.
Salesmsg price: From $25/month for 500 text messages and a single number. Additional messages are $0.04; additional numbers are $10/month. High volume customers can save a little, per text, by opting for a higher priced tier.
EZ Texting pros:
Some of the best onboarding and help docs for non-technical business owners
Customer service available and happy to help
EZ Texting cons:
All the hand-holding can be annoying if you know what you want to do
EZ Texting doesn't do much that the other apps don't: you can text your customers as a group or 1-on-1 from the Inbox; you can set up various kinds of marketing campaigns from the Campaigns tab; and you can view reports in the Reporting tab. What makes it stand out, though, is that at every step, EZ Texting makes it very clear what to do. And if you get stuck, there's the Getting Started Kit and informative help docs to sort you out.
Sign up for a free trial, and you can test all features, with the rather large caveat that you can only text your own number until you start paying. It's enough, though, to get a feel for how the app works. The dashboard after you log in has large, friendly buttons for group texts, conversations, automated drip campaigns, keywords, and sign-up forms.
Click any of these buttons and there are clear instructions on how to use it and, in the case of things like templates, working examples. If you aren't really comfortable with new apps, it's hard to beat this level of instruction. And, as the signup emails will keep reminding you, you can always schedule a call with one of their team members if you need more help.
EZ Texting doesn't oversimplify a complex product&#;it just makes it very accessible. It's as powerful as any others on this list. You can even use EZ Texting's Zapier integrations to connect it to any of the other apps you use in your business.
EZ Texting, Slack
Jotform, EZ Texting
EZ Texting price: From $25/month for 500 text messages and one textable number.
Twilio pros:
Completely flexible and customizable for any use case
No-code features and integration with Zapier now makes it accessible for non-developers
Twilio cons:
A lot more effort to set up than any of the other apps on this list
Only a backend
You might be here because you're looking for a Twilio alternative, but hear me out. Twilio, unlike the other SMS software on this list, is a blank canvas. It offers a range of APIs, so companies can build SMS messaging, number redirection, and dozens of similar features into their own apps and services to do whatever they want. Uber, Airbnb, and Netflix are just a few of the companies that use it behind the scenes.
And while Twilio is mostly aimed at developers, you don't actually need to be one to use it&#;there are enough no-code features that most people with some general technical knowledge can get by. Instead of building your own apps, for example, you can use services like Zapier, HubSpot, and Zoho CRM to connect to Twilio's API directly, without the need for you to do much, if any, coding. You generally just have to find out which bits you need to copy-and-paste to where.
For example, by connecting your Twilio account to your Zapier account, you'll be able to send and receive text messages using your account or collect texts in Slack or a Google Sheets spreadsheet. Learn more about how to automate Twilio, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Webhooks by Zapier, Twilio
by Zapier, Twilio
Or you can dig deeper into Twilio's other features, like Studio and CodeExchange, that help non-developers build their own apps. Plus, for most use cases, Twilio should work out cheaper than the other SMS marketing services if you're prepared to do the work to get it up and running.
Twilio price: Since Twilio is more of a platform than an app, its pricing is a little different from the others on this list. Text messages start at $0./message sent and received&#;although there's an additional carrier fee of around $0.003/text on messages you send. Dedicated numbers start at $1.15/month.
Related reading:
This article was originally published in June . The most recent update, with contributions from Justin Pot, was in February .
Ever notice how quickly you read a text compared to an ? That&#;s exactly why businesses are turning to SMS Gateway APIs&#;because texts are a direct line to your customers.
But with so many SMS Gateway APIs out there, finding the one that fits the needs of your business can be a little overwhelming, especially if you&#;re not familiar with how they work.
We&#;re here to compare and explain some of the leading options so you can decide which one will keep your communication efforts running effortlessly at scale.
What is an SMS Gateway API?
At its core, an SMS Gateway API is like the middleman between a business and a mobile network. It lets companies send large volumes of automated text messages to customers without anyone needing to manually type each message.
Whether it&#;s a notification, reminder, or alert, an SMS Gateway API ensures the message is delivered quickly and reliably.
Think of an SMS Gateway API as the bridge that connects a business&#;s software (like a CRM or an eCommerce platform) to mobile carriers. Instead of having to manage dozens of numbers or networks, a business simply integrates the API into its existing system.
With a few lines of code, you can send personalized texts directly to your customers. For example, if your eCommerce platform tracks shipping, the API can automatically send an SMS to your customers as soon as their order ships.
On a more technical level, these APIs often use a protocol called Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP). SMPP helps businesses interact with mobile carriers efficiently, managing large volumes of messages at once. It ensures that messages are sent promptly, no matter the scale.
While they vary slightly, every SMS Gateway API will have some version of these core attributes:
One of the best things about an SMS Gateway API is that it grows with your business. Whether you&#;re sending a few hundred messages or a few hundred thousand, the API handles it without breaking a sweat.
This is a huge advantage for companies running large campaigns or handling frequent customer communication.
Another benefit is how easily SMS APIs can integrate with your existing systems. Whether you&#;re using a CRM like Salesforce or an eCommerce platform like Shopify, the API is designed to integrate smoothly, saving you time and resources.
There&#;s no need to overhaul your entire system&#;just add the API, and you&#;re good to go.
If you&#;re in industries like finance or healthcare, security and compliance are important. Many SMS Gateway APIs have features like two-factor authentication (2FA) to secure customer accounts and comply with regulations like GDPR for EU customer&#;s data protection and HIPAA for healthcare privacy.
This ensures that sensitive information remains protected and businesses follow the rules when handling personal data.
In short, an SMS Gateway API streamlines the process of sending messages at scale, making it easy for businesses to connect with customers while staying secure and efficient.
Grow Your Business by Leveraging Mass Texting
Try DialMyCalls for Free
Book a Demo
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing an SMS Gateway API
When selecting an SMS Gateway API, it&#;s important to go beyond basic messaging capabilities. You&#;ll want to look at various factors to ensure your chosen service fits your business needs and scales as you grow. Here are some key things to keep in mind when looking for the best SMS API service:
Pricing can vary significantly between providers, and understanding the breakdown is crucial. Most SMS APIs charge per message, but the rate can depend on factors like message volume, geographic region, and even the type of message (SMS vs. MMS).
Many services offer pay-as-you-go pricing, which is great for businesses that want flexibility without committing to a monthly package.
However, if you&#;re sending a lot of messages, tiered subscription models might be more cost-effective. Be mindful of any hidden costs, like additional fees for international messaging or extra charges for long or media-rich messages.
In today&#;s omnichannel world, SMS might not be enough. Look for APIs that support not just SMS but also MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and RCS (Rich Communication Services).
This flexibility allows you to send more dynamic content, like images or videos, along with standard text messages, helping you engage customers more effectively.
If your business needs to reach customers through multiple channels, this kind of versatility will give you a stronger return on your investment.
For industries like healthcare or eCommerce, where timing is critical, you&#;ll want an API that prioritizes message delivery speed and reliability.
Nothing&#;s worse than a customer not getting an important message because of delays or system outages.
Look for providers with a strong track record for uptime SLA and fast delivery&#;especially when you&#;re sending time-sensitive information like appointment reminders or order confirmations.
If your business operates internationally or has plans to expand, the best SMS API provider should offer global reach.
Some providers specialize in certain regions, while others can handle both local and international message delivery seamlessly.
Be sure to check whether the service supports the countries you need and whether their rates and delivery speeds vary for international versus local messaging.
When dealing with customer data, especially in industries like finance or healthcare, compliance is non-negotiable.
Look for APIs that offer 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) for secure logins, and ensure the provider complies with regulations like GDPR for data protection or HIPAA for healthcare privacy.
These features help ensure that your business stays within legal boundaries while protecting sensitive customer information.
The easier the API is to integrate, the quicker your team can get it up and running. Look for services with clear documentation, plenty of developer tools, and strong support resources.
This will save you time and setbacks when your developers are setting everything up or troubleshooting any issues down the line.
Speaking of troubleshooting, good customer support can make all the difference.
Whether you&#;re dealing with a glitch or a system outage, a responsive support team that can quickly resolve issues is crucial. Choose a provider that offers real-time support through multiple channels like , , or chat, so you can get help when you need it most.
Top 8 Leading SMS Gateway APIs [Compared]
With so many SMS Gateway APIs to choose from, it can be tough to know where to start. To help you make an informed decision, we&#;ve rounded up the top contenders, each offering unique features, pricing models, and levels of support.
Now, let&#;s take a look at the leading SMS Gateway APIs in detail to see how they stack up.
DialMyCalls is a mass notification service that allows businesses, schools, churches, and more to easily send voice and text messages through its robust API.
With a strong focus on simplicity, the API integrates seamlessly into existing software platforms, making it a versatile choice for organizations of all sizes. DialMyCalls is based in the United States and serves a wide variety of global industries.
DialMyCalls supports both call and text message notifications through its API, offering powerful customization options for developers.
It integrates easily into CRM systems, property management software, and emergency notification systems. One of its standout features is its ability to handle both 2-way messaging and mass notifications, making it particularly useful for schools, emergency services, and churches.
Users can access real-time reporting and tracking, ensuring messages reach their intended audience.
DialMyCalls offers flexible pricing plans based on your needs. The Credit-Based Plan starts at $9.99/month, perfect for those with varying contacts, with unused credits rolling over.
The Contact-Based Plan starts at $7.49/month, ideal for ongoing communication with a set group.
For occasional use, their Pay-As-You-Go Plan starts at $15/month, allowing you to purchase credits as needed.
DialMyCalls is best suited for small to medium-sized organizations in sectors like education, property management, churches, and emergency services.
It&#;s the best SMS API fit for any business that is looking for a reliable, easy-to-integrate mass notification system.
Twilio is a global leader in communication APIs, offering reliable SMS, MMS, and messaging through its trusted platform, MessagingX. With the ability to reach over 180 countries, Twilio is widely adopted across industries for its scalability, cross-channel messaging capabilities, and developer-friendly APIs.
Twilio&#;s Programmable Messaging API allows businesses to send SMS, MMS, and messages through a single API.
It supports two-way messaging, localized senders, compliance tools, and real-time analytics. Twilio also offers the Conversations API for managing cross-channel communication and archiving messages across SMS, chat, and social platforms.
Twilio operates on a pay-as-you-go model, charging $0. per SMS message (outbound/inbound) and $0.02 for MMS (outbound/inbound). Discounts are available for high-volume usage.
Twilio is ideal for large enterprises, startups, and developers who need scalable, global communication solutions with robust API support for omnichannel engagement.
Plivo is an enterprise-grade SMS API platform designed for businesses to send and receive text messages globally.
Known for its reliability and scalability, Plivo handles over a billion API requests per month and serves businesses in 14 countries with SMS-enabled local numbers.
Plivo offers a wide range of features, including long message concatenation, autoresponders, and support for 2FA, SMS surveys, and appointment reminders. The platform also provides Powerpack for SMS, ensuring high delivery rates, smart queuing, and carrier compliance, even at scale.
Plivo uses a usage-based pricing model with rates starting at $0. per outbound/inbound SMS and $0. for MMS. Additional discounts are available with committed usage.
Plivo is best for enterprises and growing businesses that need reliable, large-scale SMS messaging with compliance features like GDPR. It&#;s a great fit for global communication, especially in sectors requiring high message throughput.
SimpleTexting is a versatile SMS API platform tailored for businesses of all sizes, providing tools for marketing, CRM integrations, and employee communications.
With a 99% uptime guarantee and seven-day support from API specialists, SimpleTexting offers a reliable, user-friendly service for businesses looking to enhance their communication strategy.
SimpleTexting supports both SMS and MMS messaging, two-way messaging, real-time analytics, and contact management. It offers a variety of number options, including local, toll-free, and shortcodes.
The platform&#;s auto opt-out and compliance features make it easy to follow industry regulations, while its webhooks allow for easy integration with other applications.
Plans start at $39.90/month for 500 texts, with a $10 one-time fee for a local number. Pricing scales as message volume increases.
SimpleTexting is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a straightforward SMS solution with robust contact management and easy-to-use API features, perfect for marketing campaigns, appointment reminders, and customer support.
MessageBird is a global SMS API platform trusted by businesses worldwide for sending and receiving messages at scale.
Known for its high deliverability and competitive pricing, MessageBird helps businesses streamline customer interactions through its intuitive developer-friendly APIs.
MessageBird supports two-way messaging, personalized customer conversations, and real-time notifications. It offers advanced tools for number verification, SMS marketing, and customer care.
Developers can access extensive API references, pre-built integrations, and SDKs, making it easy to integrate SMS capabilities into any system.
MessageBird uses contact-based pricing, starting at $45/month for up to 3,000 contacts, with scalable options for larger volumes.
MessageBird is best suited for large-scale businesses and developers looking for a reliable, easy-to-use global SMS solution with strong support for two-way messaging and real-time customer engagement.
TrueDialog is an enterprise-grade SMS API platform built for large-scale businesses, hosted on Microsoft Azure for security and reliability.
Known for its direct carrier connections, TrueDialog provides improved deliverability and lower pricing by eliminating the middleman.
TrueDialog offers a unique &#;TrueDialog&#; feature for pre-built, scalable two-way texting, advanced compliance with an opt-out database, and native integrations with major CRM platforms like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.
Pricing starts at $0. per SMS message (outbound/inbound) and $0.02 for MMS. The platform also offers flexible pricing for high-volume users.
TrueDialog is ideal for large enterprises that need high-volume SMS capabilities, seamless CRM integration, and advanced compliance features for secure, scalable messaging.
TextLocal, now owned by Webex, is a leading SMS API platform designed for businesses of all sizes, from local garages to global brands. Its platform enables businesses to send and receive SMS messages quickly, without the need for additional software, making it easy to start campaigns within minutes.
TextLocal offers a range of tools, including SMS scheduling, contact management, long messages, and branding capabilities.
Businesses can attach files, create personalized forms and surveys, and track detailed campaign performance with real-time reporting. The platform also supports Unicode characters and integrates easily with CRM systems.
TextLocal uses a credit-based pricing model starting at £24.50 for 500 credits, with discounts available for larger bundles.
TextLocal is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses and enterprises needing flexible SMS solutions for marketing, customer surveys, and appointment reminders, with the added benefit of easy setup and campaign management.
Vonage is a global communication platform that offers an extensive SMS API for businesses to engage customers through secure and personalized messaging. The platform is trusted for delivering SMS at scale while providing solutions for customer notifications, two-factor authentication, and app promotions.
Vonage&#;s API supports private SMS communication, 2FA, and automated notifications via SMS, MMS, and social chat apps. It also includes advanced reporting through the Reports API, enabling businesses to monitor SMS traffic, detect fraud, and improve customer interactions with adaptive routing.
Vonage charges $0. per SMS message and offers virtual numbers for $4.90 per month, with a $9.79 setup fee.
Vonage is ideal for large enterprises in industries like healthcare, eCommerce, and financial services that need reliable, secure messaging solutions and robust reporting for customer communications.
Below, you&#;ll find a comparison table to give you a quick snapshot of their key offerings.
PlatformEase of UseCustomer SupportOther FeaturesPricingScore DialMyCalls4.84.74.74.74.7 TrueDialog4.74.84.74.74.7 SimpleTexting4.74.84.54.54.6 TextLocal4.74.74.64.74.6 Twilio4.24.24.54.34.3 Plivo4.34.24.34.54.3 MessageBird4.54.34.34.34.3 Vonage4.13.74.13.83.9All ratings above are from Capterra.com.
Use Case Examples for SMS Gateway APIs
SMS Gateway APIs offer versatile solutions across a range of industries, enabling businesses to streamline communication and provide better customer experiences.
Here are some of the more common use cases for the technology:
SMS is widely used for marketing and customer notifications, such as order confirmations and shipping updates.
For example, an automated text can be sent to customers as soon as an order is placed or shipped, providing them with real-time updates that enhance their shopping experience.
In healthcare, SMS is a crucial tool for appointment reminders, test result notifications, and two-factor authentication (2FA) for patient portals. Secure reminders reduce no-shows, while SMS verification ensures patient information is protected during login.
For marketing teams, SMS APIs make it easy to run bulk messaging campaigns for promotions, product launches, and seasonal offers.
For instance, during the holiday season, a business might send promotional texts offering discounts, driving more traffic to their website or store.
Retailers can use SMS for marketing, loyalty programs, and exclusive sales promotions. Sending notifications about loyalty point balances or special discounts helps maintain customer engagement and encourages repeat purchases.
In the financial sector, SMS is commonly used for 2FA, payment reminders, and transaction alerts.
An example would be sending a secure verification code to customers during a transaction, providing an extra layer of protection and ensuring customer trust.
How To Choose the Right API for Your Business
When selecting the best SMS Gateway API for your business, it&#;s important to match your choice with your business&#;s specific needs.
We&#;ve made a simple checklist to guide you:
Business Size:
Geographic Reach:
Communication Goals:
Conclusion
Finding the right SMS Gateway API is all about matching it to your business&#;s specific needs&#;whether you&#;re a small local shop or a global brand.
From handling customer notifications to running large-scale marketing campaigns, the right API can make a big difference in how smoothly your messaging flows and how well you connect with your audience.
If you&#;re looking for an easy, reliable solution, give DialMyCalls a try. With 25 free texts to get started, it&#;s a great way to see how our API can boost your communication. Get started here and see for yourself!
Send Bulk Text Message Campaigns in Seconds
Try DialMyCalls for Free
Book a Demo
Author
Tim Smith
Want more information on quectel modems? Feel free to contact us.
About Tim Smith