If you're a business rather than a charity, look for a texting tool built around your kind of sender. Campaign tools suit shops and service firms sending offers, automation tools suit reminders and alerts, and team texting tools suit two-way conversations. Before you move, test how subscribers opt in, how messages are scheduled and how replies are handled.
Tatango describes itself as SMS software for nonprofit fundraising in America. That's a clear focus, and if you're a charity running donation drives it may be exactly right. If you're a small business texting customers about offers, bookings or orders, you're probably looking at a tool built for a different sender. Here are ten SMS and text message marketing tools in no particular order, grouped by what each does best.
Fundraising texts and business texts aren't the same job
A donation campaign and a shop's weekend offer both arrive as a text, but almost everything around them differs: who's on the list, how they joined, what you're asking them to do and how often you can message them. So rather than compare feature lists, compare three things that decide whether SMS works for a business.
How subscribers opt in
Check how people join your list. Keywords they text to a number, web forms, checkout boxes and QR codes all work, but each tool supports a different mix. Look at how consent is recorded and stored, because you'll want proof of every opt-in if anyone ever asks.
How messages are scheduled
Look at scheduling beyond a simple send time. Can you send in each subscriber's own time zone? Can you set up automated sequences, such as a welcome text, a birthday message or an appointment reminder? Can you pause a campaign quickly if something's wrong?
How replies are handled
People reply to texts. Some tools treat replies as an afterthought, while others give your team a shared inbox to answer them. If customers will ask questions or change bookings by text, this matters more than anything else on the list.
Campaigns, automation and two-way texting
Marketing campaigns
SlickText, EZ Texting, Textedly and SimpleTexting focus on sending campaigns to a subscriber list, with one-to-one messaging and automation alongside. They suit shops, salons, gyms and restaurants sending offers and updates.
Automation and alerts
TextMagic, Trumpia and Mobile Text Alerts lean towards automated texts: reminders, workflows, alerts and urgent updates. They suit businesses whose texts are triggered by events rather than written as campaigns.
Teams, developers and multichannel brands
Textline is built for teams sharing two-way conversations across sales and service. ClickSend adds an API and integrations for anyone wiring texts into other systems, and Attentive pairs SMS with email for brands that want one place for both.
Ten texting services in one table
| Tool | Kind of tool | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Attentive | SMS and email platform | Personalised texts and email for online brands |
| ClickSend | SMS and MMS messaging | Sending by web app, API or integration |
| EZ Texting | Mass texting | Bulk SMS and MMS campaigns |
| Mobile Text Alerts | All-in-one SMS | Alerts, marketing and support texts together |
| SimpleTexting | Small business texting | Campaigns plus one-to-one conversations |
| SlickText | SMS marketing service | Building customer loyalty through text |
| Textedly | Bulk SMS with automation | Automated campaigns and mass texts |
| Textline | Team business texting | Sales, marketing and service teams sharing texts |
| TextMagic | Automated business texting | Reminders, workflows and store-connected campaigns |
| Trumpia | Automated texting | Text message automation |
Every texting tool, A to Z
In no particular order, sorted alphabetically. Each line reflects how the vendor describes its own product.
Attentive
Best for: Brands that want SMS and email run from one platform, with AI the vendor says brings customer interactions to life through personalised messages.
ClickSend
Best for: Businesses texting customers and staff by SMS and MMS, from a single message up to large sends, through a web app, API or integration.
EZ Texting
Best for: Marketers sending bulk SMS and MMS campaigns who want quick registration and tools the vendor says stay easy as they grow; a free plan is named.
Mobile Text Alerts
Best for: Organisations sending marketing, sales and support texts plus urgent updates from one SMS service, as the vendor describes its product.
SimpleTexting
Best for: Small businesses that want to send SMS campaigns, receive texts and message customers one-on-one from a service built for them, per the vendor.
SlickText
Best for: Businesses wanting easy text message marketing aimed at loyalty and repeat sales, as the vendor pitches it; a free plan is named.
Textedly
Best for: Growing businesses that want bulk SMS and automated campaigns from an AI-assisted platform; the vendor names a free plan.
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Textline
Best for: Teams across sales, marketing and customer service who want to text customers from a shared business texting tool, according to the vendor.
TextMagic
Best for: Anyone automating reminders, workflows and compliant campaigns, with connections to an online store, other tools and an AI assistant, per the vendor.
Trumpia
Best for: Organisations that mainly want automated texting, which is the focus of the vendor's own description of its service.
Advice before you move your subscriber list
Start with the texts you'll send most often. If they're weekly offers, pick a campaign tool and judge it on how easily you can build a list and schedule sends. If they're reminders and alerts, pick an automation tool and judge it on triggers. If customers reply a lot, choose a tool with a shared inbox, or you'll end up answering texts from someone's personal phone.
Moving a list takes care. Export every subscriber with their opt-in date and source, and keep that record. You'll usually need to register your sending number again with the new provider, so allow time before your first campaign. My guide to SMS marketing for small businesses covers the basics, and my list of the best SMS marketing software has more options.
Consent rules: check before you send
Texting rules are strict, and they vary by country. In general, businesses need clear permission before sending marketing texts, must say who they are and must make it easy to stop messages. Some countries also limit the hours you can send and require sender numbers to be registered.
Don't rely on a vendor's compliance features alone. Check the current rules with the regulator in each country you text, keep records of every opt-in and honour stop requests straight away. If you're unsure, ask a legal adviser before your first campaign.
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Frequently asked questions
What is SMS marketing?
It's sending offers, updates and reminders to customers by text message, usually to a list of people who've agreed to receive them. Most tools also handle replies and automated messages.
Do I need permission to text my customers?
Usually yes for marketing texts, but the rules vary by country. Check with the regulator where your customers live and keep a record of every opt-in.
Can I move my subscribers from one SMS tool to another?
Yes, you can usually export your list, but bring each subscriber's opt-in record with it. You may also need to register your sending number again with the new provider.
What's the difference between SMS and MMS?
SMS is a plain text message. MMS adds images, short videos or longer text. Not every tool or country supports MMS, so check before you plan picture messages.
How often should a small business send marketing texts?
Less often than emails. Many businesses send a few texts a month and save texts for offers or news that's worth an interruption, so people don't opt out.
Can customers reply to marketing texts?
Most tools let them, and some give your team a shared inbox for replies. Decide who'll answer before you send, because a reply that's ignored feels worse than no text at all.
