Choose by the kind of texting you do most. If you send offers to a big list, a mass texting tool fits. If customers text you back and expect an answer, pick a two-way business texting tool, and if reminders and alerts matter most, look for automation that connects to your store or booking system.
How do people end up on your text list, and what happens when they reply? Those two questions decide which SMS tool suits you far more than any feature list. SlickText is one option for small businesses that text customers, and here are eight alternatives in no particular order, grouped by the kind of texting they're built for.
Blasts, conversations, automation or fundraising
Sending offers to a list
EZ Texting and Textedly are mass texting services built around bulk campaigns. They suit shops, salons, restaurants and gyms that send regular offers and updates to a subscriber list.
Two-way conversations
SimpleTexting mixes campaigns with one-to-one messaging, and Textline is built for teams across sales, marketing and customer service. These suit businesses where customers text back and expect a real person to answer.
Reminders, alerts and automation
TextMagic connects to your store and tools to automate reminders and workflows, Trumpia is built around automated texting, and ClickSend reaches customers and staff through a web app, an API or an integration. These suit businesses where texts are triggered by bookings, orders or events.
Fundraising
Tatango focuses on nonprofit fundraising by text in America, a narrow but clear job.
All eight SMS tools, alphabetically
In no particular order and listed A to Z. Each line reflects how the vendor describes its own product.
ClickSend
Best for: Businesses texting customers and staff by SMS or MMS from a web app, an API or an integration, with a free plan named.
EZ Texting
Best for: Marketers sending bulk SMS and MMS campaigns; the vendor stresses fast registration and says it's easy to use and hard to outgrow.
SimpleTexting
Best for: Small businesses running SMS campaigns, receiving texts and messaging customers one-to-one, which the vendor says it designed for small firms.
Tatango
Best for: Nonprofits in America using text messages for fundraising, which is the vendor's whole focus on its own homepage.
Textedly
Best for: Lean marketing teams sending bulk texts and automated campaigns; the vendor now describes its software as AI-powered and names a free plan.
Textline
Best for: Teams across sales, marketing and customer service that want business texting built around the team rather than one sender, per the vendor.
TextMagic
Best for: Shops and service firms automating reminders, workflows and compliant campaigns, and connecting their store, tools and AI assistant, the vendor says.
Trumpia
Best for: Organisations wanting texting that runs on automation, since automated texting is the whole of the vendor's homepage pitch.
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Opt-in, timing and replies
The tool you're leaving promises to make text message marketing easy and to grow revenue and loyalty. Every tool here promises much the same, so look past it to three practical things: how subscribers opt in, how messages are scheduled, and how replies are handled.
Opt-in matters most, because texting someone who didn't agree can land you in trouble and annoys the people you most want to keep. Check how each tool collects consent, whether it keeps a record of when and how someone joined, and how easily people can stop messages. Rules on text marketing vary by country, so check with your regulator, such as the ICO in the UK, before you send.
Scheduling decides whether texts arrive at sensible times in each customer's time zone. Replies decide whether a customer who answers your offer with a question gets a quick answer or silence. Run the same real task through each shortlisted tool: sign up a test number, schedule a message, reply to it, and see where that reply lands.
SMS tools compared
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| ClickSend | Business SMS and MMS | Messaging customers and staff by web, API or integration |
| EZ Texting | Mass texting service | Bulk SMS and MMS marketing campaigns |
| SimpleTexting | SMS marketing and inbox | Small businesses mixing campaigns with one-to-one texts |
| Tatango | Nonprofit SMS fundraising | Nonprofits raising donations by text |
| Textedly | Bulk SMS marketing | Mass texting with automated campaigns |
| Textline | Team business texting | Sales, marketing and service teams texting customers |
| TextMagic | Automated business texting | Reminders and workflows connected to your store |
| Trumpia | Automated texting software | Text messages that run on automation |
Advice for small businesses that text customers
Don't pick an SMS tool by how fast it sends a blast. Speed is easy. What's hard is keeping a clean, willing list and answering people when they reply. Start with the job you do most, whether that's offers, conversations or reminders, and judge each tool on that job alone.
Text alongside email rather than instead of it, and keep each message short, useful and clearly from you. My guide to SMS and email marketing best practices for small businesses covers how the two work together, and my tips on writing text messages clients will love help with the wording.
Moving subscribers without breaking consent
- Export your full subscriber list, including the date and method each person opted in.
- Export any opt-out list too, so people who asked to stop never hear from you again.
- Check how your sending number will move, or plan how you'll tell subscribers about a new one.
- Import a small test group first and send yourself a message to check names and fields came across.
- Rebuild keywords, auto-replies and scheduled campaigns before you switch the old account off.
- Send a short, friendly message from the new tool so subscribers recognise you.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need permission to send marketing texts?
In most countries, yes. Rules vary, so check with your regulator before you send. Keep a record of when and how each person agreed to hear from you.
What's the difference between SMS and MMS?
SMS is a plain text message. MMS can include images, video or longer content. Not every tool or country supports MMS, so check before you plan campaigns around it.
Can customers reply to my marketing texts?
With many tools, yes. If you expect replies, choose a tool with a shared inbox and decide who will answer them and how quickly.
How often should a small business send marketing texts?
Less often than email. Many businesses text only for timely offers, reminders or important updates, so each message feels worth opening.
What is a text keyword?
A keyword is a word people text to your number to join a list or get an offer, such as JOIN. Many SMS tools support keywords, so note yours and set them up again when you switch.
Can I keep my text number if I change SMS tools?
Sometimes. It depends on the type of number and the tools involved. Ask the new vendor about moving your number before you cancel the old account.
