2024's Top Picks: 8 Best SMS Apps for Small Businesses

Best SMS apps for small businesses in 2024

Our buying guide and how we rate the SMS apps

SMS apps are definitely not one-size-fits-all. 

Some criteria, like ease of use, apply universally to all businesses, while others, such as features, may vary. Your choice will depend on your specific needs, including essential integrations, features for daily operations, and your budget. With that in mind, we chose and rated the eight best SMS apps for small businesses based on: 

• Ease of use—We examined how intuitive each app is, ensuring your team can quickly adapt to using it without encountering complex features or processes.
• Features—We scrutinized each app's messaging functionalities, including capabilities such as mass texting, two-way communication, scheduled messages, multimedia messaging, and automation options.
• Value for money—We reviewed each tool’s pricing, whether a monthly plan or pay-as-you-go, to determine the best value for your hard-earned cash.

• Integrations—Every business has tools they just can’t live without. That’s why we looked into how well each SMS app integrates with other popular software.

1. YouCanBookMe—Best for integrating SMS with scheduling

YouCanBookMe combines stress-free scheduling, SMS notifications, and online payments in one easy-to-use tool. With YCBM, all text messages are triggered through the booking page, allowing you to automate SMS messages based on actions such as booking, rescheduling, and cancellations. Users can schedule personalized confirmations, reminders, and follow-up text messages to inform clients about sales, significant changes, or market other services.

Top features:

• Automated and personalized text messages
• Localized phone numbers based on your clients’ location
• Confirmation, follow-up, and appointment reminder SMS
• Set prices and take payment for appointments
• Customizable booking page with different appointment types and lengths
• Ample integrations, including Zoom, Gmail, Zapier, and Outlook
• Available in 44 languages 

Pricing: Pay-as-you-go, with texts starting at $0.07*

*You can send SMS messages from YCBM’s free scheduling plan or upgrade to the paid version for advanced features. 

YouCanBookMe SMS in action

With super customizable booking pages and forms, YouCanBookMe users have the ability to add a phone number field to their booking form. This means that you can easily get permission from your clients to send SMS notifications and reduce no-shows. 

Check out how Greg Schwartz Schwartz, an AI and prompt engineering consultant has included SMS into his booking process.

2. Twilio—Best for developers

Twilio is a cloud communication platform that uses APIs to reach your customers effectively. It’s highly customizable, allowing you to select from various features, including SMS messaging, call redirection, and marketing analytics tools. Although it offers some out-of-the-box features, Twilio is best suited for developers, as you’ll need technical expertise to get the most out of the tool. 

Top Twilio features:

• Programmable Messaging APIs that deliver messages to your customers through text and WhatsApp
• Conversations API that lets you text back and forth with customers
• Programmable voice API to make, receive, and monitor phone calls
• Advanced customization for developers
• CRM and email integration
• Two-factor authentication for log-ins and onboarding

Pricing: Pay-as-you-go pricing with texts starting at $0.0079*

*Consider that using a developer-centric service such as Twilio may result in higher expenses for setting up and maintaining your messaging system, especially if you need to make changes in the future and hire contractors to do so.

3. SimpleTexting—Best for SMS marketing campaigns

SimpleTexting is an all-in-one SMS and MMS marketing tool that lets you launch text marketing campaigns without needing a developer. Users can send bulk text messages to subscribers to promote their latest deals or set up automated reminders. Additionally, features like two-way conversations simplify follow-ups. Since SimpleTexting is cloud-based, campaigns can be accessed from multiple devices using an integrated dashboard.

4. Textmagic—Best for non-technical users

TextMagic is a business texting platform that lets you quickly send notifications, alerts, reminders, and marketing SMS messages. It simplifies workflow management with automation, AI-powered automated responses, and pre-built analytics. TextMagic features two-way communication and integrates easily with APIs and Zapier for enhanced functionality. Additionally, its pay-as-you-go model keeps it cost-effective, especially for small businesses. 

Top features:

• Can send SMS, MMS, and attachments
• Email-to-SMS functionality to send text messages directly from your inbox
• Mass texting and two-way messaging
• Real-time reporting
• SMS templates and autoresponders that save time
• Schedule messages for a later time and date
• Built-in automation and segmentation

Pricing: Pay-as-you-go, with texts starting at $0.04/message and numbers at $10/month

5. Salesmsg—Best for local businesses in the US and Canada

Salesmsg is a cloud-based SMS platform that lets you send, receive, and manage text conversations via web or mobile app. It provides extensive integration options for efficient messaging and calls from a single number, making it helpful for real-time lead generation and boosting speed to lead. Additionally, Salesmsg facilitates collaboration by allowing team members to share texting features and offers analytical tools to track campaign progress.

Top features:

• Desktop and mobile apps
• Schedule messages to send at a later date
• Bulk messaging, automated SMS, and voice call functionalities
• Two-way SMS and MMS messaging
• Call-forwarding
• Local and toll-free numbers
• Built-in opt-in and double-opt-out features 

 Pricing: Starts at $25/month for 500 messages

6. OpenPhone—Best for integrating phone calls and texts

OpenPhone is a VoIP business phone system that combines calls, texts, voicemails, and contacts in one app. The platform supports SMS and MMS messaging, allowing for exchanging text, images, videos, and other multimedia content. With features like call routing, auto-attendants, and team collaboration tools, OpenPhone streamlines communication workflows for teams of all sizes.

Top features:

• Schedule messages to send at a later time or date
• Create and save message templates
• Group messaging and auto-replies
• Teammates can text one contact simultaneously
• Call logs, recordings, voicemails, and texts appear in one seamless conversation
• Send photos, videos, audio, gifs, and files 
• Text and calls via phone and desktop

Pricing: Starting at $19/month, with additional messaging and carrier fees

7. EZ Texting—Best for multimedia messaging

EZ texting is a text marketing solution catering to companies in the US and Canada that want to set up SMS communication quickly. All EZ texting plans include unlimited incoming messages, phone and chat support, image editing tools, and growth tools but differ in terms of users, keywords, and numbers allowed. The platform stands out for its clear instructions, extensive help resources, user-friendly dashboard, and straightforward setup. 

8. Textedly—Best for long SMS messages

Textedly provides comprehensive business SMS solutions and seamless integration with popular tools like Slack and Mailchimp. Plans include free incoming messages, mass group texting, toll-free numbers, and two-way SMS, with varying message limits and custom keywords. The platform supports omnichannel communication, is favored for bulk messaging, and has a clean interface with user-friendly analytics.