Your customers don’t always check their email. But text messages? They open 98% of them. That’s why so many businesses are turning to short message service or SMS.

Still, picking the right platform isn’t easy. Some tools are limited. Others make pricing confusing or fall short of compliance. When you’re trying to manage campaigns, track replies, and keep customers engaged, you need software that keeps up.

This guide walks you through seven SMS platforms worth considering in 2025.

1. OtterText

If you’ve been frustrated with other SMS marketing services shutting down your campaigns without notice, you’re not alone. Many platforms block regulated industries or limit your reach. 

OtterText supports a wide range of industries, like e-commerce, hospitality, home services, retail wellness, and professional services. You can also use it for sports, entertainment, and local shops that rely on business SMS marketing to keep customers engaged. 

What makes OtterText stand out is its support for regulated industries like firearms, alcohol, and tobacco. Most SMS marketing platforms block these entirely. That makes OtterText one of the only SMS marketing platforms that serve SHAFT businesses. 

You can automate text campaigns, track replies, and handle incoming messages without complications. Manage mass text messaging, set up automated campaigns, and reach potential customers without delay. 

Standout Features

• High deliverability rate with pay-only-on-delivery pricing
• Web chat that turns visitors into SMS subscribers
• AI-assisted replies and inbox automation
• Campaign analytics tied directly to sales and engagement
• Pre-built integrations with Shopify, AmmoReady, Calendly, MindBody, and more
• Centralized inbox for business SMS across team members
• Smart filters and advanced segmentation tools
• Support for multimedia messaging services (MMS)

Pricing

• Includes a free trial
• Starter ($199 per month): Adds unlimited users, unlimited keywords, and application programming interface (API) access.
• Growth ($299 per month): Includes advanced automation, audience segmentation, and 2,000 inbox SMS.
• Pro ($399 per month): Adds premium sending speeds, advanced AI, and 4,000 inbox SMS.
• Enterprise (custom pricing): Built for high-volume messaging with shortcodes and multi-location support.
• All plans include unlimited contacts and full platform access.

OtterText has helped brands achieve up to 487x ROI, recover abandoned carts, and keep customers coming back weeks later. 

Want to see how it works? Schedule a demo and try OtterText for free!

2. EZ Texting

Source: Eztexting.com

EZ Texting helps launch SMS marketing campaigns without getting bogged down in setup. The platform focuses on usability, offering a clean user interface that’s beginner-friendly. If you need to send messages fast, this tool won’t slow you down.

It’s suitable for small businesses that want to send reminders, event updates, or bulk text messages without overthinking the process. 

You can manage your SMS list, track replies, and set up automation without complicated settings.

Standout Features

• Custom contact fields for tags like birthday, location, or language
• Text-to-landline support and call-forwarding options
• AI-assisted writing tools and branded contact cards
• QR codes and SMS keywords for growing your list
• Click-to-text links that open up direct messages
• iOS and Android apps for team access and message management
• Visual campaign calendar to keep your outreach on schedule

Pros

The interface is easy to learn and doesn’t require a steep learning curve. You can upload unlimited contacts, organize SMS subscribers into groups, and use templates. The mobile apps work well if you’re managing campaigns outside the office.

Cons

You’re charged for undelivered texts, including messages sent to inactive or disconnected phone numbers. The credit system can be confusing if you’re trying to track spending across different campaigns.

Pricing

• Launch ($25/month): Includes up to 500 contacts
• Boost ($75/month): Includes 500 to 2,000 contacts
• Scale ($125/month): Includes 2,000 to 50,000 contacts
• Enterprise (starts at $3,000/month): Includes 50,000+ contacts

3. TextMagic

Source: Textmagic.com

If you don’t send texts daily but still want reliable delivery when you do, TextMagic is worth a look. It’s a pay-as-you-go texting service with strong international coverage. You load credits, send SMS messages and only pay for what gets delivered.

The setup is quick. You can upload contacts, group them into marketing lists, and send campaigns directly from the web app. 

TextMagic also lets you send messages from your email, so you don’t always need to log in separately just to stay in touch.

Standout Features

• SMS coverage across 190+ countries
• Email to SMS and long message support
• List-building forms for websites to collect phone numbers
• Schedule SMS messages or set up basic recurring messages
• Number validation to filter out bad contacts before sending
• SMS surveys for quick feedback
• Mail merge and templates to send personalized messages
• One-on-one conversations through a simple SMS chat inbox

Pros

The interface is clean, and it doesn’t take much to launch a text message marketing campaign. Global delivery makes it a useful tool if your contacts aren’t all local.

Cons

TextMagic could use more integrations with CRM and business software. The pricing feels high compared to competitors offering similar features for large client lists. 

Some messages fail to deliver without any way to track or confirm, making it difficult to rely on for business communication.

Pricing

• Starts at $0.049 per SMS
• There are no monthly plans

4. Klaviyo

Source: Klaviyo.com

If your store already runs email marketing, Klaviyo lets you add SMS without managing separate tools. You can handle both channels from a unified platform and keep your messaging consistent across campaigns.

The system is built around behavior. You can trigger texts based on abandoned carts, product views, or purchase history. That helps you send messages your customers care about.

Standout Features

• SMS marketing automation and email flows in one place
• Segmentation based on browsing, orders, and engagement
• Multi-channel support across text, email, and push notifications
• Consent tracking and quiet hour settings for SMS
• Branded links and personalized messages
• Delivery insights to track SMS performance
• Connects with Shopify, BigCommerce, and other e-commerce platforms

Pros

You can run advanced text marketing campaigns based on customer actions without relying on multiple systems. The platform helps you automate responses and follow-ups while keeping your messages in one dashboard.

Cons

It takes time to get comfortable with segmentation, flows, and billing based on active profiles. Some users may find the interface busy, especially when managing multiple campaigns at once.

Pricing

• Email only ($45 per month): Includes 15,000 emails
• Email + SMS ($60 per month): Includes 15,000 emails and 1,250 SMS or MMS credits

5. SlickText

Source: Slicktext.com

If your focus is on message quality and connection, SlickText helps you create campaigns that feel personal. It’s a suitable option for service businesses, local shops, and anyone who sends regular updates or reminders.

You can tag contacts, automate replies, and schedule messages for specific times. With SlickText, you can stay in touch with loyal customers without feeling like you’re blasting the same message to everyone.

Standout Features

• AI message drafts with tone and character length options
• Tag-based message tracking for two-way conversations
• Scheduled messages and recurring campaigns for upcoming events
• QR codes and keywords for easy list growth
• Contact fields for targeting based on visit history, birthdays, and more
• Team chat features for managing replies together
• Campaign analytics to track message performance

Pros

You can send thoughtful messages without needing to start from scratch each time. Tags and filters help you organize contacts and tailor your outreach. If you need help, the support team is responsive and knows the product well.

Cons

Free monthly credits expire if you don’t use them, which can be a problem when your message volume varies. The platform also doesn’t allow you to send a test message to your personal phone before launching a campaign.

Pricing

SlickText uses a credit-based pricing model where each SMS message typically costs one credit. The more credits you buy upfront, the lower your cost per message. However, your monthly limit depends on the number of credits in your plan.

Here’s the full breakdown:

• $29 per month for 500 credits
• $49 per month for 1,000 credits
• $79 per month for 2,000 credits
• $129 per month for 3,500 credits
• $169 per month for 5,000 credits
• $319 per month for 10,000 credits
• $579 per month for 25,000 credits
• $939 per month for 50,000 credits

6. Attentive

Source: Attentive.com

If your team sends thousands of messages a day and wants to keep them personalized, Attentive has the scale for it. This platform focuses on high-volume campaigns without losing sight of customer engagement.

You can send targeted messages based on browsing, purchases, or replies. The system blends automation with live support, so you can handle two-way conversations through AI or hand them off to a human when needed.

Standout Features

• Predictive send-time tools that adjust to each contact
• AI-generated replies and message suggestions
• Campaign scheduling with built-in compliance controls
• Two-way conversations supported by live agents and AI
• Mobile-first SMS chat to replace on-site pop-ups
• Quiet hours, opt-in tracking, and legal audit logs

Pros

Attentive supports complex, high-volume SMS marketing campaigns. You can manage mass texting, schedule campaigns in advance, and track performance across every message. Their support team also helps with compliance and carrier relationships.

Cons

It requires a larger budget and is likely too much for smaller teams. The interface for managing incoming replies is limited, especially if you’re trying to assign messages or organize by topic. Since pricing is customized, it takes time to get a clear quote.

Pricing

• Pricing isn’t available to the public

7. SimpleTexting

Source: Simpletexting.com

SimpleTexting is an SMS marketing solution that combines ease of use with features your whole team can share. 

It supports business SMS marketing with automation, list-building tools, and detailed conversation management. You can send text campaigns, handle appointment reminders, and even run customer polls.

You can send MMS messaging with images or GIFs to grab attention and use saved templates for faster replies. Two-way chat keeps incoming messages organized and gives each team member their number or shared inbox.

Standout Features

• Bulk texting and two-way business SMS marketing conversations
• Drip campaigns, recurring texts, and automation features
• Rollover credits, so unused credits don’t disappear right away
• Polls, link tracking, and self-cleaning lists to save time
• AI-assisted message writing and custom segments for targeted outreach
• MMS support for richer messages with media
• Web forms, text-to-join, and text-to-vote list building tools

Pros

SimpleTexting delivers flexible SMS marketing platforms for companies running more than just one-off campaigns. Their live chat support responds quickly, and delivery rates stay high even at scale.

Cons

Some users report random numbers being marked invalid, which interrupts communication. Integrations for advanced reporting require developer help, which may frustrate non-technical users.

Pricing

• Starts at $39 per month for 500 credits
• Scales based on message volume
• Carrier registration is available for an additional fee

Start Sending High-ROI Campaigns With OtterText!

Once you know what to look for in SMS software, you can skip the trial and error. OtterText gives you what most platforms miss:

• Compliance-ready delivery
• Easy campaign tracking
• Flexibility to keep your messages on schedule

You can handle business text messaging at scale, launch campaigns fast, and rely on automation. If you’re looking for SMS marketing tools that won’t force you to submit tickets or explain your business, go for OtterText.

One AmmoAZ campaign generated over $100,000 in sales, proving how effective the platform can be.

You can try it for free and decide when you’re ready. Whether you’re sending appointment updates or sales alerts, you get full control over your message timing and delivery.

Book a demo of OtterText today. No long-term commitments. Just better business messaging.

FAQs About SMS Software for Business

How do I automate text messages for my business?

You’ll need a platform that supports automation. Most SMS marketing software includes tools to schedule messages, set up drip sequences, and trigger replies based on customer actions. Look for features like keyword-based responses, recurring messages, and tagging.

What is replacing SMS?

SMS isn’t going away, but other channels like WhatsApp, push notifications, and rich communication services (RCS) are becoming popular. Even so, SMS still holds its ground because it doesn’t require apps or internet access. When your message needs to reach a phone now, it still gets the job done.

Is SMS marketing legal in the USA?

Yes, but you need to follow the rules. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) requires that recipients opt in before you send marketing texts. You also have to include opt-out instructions and avoid sending during restricted hours.

Is there a non-profit SMS service for free?

Completely free platforms are rare, but some tools offer discounted pricing for non-profits. Even with a lower cost, choose software that supports your goals and handles basic features like list management and message tracking.