Best SMS Marketing Software of 2026

Here's what we'll cover:

What you need to know about SMS marketing software

What is SMS marketing software?

Essential features of SMS marketing software

Benefits and competitive advantages of using SMS marketing software

How to choose the best SMS marketing software for your business

Software related to SMS marketing

More resources for your SMS marketing journey

What you need to know about SMS marketing software

Marketers reaching out to customers via text messages can use SMS marketing software to launch and manage promotional text campaigns. Features such as automated responses, the ability to text message a wide audience, and schedule marketing SMS texts can prove critical when trying to reach your client base with alerts and offers. This, in turn, can drive subscriptions and engage customers better. In the last year, more than a third (35%) of the marketers we spoke to were actively seeking a mobile marketing solution to drive engagement and sales with their audience. [1]

To give you an idea of the market, we have almost 400 SMS marketing software tools available on our site. There’s still a large audience for SMS marketing, and with a lot of business done through mobile channels, it’s vital to pair a text messaging strategy with the right platform to get the job done well.

In terms of pricing, SMS marketing systems are usually priced on a ‘per user, per month’ basis. They start from as little as $19-$28 per user, per month for basic systems and can go up to $59 or higher per month for more advanced options. [2]

If you’re a first-time buyer of SMS marketing software, it’s a good idea to start by evaluating elements such as your budget, the number of users who’ll need access, ideal use cases, and systems that will need to connect with the chosen product. It’s important to fully discuss these factors with stakeholders in your business to compare options based on requirements such as:

• What volume of SMS messages will be sent on a regular basis?

• How is lead and contact data collected and stored in the system?

• What automation features are included?

• What analytics capabilities are offered by the software to track and measure audience activity?

• Does the system integrate with other tools used for marketing and data?

There are hundreds of SMS marketing systems available to marketers, and choosing the right one is imperative. In this guide, you’ll learn about the features and benefits of SMS marketing software and get step-by-step guidance on choosing the right solution for your business.

What is SMS marketing software?

SMS (short message service) marketing software enables businesses to target consumers and potential clients through mobile text messaging. It helps users create and manage mobile SMS messaging campaigns, track customer responses, and analyze the effectiveness of different marketing strategies. In addition, the tool personalizes SMS messaging content based on individual preferences or customers’ previous interactions with the business.

Sales and marketing managers can use SMS marketing software to automate scheduling, audience segmenting, and sending bulk messages at specific times or intervals. The software also measures performance metrics across multiple channels, such as third-party chat applications and social media platforms.

Essential features of SMS marketing software

Knowing the features that can deliver the most value for your business can be a game changer when choosing an SMS marketing system. Some functions like scheduling, mass texting, and automating replies come with most systems as standard (also called core features). Personalization and more granular campaign management features are also commonly offered. We analyzed thousands of reviews from SMS marketing software users and spoke to hundreds of marketers to pinpoint what we believe are the most important features of these systems. [3]

Core SMS marketing features

Common SMS marketing features

Benefits and competitive advantages of using SMS marketing software

Our research analysis of over 5,500 reviews from the past 12 months reveals that improved client communication, business growth, intra-team collaboration, and better customer support are the most important benefits of SMS marketing software. These help marketers fulfill their key goals when running SMS campaigns, allowing teams to work together, reach clients effectively, and boost leads and sales. Here’s a breakdown of the benefits:

• Improves client communication: Supports more direct contact with your audience, creating a back-and-forth communication channel where you can respond to customers' issues and reach a wider community with your marketing efforts.

• Boosts sales and growth: Increase the effectiveness and volume of your mobile marketing activity to grow sales and revenue through text messaging campaigns.  

• Enhanced collaboration: Teams can work together more effectively and efficiently to achieve CRM goals through SMS messaging commercial channels by centralizing communication among stakeholders and streamlining working processes.

• Better support for customers: Prompt, personalized responses to customer queries plus automated responses to specific types of customer engagement activity help deliver better customer service.

How to choose the best SMS marketing software for your business

Step 1: Define your requirements

When choosing an SMS marketing system for your business, a good starting point is to determine the specific needs you need fulfilled by the software. Understanding the core requirements you need to achieve your goals can help you more effectively choose a system that fits in well with your marketing activities and achieves the targets set.

Some of the core requirements to consider at this stage include elements like the budget available, integrations with other software tools used by your company, and the level of customer support or training assistance needed. Additionally, this step should take into account the functionality needed, and if you need specific features such as specialized market segmentation, application programming interfaces (APIs), or compliance management tools.

What is the cost of SMS marketing software?

The overall cost of an SMS marketing platform for a business can vary depending on a few factors. Most prices are set based on a ‘per user, per month’ model, meaning that the total cost will shift contingent on how many users you have. 

Pricing per user, per month can vary from $19-$28 for an entry-level system, $29-$59 for mid-tier products, and up to $59 or higher for the most expensive options. As demonstrated by the graph below, this falls well within the range of many marketers. However, as an SMS tool is just one of many software systems a marketer could use, it might have to compete for budget with other marketing-specific software acquisitions.

Be aware of potential drawbacks

There are many positive aspects of using an SMS marketing platform in your business. However, there are also some significant, but avoidable, drawbacks that can arise. We highlighted some of the key roadblocks to avoid below: 

Payment and unclear cancellation policies:

As with the use of any software, understanding the pricing, subscription, and cancellation policies is key to going into an acquisition. Issues may occur down the line or a lack of clarity could arise if this is not fully understood from the start. This is why it’s important to discuss the contract terms with the vendor to a level that helps you fully grasp how the pricing or process of ending a subscription works.

Deliverability issues:

SMS marketing relies on smooth delivery rates. Connectivity and deliverability issues, however, can interrupt that process and lead to messages not reaching their intended recipients or being sent late. This can harm the performance of campaigns, especially when time sensitivity is a factor, and lead to lost revenue and additional costs when trying to re-send messages.  

Contact management usability:

Your contact database is a key part of your SMS marketing capacity. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that the system’s contact management features are suitable for your team. Poor user experience, overly complicated systems that exceed the technical capabilities of staff, and a lack of clarity around the pricing based on the number of contacts you have in your database are all issues that could arise and lead to extra costs or lost productivity.

Plan around integration options

It’s important to assess how the SMS marketing options available to you will work with your current systems before implementing them. If not, you could experience more downtime, difficulties syncing contact data, and a challenging user experience. Before selecting a system, it’s best to do a thorough check of which platforms it is compatible with in your tech stack.

Below, we’ve looked over some of the common integrations you may need to plan around when managing an SMS marketing system:

• Social media marketing: Connect with social network users, share content, and run marketing campaigns on social platforms. 

• Customer relationship management (CRM): Manage multi-channel campaigns and centralize your marketing operations and database of customers.

• Ecommerce: Sell to customers and create offers, products, and promotions that your audience can engage with.

• Content management systems: Create original content for your campaigns and formulate centralized, consistent brand messaging 

• Reporting and data tools: Analyze the performance of your SMS campaigns with data collection and extrapolation tools. 

Step 2: Make a shortlist of SMS marketing software

There are hundreds of possible SMS marketing solutions available, and choosing the best one for your business should be a carefully thought-out, deliberate process. Moreover, with the right resources and assistance, it can be made simpler. 

If you want to explore top-rated SMS marketing software, our FrontRunners report is a good starting point. In this list, we chart products that earn the top user ratings. 

Additionally, for extra help in shortlist creation and a free, downloadable comparison chart, The Ultimate Software Vendor Evaluation Guide can make the process easier. This gives more details on comparing assessment criteria for available vendors, based on the functions, training and support, costs, and deployment options on offer. 

Step 3: Pick your best option

At this point, you should have a fair idea of the most suitable SMS marketing systems available, and the next step is to try out the software. This gives you an opportunity to understand definitively if the selections are what your business is looking for. Here’s how you can approach this:

How to prepare for vendor demos

After narrowing down your options, you should start focusing on hands-on tests, such as demos or trials, of your shortlisted software. This is also your opportunity to ask vendors and their sales representatives questions about the key features available, pricing, technical support and training, as well as other essential factors required of an SMS marketing tool in your company.

We’ve listed some of the most useful questions to ask at this stage below:

• What customer support and training is provided during implementation (and beyond)?

In the initial stages of a new system, questions about operability and teething troubles are more likely to occur, so you’ll need extra support. There also remains the question of how much support is expected further down the line, should faults occur, and whether the vendor offers any training materials. It’s also a good idea to understand if you’ll have access to user-generated forums, webinars, or even course materials to help you get familiar with the platform. Clarity on these points from the start can help you plan for onboarding and maintenance. 

• What are the limits of my subscription and what can incur overages?

Pricing can vary between different software packages and in some cases, the volume of messages you send or the number of contacts added to your database could incur costs beyond the subscription price. It’s important to check these elements when speaking with vendors to avoid overspending at a later stage.

• How does your software integrate with other systems in my tech stack?

If you want your SMS marketing system to connect with other software, such as database management, CRM tools, or CMS systems, it’s important to understand how interoperability will work at this stage. 

• What customization options are currently available?

While SMS messages are simpler in format than emails and social media posts, customization options can still prove valuable. This is especially true if you are looking at a system with wider functions extending into other marketing channels. It's also worth exploring the extent to which you can adapt and customize user interface features to make working processes easier.  

For more support at this stage of the buyer's journey, our guide on How To Cut Through the Sales Pitch During Software Demos provides helpful pointers on preparing for the demonstrations and identifying the best questions to ask vendor representatives.

Step 4: Make the most of your SMS marketing software

When you’ve selected an SMS marketing software, the next step is to implement it into the business. To help streamline this process, we’ve highlighted some important points you’ll want to consider:

• Establish key implementation stakeholders: Choose an implementation person or team that can take on vital roles in introducing the software to the business. This team should factor in responsibilities such as technical management and project management in the early stages and develop a plan for longer-term management and maintenance. 

• Provide resources for data migration: If you have a contact database that already exists and needs to be migrated, it’s important to plan around this. That means providing time for the data to be assessed, prepared, transferred, and then reviewed to ensure nothing was lost or incorrectly assigned in the process, and that compliance standards are met.

• Provide team training: Set aside some time with your marketing team to introduce the software to the main users. This training should include where functions can be located, whom to contact for support, and introduce some of the main workflows for its use. 

To learn more about approaching this process, check out our guide 5 Critical Steps to a Successful Software Implementation Plan.

Software related to SMS marketing

The system you choose to run your SMS marketing activities may come with all the features and functionalities needed to run campaigns. However, in cases where some functions aren’t included, it might be necessary to consider other related options. Some common software that has similarities with SMS marketing platforms but may or not feature in your chosen system include:

• Channel management software: Used for client segmentation and marketing outreach tracking. This, in turn, can support streamlined sales and marketing efforts.

• Email marketing software: Gives marketers the tools to create and automate bulk email sends. It provides features for creating email content, scheduling sends, and tracking the effectiveness of campaigns. 

• Marketing automation software: Provides automation functions for workflows, campaign creation, and analysis. This can help firms evaluate their multichannel performance and centralize business information.

• Mobile marketing software: Helps businesses reach and engage with consumers via mobile devices. This provides marketers with tools for setting up mobile alerts and creating and tracking mobile campaigns.

More resources for your SMS marketing journey

• Want To Boost Revenue and Loyalty? Retailers Should Invest in Digital Accessibility 

• 5 Top-Rated Marketing Automation Software for Small Businesses 

• How To Measure Content Marketing the Right Way

About our contributors

Author

David Jani is a content analyst at Software Advice. With a background in tech journalism, public relations, professional training, and marketing, he uses his extensive experience to investigate small business technology trends, with a focus on marketing and cybersecurity, to provide timely, actionable insights for small and midsize businesses.

David’s research and analysis is informed by more than 150,000 authentic user reviews on Software Advice and nearly 3,000 interactions between Software Advice software advisors and software buyers. David also regularly analyzes market sentiment by conducting surveys of IT and marketing leaders so he can provide the most up-to-date and helpful information to small and midsize businesses purchasing software or services.

His thought leadership work has been featured in TechRadar, Maddyness, Daily Express, Startups Magazine and Raconteur.

Editor

Mehar Luthra is a team lead at Software Advice and specializes in editing reports that cover the latest trends affecting small businesses. With nearly a decade of experience, she has edited a multitude of research articles, top-rated software reports, and thought leadership articles for diverse markets such as Brazil, Japan, Canada, France, Australia, and India. She finds it particularly rewarding to produce content that provides small-business owners with practical tips and helpful advice on topics such as the digitalisation of small businesses, eCommerce trends, and HR developments.

Armed with a double bachelor’s in law (LL.B.) and business economics from Delhi University, she won a full scholarship to study for a master’s in creative writing at the National University of Ireland, Galway. In addition, she has written blog articles spanning a variety of topics such as fiction and non-fiction books, mental health and anxiety, the latest restaurants, and more. Her articles have been featured in Ireland’s national magazine The Village, among other publications. A die-hard journaling fan, she enjoys watching psychological thrillers, reading fiction books, and drinking iced coffee (even in the winter).

Sources

1. Software Advice advisor call notes: Findings are based on data from telephonic conversations that Software Advice’s advisor team had with businesses seeking marketing software. For this report, we analyzed phone interactions from January 10, 2024, to January 10, 2025. Read the complete methodology.

2. Software Advice software pricing data: Only products with publicly available pricing information and qualified software products within the category, as of January 2023, are included in the pricing analysis. Read the complete methodology.

3. Software Advice reviews data: Software Advice reviews are collected from verified users for individual software products. For this report, we analyzed reviews from the past year as of the research date. Read the complete methodology.