7 Best SMS Platforms for Ecommerce Brands in 2026

If you are an ecommerce business owner considering using an SMS platform, here are a few words of wisdom:

“Your success is only as impressive as the SMS service you choose. Just as every craftsman is only as good as his tool.”

If you choose a strong, dependable solution, you’ll get exceptional results. But if you pair up with an incompatible platform, you risk wasting your efforts on an SMS campaign that’s likely to be unprofitable.

To hedge yourself against that risk, I’ve put together this list of 7 SMS services that have been thoroughly vetted for ecommerce usefulness. You’ll learn the unique features of each tool and which one best fits your ecommerce brand.

But first, how can you be sure that this isn’t just another random mishmash of tools?

How I Selected These Tools

It takes very little effort to see that there’s no shortage of SMS platforms. If you browse SMS platforms on Capterra, you’ll see, right at the top, that there are currently 520 products listed.

Even if I spend just 10 minutes testing each tool, I’ll need at least 86 hours to get through all of them. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the willpower to dedicate that much time to a single tool roundup. And even if perhaps I find the willpower, my freelance schedule isn’t the kindest to such an extended deadline.

So, I asked myself: “How do I keep this article accurate and credible without losing my wits?”

Turns out, I just needed to find people who have done the dirty work of testing these tools for me. Even better if they tested and used the tools for what you need them for—promoting and growing an ecommerce brand.

Other ecommerce business owners fit this criteria snugly, so I stalked posts and comments of people asking for and recommending SMS solutions on ecommerce subreddits and Facebook groups.

Across 34 Facebook posts (or comments) and 27 subreddit posts (or comments), I got 74 recommendations split across 13 tools.

Then, I weighed each of these 13 tools against six criteria that an SMS service should have if you want to run a successful ecommerce SMS campaign with it:

1. Ease of usage: Can you jump into using it within an hour? Or does the purchase come with hour-long support calls before you can understand the user interface?
2. Reliability: Can it deliver every SMS on time and to the right contact? Even when it’s 10,000 messages or 10?
3. Core ecommerce features: You already have an up-and-running business. Does this new software fit into, and not disrupt, your tool stack?
4. Analytics and reporting: Data is everything in ecommerce. Can you clearly track what works and what doesn’t?
5. Customer support: Even the best tools run into hiccups. How well and fast does the support team respond?
6. Pricing: Can your business afford it? Not once, but every month and year-round? Across multiple campaigns?

This weighing cut down the list to 7 tools, each recommended at least three times, and performing reasonably well in each criterion.

Here are the seven tools—and how often each was recommended—at a glance.

Now, let’s discuss exactly how each fared across those criteria. Here’s a summary comparison table if you are in a hurry.

Best SMS Platforms for Ecommerce: TL;DR

1. Mobile Text Alerts: Best for Smart Ecommerce

Mobile Text Alerts is an SMS platform for brands that need a simple SMS software to communicate with their audience.

Mobile Text Alerts was recommended four times—and with high praises—by other ecommerce store owners.

Ease of usage

Mobile Text Alerts is an incredibly easy platform to use. Not only is “ease of usage” its top Pro on both G2 and Capterra, it also takes you less than 15 minutes to sign up and send your first SMS message.

The platform has an intuitive, beginner-friendly setup a well as a mobile app to allow you to track, send, and reply to messages when you are away from your desk.

As Ben K. said on G2, “...it is very intuitive. Easy to implement and integrate as well.”

Reliability

Mobile Text Alerts exists to deliver every SMS message you send to your audience, whether it is 10 or 10,000.

By following standard compliance processes and monitoring every sent campaign with an SMS delivery report, Mobile Text Alerts is that SMS platform you can depend on anytime.

Core ecommerce features

Mobile Text Alerts offers numerous features for ecommerce.

The platform boasts unique SMS features like:

• Multiple opt-in methods, e.g, opt-in forms, QR codes, etc
• 1-on-1 inbox for personalized discussions
• SMS automation flows
• iMessage capabilities
• Custom SMS APIs
• AI Solution, etc.

Mobile Text Alerts can also integrate with thousands of other ecommerce solutions and tools via API, so you can plug it right into your existing tech stack.

Customer support

Mobile Text Alerts’ customer service is highly praised, with users noting that the support team replies promptly and resolves issues appropriately.

These user reviews accurately capture customers’ sentiment about Mobile Text Alerts’ customer support:

“The customer response team was prompt in addressing any issues I had. I highly recommend.” Conner T., G2

“Customer support is nearly immediate with the chat bar on the right. I use it frequently.” Ben K., G2

“A team member is standing by to happily help you with your needs. The customer service is OUTSTANDING. I have had MANY questions answered quickly and easily.” Katie H., G2

Analytics & reporting

Mobile Text Alerts provides reports and analytics to monitor the results of your SMS campaigns and maximize your investment.

These features come with every plan—not only the most expensive ones—so you never have to guess what kind of messages resonate the most with your audience.

Pricing

Mobile Text Alerts offers eight pricing models, each based on the number of monthly SMS sends.

Mobile Text Alerts doesn’t have a free plan, but it does offer a 14-day free trial for all new users.

You can pay annually to save up to 25% and unused SMS credits roll over to the next month before expiring. Additionally, Mobile Text Alerts does not charge any extra mobile carrier fees.

Customer success story

Mobile Text Alerts has helped numerous ecommerce businesses regain customers and increase revenue through effective SMS.

For example, Mobile Text Alerts helped a frustrated boutique owner grow her live sales attendance by 50% and drive more sales and profit to her jewelry business.

Another boutique owner, Anna, ran a test to see if Mobile Text Alerts’ services were doing her business any good. She abruptly stopped texting her customers and immediately noticed the drop in her sales, which returned to normal after she resumed texting.

To join our beehive of satisfied customers, sign up for Mobile Text Alerts’ 14-day free trial.

Where it falls short

Mobile Text Alerts is an affordable, easy-to-use SMS platform that’s perfect for all ecommerce store owners, regardless of where their store is housed.

Its numerous integrations are one of its many strengths, but these integrations are mostly third-party via Zapier. Apart from a few direct integrations to Zoom and Hubspot, you’ll need to use a custom API or Zapier to link Mobile Text Alerts to most of the tools you already use.

This is not a performance flaw, though, as these integrations work well once they are set up. Setting them up just requires a few extra steps.

2. Klaviyo: Best for a Comprehensive Communication Experience

Klaviyo is a popular SMS service for ecommerce brands. Among the tools that made my list, it was recommended the most.

Ease of usage

It took me less than 10 minutes to set up a Klaviyo account, and Klaviyo’s dashboard was simple and easy to understand, with categories set up to group and organize key concepts.

Many other users also find the user interface intuitive since ease of use is the top Klaviyo Pro on both G2 and Capterra.

Reliability

Klaviyo’s users are divided on how well the tool delivers messages. While a few claim they have had every message delivered, numerous others raise concern about “SMS campaigns that were charged but never delivered.”

Like this user on Trustpilot:

Core ecommerce features

Klaviyo is a comprehensive CRM platform with many subplatforms for different aspects of ecommerce.

With one Klaviyo account, you can do:

• Email
• SMS
• RCS
• WhatsApp
• Review management
• Customer support, etc

Klaviyo also has powerful automation features that tie all of these subplatforms together to deliver an omnichannel experience that turns customers into diehard fans.

You can integrate Klaviyo with most major ecommerce platforms, including Shopify and WooCommerce.

Analytics & reporting

Klaviyo has a stand-alone analytics platform for tracking and analyzing customer data.

This analytics platform promises easy performance tracking and reporting, as well as unique insights into customer behavior to shape your communication efforts.

Customer support

Klaviyo offers customer support through email and chat, but many customers have complained about the poor handling of issues, particularly those related to billing.

Pricing

Klaviyo’s pricing is the major bone of contention among users, even those satisfied with the software.

First, to use Klaviyo for SMS, you must also pay for email. This is because Klaviyo’s pricing is based on both the number of active profiles you have and the volume of emails and SMS/MMS you send monthly, with no option to select SMS sending only.

💡 N.B.: Active profiles are stored contacts that can be emailed by Klaviyo.

The lowest plan is $20/month, which allows you to store 251-500 active profiles and send 5000 emails and 150 SMS messages (or 50 MMS messages) per month.

On Klaviyo’s pricing page, you can select the number of active profiles you have and your monthly SMS or MMS credits to get your exact monthly cost.

Second, Klaviyo’s SMS prices are higher than most other services, and the toggle nature of the pricing page can make billing confusing.

That’s why some users, like Katie C., commented on G2 that “Klaviyo’s pricing and cost structure are not my favorite”.

Klaviyo also doesn’t have a free trial, but there’s a forever free plan with 500 monthly email sends, 150 monthly SMS/MMS credits, and a maximum of 250 active profiles.

You don’t have to pay extra mobile carrier fees, but email/SMS credits don’t roll over once the month ends. There is also no room for annual payments.

Where it falls short

Klaviyo is a robust communication solution for ecommerce brands that want to handle everything customer-facing in one place.

If you decide to use Klaviyo solely for SMS, you’ll not only be overpaying (since you have to pay for email too), but you’ll also be unable to utilize the tool to its full capacity.

If you are new to ecommerce and have no systems set up, a CRM platform like Klaviyo can allow you to dip your toes in many communication aspects easily, without the headache of signing up for many tools.

But if you already handle email, reviews, chat, customer service, etc via other services, choosing Klaviyo just for SMS would be overkill.

3. Omnisend: Best Klaviyo Alternative

Omnisend is another popular ecommerce email and SMS solution, and it follows Klaviyo everywhere, including being second to it on my list of recommended tools.

Ease of usage

Omnisend is a very straightforward platform to set up. After clicking “start free” on Omnisend’s home page, I was able to get an account up and running in just 5 minutes.

Omnisend’s dashboard is easy to understand, even if you are new to ecommerce, with intuitive drag and drop functionality and clear categorizations.

If you jump into review websites like G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot, you’ll find that most Omnisend users praise the tool’s simplicity and ease of use.

Like this user commented on Capterra:

Reliability

Omnisend boasts a high SMS deliverability rate, as indicated by user feedback.

Many reviewers praise the platform’s dependability and transparency, especially its message tracking features that allow users to verify message status and report delivery failures.

Core ecommerce features

Just like Klaviyo, Omnisend is built primarily for ecommerce businesses and integrates with most major ecommerce platforms.

Omnisend also has pre-built automation and personalization features that make connecting with your audience effortless.

You can also do web push messaging, as well as Facebook and Google ads retargeting with your Omnisend account.

Analytics & reporting

Omnisend has a reporting feature that provides a bird’s-eye view of your sales and performance metrics, so you know where you are dropping the ball.

There are many (recent) reviews of users praising this reporting feature. For example, this review from Sonikka D. on G2:

Customer support

Omnisend’s customer support consistently earns high regard across review sites like Trustpilot, G2, Capterra, and GetApp.

Users describe the experience as exceptional, with many highlighting that they love:

• How explanatory their tutorials are
• How quickly the support team responds
• How well the support team resolves issues

This review from Trustpilot perfectly captures the sentiment surrounding Omnisend’s customer service.

Pricing

Omnisend is a coupled email and SMS platform, and you can’t use it for SMS only.

To send text messages using Omnisend, you first have to subscribe to one of their three plans: Free, Standard, and Pro. These plans are based on the number of contacts, published product reviews, and monthly email sends.

You can check the exact costs for the number of contacts you have on Omnisend’s pricing page.

After you subscribe to a plan, SMS and MMS messages are priced as an add-on fee, and your cost per credit/message depends on the destination country (it is $0.015/credit for US/Canada).

As a bonus, if you are on the free or standard plans, you get $1 for SMS credit monthly. And if you are on the Pro plan, you get free SMS credits equivalent to the price of your subscription (if you are paying $78 monthly, you get $78 to purchase SMS credits).

Omnisend doesn’t charge additional mobile carrier fees. There’s also no free trial or annual pricing, but new users can pay for three months upfront to get 30% off. Your unused SMS credits roll over for the next 30 days.

Where it falls short

Omnisend is an excellent all-in-one platform for brands that want to manage both email and SMS from a single place.

If you are in the market for tools to manage both SMS and email, Omnisend is an excellent choice at a fraction of Klaviyo’s cost.

However, if you already have an email tool, choosing Omnisend solely for SMS may not be the most strategic decision.

Apart from the fact that you would have to pay for sending emails as well, you’ll also be unable to tap into the features that really make Omnisend shine: email campaigns, templates, and automated workflows.

4. Postscript: Best for Shopify Ecommerce Brands

Postscript is an SMS platform built exclusively for Shopify ecommerce brands. It is a pretty popular solution and was recommended the most after Omnisend.

Ease of usage

Signing up for Postscript is super simple and took me less than 10 minutes and the user interface is easy to work around, even as a beginner. Also, most Postscript users find the platform “clean to use and intuitive.”

On Postscript’s Shopify app store review page, the app’s functionality is consistently praised.

Reliability

Postscript users find the app dependable for SMS campaigns.

For example, a Shopify store owner new to SMS testified that they researched and tried various apps and “Postscript stood out as the most reliable choice.”

Core ecommerce features

Postscript is an SMS-first platform, so it has many SMS-native features that most other all-in-one platforms lack.

For example, Postscript has:

• Multiple opt-in tools—including website popups, onsite opt-in, checkout collection, shareable landing page links, QR codes, back in stock notifications, and text-to-join keywords.
• Deep SMS personalization features like segmentation, filtering, tagging, and response branching.
• Campaigning and post-purchase SMS automation workflows.
• 2-way messaging.

BUT, Postscript is built for Shopify stores and doesn’t work with other ecommerce platforms like WooCommerce or Wix.

However, it does have tons of integrations with other tools in the Shopify ecosystem.

Analytics & reporting

Postscript offers an analytics feature that allows you to view and interpret your customer data.

Here, you can check analytics for your campaigns, automation, and installed pop-ups to know what works and what doesn’t.

Customer support

Up till around October of 2024, most comments about Postscript’s customer service were positive, praising Postscript’s excellent customer service team and prompt, practical help.

But things seem to have gone downhill from then, and there have been mostly negative reviews regarding their customer service. Most of these complaints center around unclear payment structures and wrongful billings. Like these:

Pricing

Postscript has four plans: Starter, Growth, Professional, and Enterprise.

Each of these plans has a very generous 30-day free trial that comes with a $1,000 usage credit (for both messages & carrier fees).

Postscript charges additional mobile carrier fees, and you can choose to sign a contract (for a year or longer) if you’d rather not pay monthly. Also, unused credits do not roll over.

Where it falls short

Postscript is an excellent, beginner-friendly, SMS-native platform, but it is only for Shopify store owners. If you house your ecommerce store outside of Shopify, you can’t use Postscript.

Also, Postscript’s customer service isn’t the best at the moment, so you have to be ready to make do with their support articles and videos if you choose to use the platform.

5. TxtCart: Best Postscript Alternative

TxtCart is another SMS platform built exclusively for Shopify brands. It is very similar to Postscript and was recommended the same number of times as it was, and mainly in the same conversations.

Ease of usage

TxtCart is super easy to use. Signing up is fast, and customers sing praises of the intuitive user interface and ease of setup.

Like this happy customer on TxtCart’s Shopify store review page:

Reliability

TxtCart is excellent for running high ROI SMS campaigns based on feedback from a large number of customers. The abandoned cat recovery feature is particularly excellent and has helped many users win back customers and sales they thought had been lost.

Core ecommerce features

TxtCart is built for Shopify stores and has many features that make it work excellently well with them. Some of these features include:

• Flows
• Automations
• Cart recovery
• Campaign planner
• Mobile app pop-ups, etc.

TxtCart also has lots of integrations with other tools in the Shopify ecosystem, like CartHook, Recharge, Gorgias, Privy, etc.

Analytics & reporting

TxtCart offers an analytics feature that provides “powerful insights into your subscribers and SMS.”

This allows you to make data-driven decisions to improve your SMS campaigns.

Customer support

TxtCart boasts an exceptional customer support team, highly praised in nearly all their online reviews.

Users appreciate how TxtCart’s support team responds promptly and provides helpful assistance.

Pricing

TxtCart has four plans: Starter, Growth, Pro, and Enterprise.

On TxtCart’s pricing page, you can find the best fit plan tailored to your needs, based on your monthly website visits and average order volume.

One unique aspect of TxtCarts pricing is that, on top of your monthly plan fee, you have to pay a % of your generated fee for cart recovery automation. This can drive the price up and eat into your profit margin.

You can pay for TxtCart annually to save 17% and every plan comes with a 14-day free trial to get a feel of the platform.

However, unused SMS credits do not rollover, and you have to pay an additional monthly mobile carrier fee.

Where it falls short

TxtCart falls short in two ways:

1. Having to pay a fixed percentage of your generated sales from cart recovery can significantly drive up your monthly fee, especially since users on theStarter plan have to pay 15%. Some users have complained about this, noting that it feels like “theft.”

2. TxtCart works only for Shopify, so you are immediately disqualified if you house your ecommerce store on a platform like WooCommerce.

In short, if you are a Shopify store owner who finds the improved ROI promise worth the gamble of the pricing model, you can give TxtCart a try.

But if you seek a simpler payment structure, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

6. MailChimp: Best for Minor SMS Campaigns

MailChimp is an email and automation platform that offers SMS as an add-on feature. It was recommended five times across the conversations I scoured.

Ease of usage

You can get your MailChimp account up and running in less than 30 minutes with features like the drag-and-drop builder, template gallery, and built-in tool tips there to assist you.

MailChimp’s user interface is also very intuitive, and users rate ‘ease of use’ as its top pro on G2.

Reliability

MailChimp is an email-first platform with robust email deliverability features like multiple IPs, reputation management, and an internal delivery system that enables it to achieve an email inbox acceptance rate of 95 - 99%.

However, SMS is a newer and add-on MailChimp feature that’s only available on paid plans and in just 12 countries. Thus, MailChimp doesn’t have the same SMS deliverability confidence as it does for email.

Core ecommerce features

MailChimp brands itself as a one-stop solution for ecommerce email and automation. It has features to support this claim, like:

• Email builder
• AI marketing tools
• AI content creation tools
• Automation flows
• Landing pages & website builder
• Audience management features, etc.

MailChimp works with all major ecommerce platforms (like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Wix) and also has over 300 integrations with other ecommerce software.

Customer support

MailChimp offers different levels of support for free and paid users.

Free users get access to help articles and documentation, while paid users get live chat, email support, or phone calls (only on the most expensive plan).

Most of MailChimp’s negative customer reviews center around the support team being slow, unhelpful, or the user being unable to connect to a real person. Like this one from TrustPilot:

Analytics & reporting

MailChimp has a cohort of reporting and analytics tools for testing, improving, and maximizing your email and SMS campaigns.

These tools let you know what works and what doesn’t so you can make the most of your SMS efforts.

Pricing

MailChimp has a forever free plan and three paid plans: Essentials, Standard, Premium.

These plans doesn’t include SMS costs, and you have to pay for that as an add-on fee that’s not publicly available.

According to MailChimp’s help center, SMS costs are priced “depending on your sending country, and they’re calculated according to your Mailchimp account’s payment method on the billing information page.”

Unused SMS credits do not roll over, and you do need to pay additional mobile carrier fees. However, you can make an annual payment to save up to 50%.

Where it falls short

MailChimp is primarily an email platform, having focused on that for years before introducing SMS as a new feature recently.

So, unlike other platforms built exclusively for SMS, its SMS features aren’t as mature or fully developed as those for email. This might show up in your SMS messages delivering slower or SMS-integral features being nowhere to be found.

Also, MailChimp’s support leaves users to figure things out on their own quite a bit, especially if you aren’t on the most expensive plan.

7. Attentive: Best for Email + SMS

Attentive is an AI-powered SMS, email, and RCS platform. Even though it’s the last tool on my list, it does pack some decent features. Let’s look at them.

Ease of usage

It took me about 15 minutes to set up my Attentive account, and the user interface was straightforward to navigate, even for a beginner like me.

Other users also love Attentive’s intuitive user interface, with one noting that it is “simple to build and manage campaigns without a steep learning curve”.

Reliability

Attentive promises reliable deliveries every time—even during peak holiday periods.

With the compliance tools it has built into its user flow and reliable deliverability infrastructures, you can rest assured that your message will always reach the right person at the right time.

Core ecommerce features

Attentive boasts of unique ecommerce features like:

• Automated workflows
• Conversational AI tools
• SMS & email programs integration
• Personalized message templates
• Contact segmentation, filtering, and management

Attentive also has 150+ integrations with other ecommerce platforms and tools, so you can connect it to most of the tools you already work with.

Customer support

Attentive has a world-class customer service team that is consistently praised in user reviews across platforms like G2 and Capterra.

Many users find the support team very helpful and prompt, like this reviewer on G2:

“I’m very impressed by the amount of support and the quickness of that support. Any issues have been thoroughly addressed and additionally, we’ve been onboarding to a new crm and they’ve been able to bend over backwards just to make that possible. Their email + sms is extremely user friendly and easy to use. Their integration team was extremely helpful and easy to actually use on a day to day.”

Analytics & reporting

Attentive has an analytics feature that tracks your SMS campaigns over time to spot trends and misfits.

This analytics feature is coupled with beautiful visualizations and advanced reports to make it easy to report to stakeholders about what drives business success.

Pricing

Attentive issues custom prices for every user after they fill out their projected usage needs on Attentive’s pricing page.

You can choose to use the platform for SMS only, or add email and/or push notifications.

It’s worth noting that many Attentive customers express concerns that the software can become expensive. Also, Attentive’s top con on G2 is high costs.

Where it falls short

To determine the cost of using Attentive for your specific needs, you need to submit a quote request. This lack of pricing transparency can make budgeting difficult.

Additionally, many of Attentive’s features are only fully unlocked or optimized when you fully engage with the platform, specifically when you use it for both email and SMS.

Choose the Right Route for Your Message

Your SMS message could be personalized, contextual, and on-point, but if it travels via the wrong platform, it could end up being delivered to the wrong person, at the wrong time, and within the wrong framework.

Carefully consider the features you need in an SMS route to smash your next SMS campaign and then choose a tool that ticks all those boxes.

Whether that’s an affordable one that leaves a lot of profit margin (like Mobile Text Alerts that starts at $25/month) or a comprehensive one that allows you to combine email & SMS (like Klaviyo and Attentive).

Whichever you need, this list is a solid starting point towards making a choice.

Get a free trial at Mobile Text Alerts to try an SMS platform out for yourself.

Author Bio:

Aishat Abdulfatah writes thought leadership content for B2B SaaS brands that have unique insights to share.

She pairs her writing flair with brand experts’ wealth of knowledge to create long-form content readers love, bookmark, and send to their peers.

When she’s not writing, she’s either reading a novel or catching up on newly released K-dramas. To learn more, connect with her on LinkedIn.