14 Best Text Messaging Services for 2024

So you’ve decided to look into a text messaging service.

After all, everyone texts these days. It’s the surest way to get messages right in front of people’s eyes - whether that’s marketing content, updates, or any other notices.

Because people don’t ignore their text messages like they do emails.

In fact, texts have a reported read rate of up to 98%, which is unthinkable.

So why not use a text messaging service for your business?

But here’s the problem: there are so many texting platforms out there.

How do you choose one?

Never fear!

Here we’ve listed some of the best text messaging services to look into as we come into the end of 2022 and into 2023 and beyond.

Then we’ll get into how you choose which service is right for your company.

Text Messaging Service 1: Mobile Text Alerts

Our service is Mobile Text Alerts.

It’s a simple name for an easy-to-use platform.

Here are some of the pros and cons.

Pros

• It’s easy to get started, so you don’t have to get stressed about learning a new tool
  • Each account gets a free personalized live walkthrough, in case you want some extra help, so you can have more confidence in getting started
  • Robust “Help” documentation lets you find answers to any questions you may have regarding your texting services, so you can get answers fast on your own
• The platform and app are easy to use, so you don’t have to go through a lot of hassle in order to send your messages
• Customer support is easy to contact, so you can get help when you need it
  • During business hours, you can chat instantly with a support person for immediate help
  • After hours, you can send in an email and receive a reply back in less that 1 business day
• It has an updated platform design, so you can have the most seamless and enjoyable experience
  • The platform had a major overhaul and update this year, so you can feel confident you’re not using an outdated product

Cons

• Limited native integrations (although you do get access to an API, and there are thousands of integrations available via the integration site Zapier)

Pricing

• Basic Plan - 500 messages per month - $20 per month billed annually, or $25 billed monthly
• Starter Plan - 1,000 messages per month - $36 per month billed annually, or $44 billed monthly
• Standard Plan - 2,000 messages per month - $58 per month billed annually, or $74 billed monthly
• Professional Plan - 5,000 messages per month - $119 per month billed annually, or $149 billed monthly
• Plus Plan - 10,000 messages per month - $219 per month billed annually, or $274 billed monthly
• Premium Plan - 20,000 messages per month - $389 per month billed annually, or $499 billed monthly
• Elite Plan - 50,000 messages per month - $874 per month billed annually, or $1,074 billed monthly
• Custom plans available for higher volumes

The plans below were current as of September 2022.

Text Messaging Service 2: SlickText

SlickText calls themselves “the trusted leader in text marketing.”

They are one of the top names among the text messaging service industry.

How do they actually fare as a texting platform?

Pros

• It’s easy to get started
• Platform and mobile app are both simple to use
• Customer support is easy to contact
• Platform offers a couple of unique features, such as age verification and “text-to-win” contests

Cons

• Plans are a little more expensive than some other platforms (especially for higher plans), but not outrageous
• Plans don’t include a discount for paying annually

Pricing

• The Basic - 500 messages per month - $29 per month
• The Step Up - 1,000 messages per month - $49 per month
• The Lil Bro - 2,000 messages per month - $79 per month
• The Big Bro - 3,600 messages per month - $139 per month
• The Boss - 5,000 messages per month - $189 per month
• The Albatross - 10,000 messages per month - $350 per month
• The Whale - 25,000 messages per month - $750 per month
• The Monstro - 50,000 messages per month - $1,250 per month
• Custom plans are available for higher volumes

Text Messaging Service 3: SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting’s tagline?

“The Only All-In-One Text Messaging Service.”

Here are some pros and cons to help you decide if that’s true.

Pros

• The platform is simple to use
• It’s easy to get started
• Customer support is easy to contact

Cons

• The mobile app has had some issues with bugs
• There’s not much to differentiate it from other platforms

Pricing

• 500 message plan - $23.20 per month billed annually, or $29 billed monthly
• 1,000 message plan - $39.20 per month billed annually, or $49 billed monthly
• 2,000 message plan - $63.20 per month billed annually, or $79 billed monthly
• 3,000 message plan - $87.20 per month billed annually, or $109 billed monthly
• 7,500 message plan - $183.20 per month billed annually, or $229 billed monthly
• 15,000 message plan - $319.20 per month billed annually, or $399 billed monthly
• 25,000 message plan - $439.20 per month billed annually, or $549 billed monthly
• 50,000 message plan - $719.20 per month billed annually, or $899 billed monthly
• Custom plans available for higher volumes

Text Messaging Service 4: EZ Texting

EZ Texting is another well-known name in the text messaging service sphere.

Let’s go over their pros, cons, and pricing.

Pros

• The platform is easy to use
• It’s easy to get started
• The company has been around for a while
• The platform offers a unique “stock photo” feature to help you attach images to messages

Cons

• There have been some (though not a lot of) issues with customer service
• The mobile app’s functionality is limited
• Pricing is more confusing than other platforms

Pricing

• Value Plan (allows 1 user)
  • 200 messages per month + 1 user - $19 per month billed annually, or $24 billed monthly
  • 500 messages per month + 1 user - $29 per month billed annually, or $36 billed monthly
  • 1,500 messages per month + 1 user - $55 per month billed annually, or $70 billed monthly
  • 2,500 messages per month + 1 user - $89 per month billed annually, or $112 billed monthly
  • 5,000 messages per month + 1 user - $156 per month billed annually, or $197 billed monthly
  • 10,000 messages per month + 1 user - $283 per month billed annually, or $358 billed monthly
• Essentials Plan (allows 2 users)
  • 200 messages per month + 2 users - $29 per month billed annually, or $36 billed monthly
  • 500 messages per month + 2 users - $38 per month billed annually, or $48 billed monthly
  • 1,500 messages per month + 2 users - $65 per month billed annually, or $82 billed monthly
  • 2,500 messages per month + 2 users - $98 per month billed annually, or $124 billed monthly
  • 5,000 messages per month + 2 users - $165 per month billed annually, or $209 billed monthly
  • 10,000 messages per month + 2 users - $293 per month billed annually, or $370 billed monthly
• Premium Plan (allows 3 users)
  • 200 messages per month + 3 users - $61 per month billed annually, or $49 billed monthly
  • 500 messages per month + 3 users - $73 per month billed annually, or $58 billed monthly
  • 1,500 messages per month + 3 users - $107 per month billed annually, or $85 billed monthly
  • 2,500 messages per month + 3 users - $149 per month billed annually, or $118 billed monthly
  • 5,000 messages per month + 3 users - $234 per month billed annually, or $185 billed monthly
  • 10,000 messages per month + 3 users - $395 per month billed annually, or $313 billed monthly
• Custom plans start at $374 per month

Text Messaging Service 5: Textedly

Textedly claims to be “the easiest way to instantly send 10 or 100,000 bulk SMS and MMS mobile text messages.”

Does it live up to that standard?

Pros

• The platform is easy to use
• Customer support is overall easy to contact
• The platform offers a couple of unique features, such as a sign-up button you can input on your Instagram page

Cons

• There have been some negative customer support interactions
• There is no mobile app

Pricing

• Monthly plans
  • Bronze - 1,000 messages per month - $24 per month
  • Plus - 2,000 messages per month - $39 per month
  • Enterprise - 3,500 messages per month - $50 per month
  • Elite - 5,000 messages per month - $70 per month
  • Business - 10,000 messages per month - $140 per month
  • Silver - 15,000 messages per month - $210 per month
  • Premium - 25,000 messages per month - $350 per month
• Annual plans
  • Bronze - 1,200 messages per month - $24 per month
  • Plus - 2,400 messages per month - $39 per month
  • Enterprise - 4,200 messages per month - $50 per month
  • Elite - 6,000 messages per month - $70 per month
  • Business - 12,000 messages per month - $140 per month
  • Silver - 18,000 messages per month - $210 per month
  • Premium - 30,000 messages per month - $350 per month

Text Messaging Service 6: Trumpia

Trumpia is a text messaging service that’s built for scaling.

Its tagline is “Simple for your first project, advanced for the next.”

Here’s the info.

Pros

• Customer support is easy to reach and friendly
• The platform has robust features

Cons

• The platform isn’t as easy to use as other platforms
• There is no mobile app
• Pricing starts at a higher level than other platforms

Pricing

• Core Plans
  • 3,000 messages per month - $76 per month billed annually, or $95 monthly
  • 5,000 messages per month - $100 per month billed annually, or $125 monthly
  • 7,500 messages per month - $116 per month billed annually, or $145 monthly
  • 15,000 messages per month - $204 per month billed annually, or $255 monthly
  • 25,000 messages per month - $300 per month billed annually, or $375 monthly
  • 50,000 messages per month - $500 per month billed annually, or $625 monthly
• Advanced Plans (include more advanced features)
  • 5,000 messages per month - $156 per month billed annually, or $195 monthly
  • 15,000 messages per month - $396 per month billed annually, or $495 monthly
  • 40,00 messages per month - $796 per month billed annually, or $995 monthly
  • 100,000 messages per month - $1,516 per month billed annually, or $1,895 monthly
  • 225,000 messages per month - $3,196 per month billed annually, or $3,995 monthly

Text Messaging Service 7: TextMagic

Does TextMagic have “the magic”?

Let’s take a look.

Pros

• The platform is easy to use
• It’s easy to get started
• Customer support is friendly
• “Pay as you go” pricing may be good for very small scale users

Cons

• “Pay as you go” pricing can get pricey
• The platform doesn’t have an easy way to send mass picture messages (MMS)

Pricing

• Cost is $4 per month + $.04 per message

Text Messaging Service 8: Twilio

Twilio is not an out-of-the-box solution, but rather provides an API so you can send your text messages programmatically.

What are the pros and cons of this?

Pros

• Pricing is lower
• If you have developer bandwidth, you can build your own SMS process

Cons

• Not out-out-the-box
• Setting up and managing is time- and labor-intensive
• Pricing is more complicated

Pricing

• Pricing is “pay as you go”
• Sending and receiving messages:
  • “Regular” messages - $ 0.0079 per message to send
  • “Regular” messages - $ 0.0075 per message to receive
  • Picture messages (MMS) - $ 0.02 per message to send
  • Picture messages (MMS) - $ 0.01 per message to receive ($0.02 per message if sending/receiving through toll-free phone numbers)
• Pricing for phone numbers:
  • Local phone numbers - $1 per month each
  • Toll-free phone numbers - $2 per month each
  • Short codes - $1,000 per month each (or $500 per month to manage your own lease)
  • Using your own existing local number - $0.50 per month each
• In addition to the above fees, you will have to pay fees incurred by the phone carriers:
  • US Cellular
    • $0.005 for each “regular” message sent on a local phone number
    • $0.0025 for each “regular” message received on a toll-free number
    • $0.01 for each picture message sent on a local phone number
    • $0.005 for each picture message sent or received on a toll-free number
  • Verizon
    • $0.0025 for each “regular” message sent on a local or toll-free number
    • $0.005 for each picture message sent on a local or toll-free number
  • AT&T
    • $0.002-$0.004 for each “regular” message sent on a local phone number
    • $0.0025 for each “regular” message sent on a toll-free number
    • $0.0035-$0.005 for each picture message sent on a local phone number
    • $0.003 for each picture message sent or received on a toll-free number
  • T-Mobile
    • $0.003 for each “regular” message sent or received on a local or toll-free phone number
    • $0.01 for each picture message sent or received on a local or toll-free phone number

Text Messaging Service 9: Tatango

Tatango calls itself “America’s #1 SMS Software for Fundraising.”

So it sets itself up as a text messaging service geared toward political and non-profit campaigns.

Pros

• The platform is easy to use
• It’s easy to get started
• Support is easy to contact

Cons

• There is no mobile app
• Pricing is not advertised
• There have been some issues with bugs

Pricing

• Not advertised

Text Messaging Service 10: Avochato

Avochato is one of the fresher faces on the market.

What does that mean for its pros and cons?

Pros

• The platform is easy to use
• It’s easy to get started
• Support is friendly and easy to contact
• The platform allows users to manage texts, chats, and WhatsApp threads

Cons

• Pricing is a little more complicated
• The company is relatively new, having started in 2016 so it hasn’t yet established longevity

Pricing

• Plans are based on how many users you have, and message fees are charged on a “pay as you go” basis
• Plans:
  • Lite - $19 per month per user billed annually, or $23 per user monthly
  • Standard - $35 per month per user + $175 per month billed annually, or $42 per month per user + $210 monthly
  • Custom plans are available for 10+ users
• Messaging fees:
  • If paying annually - $0.02 per message segment for both inbound and outbound messages
  • If paying monthly - $0.03 per message segment for both inbound and outbound messages

Text Messaging Service 11: Attentive

Attentive is a brand that seeks to be “the most comprehensive text message marketing solution,” geared toward e-commerce businesses.

Here are the pros and cons.

Pros

• The platform is easy to use
• It’s easy to get started
• Support is friendly and easy to contact
• The platform has robust marketing features

Cons

• There is no mobile app
• Pricing is not advertised and is reported to sometimes be expensive

Pricing

• Not advertised

Text Messaging Service 12: TextMarks

TextMarks is a lesser known player in the text messaging service industry.

What can you expect with this platform?

Pros

• The platform is easy to use
• It’s easy to get started
• Support is friendly and easy to contact

Cons

• The platform has a much higher pricing point to start than most

Pricing

• Platinum - 35,000 messages per month - $549 per month
• Enterprise - 100,000 messages per month - $1,099 per month
• Custom plans are available for larger customers willing to pay annually

Text Messaging Service 13: Podium

Podium is a professional-level texting platform, particularly catering to local businesses.

Here’s what to expect.

Pros

• The platform is easy to use
• The platform offers other features such as Google/Facebook review collection and a website chat widget

Cons

• Some support experiences haven’t been outstanding
• The platform has a much higher pricing point to start than most
• Users report limited flexibility with contracts
• Only the highest plan allows for picture messages

Pricing

• Essential - Up to 1,000 contacts and 3 team members - $249 per month billed annually, or $289 monthly
• Standard - Unlimited contacts and team members - $409 per month billed annually, or $449 monthly
• Professional - Unlimited contacts and team members - $599 per month billed annually, or $649
• (Plans allow 10 messages per individual contact per month)

Text Messaging Service 14: DialMyCalls

DialMyCalls is a multi-purpose platform enabling phone calls, text messages, and emails.

Is that a winning combo?

Pros

• The platform is easy to use
• The platform offers phone calls and emails along with text messages

Cons

• Inbound messages are not included for free in all plans
• Pricing is more complicated

Pricing

• Standard - plan varies based on number of contacts
  • 25 contacts - $6.74 per month billed annually, or $7.49 monthly
  • 50 contacts - $13.49 per month billed annually, or $14.99 monthly
  • 100 contacts - $31.49 per month billed annually, or $34.99 monthly
  • 200 contacts - $49.49 per month billed annually, or $54.99 monthly
  • 300 contacts - $67.49 per month billed annually, or $74.99 monthly
  • 400 contacts - $76.49 per month billed annually, or $84.99 monthly
  • 500 contacts - $85.49 per month billed annually, or $94.99 monthly
• Premium - plan varies based on number of credits purchased
  • 150 credits - $8.99 per month billed annually, or $9.99 monthly
  • 500 credits - $26.99 per month billed annually, or $29.99 monthly
  • 1,000 credits - $44.99 per month billed annually, or $49.99 monthly
  • 2,000 credits - $80.99 per month billed annually, or $89.99 monthly
  • 3,000 credits - $107.99 per month billed annually, or $119.99 monthly
  • 7,500 credits - $269.99 per month billed annually, or $299.99 monthly
  • 25,000 credits - $787.50 per month billed annually, or $875 monthly
  • 50,000 credits - $1,575 per month billed annually, or $1,750 monthly
• Pay as you go - messages cost $.07 per message, starting at $10

So How Do You Choose a Text Messaging Service?

That list is a lot to sort through.

So how in the world do you choose?

Well, if you read that list front to back, you’d notice a few common pros to look for:

• Easy to get started
• Easy to use
• Easy to reach customer support

On top of that, you’ll want to make sure the platform has the features you need to accomplish what you’re trying to accomplish.

And, of course, the price has to be right. Right?

Easy to Get Started

Most texting platforms will allow you to have some kind of free trial.

If not, that may be a red flag.

Check out the onboarding process for the platform you’re looking into.

Is it easy to figure out how to add contacts? How to send a message? How to do other things you’re wanting to accomplish?

Do they offer a live demo so you can get a personal walkthrough if you want?

With some texting platforms, you can be ready to go in 5 minutes flat - something like that is what you’re looking for.

The above listed platforms that seemed the easiest to get started include:

• Mobile Text Alerts
• SlickText
• SimpleTexting
• EZ Texting
• TextMagic
• Tatango
• Avochato
• Attentive
• TextMarks

Easy to Use

Going along with “easy to get started,” you want a platform that’s easy overall.

Something that’s user-friendly.

Something that doesn’t leave you scrambling and scratching your head.

After all, it shouldn’t be complicated to do something simple like send a text message.

If you’ll have multiple people managing your account, this is particularly important. There will be varying degrees of tech-savviness, so you’ll want to look for something that the non-tech-savvy user can pick up without a lot of difficulty.

Find something that you enjoy using. Find something that’s sleek and intuitive.

There are a lot of texting platforms out there, so you don’t have to settle.

The above listed platforms that appeared the easiest to use include:

• Mobile Text Alerts
• EZ Texting
• Textedly
• TextMagic
• Tatango
• Avochato
• Attentive
• TextMarks
• Podium
• DialMyCalls

Easy to Reach Customer Support

We’ve all experienced the frustration of being put on hold a million different times during a customer service interaction.

A simple question that should take 5 minutes to answer can end up taking an hour or more.

You don’t want negative customer service interactions with your texting platform.

So you want a texting platform that makes getting in touch with support a snap.

The above listed platforms that appeared to make it the easiest contact support include:

• Mobile Text Alerts
• SlickText
• SimpleTexting
• Textedly
• Trumpia
• Tatango
• Avochato
• Attentive
• TextMarks

Features You May NEED in a Text Messaging Service

When it comes to a text messaging service, there are some features that will be offered almost across the board.

Many, if not most, users will want to use these features at some point as they go about their texting efforts.

If the platform you’re looking at is lacking any of the following features, that’s something to take note of:

• Easy ways to send mass and individual messages: without a super-easy way to send messages, why have a text messaging service?
• Contact management options, including the ability to organize contacts into “groups” or segments, so you can target your messages to more organized segments
• A spreadsheet importing option that will allow you to load in existing contacts from another source - no need to start from scratch if you don’t have to!
• “Text-to-join” functionality, so you can give people the option to join your text messaging list by simply sending in a text message to your account’s phone number
• Scheduling capabilities, so you can plan your messages in advance, to go out at the perfect time
• A picture messaging option, also known as MMS - that way, you have more flexibility for what kinds of messages you can send
• A mobile app, so you can easily access and send messages whether you’re in the office, at home, or on the go
• Some level of message reporting, so you can have more insight and confidence into who’s actually receiving your messages

Features You May WANT in a Text Messaging Service

In addition to the list of features above, many text messaging services will offer a variety of other features you may want to take advantage of.

Some of these may or may not be useful to you, depending on how you’re planning to use your texting services. So you’ll just need to decide which ones are important to help reach your specific messaging goals.

(If you need any help figuring out which features you need or how to go about reaching your goals, you can get a free consultation with an expert to get some clarity.)

2-Way Messaging Inbox

A 2-way messaging inbox would be important if you’re wanting to be able to easily manage individual conversations with your recipients.

From a messaging inbox, you’ll be able to see people’s individual responses to your messages and can quickly reply back as needed.

Ideal for:

• Customer service interactions
• Communicating with individual sales leads

QR Codes

Automatically generated QR codes give you a way to get more people to opt in to your text messages.

You can share the QR code with your customers - whether that’s through email, social media, physical mail, or at your physical location. Your customers can then scan the code to sign up for your text list.

Ideal for:

• In-person businesses or organizations
• Snail mail campaigns

Message Templates

“Message templates” refers to having the ability to create a pre-made message ahead of time that you can easily send out whenever you need to.

This would be ideal for situations in which you might have to send out the same message multiple times and don’t want to have to type it out every time.

Or it could be important if you’re anticipating emergency situations, so that you can save precious time by having a message all ready to go if the need arises.

Ideal for:

• Emergency alerts
• Regular reminders (for meetings, events, appointments, etc.)
• Regular employee notices
• Customer service “canned” responses

Link Tracking

Tracking success on texting campaigns can sometimes be difficult, because there’s not really a way to tell whether a recipient has actually opened the message.

Link tracking can help. It allows you to insert a trackable link within your texting campaign, and then track which of your specific recipients click the link.

This will give you better insight into the success of your texting campaigns so that you can make better informed decisions for future campaigns.

Ideal for:

• Marketing campaigns
• Fundraising campaigns

“Smart Replies”

“Smart replies” refers to automated messages that are triggered by specific words people text in.

For example, you can set it up so that if people text in the word “Hours,” they automatically receive a text back including your office hours.

The uses for this are almost limitless. But the major benefit is that it saves both you and your customers hassle by creating automated flows to preemptively answer questions people may have about your business.

Ideal for:

• Customer service
• Confirmations

API

If you’re a developer, you already know what API is.

In case you don’t, it allows users to connect services to each other via coding.

So through API, you can connect and integrate with other services, such as a CRM, or other processes you already use.

This means you can save hassle and create a more seamless experience for yourself and for your customers.

Ideal for:

• Businesses/organizations that have access to developers
• Businesses/organizations that use a CRM

Integrations

For those who aren’t developers or aren’t in a situation in which a developer can set things up for them, you can still look for a text messaging service that offers ways to integrate with other services that you use.

Although the integration options won’t be as flexible as programming through API, you can still get some of the same hassle-saving benefits.

Ideal for:

• Businesses/organizations that don’t have access to developers
• Business/organizations that use a CRM

Web Sign-Up Form

A web sign-up form allows you to have yet another way to get as many subscribers for your texts as you can.

This will be a customizable online form you can provide to people, and all they need to is follow the link and fill out the form to sign up.

One benefits of this method is that it’s easier than some other opt-in methods to collect more information from your subscriber - such as their name and email address.

Ideal for:

• Businesses that are primarily online
• Social media outreach

Drip Campaigns

If you’re a marketer, you already know what it means to have a “drip” campaign - it’s a series of messages “dripped” out automatically over a period of time.

Typically we think of these campaigns in terms of emails. But some text messaging services allow you to do this with your SMS as well.

This type of automation saves you time since you can go about your texting campaigns hands-free, without having to micro-manage it.

Ideal for:

• Continuing promotions
• Onboarding new customers
• Educational campaigns
• Training

Mobile Surveys

Mobile survey questions allow you to ask your customers or employees questions and get their answers automatically tallied for you.

This can be helpful for collecting opinions or getting RSVPs for events, so that you can be more informed about what your subscribers want.

Ideal for:

• RSVPs
• Customer feedback

Pricing Considerations When Choosing a Text Messaging Service

Now that we’ve gone over platform features to look for, we come to the all-important question of…

Pricing.

How does pricing for text messaging services work? What’s a “good” price? What pricing factors do you need to consider?

When it comes to text messaging services, there are 3 main types of pricing structures:

• Subscription based on messages
• Pay as you go
• Subscription based on users or contacts

We’ll go over each.

Subscription Based on Messages

In this model, you will pay a monthly or annual subscription fee which allows you to send a certain number of text messages per month.

Often, unused messages will roll over for at least 1 month.

With this structure, there’s typically no limit to how many contacts you can have in your account. However, do keep in mind that whenever you send a message, each recipient counts as at least one message.

For example, if you send a message to 500 recipients, that would count as 500 messages.

Starting prices for messaging-based subscriptions range from $19 per month to $549 per month.

One other thing to keep in mind with these types of subscriptions is that there’s typically a lower price if you’re paying annually vs. paying month-to-month.

So if you’re confident you want to go with a particular service, you can spring for the annual subscription to save some cash. But go with a month-to-month plan if you’re not sure so that you have the flexibility to cancel if you change your mind.

Some benefits of this pricing model include:

• You can have unlimited contacts
• You can have unlimited users
• Your pricing remains consistent
• Your price per message is often less expensive than “pay as you go,” particularly for higher plans

Some cons of this pricing model include:

• You may spend money for messages you don’t need
• If you purchase an annual subscription, you may not be able to get a refund if things don’t work out

The services listed above that follow this messaging-based subscription model include:

• Mobile Text Alerts
• SlickText
• SimpleTexting
• EZ Texting (with user limits)
• Textedly
• Trumpia (with “advanced feature” plans offered as well)
• TextMarks

Pay as You Go

With a “pay as you go” model, you primarily pay for the messages you need, although sometimes there is a minimum monthly fee or additional fees required.

There aren’t typically limits to contacts or users, and your messages are limited to however many credits you purchase.

You can top up as needed, or in some cases you can be invoiced after the fact.

Starting prices for “pay as you go” plans are $.01 per message to $.07 per message.

Some benefits of this pricing model include:

• You can have unlimited contacts
• You can have unlimited users
• You aren’t paying for message credits you don’t need

Some cons of this pricing model include:

• Your billing will be inconsistent
• You may end up paying more than other pricing models
• Billing is a little more complicated, with other fees often involved
• You may have to pre-pay to make sure you have enough credits available when you need them

The services listed above that follow this pay as you go model include:

• TextMagic
• Twilio
• Avochato (in conjunction with user-based subscription)
• DialMyCalls (in conjunction with contact-based subscription)

Subscription Based on Users or Contacts

User- or contact-based subscription models will allow you a certain number of users or contacts in your account.

These types of plans are either used in conjunction with a “pay as you go” structure as far as messages you can send, or they include an allotted number of messages.

Starting prices for user- or contact-based subscriptions range from $6.74 per month (in conjunction with “pay as you go”) to $249 per month.

Some benefits of this pricing model include:

• Your price can remain consistent
• It may save you money, depending on how many messages you send

Some cons of this pricing model include:

• It’s usually more complicated than the other 2 pricing models
• You have limits on how many users or contacts you can have in your system
• You may end up paying more if your plan also requires you to “pay as you go”

The services listed above that follow this user- or contact-based subscription model include:

• EZ Texting (in conjunction with messaging-based subscription)
• Avochato (in conjunction with “pay as you go”)
• DialMyCalls (in conjunction with “pay as you go”)
• Podium

How Do You Know How Many Messages You Need?

To select which plan and pricing model will work best for you, think about how many messages you might be sending.

(But don’t worry - if you’re not sure about any of this, many text messaging services will allow you to start small and upgrade your subscription later on.)

You’ll want to keep a few things in mind when thinking about how many messages you’ll need:

• How many people you’ll be texting
• How many times you’ll be texting them per month
• How long your messages will be
• How often (if at all) you’ll be sending picture messages

How Many People Will You Be Texting?

This is the most important question to ask, because as mentioned previously, each recipient for your message will typically count as at least 1 message.

That means, for example, if you’re texting 500 people, you’ll use at least 500 message credits when you send them a text.

So if you anticipate having a small text list, you can go with a lower-messaging plan. The more people you anticipate having on your list, the higher the plan you’ll need.

How Many Times Will You Be Texting Per Month?

Once you’ve determined an approximate number of people you may have on your text list, the next step is to figure out how many times you’ll be messaging them on a monthly basis.

For example, if you’ll have 1,000 recipients and you’ll be sending them 1-2 messages per month, you’ll probably need a plan that allows at least 2,000 messaging credits per month.

How Long Will Your Messages Be?

Another factor to consider is the length of your messages.

This is a point of consideration because text messages can technically only be 160 characters. Once you reach that point, your message will still send out but will typically count as 2 or more messages per recipient.

So if you’re sending a longer message to 2,000 recipients, it may actually use up 4,000 messaging credits.

One solution is to keep your messages short so that you don’t have to worry about it, but if your messages need to be long, this is something to keep in mind.

How Often (If at All) Will You Be Sending Picture Messages?

One final element to consider when thinking about how many messages you need in your plan is how often you’ll be sending picture messages (otherwise known as MMS).

Why?

Because picture messages use up more credits per message than “regular” texts.

For example, if you were to send an MMS to 5,000 recipients, it may actually use up 15,000 messaging credits.

So you’re wanting to send picture messages, you’ll want to know how many credits your texting platform charges per MMS. And you’ll want to think about how often you want to send MMS as opposed to “regular” SMS.

Annual vs. Monthly

We’ve already discussed a bit about annual and monthly plans.

But it bears summarizing the difference.

Annual Plans

Annual plans typically give a lower rate but either require an upfront payment or a year commitment.

So the benefit is that if you are planning on using it for a full year, you’ll save money. (And a side bonus is that your price will generally be locked in for a year in case the text messaging service ends up raising prices.)

The negative is that you’ve given your money upfront (or have committed to a year of payments), so if you change your mind or have a bad experience, you may not be able to get your money back.

Monthly Plans

Monthly plans allow you to pay month-to-month without any type of commitment.

The tradeoff is that the rate will be higher than if you purchased an annual plan.

So you get more flexibility in potentially canceling or downgrading your plan, but you’ll have a greater cost in the long run.

So what should you do?

We’d generally recommend starting out with a monthly plan and then switching to an annual plan after a few months if you find the service is a good fit.

Cost for Extra Messages

One final pricing item to consider is the cost to purchase extra messages outside of your regular allotment.

In other words, what do you do when you run out of messages and need to purchase more?

You’ll typically have 2 options when this happens:

• You can upgrade to a higher plan
• You can make a one-off purchase of additional messaging credits

In case you ever need to purchase additional credits, you’ll want to take note of how much it costs to make additional purchases with whatever platform you’re considering.

That way, you’re not caught off guard if the situation comes up.

Get 50 Messages Free to Try Out a Text Messaging Service

That’s a lot of info we just threw at you!

When it comes down to it, the best thing to do is try a text messaging service out for yourself so you can feel confident in an informed choice.

Get 50 free messages with Mobile Text Alerts so you can see how it works and you can start really reaching the people you’re wanting to reach.