6 best SMS marketing software platforms for 2027

SMS software can do very different jobs depending on the business using it. A local company may need simple bulk texting and replies, while an ecommerce team may care more about behavioral automation. Another company may already run email and CRM-connected campaigns and want SMS added to those journeys without introducing a separate marketing database.

Transpond is our top SMS marketing platform for UK businesses that want email and text messaging to work inside the same marketing workflow. SMS can be added directly to Automations, while Groups, Segments and CRM-connected customer data can be used across campaigns. SMS is currently available to UK customers only.

Best SMS marketing software comparison

How we compared SMS marketing platforms

We wanted to see how well each platform handles the things businesses need from SMS marketing.

Here's what we looked at:

• Pricing and SMS costs: Monthly subscriptions, pay-as-you-go options, message credits, and how costs change as your contact list grows.
• Marketing automation: The ability to trigger texts based on customer actions, create automated journeys, and combine SMS with other channels.
• Supported countries: Where each platform can send messages, including any country-specific restrictions or sender registration requirements.
• Contact and audience management: How easily you can organize contacts, create segments, manage opt-ins, and keep customer information up to date.
• Email and CRM integrations: Whether SMS connects with your existing marketing tools or requires a separate workflow.
• Ease of use: How much effort it takes to set up an account, create campaigns, and manage ongoing SMS activity.
• Platform focus: Whether the software specializes in text messaging or offers SMS as part of a broader email marketing and automation platform.

We also paid close attention to geographic availability. A platform built primarily for US businesses won't necessarily be suitable for companies targeting customers in the UK or Europe – even when its features look similar on paper.

What should you look for in SMS marketing software?

Before comparing brands, work out what kind of SMS program you’re building.

Do you need SMS on its own or alongside email?

Dedicated texting tools can be excellent for bulk campaigns and two-way conversations. They make perfect sense when SMS is a distinct communication channel with its own audience and processes.

This comparison changes when a text is one step in a longer customer journey. A welcome sequence might begin by email, wait for customer activity and use SMS later for a time-sensitive message. In this case, keeping both channels connected can reduce campaign maintenance.

Will customers reply?

A promotional text with a booking link might be all a restaurant needs. For businesses handling appointments or customer inquiries, the conversation often continues after the first message.

Check whether the platform makes it easy to manage replies and how much incoming messages cost.

How predictable is your monthly volume?

Your sending habits can make a big difference to how much you pay for SMS marketing. Some platforms charge per message, while others offer monthly credit packages. Regular campaigns may fit neatly into a monthly allowance, but occasional promotions can leave you paying for credits you don't use. Check whether unused credits roll over, especially when your sending volume changes throughout the year.

Where are your customers?

Country coverage can eliminate some options immediately. For example, Transpond SMS is currently UK-only. SlickText supports the US and Canada. Klaviyo has much broader international SMS coverage across North America, the UK, Australia and numerous European markets.

The best SMS marketing software is therefore partly a geography decision before feature comparison even begins.

Best SMS marketing software for 2027

1. Transpond: best for combining email, SMS and CRM-connected Automations

We built Transpond for teams that want customer communication connected across channels instead of managed as separate campaign databases.

SMS can be added as an action inside a Transpond Automation. A contact can receive an email, progress through the workflow and later receive an SMS when the journey calls for a shorter or more immediate message.

If the contact reaches an SMS action without a valid mobile number, you can decide whether the person remains at the step or skips it and continues through the Automation. 

SMS uses the customer data already in Transpond

SMS campaigns work with the Groups and Segments used elsewhere in the platform. You select the audience and the contact field containing the mobile number, then build the campaign without creating another audience database.

With customer data coming directly from your CRM, there's less work involved in keeping everything connected.

A contact can move from CRM data into an Automation and receive different communication as the relationship develops. Email remains available when more detail is needed, while SMS can handle shorter messages where timing deserves more weight.

If you’re new to this setup, our guide to building your first marketing Automation in Transpond covers how triggers and actions work together.

How Transpond SMS pricing works

Transpond uses recurring SMS credit bundles. Credits renew each billing cycle and unused credits expire at the end of the cycle. If usage exceeds the current bundle, the account can move automatically to the next level so scheduled messages continue sending. 

Check Transpond pricing

SMS is currently limited to UK customers, which is the main restriction to understand before comparing Transpond with international platforms. 

For a UK company already running email marketing, though, our reason for ranking Transpond first is straightforward: SMS can become part of the wider campaign workflow without separating it from email, Automations and CRM-connected customer data.

Best for: UK businesses and agencies combining SMS with recurring email marketing.

2. SimpleTexting: best dedicated SMS software for small businesses

SimpleTexting focuses much more heavily on texting itself.

Its plans include mass texting and two-way messaging, along with scheduled sends and drip campaigns. Businesses can use text-to-join keywords and manage replies from the platform instead of treating SMS only as an outbound broadcast channel. 

Current monthly pricing starts at $39 for 500 credits when using a local number. The cost includes $29 for the message allowance and $10 for the local number, with a one-time carrier registration fee. A toll-free number can change the breakdown. Carrier fees can also apply. 

Unused monthly credits roll over until the end of the following month, which gives businesses some flexibility when campaign volume changes. Incoming SMS replies are free under the current pricing structure. 

SimpleTexting makes more sense when SMS conversations are your main priority and email marketing isn't part of the plan.

Best for: smaller companies running regular SMS campaigns and customer conversations.

3. Klaviyo: best SMS marketing platform for ecommerce

Klaviyo is one of the strongest choices for ecommerce teams that already want customer behavior to drive both email and mobile messaging.

The platform can use commerce and customer data across channels, making SMS especially relevant for journeys built around browsing or purchase activity. Klaviyo also supports SMS across a broad international footprint, including the US, UK and numerous European countries. 

One pricing detail is easy to miss because older comparisons are already outdated.

Klaviyo stopped using SMS credits in July 2026. Mobile messaging now uses dollar-based per-message rates. Pricing varies by channel and destination, while US and Canadian SMS can also differ according to number type. Carrier fees are included in Klaviyo’s rates. 

Klaviyo still sells mobile messaging through prepaid monthly plans, with numerous tiers available. Businesses can use automatic upgrades when usage exceeds the selected amount, while larger plans may have flexible overage options. 

Businesses that rely on Klaviyo for customer insights can bring SMS into the same setup without complicating personalization or campaign tracking.

Best for: ecommerce brands building SMS around customer and shopping behavior.

4. SlickText: best for straightforward SMS campaigns with rollover credits

SlickText is another dedicated SMS platform, with a pricing model based primarily on how many message credits you need.

Current paid plans begin at $29 per month for 500 credits, followed by $49 for 1,000 and $79 for 2,000. Higher tiers continue up through enterprise arrangements. Paid plans include unlimited contacts, incoming texts and rollover credits.

SlickText also makes its feature structure relatively easy to understand because the core platform isn’t heavily gated by plan level. Workflows and integrations remain available across paid tiers, while higher-volume plans add onboarding or dedicated success support. 

The geographic limitation is more significant: SlickText currently supports sending in the United States and Canada. North American businesses that rely heavily on SMS campaigns may appreciate SlickText's more specialized approach compared to larger marketing platforms.

Best for: US and Canadian businesses that want dedicated texting software with predictable message tiers.

5. Twilio: best for companies building custom SMS workflows

Twilio approaches messaging very differently from the other tools in this list.

It provides programmable messaging infrastructure instead of a conventional campaign product designed mainly for marketers. Developers can build SMS into their own software and workflows, with support for messaging channels beyond standard texts.

Twilio’s current US SMS pricing starts at $0.0083 per inbound or outbound message, before carrier fees. Phone numbers start from $1.15 per month, although the final bill depends on number type, message volume and the APIs being used.

The pricing model offers flexibility because you pay according to usage, and volume discounts are available. You'll need to put more work into the initial setup, though. SimpleTexting and Transpond, on the other hand, let marketing teams get straight to building campaigns.

Twilio becomes much more compelling when SMS needs to be part of a custom application or operational workflow.

A software company could trigger messages from its own product events, and a marketplace could build SMS notifications directly into the user experience. In both cases, API control carries more weight than a drag-and-drop campaign builder.

Best for: developer-led teams building custom messaging products or high-scale infrastructure.

6. Attentive: best for larger consumer and ecommerce SMS programs

Attentive targets brands running more sophisticated mobile marketing programs.

SMS can work with email, RCS and push inside the wider platform. Attentive also uses behavioral and commerce signals to personalize messaging, with tools for two-way conversations and subscriber acquisition. 

Attentive offers custom pricing based on your message volume and subscriber count. The final cost also depends on the channels you use and any optional AI products you add. Billing follows a usage-based model, so there are no standard credit packages.

This makes Attentive less convenient for somebody trying to compare two $30 entry plans on a spreadsheet. It also reflects the type of buyer the product targets.

Larger ecommerce brands may value the support and multi-channel capabilities more than transparent self-service entry pricing. A local business sending a few hundred promotional texts each month will probably find a simpler platform easier to justify.

Best for: established consumer brands running larger personalized messaging programs.

SMS marketing software by use case

The platform we’d choose depends heavily on the workflow.

There’s little value in selecting a platform whose sending coverage doesn’t match your customer base.

How much does SMS marketing software cost?

SMS marketing doesn't have to be expensive. Some platforms start at around $29-39 per month for 500 message credits, although phone number fees and carrier charges can push the price up.

Pricing also works differently across providers. Some offer monthly credit packages, others charge for each message sent, and larger platforms may calculate costs based on your subscriber count or overall usage.

Before comparing plans, think about:

• Audience size. How many people have opted in to receive your texts?
• Campaign frequency. Are you sending weekly promotions or occasional updates?
• Customer replies. Will you need two-way messaging, and does it cost extra?
• Location. Are you reaching UK customers or sending internationally?
• Message type. Will you use standard SMS or longer messages that consume more credits?

To put that into perspective, sending two promotional texts to 500 subscribers means planning for at least 1,000 outgoing messages. That's already twice the allowance of a basic 500-credit plan, assuming each text uses one credit.

Your contact list also plays a part in keeping costs manageable. Sending every promotion to every subscriber can burn through credits quickly. Using customer data to create smaller, more relevant audiences gives you more control over spending.

Compare the cost of the campaigns you actually want to run – not just the lowest monthly price.

Which SMS marketing software is best?

Your choice comes down to what you need SMS to do.

SimpleTexting and SlickText are solid options for dedicated texting. Klaviyo suits ecommerce brands, Twilio gives developers more control, and Attentive caters to larger marketing teams.

For UK businesses that want SMS and email working together, Transpond is our pick. Both channels work with the same customer information, so it's easier to create campaigns that respond to what people do.

Not sure how to split your messages between the two channels? Our SMS vs email marketing guide can help you figure that out.

Start with the campaigns you want to run, then choose the software that makes them easiest to manage.