Most "best bulk SMS service" roundups are affiliate pages that rank whichever platform pays the most. This one is organised by use case, because the right platform depends entirely on what you are sending and at what volume. A tool that is perfect for a restaurant texting its Friday subscribers is the wrong tool for someone sending 500,000 messages once.
1. Twilio — best for developers building SMS into software
What it is: Communications infrastructure with an API. Twilio is not a marketing tool; it is a set of building blocks that developers wire into their own applications.
Published pricing: $0.0083 per outbound US message segment. Carrier fees are added on top and vary by destination carrier, so the effective rate is higher than the headline. A long code costs $1.15 per month, a toll-free number $2.15, and short codes start at $1,000 per quarter.
Best for: Order confirmations, two-factor codes, shipping updates, and two-way messaging built into a product.
Worst for: One-off marketing campaigns. You are buying a platform to build on, then still writing the code.
2. EZ Texting — best for small opt-in subscriber lists
What it is: A marketing-first SMS platform built around keyword opt-ins, subscriber lists and scheduled broadcasts.
Published pricing: Plans run $25, $75 and $125 per month, with an Enterprise tier at $3,000. The message volume included at each tier is not stated unambiguously on the public pricing page, so treat any per-message figure for EZ Texting as unverified until you see it in your own account. Published overage rates run from $0.04 down to $0.01, and the entry plan carries a $5 monthly telecom fee that higher tiers waive.
Best for: Local businesses with a few thousand opt-in subscribers running recurring promotions.
Worst for: Large one-time sends, where the monthly plan structure works against you.
3. SimpleTexting — best for small business campaigns with a polished interface
What it is: An SMS marketing platform aimed at small and mid-sized teams, with a visual campaign builder and MMS support.
Published pricing: The base plan is $39 per month for 500 credits, billed annually at $398.40. Credits beyond the plan cost $0.055 each. A local number adds $10 per month plus a $4 activation fee, extra users are $20 per month, and short codes start at $1,000 per month. SimpleTexting states that US carrier fees average a further $0.0025 per message.
Best for: Retail and e-commerce teams sending image-heavy campaigns to their own subscribers.
Worst for: Volume. At $0.055 per credit, 100,000 messages is $5,500 before carrier fees.
4. TextMagic — best for pay-as-you-go without a monthly plan
What it is: A prepaid SMS platform with no monthly platform fee. You buy credit and spend it.
Published pricing: $0.049 per US SMS of 160 characters. A dedicated number is $10 per month and a 10DLC campaign registration is a further $10 per month, both free for the first month. There is a much lower $0.01 rate if you bring your own carrier account, though that carrier's own fees then apply.
Best for: Irregular senders who do not want a subscription, and international sending where coverage matters more than unit price.
Worst for: Anything at scale. At $0.049, 100,000 messages is $4,900.
5. Textedly — best for a wide ladder of monthly plans
What it is: A subscription SMS platform with fourteen published tiers, from very small to genuinely large.
Published pricing: The ladder runs from $29 per month for 500 messages up to $5,520 per month for 300,000. The 100,000-message tier is $1,920 per month. Annual billing adds roughly 20 per cent more messages per month, and inbound messages are free.
Best for: Teams that want a predictable monthly allowance and will use it every month.
Worst for: One campaign a quarter. You pay every month whether you send or not, and the top tier still caps at 300,000 per month.
6. Smarterblast — best for a single large send
What it is: A managed campaign service rather than a platform. You send your list and message; we prepare and send the campaign. There is no dashboard to learn and no inbox afterwards.
Published pricing: $399 for up to 100,000 messages, $599 for up to 500,000 and $899 for up to 2,000,000. Charged once per campaign, in US dollars, with no monthly fee and no number rental. Registration requirements vary by destination and sender type and are confirmed with you before sending rather than bundled into the headline price.
Best for: One large campaign to a permission-based list you already hold, where you do not want to run software to send it.
Worst for: Small lists, two-way conversations, keyword opt-in programmes, or anything needing an API. Below roughly 10,000 contacts the flat rate works against you, and a pay-as-you-go platform will cost you less.
What 100,000 messages actually costs
Different billing models are hard to compare directly, so the table below converts each provider's published rate to the same job: one send of 100,000 US messages.
| Provider | Published basis | 100,000 messages | Per message |
|---|---|---|---|
| SimpleTexting | $0.055 per credit over plan | $5,500 plus carrier fees | $0.0550 |
| TextMagic | $0.049 per SMS | $4,900 | $0.0490 |
| Textedly | Platinum plan, monthly | $1,920 per month | $0.0192 |
| Twilio | $0.0083 per segment | $830 plus carrier fees | $0.0083 |
| EZ Texting | Plan volumes not clearly published | Not verifiable | — |
| Smarterblast | Bronze, one campaign | $399 | $0.0040 |
Two caveats worth more than the table itself. First, this compares price, not capability: every platform above gives you software, an API and a place for replies to land, and Smarterblast gives you none of those. If you need them, the extra cost is buying something real. Second, consent is required on every one of these platforms without exception. None of them lets you message people who have not agreed to hear from you, and neither do we.
How to pick
Answer one question first: are you running a programme or sending a campaign?
A programme is ongoing. Subscribers join, you message them regularly, they reply, and the list lives for years. For that, buy a platform, and pick on features and interface rather than unit price. EZ Texting, SimpleTexting and Textedly are all built for this.
A campaign is a single event. You have a list, you have one message, and when it has gone out the job is finished. Monthly plans and per-message meters both charge you for infrastructure you are not otherwise using. That is the case for a flat campaign price.
If you are building messaging into your own software, none of the above applies and you want Twilio.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which platform has the best deliverability?
No provider publishes audited deliverability figures, so treat any ranking with suspicion, including ours. What actually drives delivery is the same everywhere: a list of people who agreed to hear from you, correct registration for the destination, sender details that match the registration, and message content that does not look like the thing carriers filter. Choose on billing model and fit, then protect delivery with list hygiene.
Which platform is cheapest for 1M+ SMS monthly?
On published rates, a one-time campaign at that volume is $899 with us. Twilio’s $0.0083 per segment works out near $8,300 before carrier fees. TextMagic at $0.049 would be about $49,000, and Textedly’s published ladder tops out at 300,000 messages a month, so it does not reach a million.
Can I use multiple platforms together?
Yes — common practice. Twilio for transactional messages, a marketing platform for your ongoing subscriber programme, and a campaign service for the occasional large send. Each tool for its purpose.
What about platforms not on this list?
Plivo, Telnyx, Sinch, and MessageBird are developer-focused API platforms similar to Twilio. Klaviyo, Attentive, and Postscript are e-commerce SMS marketing platforms focused on Shopify integration. Each serves specific use cases not covered by the six above.
How do I switch platforms mid-campaign?
Export your contacts and opt-out list from the current platform. Import to new platform. Register 10DLC campaign on new platform if applicable. Typical migration takes 1-5 days including onboarding and first campaign launch.
Related Reading
- Smarterblast vs EZTexting: Which Is Better for High Volume?
- How Much Does Bulk SMS Service Cost? Full Breakdown
- Cheapest Bulk SMS Service That Doesn’t Sacrifice Deliverability
- Best Bulk SMS Service for Small Business
Pricing: Our own rates, normalised to cost per 1,000 messages, are on the pricing page.