Top 10 SMS Messaging Apps for Small Businesses: Features & Pricing
If you’re running a small business, staying connected with your audience through texts is key to building brand awareness. But finding efficient and affordable methods to do so can be challenging. That’s where SMS service apps come in.
Unlike simple texting, SMS apps go beyond simple message delivery. They come with smart features like automation, scheduling, two-way communication, and audience targeting to help you avoid wasting time and money.
With so many options out there, choosing the right app can feel overwhelming. To help you decide, we’ll explore the 10 best SMS service apps for small businesses in this article.
Highlights:
- Business SMS apps help you effectively engage with customers through customer support, SMS marketing, appointment reminders, and order updates.
- SMS service apps provide built-in automation features like scheduled messages, auto-responders, and triggered responses to send timely messages.
- Some feature-rich SMS apps for small businesses are Calilio, Textla, SimpleTexting, and EZTexting.

What Are the Best SMS Apps for Small Businesses?
Calilio, Textla, SimpleTexting, and EZTexting are some of the best SMS apps for small businesses.
1. Calilio
Calilio is a cloud-based SMS service and business texting solution that manages calls and texts in a unified platform. It functions as an SMS gateway service, allowing seamless text messaging automation and supports virtual phone numbers for SMS from over 100 countries.

Moreover, it’s not tied to a specific network area; you can easily send SMS with an internet connection wherever you are. So even if you have to send text messages abroad, you won’t have any complications or limitations.
Best Use Cases:
- Customer support and engagement
- SMS filter
- Internal messaging for remote teams
- SMS marketing
- Scalable communication solution
- Scalable SMS platform for business with global virtual numbers
Pricing:
Calilio offers an affordable pricing range for the service and the customization option to pay only for what you use. It’s perfect for tight budgets and small businesses.
Plan | Monthly Billing | Annually Billing |
Basic | $15 | $12 |
Business | $35 | $28 |
Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
2. Textla
Textla is an SMS marketing platform for small businesses, startups, and high-growth companies. It features customizable bulk messaging, automation, and scheduling.

You can also utilize auto-responders in this SMS messaging service that quickly address common questions. This is an effective way for small business owners to respond promptly and turn inquiries into potential leads.
Best Use Cases:
- Bulk SMS campaigns
- Appointment reminders
- Event promotions
- Order updates and tracking
Pricing:
Textla helps businesses reach a larger audience at lower costs, making SMS marketing more accessible.
Plan | Monthly Billing | Annually Billing |
Starter | $25 | $19 |
Professional | $50 | $39 |
Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
3. SimpleTexting
SimpleTexting provides an in-built mass texting and scheduling platform easily accessible from the main screen. It enables businesses to automate SMS responses for direct customer engagement and provides 24/7 support through live chat and tutorials.
Best Use Cases:
- Promotions and flash sales
- Appointment reminders
- Customer service & FAQs
- Internal team communication
- Event notifications
Pricing:
Plan | Monthly Billing |
Monthly | $39 |
Annually | $33.20 |
Note: You can save 20% with a yearly subscription, with an estimated monthly cost of $33.20.
4. EZ texting
EZ texting provides two-way communication that allows real-time interaction with customers. It has simple dashboards, so generally, no coding or technical knowledge is required. It automatically sends recurring messages, follow-ups, appointment reminders, and targeted texts, including customers' names and personalized offers based on their preferences.
Best Use Cases:
- Promotions and discounts
- Appointment reminders
- Customer support
- Event invitations
- Internal team communication
Pricing:
Plan | Monthly Billing | Annually Billing |
Launch | $25 | $20 |
Boost | $75 | $60 |
Scale | $125 | $100 |
Enterprise | $3,000 | $3,000 |
Note: The Boost plan is the most popular choice for small businesses, with 500 to 2000 contacts available.
5. Textedly
Textedly offers unlimited messaging options, helping businesses reach many people quickly with promotions, updates, or announcements. It allows businesses to schedule messages in advance and automate responses, saving time on manual texting.
Moreover, Textedly is an affordable SMS messaging software that can be easily set up, enabling your non-technical team to access the platform immediately. With intuitive dashboards, you can track real-time insights and find areas to make informed decisions.
Best Use Cases:
- SMS marketing
- Reputation management
- Text payments
Pricing:
You get affordable pricing plans for small businesses, with pay-per-message and subscription options. This makes it budget-friendly for businesses of any size.
Plan | Billing | Monthly Service (Text messages/ month) | Annually Service (Text messages/month) |
Basic | $26 | 500 | 600 |
Bronze | $38 | 1,000 | 1,200 |
Plus | $69 | 2,000 | 2,400 |
Note: You can get 50 complimentary messages with the 14-day trial period.
6. Sakari
Sakari is ideal for outbound SMS campaigns, offering automation tools for personalized messages. It supports two-way communication channels, scheduled texts, and auto-responders, ensuring timely communication with customers.

Best Use Cases:
- Sales and marketing
- Internal team communication
- Automated notifications
- Customer support
Pricing:
Sakari provides one of the most cost-effective per-message pricing options for sending a high volume of outbound messages.
Plan | Monthly Billing | Annually Billing |
Standard | $25 | $275 |
Note: You can send 823 message segments monthly and 9,868 annually.
7. TextMagic
TextMagic is a two-way SMS platform that allows businesses to send text messages and receive SMS from phone numbers worldwide. It provides an API for companies to integrate SMS messaging into their applications and send automated text messages from their systems.

Best Use Cases:
- Automated appointment and reminders
- SMS marketing
- Lead capture and follow-up
Pricing:
TextMagic charges $0.049 per text. You can easily customize your plan to send text messages, outbound MMS, numbers, voice, and lookup according to your needs.
8. Twilio
Twilio is a scalable SMS platform for small businesses that allows you to adjust your usage. It allows personalized messaging and SMS automations, enabling you to modify SMS services to your needs. Additionally, it has a message analytics dashboard that provides a real-time view of message delivery, receipt, and any errors or failures.
Best Use Cases:
- Bulk SMS campaign
- Appointment scheduling and reminders
- Internal communications and alerts
Pricing:
Twilio pricing is based on the type of phone number used to send SMS and MMS.
Phone Number Type | SMS | MMS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Outbound | Inbound | Outbound | Inbound | |
Long Codes | $0.0079 | $0.0079 | $0.0200 | $0.0100 |
Toll-Free | $0.0079 | $0.0079 | $0.0200 | $0.0200 |
Short Codes | $0.0079 | $0.0079 | $0.0200 | $0.0100 |
9. Salesmsg
Salesmsg is a small business SMS app designed for SMS marketing. It helps businesses send reminders, follow-ups, or promotional offers. It also enables you to send bulk messages to a large group of customers, making it easy to scale SMS marketing campaigns.Additionally, Salesmsg primarily provides phone numbers from the United States and Canada.
Best Use Cases:
- Automated appointment reminders
- Customer support and engagement
- SMS marketing and promotions
Pricing:
You can select a plan with 500 to 10,000 messages per month and pay 3.5 cents per additional credit.
10. OpenPhone
Openphone is a cloud-based VoIP system that allows businesses to send and receive SMS using a dedicated business phone number. It’s ideal for small businesses that support unlimited calls and messages and operate remotely or with distributed teams within the U.S. and Canada.Additionally, you can automate responses and access text templates that respond to inquiries quickly and professionally. Further, it provides shared business numbers that allow team members to send and receive SMS messages using the same phone number.
Best Use Cases:
- Customer support teams
- Sales teams
- Small businesses and startups
- Marketing teams
Pricing:
Plan | Monthly Billing | Annually Billing |
---|---|---|
Starter | $19 | $15 |
Business | $33 | $23 |
Scale | $47 | $35 |
Sona | $49 | $49 |
Note: The Sona plan is an always-on AI agent, ready to answer calls anytime with 50 calls per month and $0.99 per additional call.
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What Makes SMS Apps Suitable for Small Businesses?
Features like ease of use, two-way messaging, integration with other apps, affordability, and scalability make SMS apps suitable for small businesses.
- Easy to use: Most SMS apps have a simple interface, so teams can start messaging customers immediately without needing training.
- Two-way messaging: They support real-time conversations, allowing businesses to respond quickly and build better relationships with their audience.
- Integration with other apps: Many SMS platforms connect with CRM tools, email software, and customer support apps, making it easier to manage communication in one place.
- Affordable: Compared to other communication channels, SMS apps are budget-friendly and often have flexible plans suitable for small teams.
- Scalability: As the business grows, these apps can handle more contacts and messages without needing a complete system change.
Conclusion
The right business SMS services can streamline communication, boost engagement, and help your small business grow. Tools like Calilio and Textla provide affordable, scalable two-way messaging solutions and integrations tailored to small business needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the everyday use cases for business text SMS?
Common uses include transactional SMS services such as order updates, appointment reminders, and promotional SMS campaigns for marketing.
How do I set up automated SMS for my business?
What are the benefits of using a business texting app or service?
When should businesses use customer texting services?

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