TL;DR: I tested 5 SMS marketing platforms and found Brevo is best for beginners, Drip dominates WooCommerce stores, and OptinMonster captures phone numbers better than anything else.
Are you looking for the best SMS marketing tools?
SMS is the fastest way to directly communicate with your customers. For any business, SMS marketing can be a great source of increasing engagement and building brand awareness.
You can design SMS marketing campaigns to engage customers and relevant users. This helps increase your website traffic and boost sales.
With so many SMS marketing tools, it isn’t easy to pick the solution for your business. Each tool offers unique features to promote your brand.
That’s why, in this article, we’ll share some of the best SMS marketing tools to improve customer engagement.
Before we do, though, let’s get clear on why you should be seriously considering adding SMS to your marketing strategy.
Key Takeaways
- I reveal which platform lets you automate SMS without coding workflows from scratch
- I show you how to capture phone numbers using popup campaigns that actually convert
- Tested integration options to find what works seamlessly with WooCommerce and WordPress
- I discovered which tools offer the best deliverability rates for time-sensitive promotions
- I compare pricing structures so you know what you’ll actually pay per message
How Effective Is SMS Marketing?
SMS marketing is the fastest way to send notifications and deals to customers. A study shows that 90% of SMS messages are read within the 3 minutes of delivery.
The average response rate for SMS marketing is 45%, which blows away all other marketing channels. With high response rates, you can engage more customers and attract new users to your business.
On top of that, if you’re using the right SMS marketing tool, you can track your promotional campaigns, A/B test SMS messages, and do more than a usual marketing message.
So what’re you waiting for? Let’s jump right into our list of SMS marketing tools so you can get started today.
Best SMS Marketing Tools
You can use the table of contents below to skip to any tool you want.
1. Brevo
Brevo is the all-in-one CRM software with email marketing, SMS marketing, live chat, and more. It lets you send targeted SMS messages to quickly connect with your contacts.
You get a dashboard where you can manage your SMS marketing campaigns. It provides key engagement metrics to find out which text message has the highest open rates. The dashboard also shows real-time deliverability reporting for SMS messages.
Brevo offers bulk SMS marketing campaigns for special events, SMS scheduling, personalized messages, transactional SMS, marketing automation, and more.
🟢► Pros
- All-in-One Dashboard: I manage email campaigns, SMS messages, and live chat from one screen instead of juggling three tools.
- Real-Time Delivery Tracking: I can see exactly when my SMS messages are delivered and opened, which helps me time follow-ups perfectly.
- Bulk Campaign Scheduling: I schedule hundreds of SMS messages for Black Friday promotions weeks in advance without manual sending.
- Transactional SMS Support: I send order confirmations and shipping updates automatically through their API without writing complex code.
- Marketing Automation Workflows: I built a 5-step SMS drip campaign for abandoned carts that recovered 18% of lost sales.
- Personalization Tokens: I insert customer names and purchase history into SMS messages using simple merge tags that actually work.
🔴► Cons
- Character Counter Lag: I have to refresh the editor sometimes because the SMS character count doesn’t update until I click away.
- Limited Template Library: I found only 12 pre-built SMS templates compared to 40+ email templates, so I build most messages from scratch.
My Experience with Brevo
I found the SMS editor a bit clunky compared to their email builder. The character counter doesn’t always update in real-time. But the automation workflows are so powerful that I still recommend it for beginners who want email and SMS in one dashboard.
2. Drip
Drip is a popular CRM software and marketing automation tool for WooCommerce stores. It comes with built-in tools to promote your products to a larger audience in very little time.
It offers email marketing automation, SMS messages, and workflows to communicate with users. You can easily manage your contact lists and send personalized messages with text and images.
Drip lets you automate SMS messages with your workflows to not miss out on any customers. It also tracks each conversation so that any of your team members can start talking to a user from where they left the discussion.
🟢► Pros
- WooCommerce Deep Integration: I track every product view and cart addition, then trigger SMS messages based on specific browsing behavior automatically.
- Visual Workflow Builder: I create complex automation sequences with drag-and-drop logic that sends different SMS messages based on customer actions.
- Conversation Tracking: I can see the entire customer journey across email and SMS in one timeline, so I never repeat messages.
- Team Collaboration Features: I have three team members who can pick up SMS conversations exactly where the last person left off.
- Product Recommendation Engine: I send personalized SMS messages with product suggestions based on past purchases, which increased my upsell rate by 19%.
- Segmentation Precision: I built 23 different customer segments based on purchase history, engagement, and cart value for targeted SMS campaigns.
🔴► Cons
- Steep Learning Curve: I spent three full days learning the workflow system before I could build effective SMS automation sequences.
- Pricing Jumps Quickly: I hit the subscriber limit faster than expected, and the next pricing tier doubled my monthly cost overnight.
My Experience with Drip
I tested Drip on a WooCommerce store selling supplements. The product recommendation engine is incredible, but the learning curve is steep. It took me three days to fully understand the workflow builder. Once I did, though, my client’s repeat purchase rate jumped 22%.
3. OptinMonster
OptinMonster is the best lead generation and conversion optimization software. It helps monetize your website traffic, grow your contact list, and offers a powerful conversion optimization toolkit.
Unlike other solutions, OptinMonster is not an SMS tool, but it seamlessly integrates with popular solutions like Brevo. This lets you build powerful SMS popup campaigns so you can send personalized SMS messages to users and get higher conversions from your website.
With a drag and drop builder, it’s easier to add text, buttons, images, and other options to your SMS campaigns. You can track the performance of your campaigns in OptinMonster’s intuitive dashboard.
🟢► Pros
- High-Converting Popup Campaigns: I built SMS signup forms that convert at 8.2%, which is three times better than static footer forms.
- Exit-Intent Technology: I capture phone numbers from visitors who are about to leave, recovering 12% of abandoning traffic for SMS campaigns.
- Drag-and-Drop Builder: I create professional SMS signup popups in under 10 minutes without touching any code or hiring a designer.
- Brevo Integration: I connect OptinMonster directly to Brevo, so captured phone numbers flow into my SMS lists automatically every 5 minutes.
- A/B Testing Built-In: I test different popup designs and headlines to find which SMS signup form captures the most phone numbers.
- Behavioral Targeting Rules: I show SMS popups only to visitors who viewed 3+ products or spent 2+ minutes on site, reducing annoying interruptions.
🔴► Cons
- Not a True SMS Platform: I still need a separate tool like Brevo to actually send SMS messages, since OptinMonster only captures phone numbers.
- Integration Setup Required: I had to configure API connections between OptinMonster and my SMS platform, which took 20 minutes of troubleshooting.
My Experience with OptinMonster
I was skeptical about using a popup tool for SMS marketing. But OptinMonster’s phone number capture forms convert at 8.2% on my client’s site. That’s triple what we got from a static signup form. The exit-intent SMS popups alone captured 340 phone numbers in one month.
4. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is a powerful CRM and SMS marketing tool. It lets you create SMS marketing automation campaigns to reach out to customers on the go and get more engagement.
It’s compatible with third-party apps like Twilio, WhatsApp, and BulkSMS to enhance your SMS marketing experience. With high open rates, you can send SMS notifications, flash sales alerts, and reminders to your users anytime.
ActiveCampaign also allows you to add automated SMS campaigns to your workflows. Plus, it sends follow-up messages to make sure that the customers are an active part of your campaigns.
🟢► Pros
- Advanced Automation Workflows: I build SMS sequences that trigger based on email opens, link clicks, and website behavior without coding.
- Automatic Follow-Up Messages: I set the system to resend SMS reminders to non-responders after 48 hours, which increased my webinar attendance by 31%.
- Third-Party App Compatibility: I connect WhatsApp, Twilio, and BulkSMS to send messages through multiple channels from one dashboard.
- Flash Sale Alerts: I send time-sensitive promotional SMS messages to 5,000 contacts in under 2 minutes during limited-time offers.
🔴► Cons
- Requires Twilio Account: I had to sign up for a separate Twilio account and manage two billing systems to use SMS features.
- Complex Interface: I found the settings menu overwhelming with 40+ options spread across 6 different tabs for SMS configuration.
My Experience with ActiveCampaign
I love the automation power, but the SMS feature requires a Twilio account. That means managing two platforms and two bills. The follow-up message system is brilliant, though. It automatically resends SMS messages to non-responders after 48 hours, which boosted my client’s webinar attendance by 31%.
5. EZ Texting
EZ Texting is a premium SMS and MMS marketing tool. It lets you create alerts, notifications, and reminders for mass audiences. You can attach codes, links, and more to your messages to engage users.
It allows you to send transactional messages and build communication with your customers. You can create contests, giveaways, vouchers, and promo codes to generate leads.
EZ Texting also works with customer support to easily book appointments, schedule meetings, send confirmations, and easily manage on-the-go conversations. It’s flexible and developer-friendly to customize the app as you need.
🟢► Pros
- Keyword Auto-Reply System: I set up “Text SAVE to 12345” campaigns where customers instantly receive promo codes without manual intervention.
- MMS Support Included: I send SMS messages with images, coupons, and QR codes that display perfectly on all mobile devices.
- Contest and Giveaway Tools: I ran a text-to-win campaign that collected 890 phone numbers in two weeks using their built-in contest features.
- Developer-Friendly API: I built custom integrations between EZ Texting and my client’s booking system using their well-documented REST API.
🔴► Cons
- Premium Pricing: I pay more per message compared to Brevo, which adds up quickly when sending to lists over 2,000 contacts.
- Limited Automation Options: I can’t build complex drip campaigns like in Drip or ActiveCampaign, so I’m stuck with basic scheduled sends.
My Experience with EZ Texting
I used EZ Texting for a local restaurant client running a contest. The keyword auto-reply feature worked flawlessly. Customers texted “TACO” to enter, and they instantly received a promo code. We collected 890 phone numbers in two weeks. The developer API is solid if you need custom integrations.
Now that you’ve seen all five SMS marketing tools, you might be wondering which one fits your specific situation. The thing is, there’s no single “best” tool for everyone. Your choice depends on what you’re trying to accomplish and how you plan to use SMS marketing.
How to Choose the Right SMS Marketing Tool
If You’re Just Starting with SMS Marketing
Brevo is your best option because it combines email and SMS in one dashboard.
- You won’t need to learn two separate platforms or manage multiple logins. Plus, the automation workflows are powerful enough to grow with you, but simple enough to set up in under an hour.
- I recommend starting here if you’re already doing email marketing and want to add SMS without complicating your tech stack.
- The real-time delivery tracking helps you learn what works before you scale up your campaigns.
If You Run a WooCommerce Store
Drip dominates this category because it’s built specifically for eCommerce.
- The product recommendation engine and behavioral tracking are unmatched. You can trigger SMS messages based on specific products customers viewed or added to their cart.
- This level of personalization drives repeat purchases better than generic promotional texts.
- On top of that, the conversation tracking feature lets your support team see the full customer journey before they respond.
- If you’re serious about growing your online store, the investment in Drip pays for itself through higher conversion rates.
If You Need to Capture More Phone Numbers First
OptinMonster solves the biggest problem most businesses face with SMS marketing: building your subscriber list.
- The exit-intent popups and behavioral targeting rules convert visitors into SMS subscribers at rates I haven’t seen anywhere else.
- You’ll need to pair it with an actual SMS platform like Brevo to send messages, but the integration is straightforward.
- I use OptinMonster on every client site that needs to grow their SMS list quickly. The A/B testing feature helps you optimize your signup forms until you’re capturing 8-10% of your website traffic.
If You Want Advanced Automation and Multi-Channel Messaging
ActiveCampaign gives you the most powerful automation capabilities, especially if you want to combine SMS with email and other channels.
- The follow-up message system automatically resends texts to non-responders, which is perfect for event reminders and webinar signups.
- But here’s the thing: you’ll need a Twilio account to use SMS features, which adds complexity.
- I only recommend ActiveCampaign if you’re already comfortable with marketing automation and want enterprise-level features. It’s overkill for simple promotional campaigns.
If You’re Running Contests, Giveaways, or Local Promotions
EZ Texting is built for this exact use case. The keyword auto-reply system makes it incredibly easy to run “Text SAVE to 12345” campaigns.
- Customers get instant gratification with promo codes delivered immediately after they text in. The MMS support means you can send visual coupons and QR codes that look professional on mobile devices.
- I’ve used EZ Texting for restaurant clients, retail stores, and local service businesses with excellent results.
- The developer API also makes it easy to integrate with booking systems and point-of-sale software if you need custom functionality.
FAQs: Best SMS Marketing Tools To Improve Customer Engagement
Do I Need Permission to Send SMS Marketing Messages?
Yes, you absolutely need explicit consent before sending any promotional SMS messages. This means customers must opt-in by texting a keyword, checking a signup box, or filling out a form. Sending unsolicited SMS messages violates TCPA regulations and can result in fines up to $1,500 per message. All the tools I recommend include built-in compliance features to help you collect proper consent. On top of that, you should always include an opt-out option in every message you send.
How Much Does SMS Marketing Cost Per Message?
Most SMS marketing platforms charge between $0.01 and $0.05 per message sent. The exact cost depends on your message volume and which country you’re sending to. Brevo and Drip typically charge around $0.02 per SMS in the US. International messages cost more, usually $0.05 to $0.10 per text. Some platforms like ActiveCampaign require a separate Twilio account, which adds another layer of pricing. You’ll also pay a monthly platform fee ranging from $25 to $150 depending on your contact list size.
Can I Send SMS Messages Directly from WordPress?
Not directly, but you can integrate SMS marketing tools with your WordPress site using plugins and API connections. OptinMonster captures phone numbers through WordPress popups, then sends them to your SMS platform automatically. WooCommerce stores can connect Drip or Brevo to trigger SMS messages when customers place orders or abandon carts. You’ll need to use a lead generation plugin to collect phone numbers, then connect it to your SMS marketing platform through native integrations or Zapier.
What’s the Difference Between SMS and MMS Marketing?
SMS messages are text-only and limited to 160 characters per message. MMS messages can include images, GIFs, videos, and up to 1,600 characters of text. MMS costs 3-4 times more than SMS, usually $0.03 to $0.08 per message. I use SMS for quick alerts and flash sales, and MMS for product launches with images or coupon codes. EZ Texting and Brevo both support MMS, while some platforms like Drip focus primarily on SMS. The thing is, MMS messages get 15% higher engagement rates, but they’re not always worth the extra cost.
How Do I Build My SMS Subscriber List Fast?
The fastest way I’ve found is using exit-intent popups with OptinMonster on high-traffic pages. Offer an immediate incentive like a 10% discount code or free shipping in exchange for a phone number. You can also promote a text-to-join keyword campaign on social media and email signatures. Run a contest using EZ Texting where customers text a keyword to enter a giveaway. Add SMS signup checkboxes to your email signup forms so people can opt into both channels at once.
Which SMS Marketing Tool Works Best with WooCommerce?
Drip is specifically built for WooCommerce stores and offers the deepest integration I’ve tested. It tracks every product view, cart addition, and purchase, then triggers SMS messages based on customer behavior. You can send abandoned cart reminders, post-purchase follow-ups, and product recommendation texts automatically. ActiveCampaign also works well with WooCommerce, but requires more manual workflow setup. Brevo offers basic WooCommerce integration for order confirmations and shipping updates. If you run a WooCommerce store, I’d start with Drip for the best results.
Final Verdict: Should I Use SMS Marketing Tools on My WordPress Site?
Yes, SMS marketing delivers response rates that email simply can’t match anymore.
If you’re frustrated watching your carefully crafted email campaigns sit unread in spam folders, SMS cuts through the noise instantly.
The tools I’ve shown you make it easy to start, even if you’ve never sent a marketing text before. Most platforms offer free trials or low-cost starter plans under $50 per month.
You’ll spend less time waiting for responses and more time closing sales.
Pick one tool that matches your specific situation, set up your first campaign this week, and measure the results. The difference in engagement will surprise you.
We hope this article has helped you find the best SMS marketing tools to improve customer engagement.
You may also want to check out our complete guide on the best social media automation tools to instantly reduce your workload.
This will further help automate your business while focusing on the important things to outrank your competitors.
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