The 7 Best SMS Application APIs for Small Businesses in 2024

If you run a small business, SMS is one of the best ways to stay connected with your customers. For order confirmations, appointment reminders, special offers, and updates, SMS is more effective than email—because people actually read it.

Of course, you can’t just grab your smartphone and start sending messages; you’re running a business. SMS marketing applications let you send messages directly to customers or automate the entire process, ensuring they receive texts based on your booking calendar, marketing lists, or other integrated apps. Best of all, your customers can even reply to your messages directly.

The 7 Best SMS Application APIs

• SimpleTexting: For running SMS marketing campaigns effortlessly
• TextMagic: For quickly sending texts from a single SMS service
• SlickText: For collecting phone numbers and advanced marketing
• Sakari: For outbound SMS marketing
• Salesmsg: Ideal for small local businesses using SMS
• EZ Texting: Perfect for non-technical users seeking guidance in SMS marketing
• Twilio: For customizing SMS marketing

How to Choose a Good SMS Application API

Are you more likely to read a text or an email? The stats don’t lie: SMS open rates far surpass those of email. SMS is also incredibly convenient for customers to reply. Smartphone messaging apps are fast, easy to use, and fit seamlessly into daily life, while email, let’s face it, often feels like a chore.

SMS marketing is a huge business globally, offering dozens of SMS marketing platforms. However, most are not suited for small businesses. Many platforms are designed for enterprises, political campaigns, and other large-scale operations that send thousands of messages daily, rather than small businesses looking to maintain a more personal connection with customers.

Similarly, many so-called “apps” are actually API services developers use to add SMS functionality to their own projects, rather than user-ready services you can sign up for and use immediately.

5 Key Criteria for Choosing an SMS App for Small Businesses

1. Ease of Use for Non-Experts
   Setting up an SMS app for your business shouldn’t require hiring a professional marketing agency. Plenty of great apps integrate seamlessly with your existing setup without requiring technical expertise. Some apps—especially API services—lack user-friendliness and aren’t worth recommending.

Practically, this means nearly all the apps on this list feature dedicated web apps you can log into to send and receive messages. Many also offer options for sending and receiving SMS via your email client or a mobile app.

1. True Two-Way Communication

   This list isn’t about one-click campaigns that send 100,000 SMS messages. These apps are designed for small businesses that want to communicate directly with customers. True two-way communication—just like texting a friend—is essential to be included. Most apps also support automated replies, survey data collection, and scheduling messages.

2. Integration with Other Apps and Services

   Integration is a must. Beyond sending direct messages to customers, you can (for example) let your online ordering service automatically confirm orders or follow up with customer satisfaction surveys.

3. Affordable for Small Businesses

   Cost is a critical factor. Features to look for include:

• Pay-as-you-go or low-cost monthly plans: Many services offer pay-as-you-go models, so you only pay for the messages you send, avoiding high monthly fees or bulk SMS requirements. For example, Smslocal charges a user-friendly $0.0822 per message without complex credit systems.
• SMS bundles: Services like Tianyi Cloud support prepay or pay-as-you-go models with SMS bundles tailored to actual needs.
• Tiered pricing: Some services, like Alibaba Cloud SMS, offer real-time tiered pricing based on message type and volume.
• Affordable packages: Huawei Cloud offers competitive pricing, such as 500 SMS for ¥32.5 (around $4.50), valid for a month.

1. Scalability as Needed
   Being locked into a plan that’s too small for a holiday marketing push is no good. These services must also let you scale your SMS campaigns without exorbitant fees or forcing you into an expensive tier.

Overview of the Best SMS Application APIs