4 of the top SMS marketing platforms of 2024—and why they might be right for your business

Profile photo of author Jax Connelly
Jax Connelly
16min read
SMS marketing
May 6, 2024
In stacked capital letters on a tan background in the left half of the image, lemon copy reads, "4 of the top SMS platforms." In smaller black copy on a lemon background on the right half of the image, text reads "and why they might be right for your business." Underneath that is the Klaviyo flag in black.
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Every company that offers SMS marketing capabilities boasts dozens of features for brands.

But not all SMS marketing platforms are created equal, and that makes choosing the best one for your business a complicated challenge.

SMS marketing automation, or text message marketing automation, refers to the ability to create, send, and deliver SMS communications at scale. Vendors make promises ranging from sophisticated personalization and segmentation to A/B testing, artificial intelligence-led analytics, and more.

But what’s the best SMS marketing service for your specific business needs? Which one will best help you:

  • Meet your goals?
  • Appropriately track SMS attribution as part of your holistic marketing funnel?
  • Segment your audiences based on zero- and first-party data?
  • Use that data to personalize your text messages for higher, more sustainable customer engagement?

Below is our list, in no particular order, of 4 of the top SMS marketing tools for delivering the kind of customer experience today’s consumers demand. It’s not a comprehensive list, and of course we’re a little biased. But we’ve tried to select a list of SMS marketing platforms that encompasses a wide range of different business sizes and use cases.

Here, we break down why you might want to use each SMS marketing software—and why you might not.

1. Klaviyo

Image shows the SMS campaigns dashboard in the back end of Klaviyo in dark mode, featuring data and a graph detailing conversion metrics as well as a pop-out illustration of an early access announcement text on someone’s phone.
Source: Klaviyo website

Founded in 2012, Klaviyo launched SMS in 2019 and now offers a unified email and SMS marketing solution for growing businesses, from solopreneurs to small businesses to large enterprise companies.

With high customer ratings on both G2 and TrustRadius, Klaviyo is “the leader of the industry,” says Elliot Scott, founder and CEO of London-based retention agency ElliotDigital—and it’s the only platform his agency uses for email and SMS.

You want to bet on a company that’s progressing and is innovative, and that’s Klaviyo at the end of the day.
Elliot Scott
Founder and CEO, ElliotDigital

“It’s just the place to be,” Scott says. “It’s clear Klaviyo is going to become, if it’s not already in certain parts of the world, the biggest player in SMS. You want to bet on a company that’s progressing and is innovative, and that’s Klaviyo at the end of the day.”

Why you might want to use Klaviyo for SMS

  • All-in-one intuitive platform for:
  • Fast, user-friendly set-up, including a variety of sending options:
    • Toll-free number
    • Short code
    • Vanity code
    • Branded sender ID (a.k.a. alphanumeric sender ID), popular for sending outside the US
  • SMS marketing deliverability and compliance features including:
    • Automatic consent management when someone opts in or out of receiving SMS marketing
    • Customer profiles that show exactly when and how each subscriber provided consent
    • Active membership in compliance organizations like the CTIA and CWTA
    • Conservative approach to SHAFT to help keep Klaviyo customers safe
    • Automatic removal of phone numbers attached to:
      • Known litigators
      • Landlines
      • Subscribers who change carriers
    • Built-in SMS compliance tools, including:
      • Quiet hours
      • Mobile terms of service (TOS) builder
      • Smart Sending
      • Branded short links
      • Deliverability reporting to ensure your messages consistently reach your audience, including the SMS deliverability hub, which provides a comprehensive view into deliverability trends and proactive alerts to address issues in real time
  • Deep ecommerce focus
    • Pre-built use cases for brands using Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix, Adobe Commerce, Prestashop, and custom ecommerce platforms via APIs
    • 300+ integrations with leading ecommerce tech platforms
  • Wide array of powerful list growth tools, including:
    • Desktop and mobile sign-up forms
    • SMS sign-up forms targeted to current email subscribers
    • Multi-step sign-up forms
    • SMS consent at check-out
    • QR codes
    • Smart Opt-In: allows visitors to quickly join your list with a one-time passcode
    • AI-powered forms display optimization
  • Extensive options for SMS communications, including:
  • Hyper-personalized SMS segmentation allows you to:
    • Include in-message syntax that makes messages feel personal
    • Include or exclude multiple segments based on real-time data from your entire tech stack, including factors like:
      • Granular purchase history, down to the SKU
      • Discount code usage
      • Predicted customer lifetime value
  • Conversational SMS options including keyword response and helpdesk integrations with Zendesk and Gorgias
  • Sophisticated SMS reporting and optimization functionality, including detailed deliverability reporting and a cooperative last-touch attribution model and customizable attribution windows
  • AI features like SMS AI, which helps you generate SMS copy and SMS replies, and Segments AI, which allows you to quickly create a desired language by describing the people you want to reach in plain language
  • Complete control over your account and data
    • Unlimited access to all your customer data and contact lists
    • Flexible month-to-month plans or long-term contracts
    • Ability to take your SMS marketing phone number with you
  • Guided platform with SMS training, education, and support, including a wide array of free live trainings and on-demand learning

Why you might not want to use Klaviyo for SMS

  • You need your provider to offer a fully managed SMS program. While Klaviyo doesn’t run your SMS program for you, we do work with a wide range of SMS-certified agency partners that can. Klaviyo also offers onboarding to help you get your SMS program up and running, as well as customer success managers to help your SMS and email program see better results.
  • You’re looking for a more ad-hoc pricing model, rather than one that’s inclusive of carrier and platform fees. Klaviyo offers transparent month-to-month plans and annual contracts with no additional fees, so you can choose whatever path makes the most sense for your business.
  • You need access to SMS campaign features such as audio and video messaging. Klaviyo does not support these features at this time.
  • You need to send transactional SMS notifications in an ecommerce platform other than Shopify. Klaviyo only supports Shopify transactional SMS at this time.
  • You need advanced conversational SMS capabilities. Klaviyo does not offer live sales agents or a concierge team to respond to customer inquiries via two-way conversation at this time.
  • You need to send SMS in South America, Asia, and/or Africa.

2. Postscript

Image shows the SMS campaign dashboard in the back end of Postscript, including campaign name, segment, and message, as well as a pop-out illustration of a product announcement text on someone’s phone.
Source: Postscript Help Center

Founded in 2018, Postscript is an SMS marketing point solution that calls itself “the SMS marketing platform built for Shopify brands.”

Why you might want to use Postscript for SMS

Why you might not want to use Postscript for SMS

3. Yotpo

Image shows the SMS campaign dashboard in the back end of Yotpo, including campaign name, target audience, and message, as well as a pop-out illustration of a discount reminder text on someone’s phone.
Source: Yotpo Help Center

Founded in 2011, Yotpo acquired SMSBump in 2018 to round out its suite of offerings for loyalty and referrals, subscriptions, reviews, and visual user-generated content. The company’s mission is to help ecommerce brands “create better shopper experiences in every way imaginable” across the entire customer journey.

Why you might want to use Yotpo for SMS

Why you might not want to use Yotpo for SMS

  • You need your provider to offer a fully managed SMS program. Yotpo only offers chat support and support from customer success managers. They do have a professional services team, but not for SMS program management.
  • You want access to a broader array of built-in ecommerce integrations. Yotpo offers around 50 for SMS; Klaviyo, for example, offers over 300.
  • You want to consolidate your SMS program with an experienced email provider. Yotpo officially launched email in 2023 and now supports just a few thousand brands. Klaviyo, by contrast, supports email marketing for over 143K brands and has been an industry leader for over a decade.
  • You have advanced segmentation needs, such as including or excluding multiple segments from an SMS campaign. Yotpo does not support this at this time.
  • You need visibility into multi-channel attribution and reporting. Yotpo reports attribution separately.

4. Attentive

Image shows the SMS campaign dashboard in the back end of Attentive, including audience, when to send, and message, as well as a pop-out illustration of a sale announcement text on someone’s phone.
Source: Attentive Help Center

Attentive was launched in 2018 as a point solution providing SMS marketing services for midsize to enterprise online retailers. In 2022, Attentive also launched email marketing.

Why you might want to use Attentive for SMS

Why you might not want to use Attentive for SMS

  • You need a self-serve SMS marketing software. Interaction with your Attentive customer success manager and support team is required to accomplish even basic tasks, such as changing your attribution window or scheduling a pop-up.
  • You want access to a broader array of built-in ecommerce integrations. Attentive offers around 100; Klaviyo, for example, offers over 300.
  • You want to consolidate your SMS program with an experienced email provider. Attentive officially launched email in 2023. Klaviyo, by contrast, has been an industry leader for over a decade.
  • You’re not ready to commit to a long-term contract. Month-to-month services are available, but long-term contracts are the default with Attentive. Make sure you understand the full costs, including potential platform fees, additional carriers, and professional services fees.
  • If you send a lot of MMS, Attentive’s pricing might not be the best fit for your brand. Unlike other SMS marketing services—Klaviyo, for example, gives you 1,600 characters, with or without emojis, as part of a single MMS—Attentive gives MMS the same character count as an SMS message (160 characters plain text; 70 with emojis). The result is that the same MMS message may cost slightly more on Attentive.
  • You want to pick the attribution model that makes most sense for your specific business. Attentive’s default SMS attribution model is aggressive: 1-day view, 30-day click. Technically windows are customizable, but only with help from your CSM.
  • You require sophisticated segmentation capabilities. Attentive’s segment builder only supports a few segment conditions, which limits your ability to reach the right people with the right messages.
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How to choose the right SMS marketing solution for your business

Keep in mind that when it comes to maximizing your SMS ROI, each text message marketing platform has its own strengths and weaknesses. Selecting the one that’s best for your brand is a daunting process, and a lot of it comes down to asking the right questions.

Choosing the best SMS marketing service for your business depends on what you’re trying to accomplish with your SMS marketing strategy. For example:

  • Are you more focused on engaging customers and potential customers, driving revenue, or both?
  • Does your SMS program cater to specific segments such as VIPs and loyal customers, or does it need to have broader appeal?
  • Where does SMS fit in relation to your email marketing program? For example, do you need the ability to launch hybrid flows that involve both emails and text messages?
  • What kind of SMS marketing attribution model makes the most sense to you?

Before you make your final decision, there are a few text marketing features no business should compromise on. At a minimum, your text messaging service should:

  • Provide built-in SMS marketing compliance in the countries of your interest.
  • Offer short code and toll free numbers.
  • Offer options for multi-step sign-up forms, click-to-text forms, and gathering SMS consent at check-out.
  • Integrate seamlessly with third-party technology.
  • Allow for A/B testing of text campaigns.
  • Provide sophisticated metrics, data and predictive analysis functionality.
  • Enable data capture through actions like browse abandonment and personalization through MMS, dynamic images, coupon codes, and more.

In an economically challenged, data privacy-forward world, where paid targeting is getting less precise and consumers are getting more selective about which brands they deem worthy of their money, SMS marketing is one of the best ways to connect with your audience.

Your SMS marketing platform is what powers it all.

Choose wisely.

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Jax Connelly
Jax Connelly
Lead editor
Jax Connelly (they/she), lead editor at Klaviyo, started their career doing SEO at a small digital ad agency and spent most of their twenties managing a financial magazine for a trade association based in Washington, DC. Most recently, she studied and taught writing at Columbia College Chicago during the peak years of the pandemic. Outside of their day job, Jax is an award-winning creative writer who has received honors including 4 Notables in the Best American Essays series, contest awards from publications like Nowhere Magazine and Prairie Schooner, and a residency from the Ragdale Foundation. Jax lives in Chicago a block away from Lake Michigan with her elderly Jack Russell Terrier, Cloo.