On the go
Run your list from your phone, your inbox or the web.
COMPARE SMSGO
SMSGO vs. the tools groups already use.
Every tool here is good at something. We compare them on what organizers tell us matters most: running things from your phone, reaching people by text or email, keeping your list your own, and what it really costs.
HEAD TO HEAD · RUNNING IT FROM YOUR PHONE
Others let you send from your phone. SMSGO lets you run it from your phone.
A few texting services let you text a list from your phone, tucked away in their help pages. With SMSGO you can check counts, send with the cost shown first, text one person, add people and answer replies, all from your normal texting app. Or from your email, or the web, whichever is closest.
SMSGO240-786-1112
Text-Em-AllSimpleTextingEZ TextingSlickTextSMSGO
Send to a list by texting from your phoneYes, by list numberYes, in two stepsYes, groups set up in advanceNot in their docsYes, by group name
See the headcount and cost before it sendsNot in their docsNot in their docsNot in their docs—Yes. Reply YES to send
Text one person from your phoneIn their appIn their app or dashboardIn their app or dashboardIn their app or dashboard
@Name in your normal textsReplies reach youApp notificationsEmail or browser alertsEmail or a phone numberIn their inboxText, email, or both. Answer from either
Add people by textNot in their docsNot in their docsNot in their docsNot in their docs
#ADD, for you and your RecruitersFrom each company’s own help center and feature pages, checked Oct 6, 2026. “Not in their docs” means we couldn’t find it documented, not that it can’t be done. TextMagic takes a different route: you can send texts from your email inbox, and replies come back as emails.
HEAD TO HEAD · TEXT OR EMAIL
Most tools pick one channel for everyone. SMSGO lets each member choose.
Some people answer texts, some live in their inbox. Here’s how each kind of tool handles that.
How it reaches people
Texting servicesBuilt around texting phones
MailchimpEmail first. Texting is a paid add-on
Chat appsOnly inside their app
A group textTexts only. People who prefer email are left out
SMSGOText or email, on one list. Each member picks and can switch anytime: text
EMAIL, or tap a link in any email to go back. You can switch anyone with one tap, and email is $0.003, a tenth of a text.HEAD TO HEAD · YOUR LIST
Others charge for your list, or show it to everyone. SMSGO keeps it yours.
How you build your list, what it costs to keep it, and who can see it.
EZ TextingMailchimpGroup text, WhatsApp, GroupMeSMSGO
What a bigger list costs$25/month up to 500 contacts, $75/month for 500–2,000Plans priced by contacts, and people who unsubscribed still countFreeNo per-contact fees. Pay only for what you send
Who sees members’ numbersJust youJust youOften the whole groupJust you. Replies come only to you
Getting people on the listUpload, or keyword sign-upsUpload, or sign-up formsYou collect numbers, or send invitesFree concierge import, text JOIN, a join link or QR code,
#ADD, and RecruitersHelpers who can add peopleExtra users on your accountExtra users on your accountGroup adminsRecruiters add people by texting
#ADD. They can’t send or remove anyoneYour list is yours, and it stays private.
We never sell or share your members’ numbers or emails, and we never contact your people for our own marketing.
HEAD TO HEAD · WHAT IT COSTS
Pay less per text. Pay nothing when you’re quiet.
Groups send a lot of messages, so price matters. Of the texting services we checked, SMSGO has the lowest price per text, with no monthly fee on top.
PRICE PER TEXT ON THE ENTRY PLAN
SMSGO3¢
SlickText5.8¢
EZ Texting6¢
SimpleTexting7.8¢
Text-Em-All9¢
Monthly plans: the plan price divided by the 500 texts it includes, if you use every one (SlickText $29 plus carrier fees; EZ Texting $25 plus a $5 telecom fee; SimpleTexting $29 plus a $10 number). Texts you don’t use push their real price higher. Text-Em-All: its pay-as-you-go starting price. SMSGO: $0.03 per text segment, and emails are $0.003.
TRY YOUR OWN NUMBERS
SMSGO$0
EZ Texting$0
SimpleTexting$0
One segment per message. SMSGO: $0.03 per text segment, $0.003 per email, replies $0.03 per text segment. EZ Texting: $25 + $5 telecom fee for up to 500 contacts, $75 for 500–2,000, $0.04 per extra credit. SimpleTexting: $29 + $10 number, $0.055 per extra credit. Both include 500 credits, reach phones only, and don’t charge for replies.
A reminder to 50 people$1.50
The same reminder to 50 by email$0.15
A month with no messaging activity$0
SMSGO VS BUSINESS TEXTING SERVICES
Their plans bill monthly. SMSGO is pay as you go.
EZ Texting, SimpleTexting and SlickText sell monthly plans to businesses sending campaigns to customers. You pay the plan whether you send or not, and on many plans a busy month adds charges on top. (Prices are in What it costs above.)
Monthly texting plansSMSGO
A month you don’t sendStill billed the plan price$0. No messaging activity = $0
A busy monthExtra credits billed on top: $0.04 (EZ Texting), 5.5¢ (SimpleTexting)Same price. $0.03 per text segment, every text
Unused textsOn monthly plans, roll over one more month at most, then they’re goneNothing to use up. Your balance waits until you send
A bigger listEZ Texting: $25/month up to 500 contacts, $75/month for 500–2,000No per-contact fees. Pay only for what you send
Running it from your phoneSome let you text a list from your phone (Text-Em-All, SimpleTexting, EZ Texting). Replies are mostly handled in their app or dashboardThe whole loop by text.
#GroupName with a cost check first, @Name for one person, #ADD for new contacts. Replies come to your phone and email, and you answer from eitherText or emailBuilt around texting phonesBoth, on one list. Each member picks, and can switch
Replies people send youFree on all four$0.03 per text segment. We’d rather tell you up front
Built forBusinesses: campaigns, keywords, promotionsPeople on the go: organizers, small businesses, teams and clubs
PICK A TEXTING SERVICE IF
You want a full marketing suite with automated drip campaigns and audience segmentation. Text-Em-All is worth a look if you want pay as you go without our coordination tools.
PICK SMSGO IF
You reach people on the go, your busy and quiet months look different, and you want to send from your phone. $0.03 per text segment, no per-contact fees, and we’ll import your list for free.
SMSGO VS MAILCHIMP AND EMAIL
Mailchimp bills for your list. SMSGO bills for what you send.
Mailchimp is excellent for designed newsletters and marketing. But its plans are priced by how many contacts you keep, and texting is a separate add-on. For quick group updates that need answers, that’s a lot of tool.
MailchimpEmail threadSMSGO
What you pay forContacts. Free up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. Essentials from $13/month for up to 500 contactsFreeWhat you send. $0.003 per email, $0.03 per text segment
People who unsubscribedStill count toward your contact limit—Cost nothing. No per-contact fees
Going overOverages billed automatically—No limit to go over
TextingSMS credits are an add-on to a paid planNoBuilt in. Each member gets text or email, their choice
RepliesBuilt for sending more than conversationBuried, or sent to everyonePrivate, to you. Answer from your email and they get a text
How it looksFull drag-and-drop designerPlainFormatted emails with headings, colors, buttons and templates, plus photos
PICK MAILCHIMP IF
You publish a designed newsletter or run email marketing, and contact-based pricing fits your list.
PICK SMSGO IF
You send short updates that need answers, to people who prefer a text and people who prefer email, all from one list.
SMSGO VS FACEBOOK GROUPS AND EVENTS
A post in a feed vs. a text on every phone.
Facebook is free and huge. But your update competes with everything else in the feed, people need an account to see it, and a “Going” is often a maybe.
FacebookSMSGO
Getting the updateA post or notification among manyA direct text or email to each person
People not on FacebookNeed an accountAny phone or inbox. Plain text works on basic phones
Who sees repliesComments are visible to the groupOnly you. Members never see each other’s replies
An RSVP“Going” or “Interested”A real YES by text or one tap in email, counted live
CostFree$0.03 per text segment, $0.003 per email. $0 with no messaging activity
PICK FACEBOOK IF
It’s a public event or community where reach and discussion matter more than everyone seeing the update.
PICK SMSGO IF
Everyone needs to actually see it: the weather call, the new time, the form due Friday. Including people who aren’t on Facebook.
SMSGO VS WHATSAPP AND DISCORD
Great for chatting. Hard for reaching everyone.
Chat apps are built for conversation. In a busy group, your “practice moved to 7” sits between reactions and side threads, and anyone without the app misses it.
WhatsAppDiscordSMSGO
What members needThe appAn account and the appNothing new. Their phone or inbox
An important updateLands in the group threadScrolls past in a channelA direct text to each person
RepliesEveryone sees everythingEveryone in the channelOnly you
Who’s in?Read the thread and countPossible with bots and setupCounted for you. Events can announce “GAME IS ON!” automatically
Outside the USIts strengthGlobalUS numbers for now
CostFreeFreePay per send. $0 with no messaging activity
PICK WHATSAPP OR DISCORD IF
Your group wants to chat, everyone’s happy using the app, or you have members outside the US.
PICK SMSGO IF
You need one clear message to reach everyone and the answers to come back to you. Plenty of groups keep the chat and use SMSGO for the updates that matter.
SMSGO VS GROUPME
GroupMe is moving away from SMS. SMSGO is built around it.
Lots of groups used GroupMe because people could join by plain text. That’s changing.
WHAT CHANGED, AUG 2026
GroupMe announced on Aug 17, 2026 that it’s winding down two-way SMS. After a 7-day countdown that starts with each person’s next group message, group messages stop arriving by text and people need the GroupMe app or groupme.com. Groups, history and photos stay.
GroupMeSMSGO
Members without the appLose group messages by text after the countdownGet every message by text or email
RepliesThe whole group sees themOnly you. Straight to your phone or email
Texting one personA separate direct message in the appText
@Name and your messageWho’s in?Read the thread and tallyA live count of every YES
CostFree$0.03 per text segment, $0.003 per email, $0 with no messaging activity
PICK GROUPME IF
You want ongoing chatter and everyone is fine moving to the app.
PICK SMSGO IF
Your people chose texts because they don’t want another app. Send us your member list and we’ll import it for free.
SMSGO VS TEAMSNAP AND BENCHAPP
Team apps run the season. SMSGO reaches every player.
Team apps run a whole season: schedules, rosters, stats and dues. If what you mostly need is “everyone knows, and I know who’s coming,” SMSGO does that by plain text, for any kind of group.
TeamSnapBenchAppSMSGO
Price$0 to start. Availability tracking and bigger rosters are paid upgradesFree plan. PRO is $9/month and adds text RSVPs and text broadcastsPay per send. Texting is the whole point, not an upgrade
Where members answerThe TeamSnap app or websiteThe app, or by text on PROA text or an email. No app, no account
When enough say yesYou check availabilityYou check RSVPs“GAME IS ON!” can go out automatically
Kinds of groupsSports teams, clubs, leaguesRec and adult sports teamsAny group: pickup sports, co-ops, churches, clubs
Season toolsTheir strengthStats and payment trackingMembers can text PAY to chip in to the group
PICK A TEAM APP IF
You run a full season with schedules, stats and dues, and your players will use the app.
PICK SMSGO IF
You need every player reached, including the ones who never download the app, and you want to run it from your phone.
SMSGO VS MEETUP
Finding a group vs. running one.
Meetup helps strangers discover your group. SMSGO keeps a group that already exists in touch. Meetup charges organizers a subscription whether the group meets that month or not.
MeetupSMSGO
Organizer costStandard from $29.99/month or $174.99/year. Pro from $55 per group per monthNo subscription. $5 to start. $0 with no messaging activity
How members hear from youEmail and app notificationsA text or an email, each member’s choice
What members needA Meetup accountNothing new. They reply YES to join
Messaging your groupFrom the Meetup site or appFrom your phone with
#all, or from the webDiscovery by strangersIts core strengthPeople join with a link or by texting JOIN
PICK MEETUP IF
You’re starting a public community from scratch and want strangers to find you.
PICK SMSGO IF
Your group already exists and you’re tired of paying every month to reach it.
SMSGO VS A GROUP TEXT FROM YOUR PHONE
Same plain text. Without the reply-all.
A group text is where most organizers start. It works until the group gets big, someone hits reply-all, or a new person asks to be added.
Group textSMSGO
Group sizePhones cap group texts around 20–30Your whole list in one send
Phone numbersEveryone sees everyone’sPrivate. Members only see SMSGO’s number
RepliesReply-all to everyoneOnly you
Adding peopleYou collect their numberThey text JOIN, or you text
#ADD. Or send us the listPeople who prefer emailLeft outIncluded. Same message, by email
Detailed, side-by-side comparisons.
Each one uses the other company’s own pricing and help pages, says when they’re the better choice, and lists its sources.
SMSGO vsRemindFor groups beyond the classroom: teams, clubs, churches and nonprofits. Read the comparisonSMSGO vsSimpleTextingA wallet you top up instead of a monthly plan sized by texts. Read the comparisonSMSGO vsText-Em-AllBoth pay as you go. SMSGO adds email members and coordination. Read the comparisonSMSGO vsEZ TextingNo monthly fee or telecom fee, and $0 in a quiet month. Read the comparisonSMSGO vsGroupMePrivate replies and text for everyone, with no app to download. Read the comparisonSMSGO vsMeetupReach the group you already have, without a monthly organizer fee. Read the comparison
The fine print, in plain words
- Replies cost money on SMSGO. Incoming texts are $0.03 per text segment. Many texting services make incoming texts free, so SMSGO isn’t always the cheapest option.
- “Lowest price per text” compares outbound texts on each service’s entry plan, among the services listed on this page. Several of them include free incoming texts, which SMSGO does not.
- What a segment is. One text segment holds up to 160 standard characters, or 70 if the message has emoji or certain symbols. Longer messages use more segments.
- Photos and email. Photo texts are $0.04 each. Emails are $0.003 each.
- Prices change. Competitor details come from their own pricing pages, help centers and blogs, checked Oct 6, 2026. Entry-level plans are shown.
SOURCES
- EZ Texting pricing: Launch $25/month, 500 credits, up to 500 contacts, $0.04 per extra credit, $5/month telecom fee; Boost $75/month for 500–2,000 contacts; monthly credits roll over one billing cycle; inbound texts free.
- SimpleTexting pricing: $29 for 500 credits plus $10/month local number and $4 one-time registration; extra credits 5.5¢; monthly credits roll over to the end of the following month; incoming SMS free.
- SlickText pricing: $29/month for 500 credits; one month of rollover on monthly plans; free incoming texts.
- Text-Em-All pricing: from 9¢ per credit; credits never expire; monthly plans from $19 for 1–50 contacts; inbound texts free.
- Running things from your phone: Text-Em-All, “Ways to Send a Message” and Text-Em-All, “Launching a Text Broadcast by Phone”; SimpleTexting, “Group text from phone”; EZ Texting Help Center, “Send-From-Phone Feature” and “Text forwarding”; TextMagic, “Email to SMS” (checked Oct 6, 2026).
- Mailchimp pricing and Mailchimp Help, “About your contacts”: free plan 250 contacts and 500 sends/month; Essentials from $13/month for 0–500 contacts; overages billed automatically; unsubscribed contacts count toward the limit; SMS is a paid add-on.
- TeamSnap pricing: “$0 to start”, upgrades unlock availability tracking and larger rosters. BenchApp pricing: Free; PRO $9/month adds text RSVPs and text broadcasts.
- Meetup Help Center, “Organizer Subscription prices overview” and “Meetup Pro pricing”: Standard from $29.99/month or $174.99/year; Pro from $55 per group per month. Prices may vary by location.
- GroupMe blog, “Goodbye SMS mode”, Aug 2026.
WHATEVER YOU’RE SWITCHING FROM
Need to reach your group? Think SMSGO.org.
Their choice
Every member picks text or email, and can switch anytime.
Your list
Free import, easy ways to join, and it stays private.
Fair price
$0.03 per text segment, $0.003 per email, no subscription.
Start for Only $5About 166 standard text segments. Nothing to cancel.
Questions? Organizers text support and reach a real person, usually Jonathon himself.