9 Best Business Text Messaging Software of 2026

Quo is the easiest way on this list to give a small team a shared business number that texts and calls. Starter costs $15 per user per month on annual billing and includes one local or toll-free number per user, unlimited calling and messaging within the US and Canada under a fair usage policy, voicemail transcripts and API access. Shared numbers let several teammates see the same call and text history, see who is typing and reply from one thread, while snippets, auto-replies and scheduled messages cut repeat typing. Internal threads keep side conversations next to the customer message. The Sona AI agent answers calls on every plan, and AI drafts replies to texts. The limits show up as teams grow: Starter allows up to 10 paid users on a shared number, call summaries for every call need Business at $23, and carrier registration adds a $19.50 one-time fee and a small monthly fee. Extra numbers for locations or teams cost $5 per month each.

Heymarket is built around a shared inbox where a team works texts the way a support desk works tickets. Standard costs $20 per user per month on annual billing with a two-user minimum and covers two-way messaging, the shared inbox, conversation management, unlimited contacts, templates, tags, basic reporting and a HubSpot integration. Plus at $41 adds lists and campaigns, automations, advanced reporting, AI Essentials and email in the same inbox. Pro at $62 adds AI Advanced, API access and stronger admin and security controls, with Salesforce as a $7.50 per user add-on. AI agents answer common questions from an approved knowledge base, handle appointment booking by text and pull lead details into the CRM. Messaging is billed in credits at $0.03 each, with SMS at one credit per segment and MMS at two, so the total depends on volume. The platform states SOC 2 Type 2, TCPA and HIPAA compliance, which suits healthcare and finance teams.

Salesmsg is texting built for teams that work inside a CRM. Texts and calls log to the contact timeline automatically, workflows fire messages when a CRM event happens, and a Chrome extension lets reps text from any webpage. Basic costs $21 per month billed yearly and includes one seat, one number and 6,000 credits a year, which suits a solo rep or a small office testing business texting. Pro at $277 per month billed yearly includes 120,000 credits a year and is aimed at teams that text and call heavily. Campaign tools cover one-time broadcasts, multi-step drips, ringless voicemail and MMS, with business hours and after-hours handling. Calling includes recording, transcription, round-robin or IVR routing and a power dialer. AI agents can book meetings through Calendly, answer calls when the team is offline and handle routine inbox replies. The big gap between Basic and Pro is the main drawback for mid-sized teams.

Textline targets teams that treat texting as a support channel. Every plan includes automations, scheduled messages, announcements, templates, metrics, a mobile companion app and multi-factor authentication, and all tiers are HIPAA compatible. Essentials includes three agents, 600 minimum message credits a month, three years of history, NPS and CSAT surveys, API and webhooks. Pro raises that to five agents and 2,000 credits, keeps history without limit and adds custom roles, custom surveys, Salesforce and time-based routes. Departments let a business send from different numbers for locations or functions, and routes assign inbound texts to the right agent. Textline can text-enable most landlines, though a ported cell number loses voice service and Textline numbers do not make calls. The pricing page did not show plan prices when we checked, so ask for a quote. Extra credits cost $0.03 each, and a 10DLC number carries a $15 monthly campaign fee.

Clerk Chat is the cheapest way here to add a team texting inbox to numbers a business already owns. Growth is listed at $9.99 per user per month and Ultimate at $19.99, with a $60 saving a year shown for yearly billing. Both include messages described as unlimited, subject to terms, and Growth covers up to 8,000 contacts while Ultimate raises that to 50,000 and adds message campaigns. The app connects to existing numbers from Microsoft Calling Plans, Twilio and Telnyx, so there is no need to port or change carriers, and it is a Microsoft 365 Certified app that runs inside Teams. The shared inbox includes group messaging, internal threads, templates, variables, a blocklist and round-robin assignment. The low base price rises with add-ons: HubSpot, Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics each cost $15 per seat per month, log exports $5 per seat, and a 48-hour 10DLC rush is $500.

SimpleTexting mixes campaign texting with a two-way inbox, and its pricing is built around monthly credits. On yearly billing the smallest plan works out to about $39 per month: $29 for 500 credits and $10 for a local number, plus a $4 one-time carrier registration, with extra credits billed at 5.5 cents. Replies and incoming messages are free, which matters for conversational use because customer texts do not drain the credit balance. Every paid plan includes three user seats, unlimited contacts, auto-replies, drip campaigns, MMS, an AI Assist writer, API access, reporting and rollover credits, and there are no contracts. Live support runs seven days a week. For teams that mainly reply to customers, the tool lacks the routing and assignment depth of Heymarket or Textline, and extra seats at $20 per month and extra numbers at $10 per month add up for larger groups.

Podium is the broadest platform here, built for local businesses that want texting to drive sales. Core costs $399 per month and includes unlimited contacts, one-to-one text messages, team members, conversation history, call recordings and voicemail transcriptions, with five phone numbers and 250 bulk message credits. Pro at $599 per month adds an AI Concierge and AI Reputation Specialist, automatic lead routing, advanced automations, lead capture forms, text surveys, MMS marketing and 15 numbers. Every plan pulls website form leads, chat and third-party leads into one inbox with folders, assignments and templates, and review management with AI responses is included. Customer success, onboarding and phone, chat and email support come with Core. The downside is price: a small team that only needs a shared texting number pays far more here than with Quo or Heymarket, and plans are bought through sales.

Text Request prices by text line and message volume rather than by seat, which helps businesses where many people answer the same number. Basic costs $59.99 per month billed monthly, with a discount for new customers during the first three months, and includes 1,000 texts, one dashboard (one text line) and additional texts at $0.058. Every plan allows unlimited users, contacts and devices, and covers two-way texting, sequences, mass texting, payments, SMS chat, templates, 10DLC verified sending and scheduled messages. Starter at $145 per month adds two dashboards, location requests, unlimited keywords, a Chrome extension and third-party integrations, and Corporate at $295 covers five lines. Text-to-pay and automated review requests make it useful for vets, tutors and other service businesses. API access is reserved for Enterprise at $575 per month, and the entry plan has only one line, so multi-location businesses need a higher tier.

EZ Texting started as a text marketing tool and now includes conversational features such as a team inbox, AI Reply and call forwarding on every plan. Launch starts at $20 per month on annual billing for up to 500 contacts, with a local textable number, 6,000 yearly credits, one user and overage credits at $0.04. Boost from $60 per month moves to a high-volume number and waives the telecom fee, and Scale from $100 per month adds a high-speed number and an onboarding specialist. All plans include unlimited contacts and keywords, QR codes and signup forms, drip campaigns, keyword auto-replies, text-to-pay links, branded contact cards, reporting and an open API. RCS messaging adds branded senders and rich cards. For a team that mainly answers customer texts, one included user and a marketing-first design make it a weaker fit than the shared-inbox tools above.