Attentive vs SimpleTexting
We give Attentive a 2.0 GPA and SimpleTexting a 2.4, out of 4.0. Attentive grades higher on features. SimpleTexting grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Attentive
SMS, email, RCS and push marketing for retail brands, sold by quote
SimpleTexting
SMS marketing and two-way texting priced by monthly message credits
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAAttentiveFair | 2.4GPASimpleTextingFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo prices are published at all: every plan is quoted after a demo, based on messages sent, list size, channels and AI tools. So there's no figure for 1,000 customers, and with nothing to compare it sits at C. AI Pro, AI Grow and AI Journeys cost extra on top. | C1,000 credits, enough to text 1,000 customers once, is $39.20 a month billed yearly ($49 monthly). A local number adds $10 a month and $4 to register, and carriers add about $0.0025 a US text. That's ordinary for this category. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free plan and no self-serve trial. Sign-up goes through the sales team. | CNo free plan, but a free trial with no credit card. It has you text your own number first, so you see how a campaign lands before paying. |
| Features | BThe whole text-marketing job and more: SMS, MMS, RCS, email and push, two-tap sign-up on mobile, journeys for welcome, cart and back in stock, A/B tests, campaign reports and AI tools that write copy and pick segments and send times. | CThe texting job done fully: mass texts and MMS, two-way replies, unlimited keywords, forms and pop-ups, auto-replies, drip campaigns and an AI writer. But texting is one channel of this category, with no WhatsApp or Instagram. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. You can't just sign up: it starts with a demo and a quote, and then there are sign-up units, journeys and channels to set up. | B4.68 from 3,487 App Store ratings, just under the 4.7 an A needs. Every plan has the same features, so there's no tier puzzle to work out either. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with more than 100 integrations including Shopify, Salesforce, BigCommerce, Zendesk and Snowflake, plus APIs, and texts to customers in 20 or more countries. No desktop or phone app, which an A needs. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Mailchimp, Zapier, Calendly and the API on every plan. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | text and email marketing for big retail brands | mass texts and replies for small US businesses |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Attentive and SimpleTexting. How we grade
Where they differ
- Only SimpleTexting lists iOS and Android apps.
- Attentive also covers email campaigns and popups.
- SimpleTexting also covers forms and business texting.
At a glance
| Attentive | SimpleTexting | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $23.20 per month for 500 credits, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial with no credit card required, which lets you text your own number before texting customers |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Attentive Mobile Inc. | SimpleTexting, LLC (part of Sinch) |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | simpletexting.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Attentive
- Retail and ecommerce brands with large text and email lists
- Teams that want SMS and email run by one vendor with strategy support
- Brands sending marketing texts in the US and other countries
SimpleTexting
- Small US businesses sending promotions and reminders by text
- Churches and nonprofits texting members, with 15% off monthly plans
- Seasonal businesses that want a year of credits up front
Worth knowing
Attentive
- No prices are published: every plan is quoted after a demo, based on messages sent, list size, channels and AI tools.
- AI Pro and AI Grow cost a flat monthly fee and AI Journeys is charged per click, on top of the messaging plan; the amounts are not shown.
- There is no free plan or self-serve trial; sign-up goes through the sales team.
- Messages can reach customers in 20 or more countries, as the site states.
SimpleTexting
- A local number adds a $10 monthly carrier fee and $4 one-time registration; carriers also charge about $0.0025 per US message, passed on without markup.
- Extra users cost $20 a month each beyond the 3 included, and extra numbers $10 a month each.
- A dedicated short code starts at $1,000 a month and takes 6 to 8 weeks to set up.
- Rollover credits are lost if you downgrade your plan.
Key features
Attentive
- Two-tap sign-up
- Sign-up units on the website that collect phone numbers and emails, with Attentive's patented two-tap flow on mobile.
- SMS, MMS and RCS
- Text campaigns with images, and RCS messages that show a branded, media-rich profile on supported phones.
- Email and push
- Email campaigns and triggered emails sent from the same platform, plus push notifications, sold as channel packages.
- Cross-channel journeys
- Pre-built journeys for welcome, cart abandonment, back in stock and price drops, with A/B testing and campaign and segment reports.
- AI tools
- AI Essentials writes copy on every plan; AI Pro, AI Grow and AI Journeys handle segments, send times, sign-up pages and one-to-one journeys.
- Integrations and API
- More than 100 pre-built integrations, including Shopify, Salesforce, BigCommerce and Snowflake, and APIs for custom work.
SimpleTexting
- Mass texting and MMS
- Send campaigns to segments of unlimited contacts, with picture messages at 3 credits each and longer 306-character texts at 2.
- Two-way messaging
- Customers can reply and the team answers one to one; incoming SMS replies are free and incoming MMS cost 1 credit.
- Keywords, forms and pop-ups
- Unlimited text-to-join keywords, plus opt-in forms and website pop-ups that add people to your list.
- Auto-replies and drip campaigns
- Automatic replies and scheduled sequences of texts that go out after someone joins a list.
- AI Assist
- A message generator that drafts campaign texts, included on every plan.
- Rollover credits
- On monthly plans, unused plan credits roll over to the end of the following month; yearly plans get all credits up front.
Plans
Attentive
Pricing could not be confirmed. See attentive.com.
SimpleTexting
500 credits$23.20
per month for 500 credits, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
All features, 3 users, unlimited contacts and keywords. Extra credits 5.5¢ each. An SMS uses 1 credit, a 306-character text 2 and an MMS 3.
1,000 credits$39.20
per month for 1,000 credits, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
Same features with twice the credits; extra credits 5¢ each.
3,000 credits$87.20
per month for 3,000 credits, billed annually ($109 billed monthly)
Same features; extra credits 4¢ each. The 2,000-credit step is $63.20 billed yearly ($79 monthly).
7,500 credits$183.20
per month for 7,500 credits, billed annually ($229 billed monthly)
Same features; extra credits 3.5¢ each. The 15,000-credit step is $319.20 billed yearly ($399 monthly).
50,000 credits$719.20
per month for 50,000 credits, billed annually ($899 billed monthly)
Same features; extra credits 2¢ each. The 25,000-credit step is $439.20 billed yearly ($549 monthly).
CustomCustom
Plans for more than 50,000 texts a month or a dedicated short code, built with the sales team.
Ways to pay less
Attentive
No public discounts listed.
SimpleTexting
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
SimpleTexting's pricing page says yearly plans save 20% and deliver the year's credits up front: 500 credits a month is $278.40 a year against $29 a month.
- Nonprofit
15% off for nonprofits and churches
Nonprofits, churches and other tax-exempt organizations get 15% off any monthly plan, according to the pricing page FAQ.
