In the current era of technology, utilizing SMS marketing offers numerous advantages to businesses as it enables them to connect efficiently with a wide audience and advertise their products or services. Nevertheless, the process of selecting an appropriate SMS service provider in India can be overwhelming due to the abundance of options in the market.
To assist you in making a well-informed choice, we have assembled a compilation of India’s top eight SMS service providers, evaluating them based on their features, pricing, and customer support. Irrespective of whether you are a small business owner or a large enterprise, these providers offer flexible solutions that can cater to your specific marketing requirements and budget constraints.
What is SMS Gateway?
An SMS gateway allows you to transmit SMS text messages from a software application to a mobile phone or other SMS-capable devices using a telecommunications network. Additionally, an SMS gateway enables a computer to receive SMS text messages from a mobile device.
Typically, messages sent from web or mobile applications are incompatible with SMS. To overcome this, an SMS gateway converts the message into a format that mobile devices can understand.
Best SMS Gateway Providers
|
SMS Gateway |
Price Per SMS | Free Trial | Visit Links |
 |
$0.0079/SMS | ✅ | |
 |
$0.008/SMS | ✅ | Visit |
 |
$0.003/SMS | ❌ | |
 |
Not mentioned | ✅ | Visit |
 |
$0.0448/SMS | ✅ | |
 |
$0.0629/SMS | ✅ | Visit |
 |
$0.0004/SMS | ✅ | |
 |
Starts from $249/month | ✅ |
1. Twilio
Twilio has cemented its position as a leading SMS gateway service provider since its inception in 2006. Its remarkable flexibility and quality of service make it the top choice in our list of best SMS gateway providers. The use of REST API in programmable messages has made Twilio the gateway service provider of choice for millions of developers across the globe.
The range of SMS features provided by Twilio is amazing, through which businesses can go beyond their basic SMS services. In addition to that, Twilio provides omnichannel messaging across other popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
If you want to create a robust global presence through SMS services among your worldwide customers, Twilio is your gateway to success.
Main Features:
- Offers global reach across 150+ countries.
- Supports bulk messaging
- One-way and two-way SMS service.
- Verified SMS services.
- Constant campaign monitoring and customer insights.
2. MessageBird
With MessageBird, businesses can easily communicate with their customers through multiple channels, including SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, push notifications, email, and voice.
The platform has an impressive track record, having processed over 5 trillion messages for a wide range of clients, including industry giants like Facebook, Google, and Uber. Join the thousands of satisfied customers who trust MessageBird for their communication needs.
Main Features:
- Offers global reach to 240+ direct connections in 140+ countries.
- Provides omnichannel messaging solutions.
- The Inbox product provides a comprehensive solution for customer conversations across all supported channels, ensuring seamless omnichannel services.
- You can easily send and receive SMS through point-and-click dashboards, rag-and-drop builders or the MessageBird API too.
- It also provides templates to build engaging conversational experiences with customers.
- You can embed the omnichannel messaging app into any webpage.
3. D7 Networks
Looking for affordable SMS and email communication services worldwide? Look no further than Direct7, also known as D7 Networks. Our team of mobile experts makes sending notifications a breeze with our SMS API.
You can easily customize your SMS messages to suit your business requirements, and they offer two-way messaging and SMS authentication for even more functionality. Trust Direct7 to help you stay connected with your customers and streamline your communication needs.
Main Features:
- Offers speedy SMS delivery.
- Ensures high SMS success rate with global reach.
- Provides easy integration with different apps through modules and software.
- You are offered 10+ free SMS credits when an account is signed-up.
4. Sinch
If you’re looking for a way to engage with your customers effectively, look at Sinch. Their platform allows businesses to communicate through messaging, email, and voice interactions in one convenient location.
Whether you need omnichannel messaging or standalone messaging APIs, Sinch has got you covered. Integrating SMS into your business systems is a breeze with just a few lines of code. With Sinch, you can easily connect with your customers in a way that works best for your business.
Main Features:
- Sinch provides a global reach to 600+ mobile networks worldwide.
- It also supports bulk messaging.
- Provides both one-way and two-way SMS.
- Offers MMS and RCS for rich SMS content.
- Supports verified SMS.
- It tracks customer insights to help monitor campaign performance.
5. Vonage
Vonage, previously known as Nexmo, is a reputable and esteemed communication API service provider that has been revolutionizing how businesses interact with their customers by providing cutting-edge communication solutions. These solutions include video, voice, messaging, and more.
With the confidence of over 100,000 businesses and a staggering 1 million developers worldwide, Vonage is an unwavering choice for all your communication API requirements.
Main Features:
- Supports bulk messaging
- One-way and two-way SMS service.
- Verified SMS services.
- Constant campaign monitoring and customer insights.
6. ClickSend
ClickSend is a well-established and highly regarded SMS gateway provider offering a comprehensive range of business communication solutions. The company’s suite of services includes APIs for emails, voice, SMS, and more, making it an ideal choice for companies looking to streamline their communication channels.
One of the standout features of ClickSend’s SMS API is its ability to send tailor-made SMS messages to meet businesses’ specific needs. This is similar to other SMS gateway providers, but ClickSend goes the extra mile to ensure its SMS delivery is fast and reliable, with a 100% SLA guarantee.
Additionally, ClickSend’s gateway is highly compatible with the most popular messaging platforms, making it an incredibly easy and convenient solution for businesses to integrate into their existing systems. This compatibility ensures that companies can send SMS messages quickly and easily without worrying about any compatibility issues. Overall, ClickSend is a top-tier SMS gateway provider that offers excellent service and reliability to businesses of all sizes.
Main Features:
- Supports bulk messaging
- One-way and two-way SMS service.
- Verified SMS services.
- Constant campaign monitoring and customer insights.
7. Telnyx
We highly recommend the SMS API Gateway service provided by Telnyx. This reputable platform has earned the trust of notable companies like HP, Slack, and Cisco.
Telnyx offers a robust and customizable SMS gateway service with a wide range of local and toll-free numbers, alpha-numeric IDs, and shortcodes. This versatile platform allows businesses to send highly personalized SMS messages through a programmable API easily.
With its comprehensive range of functions, Telnyx is an ideal platform for effectively connecting with your audience and building strong relationships with them.
Main Features:
- Supports SMS API with global reach.
- Supports the MMS services.
- Businesses can integrate the gateway with AI chatbots for automated messaging.
- Provides a wide range of local and toll-free numbers, alpha-numeric IDs, and shortcodes.
8. Podium
Meet Podium, an Australian SMS gateway service provider that specializes in helping small businesses to communicate with their customers and collect payments easily. Podium is dedicated to helping businesses improve their customer engagement by gathering feedback and utilizing it to enhance their relationships.
These services are carried out through SMS messaging, making it easy for businesses to stay in touch with their customers and build stronger relationships with them. With Podium, businesses can streamline their communication and payment processes and focus on growing their business.
Main Features:
- Offers growth tools like text marketing, website chat and SMS review requests.
- Provides omnichannel solution.
- The central communications inbox is for bringing channels and customers bound together in one place.
- It provides payment solutions like Podium Payments, Podium card readers and text-to-pay.
- It is available to be integrated with 180+ applications.
Factors to consider while choosing the right SMS gateway provider
1. SMS delivery rate
The SMS delivery rate refers to the proportion of messages effectively sent to the intended recipients. A significant delivery rate is vital because it guarantees that your messages are reaching your desired audience, and enhance these services are carried out through SMS messaging, making a rate of 95% or above considered satisfactory in countries like India.
2. Reliability
You should choose a bulk SMS service provider that can be trusted with a strong foundation consisting of servers, network connections, and backup systems to guarantee the prompt and reliable delivery of messages. Additionally, they should implement efficient strategies to reduce the chances of message delivery issues, such as continuous monitoring of message progress and automated retry systems.
3. Scalability
The capacity of an SMS provider to manage high quantities of messages while maintaining the quality of service is known as scalability. If your company is expanding quickly and requires more messages to be sent, verifying that your provider can handle your demands without difficulty is critical. It is important to choose a provider with a solid infrastructure and the ability to expand its services when necessary.
4. Customer care service
When selecting a bulk SMS service provider, it’s important to give careful thought to the level of customer support offered. It is essential to have access to prompt and convenient assistance whenever issues or inquiries arise.
It is advisable to seek out a provider with excellent customer support services that are accessible through various communication channels, including telephone, email, and chat. Additionally, examining their reviews and reputation is worthwhile to ensure they are known for being responsive, helpful, and well-informed.
5. Security
The security of SMS services is of utmost importance due to the sensitive customer data involved. Selecting a provider who adheres to established security protocols commonly used in the industry is vital. Additionally, verifying their compliance with relevant data protection laws and regulations in your country or region is recommended to prevent any potential legal complications.
Closing it Up!
The SMS feature has developed into a highly convenient means for businesses to communicate with customers thanks to its excellent message opening and response rate. By utilizing SMS, businesses can take advantage of the benefits offered by traditional text messages when reaching out to their customers.
If you have a Magento store, then you should try Magento 2 SMS Ultimate extension and Magento 2 SMS Notification extension. Their features will surely take your SMS marketing strategy to a whole new level. SMS marketing has become so important nowadays that, if ignored can cost businesses a lot of bucks and valuable customers.
In the market, there is a wide range of SMS API providers to choose from, and businesses can select the most suitable SMS gateway provider for their needs by comparing them based on different factors. When making this choice, it is important to consider above mentioned aspects.