2024’s Best Bulk Text Messaging Software: A Comparison Guide

Published on
August 2, 2024

Bulk text messaging software has changed how organizations communicate with their audience, offering a direct and efficient channel to reach them. To promote products, send updates, or engage with a community, bulk text messaging has been an invaluable tool. 

But the challenge lies in choosing the right software.

The right software lets you automate responses, track engagement, and ensure your messages are delivered at the optimal time. 

In this guide, we will explore the top bulk text messaging software available, important features to look for, and key factors to consider when choosing the right platform for your needs.

Top bulk text messaging software in the market

CallHub offers a comprehensive bulk text messaging software that excels in both, functionality and integrations. It offers a range of features tailored for businesses, political campaigns, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations. 

CallHub integrates seamlessly with popular CRM platforms such as Salesforce, NGPVan, PDI, and NationBuilder, making it an ideal choice for your texting campaignss.

Let’s a look at some of the top contenders, starting with CallHub.

NameType
CallHubCommunication software (Bulk texting, Two-way texting, Text to join)
EZ TextingTexting software (Bulk texting, Two-way texting)
SlickTextTexting software (Bulk texting, Text to join)
SimpleTextingTexting software (Bulk texting, Two-way texting, Text to join)
SendHubTexting software (Bulk texting, Two-way texting)
PeerlyTexting software (Bulk texting, Two-way texting, Text to join)
HustleTexting software (Bulk texting, Two-way texting)
ImpactiveTexting software (Bulk texting, Two-way texting)
CallHippoCommunication software (Bulk texting)

Bulk text messaging software: Important features

When selecting a bulk text messaging software, here are some key features to look for, along with a comparison of which platforms offer them.

10 DLC registration

10 DLC (10-Digit Long Code) registration ensures high deliverability and compliance with carrier regulations. It is vital for organizations to maintain a good sender reputation and avoid message filtering.

bulk-text-messaging-software-10dlc-form

CallHub, as an official CSP partner of TCR, can register your brand, campaigns, and use cases and provide you with 10DLC numbers for use in CallHub’s texting campaigns.

Shortcode renting

Shortcodes are ideal for high-volume messaging and brand recognition. They are easier to remember and more likely to be trusted by recipients. 

bulk-text-messaging-software-rent-shortcode

Renting a short code from CallHub is affordable and straightforward, with an approval process of 1-2 days. After logging into the CallHub dashboard, you can rent a shared or dedicated shortcode under the ‘numbers’ section.

Option to convert to MMS

Converting SMS to MMS enhances message delivery and engagement by allowing longer messages and multimedia content. 

bulk-text-messaging-software-mms

CallHub supports MMS, allowing you to send images, audio, and video files along with text messages. An MMS Converter also ensures MMS can be delivered as SMS to unsupported networks. 

CallHub also allows you to send non-multimedia content as an MMS when your text is longer than 160 characters. This makes your campaign cost-effective as the cost of 1 MMS is less than the cost of 2 SMS segments (It also affects your throughput though, so you must choose wisely). 

Trackable links (In-built URL Shortener & Tracker)

Tracking links within messages helps measure engagement and campaign effectiveness, providing insights into recipient behavior.

bulk-text-messaging-software-shorten-track-url

Using CallHub’s internal Link Shortener and Tracker offers several advantages over third-party services like Bitly. When you shorten links within CallHub, you maintain a higher delivery rate as carriers can filter out messages with links shortened using external tools. 

Additionally, you can customize links using merge tags for personalized URLs, enhancing your contacts’ experience and engagement. CallHub lets you track the click-through rate on the links so you can strategize nudges based on audience behavior. 

Auto responses

Automated responses ensure timely communication with recipients, enhancing audience engagement.

bulk-text-messaging-software-automated-reply

CallHub’s SMS marketing software allows you to receive replies and trigger responses based on keywords. For instance, when someone texts “RSVP”, you can send further details of the event automatically (and instantly). This feature is most useful for event inquiries, SMS-based surveys, list building, running offers, and fundraising.

Automatic opt-outs

Compliance with opt-out requests is crucial for maintaining trust and legality. Automatic opt-outs ensure that recipients who wish to unsubscribe are promptly removed from your list.

bulk-text-messaging-software-reply-stop-to-unsubscribe

CallHub allows contacts to opt out by replying with keywords like STOP, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, and QUIT. These contacts are automatically removed from your lists on an account-level and future campaigns immediately. 

List scrubbing

Regular list scrubbing removes invalid or unresponsive contacts, improving deliverability and reducing costs.

CallHub analyzes your contact list to identify landlines/VOIP, invalid, and malformed numbers, adding them to the DNC list to avoid contacting them through the campaign. It also tracks and marks the status of sent messages, including undelivered texts and gateway errors, to help you gauge campaign performance and clean your lists manually. 

Additionally, CallHub protects you with built-in TCPA litigator scrubs, partnering with dnc.com to automatically remove known TCPA litigators, lawyers, and their families from your lists.

Timezone scheduling

Sending messages based on recipients’ timezones ensures that no message is sent beyond the TCPA mandated hours, irrespective of origin location of the text.

bulk-text-messaging-software-timezone-scheduling

CallHub offers a “Text people in their timezone” feature which relies on the contact’s “State” information. For example, if you add contacts in different timezones like PST and EST and select operational hours of 10 AM to 12 PM for a specific day, the system will text all contacts from the East Coast between 10 AM to 12 PM EST and those from the West Coast between 10 AM to 12 PM PST (1 PM to 3 PM EST). 

Workflow automation

Automation of workflows streamlines the process of sending messages and managing responses, saving your resources.

In CallHub, a Workflow consists of triggers, conditions, and actions. 

  1. A trigger is an event that starts a workflow. CallHub monitors for this event to initiate automation.
  2. A condition is a set of rules that determine whether an action should be performed. If true, the workflow proceeds.
  3. An action is an event executed when the automation is triggered and conditions are met, representing the desired outcomes of the workflow.

Here’s how you can use them in a bulk texting campaign:

bulk-text-messaging-software-workflow-example
  1. Trigger: This could be an event, such as a tag is added.
  2. Conditions: Set criteria like whether the contact has responded to your previous message.
  3. Actions: Based on the conditions, add the contacts to a follow-up campaign or update the contact’s profile.

Nudges/Retry attempts

Automated retries for undelivered messages ensure maximum reach by attempting to resend messages that failed to deliver initially.

bulk-text-messaging-software-attempting-retries

CallHub lets you set the number of retry attempts and the interval for messages failed to deliver.

Comparison of top bulk text messaging software in the market

Here’s a quick comparison of the top features across the top bulk text messaging platforms:

Bulk text messaging software: Factors to consider

Choosing the right bulk text messaging software involves evaluating several factors. Here are some key considerations, with a comparison of the top platforms:

Choosing the right bulk text messaging software can significantly impact your communication strategy. CallHub offers a robust solution with extensive integrations, making it a top choice for many organizations. Ready to get started? Create a free account on CallHub now and explore the platform today.

Sindhu Prabhu Linkedin
A marketer with 5+ years of experience. Loves sharing insights on making campaigns work better, connecting with your audience effectively, and using smart communication strategies that deliver results.