Textmagic Review 2024: Features, Prices, and Benefits
Textmagic is a simple yet powerful SMS marketing software founded in 2001. Since then, it has grown to have 25,000 business customers sending 200 million texts each year.
All kinds of businesses trust Textmagic as their SMS platform, but is it the right SMS tool for you?
We’ll review Textmagic based on:
- Ease of Use
- Value for Money
- Bulk Messaging
- Functionalities
- SMS Automation
- Customer Service
Textmagic review summary
Textmagic is a business text messaging service for companies that want to communicate quickly and easily with their customers and staff.
- Getting started is easy. You can sign up for an account for free and only pay for the texts you send. A thousand texts will cost around $40.
- Simple interface, clean navigation, and host of features: custom fields to personalize bulk campaigns, API integration, SMS scheduling, etc.
- Automation makes it easy to personalize and manage large campaigns.
- Monitor the costs of your SMS campaigns in real-time.
- Support is available over email and phone (for USA, UK, Australia, and Estonia)
Get started with Textmagic for free here
Reasons to choose Textmagic
Textmagic has all the tools you need to create SMS campaigns bundled in one easy-to-use tool. It’s the software of choice for small and medium businesses who want simple yet powerful SMS campaigns.
Let’s take a closer look at Textmagic’s features:
1. Bulk Messaging: Send bulk SMS messages to staff, leads, and customers with Textmagic. Bulk SMS sending and delivery are quick and affordable.
2. Two-way SMS conversations: Two-way SMS conversations help build a real connection with your audience. Leads and customers can text and engage directly. Textmagic comes with SMS templates to kick off those conversations.
3. Images, Files & MMS: Make your texts memorable with pictures, videos, PDFs, and even Microsoft Office attachments (up to 10MB, loading depends on the device). True MMS is available for USA and Canada (up to 525kb, only sent from toll-free numbers).
4. Keywords: Creating and editing keywords with Textmagic is easy. Use keywords to add people to lists, send them autoresponders or remove them from campaigns.
5. Automation: Automations are for list building, surveys, and keyword autoresponders. Use them to send triggered messages, and add and remove contacts from lists.
6. List Management/Segmentation: Import CSVs, tag users, and create lists to run targeted campaigns for different types of users. Add custom fields, and automate list management.
Textmagic Review: SMS Marketing Platform
Whether you want to send mass texts about your latest deals, send product info or automate reminders, Textmagic makes it easy. You can send complete text message marketing campaigns with Textmagic. Let’s have a look at Bulk SMS first.
How to send bulk SMS with Textmagic
Textmagic lets you send bulk messages online and via their mobile app. To send bulk texts, go to the Compose panel. I like how simple they made sending bulk text messages.
You pick your contact list and the phone number you want to send from, type your message, then click Send.
You’ll notice how easy it is to create reusable SMS templates. Because Textmagic has MMS, you can also add images.
To personalize a text message, click on Insert tag. From the drop-down menu, you’ll select which customer information field you want to add to the message. Personalization starts with a few standard tags, including name, company information, phone, email, and appointment time. But any custom fields you create for contacts also become available as tags.
Text-to-speech and voice broadcast is another unique feature in SMS bulk sending. Your text message will be converted into voice, or you can pre-record audio and send it as a phone call.
Schedule SMS sends and recurring campaigns with Textmagic. You don’t have to put together your SMS at the moment it’s meant to go out.
Choose a date and time to schedule bulk SMS messages. It can also be a repeat campaign, for instance, sending an update daily.
Textmagic supports global text messaging in over 200 countries. With coverage from Afghanistan to Virgin Islands US and supporting text-enabled landlines. You can buy a dedicated (local) number from 30 countries. This is great to see because some SMS marketing platforms only focus on the US, Canada, and Europe.
Free SMS Templates in Textmagic
Textmagic comes with 9 pre-made SMS message templates.
There are templates for appointments, booking confirmations, and deliveries. You can edit each template to add tags for a personalized text message.
If you visit Textmagic’s website, you’ll find 62 more message templates with ideas for sales campaigns, event invitations, and more. To add SMS templates, copy-paste the text from the website to Textmagic. The templates can also be downloaded as CSV files.
Two-way SMS conversations in Textmagic
Textmagic’s two-way SMS chat panel is perfect for engaging customers and answering questions directly. Answer texts in real-time to help and make customers feel valued.
The two-way chat menu is easy to navigate. On the left is a list of subscribers actively chatting, and on the right panel is their text history, so have context every time you engage them.
You can add team members and delegate chats to dedicated inboxes. That way, you are sure the right person gets assigned and saves time sorting through messages.
Like bulk texts, you can send media files in two-way chats. Textmagic supports .jpg, .gif, .png, .pdf, .txt, .csv, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx & .vcf file formats.
If you’ve ever worked in customer support, you’ll know that customers often ask the same questions and need similar responses. Textmagic solves this with pre-made templates for canned responses. You can make these canned responses feel personal by adding customer information tags.
To send a canned response, click on templates, choose one and click ‘insert template’.
Once your text marketing campaigns take off, you will get more and more SMS chat requests. Textmagic keeps the volume manageable with chat filtering options.
Toggle to see only unread messages and respond to customers quickly. You can select chats and manually mark them ‘read’ or delete them altogether. Close all read texts to sift through a list of incoming chats quickly.
Two-way chat lets you stay organized and on top of your text conversations:
- All conversations in one window
- Chat filtering features
- Easy template implementation
- Inbox delegation to team members
Automate SMS sending with Textmagic
In Textmagic, you can automate SMS using keywords, autoresponders, list rules, and surveys.
SMS autoresponders are where you can get creative and build out whatever automated campaign you can dream of. You select the right groups, assign keywords and messages and end with some list management.
It keeps it pretty basic with rule-based logic. This is great for managing most SMS autoresponder campaigns. Here is a list of Autoresponder campaigns to think of:
- Automated SMS coupon messages
- Delivery or status updates
- SMS surveys to get more info about contacts
- Lead magnet follow-up sequences
- Scheduling meetings with automatic texts
The automation wizard is easy to navigate, and campaigns are quick to set up. The autoresponder screens are laid out well, and every step is clear.
You can create branched, dynamic campaigns. And all campaigns can be personalized. Don’t expect SMS autoresponders to replace a full marketing automation system, though. If you need more complex rules, queries, and intricate triggers, you’d want to integrate them with your marketing automation tool.
We score autoresponders as 4.5 / 5. Seeing you can do many of the automations inside Textmagic, and it’s smooth to use.
3 examples of automated SMS sending with Textmagic
In Textmagic, you can automate SMS using keywords, autoresponders, list rules, and surveys.
Creating automations is quite easy. I’ll set up three example SMS automations to show how this works.
1. Subscribe people who download your lead magnet
You can use automations with SMS to sign people up who download your lead magnets. This way, you can keep them up to date with the latest news, product updates or discounts, and offers.
To subscribe people to your SMS list, go to Automation Rules under the Services menu.
We’ll click on Create a new rule and give it a name. In this case, I’ll call it “Lead magnet giveaway”.
Then I’ll add a keyword. Here I’ve chosen the word CHEATSHEET. Whenever someone replies to my text using this word, they’ll receive an autoresponder.
I’ll select which countries this campaign is for. For this example, I’ve left the field empty as I want to include all countries.
I’ll click Continue to compose the body of my autoresponder text.
I’ve added a name tag to my message body to give it a personalized feel. Then I explain in just a few words the value of signing up for this SMS newsletter.
Here it’s also important to select to trigger this automation only once instead of every time they reply with this keyword. Because my subscribers will be added to a new list after they join my list, I’ll leave the box ticked.
Whoever replies to my texts with ‘Subscribe’, I want them to be added to my ‘newsletter subscribers’ list. This way, my list will keep updating automatically.
Now I’ll have a list of people with an opt-in that I can send newsletters to anytime.
2. Send customer satisfaction SMS surveys.
To create a survey, go to Services and click on SMS surveys.
Click on Create a new survey. You can start with a template or from scratch.
For the review, I’ll choose the Customer feedback survey because it saves me a bit of time.
Next, I choose my list of survey recipients. For instance, I want product feedback from customers.
Now I’ll design my first question, calling it ‘Qualifying Question’. Here a recipient can say if they want to participate in the survey.
Then I create two branches. One with the keyword YES, and the second for any other responses. By using keywords like ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ you can base the next question on their response. A cool way to create automation flows and branched surveys.
Those who reply with YES will get a follow-up question. For others, the survey ends.
Now on to ‘Question 2’ for people who showed interest in the survey. Here I’ll ask for a rating from 0 to 10. After they respond, they’ll automatically receive my next question about satisfaction. This way, you can add as many questions as you want. In the end, I’ll add a thank you SMS and finish the survey with the ‘End Survey’ trigger.
I can test my whole sequence with a survey preview to check if it works perfectly. The replies will be stored in Textmagic. You can check the responses and analytics of a survey on a results page and all responses contacts gave on their profile pages.
3. Status updates
If you’re an ecommerce store, you can send notifications to your customers about delivery status or text them new promotional campaigns. Like the following example:
To create a status update automation, we go to the automation rules section and start a new automation. Give it a name like ‘delivery status updates’ and use the keyword delivery as your trigger.
It’s important to select ‘anywhere in the text’ the keyword appears. This way, your customer will receive an automated response even if the keyword isn’t the first word in their text.
Next, you’ll use tags to compose your text message. It’s important to already have custom fields with information like customer delivery numbers and dates.
I don’t need to add/remove customers from any list for this automation, so I’ll leave additional settings as they are. I’ll click continue, and my automation is ready now. They’ll receive an automated response whenever someone includes delivery in their text. Here’s an example of one using the automation we built:
These 3 examples of text automations to communicate with customers. You can do a lot more to streamline communication with CTAs, triggers, and phone numbers. Let’s have a look at how you can do any of the SMS automations.
Textmagic List Building and Contact Management
Textmagic has 3 options to build lists. Use keywords, web forms, or manual imports.
To import contacts, go to the Contacts menu, click New Contact and choose if you want to manually add contacts or import CSVs. When you import lists, all data is validated, and duplicates get removed.
Automate Contact Management with keywords. When text recipients reply with certain keywords, you can choose what to do with them. You can add them to a new list, remove them from a previous list, or assign them a new tag.
You’ll also find it easy to manage unsubscribers. When someone replies with STOP, STOPP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, END, and QUIT, they’ll be removed from the campaigns they reply to.
Textmagic web forms are basic, but they get the job done. You can play around with header text, descriptions, and a few color choices. The fields are limited to name and mobile phone number.
When you’re happy with the design, you’ll select which lists to add your subscribers to. You can filter subscribers by country, so only people with phone numbers from that country are added to your list. You could also use a dedicated landing page or form builder and connect it to Textmagic.
Get a free Textmagic trial today
Textmagic Email to SMS
TexMagic’s email to SMS gateway converts emails into SMS and delivers them. All replies then are received as emails. You just need to add a valid email address and send an email from that account to [email protected]. This feature is cool because you’re sending SMS from your email account.
There are three SMS conversion options. You can include both subject + body text, just the body text or subject line.
Add custom cut phrases from settings to let Textmagic know where it should stop converting an email to text. This will serve as the cutoff point. A cutoff point is useful because of the character limit for SMS messages or to exclude footer information from your emails.
Textmagic Integrations
Connect Textmagic with your other apps to get the most out of it. For example:
- With Calendly or Google Calendar to schedule appointments.
- With your CRM systems to import and synchronize subscribers.
- With Zendesk, Slack, or similar to improve internal company processes and reach staff.
- Use API to send a welcome SMS text message to any new customer.
7 of the most used Textmagic integration types:
- CRMs, like Hubspot or Pipedrive
- Landing page builders, like Unbounce and Leadpages
- eCommerce platforms, like Shopify or WooCommerce
- Email marketing software, like Mailerlite and Moosend
- Marketing automation platforms, like ActiveCampaign and Omnisend
- Online course platforms, like Thinkific and Teachable
- Lead generation tools, and more.
All integrations happen through Zapier, Email to SMS API, or REST API. You can use Zapier to connect Textmagic to 5000+ apps without coding.
To connect with an app, visit the API menu in Services. Click on integrations and choose an app you want to connect with.
In Zapier, you further detail the integration setup.
Textmagic Customer Support
The Textmagic support team is quick to reply, they promise a response within 24 hours. It was much quicker during testing. Email and phone support are available. The Textmagic website has many how-to articles, an FAQ section, and video tutorials. You’ll also find links to these video tutorials in relevant places inside the app.
Textmagic pricing and plans
Textmagic has a free trial which is great for testing the whole platform. After that, you can choose a pay-as-you-go plan. SMS prices depend on the country you are sending to, which is the same for Textmagic.
The great point is that Textmagic is pay-as-you-go. There are no account fees, and credits never expire.
You can find a pricing calculator on their pricing page to estimate how much you’ll need for sending texts.
1000 texts to the US will cost you approximately $40. This doesn’t include the price of a virtual phone number, a mobile number will cost you between $4-6.
If you plan to send more than 10,000 texts monthly, you can sign up and contact Textmagic for custom pricing.
Textmagic Pros and Cons
What I liked the most:
- Use the Email to SMS feature for multi-channel communication.
- Pay only for the SMS you send.
- Create sub-accounts for teams to collaborate on campaigns.
- Save time with text message templates that instantly populate.
Could be better:
- UI feels outdated, although that shouldn’t distract you
Pros and Cons from Textmagic User Reviews
For this review, I also looked at Textmagic reviews by users to see how their experience has been. From their customer feedback, here’s what I found:
The positives
- Users like the sub-account collaboration feature
- Some users like that the application is accessible on mobile
- Other users like the ease of setup
The negatives
- Some customers found text delivery to be slow at times
- We had a good experience with customer support. Not everyone supports the sentiment. Some customers have had to wait longer than usual to get their problems addressed.
Get a free Textmagic trial today
Textmagic: Is it the SMS Marketing Platform for you?
Textmagic is an SMS marketing platform offering bulk texts, two-way conversations, automated messaging, and list management. It’s a great tool to extend your marketing channels with SMS and MMS. Here’s how we score Textmagic:
Ease of Use: 4.5 / 5
Value for Money: 4 / 5
Bulk Messaging: 5 / 5
Functionalities: 4.5 / 5
SMS Autoresponder: 4.5 / 5
Customer Service: 4 / 5
Total score: 4.5 / 5
Textmagic gets a 4.5 for its strength in bulk SMS sending, ease of use, and SMS autoresponders. Composing and sending bulk messages is simple, and the process is quick. The automation features are handy and help you manage customer lists as well.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Textmagic used for?
Try Textmagic today
Is Textmagic free?
When the trial is over you can buy credits to send SMS marketing campaigns. 1000 texts to the US will cost you approximately $40.
Sign up for a free trial today
Does Textmagic work?
The app is easy to use and offers important features like mass texting, SMS automation, keywords, two-way chats, and contact management. You can buy credits and pay as you go for each text you send.
Try Textmagic for free
How do I get Textmagic?
Does Textmagic have a mobile app?
Sign up for Textmagic today
How do I create a Textmagic account?
There are some countries from which you can’t create a Textmagic. If you have difficulties signing up, contact support.
Is Textmagic secure?
Textmagic Alternatives
No Textmagic review would be complete without comparing it with other SMS providers to see how the software ranks against them. Let’s compare Textmagic with 4 popular SMS marketing services.
Textmagic vs. EZ Texting
The main difference between Textmagic and EZ Texting is that Textmagic supports SMS in most countries. EZ texting has support only for US and Canada. This can be a problem for online businesses that have global customers.
EZ texting makes up for this with a slightly cleaner UI and options to create QR codes and shortened URLs with the app.
Textmagic vs. Textedly
The main difference between Textmagic and Textedly is the pricing. While Textmagic offers a credit-based system, Textedly, in contrast, has 12 payment plans.
This can be a good thing or bad. It depends on your needs. For some businesses, 12 business plans will let them choose the most optimal pricing, saving costs as the volume of texts grows. High-volume texting can become expensive with a credit system. Others might like the simplicity of Textmagic’s plan and not having to think too much about pricing.
Textmagic offers text-to-landline support, a feature missing from Textedly. On the other hand Textedly offers some other useful features like URL shortening and shortcodes, which are missing from Textmagic.
Compare the best text marketing platforms here
Textmagic vs. SimpleTexting
The main difference between Textmagic and SimpleTexting is that SimpleTexting starts from $29 per month while Textmagic has credits-based pricing. SimpleTexting also offers shortcodes, a feature missing from Textmagic. Customers found setting up and using Textmagic easier than SimpleTexting.
Textmagic vs. Sakari
Compared to Textmagic, Sakari is slightly cheaper. 1000 SMS with Sakari will cost you about $30 compared to Textmagic’s $40. But similar to Textmagic, Sakari also rolls over unused credits.
Many online customer reviews mention that they don’t like the Sakari app interface, calling it clunky and outdated. But others like the direct integration with Hubspot and how it connects with its workflows.
Compare the best SMS marketing platforms here