A SimpleTexting alternative for internal team texting
SimpleTexting is a capable SMS marketing platform. If you’re running campaigns to customers, it is very likely the better tool. If you landed here because you just want to tell twelve employees the store is closed, you’re buying a lot of machinery you won’t use.
Where SimpleTexting genuinely wins
Worth saying plainly, because it’s the deciding factor for a lot of people: if any part of your job involves marketing by text, SimpleTexting does things Airhorn does not do at all. Keyword campaigns and shortcodes for list growth. Drip sequences and scheduled campaigns. Contact segmentation and custom fields. MMS with images. Click tracking and campaign analytics. Integrations with Mailchimp, HubSpot, Zapier and the rest.
Airhorn has none of that, and isn’t planning to. If you need a marketing platform, buy a marketing platform.
Where it fits badly for employee texting
The pricing model points the wrong way. Marketing platforms charge for message volume, because in marketing more sends means more revenue. Texting your staff is the opposite — a good month is one where you barely sent anything. Paying a $39 floor to send eleven texts to fourteen people is a bad shape.
Compliance is your problem.The opt-in flow is something you design: build the consent language, wire up the confirmation, manage who has agreed. That’s reasonable for a marketing team. It’s a lot for a restaurant manager who wants a roster where people confirm by replying YES.
Per-seat costs add up.Additional teammates are charged monthly. If three shift leads need to send, that’s three seats — a common shape for restaurants and retail.
Side by side
| Airhorn | SimpleTexting | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Texting an employee roster | SMS marketing campaigns |
| Starting price | $5/mo | $39/mo |
| Pricing model | $0.75/mo per confirmed employee | Per message credit (~$0.02–0.08) |
| Opt-in confirmation | Required YES reply, built in | You design and manage it |
| STOP / HELP handling | Automatic | Manual setup |
| Extra managers | Included | +$20/mo per teammate |
| Marketing features | None | Extensive — keywords, drip, segmentation, analytics |
| 10-employee estimate | ~$12.50/mo | $39+/mo |
SimpleTexting figures reflect their published pricing and may have changed — check their site for current rates before deciding.
Which to choose
Choose SimpleTextingif you text customers, need campaign analytics, keywords, or MMS, or want one platform for marketing and internal messages and don’t mind the floor price.
Choose Airhornif the list is your staff, the messages are shift coverage and closures, you want opt-in and STOP handled without designing it, and you’d rather pay around $12 than $39.
Choose neither if you have six employees — a group text is free and fine. We wrote up all five options, including the free ones.
Built for rosters, not campaigns
$5/mo plus $0.75 per employee. Opt-in confirmation and STOP handling built in, unlimited managers, no contracts.
Free for 7 days and 60 messages — no credit card. Your trial starts when you send your first broadcast, not when you sign up.