Free ways to send a mass text, and the catch with each
There are several genuinely free ways to send one message to many people. Each one has a catch, and the catch is what decides whether free is good enough for you.
| Free option | Practical size | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Group text | Under ~10–20 | Reply-all, shared numbers, carrier limits |
| WhatsApp group | Large | Everyone needs the app; numbers visible to all |
| WhatsApp Broadcast list | Large | Only reaches people who saved your number |
| GroupMe | Large | It’s a chat — announcements get buried |
| Google Voice | Small | Not built for bulk; group texts are limited |
| Email-to-text gateways | Unreliable | Being shut down by carriers |
| Free trials | Varies | They end |
A group text
Already on your phone and costs nothing. Fine for small groups; past about ten people, reply-all noise and carrier size limits start to bite. iPhone group text limits.
Groups can be large and set to admin-only posting, and Broadcast lists send individual messages with private replies. The catch is that everyone needs WhatsApp, and broadcasts silently skip anyone who hasn’t saved your number.
GroupMe
Free and works for people without the app via SMS. It’s designed as a group chat, so important messages compete with conversation. Airhorn vs GroupMe.
Google Voice
A free second number that’s good for keeping one-to-one texts off your personal line. It isn’t designed for sending the same message to a large list, and repeated bulk sends are the kind of pattern that gets numbers filtered.
Email-to-text gateways
You used to be able to email a phone number at a carrier’s domain and have it arrive as a text. Carriers have been shutting these gateways down — AT&T ended its gateway in 2025 — and the rest are unreliable enough that we wouldn’t depend on them.
Free trials
Most paid texting tools offer a trial. Useful for a one-off or for testing, not as a long-term plan. Airhorn’s trial is 7 days and 60 messages with no card, and the clock starts at your first broadcast rather than at signup.
When to stop using free
Pay when a missed message costs you something real — a no-show, a wasted trip, a safety issue — or when you can no longer keep the group’s numbers private. Until then, free is fine. The cheapest paid options by group size.
When free isn't enough for your staff
Individual texts, private replies, opt-in handled. $5/mo plus $0.75 per employee, with a free trial first.
Free for 7 days and 60 messages — no credit card. Your trial starts when you send your first broadcast, not when you sign up.