Textedly Review

Why Textedly Is Best for Scalability?

Textedly is our choice for a texting solution that meets the needs of growing businesses. The easy-to-use platform includes basic features for running successful text marketing campaigns and keeping in touch with customers. Textedly offers 13 plans with some of the best prices per message we’ve seen, so you’ll get exactly what you need without breaking the bank.

You can seamlessly upgrade from Textedly’s lowest-priced plans as your business grows and you send more texts; also, you can purchase additional messages. Plus, you can do it all right from the platform. No matter your needs, Textedly is one of the most affordable solutions we’ve seen for businesses of any size. Even if you’re sending 240,000 messages per month, you’ll pay considerably less for Textedly than you would for other SMS marketing services.

As you scale, Textedly will always let you message an unlimited number of customers. This way, your growth won’t limit your marketing operations. Uploading additional customers and linking them to a keyword is simple. Textedly makes subscriber opt-out — a key SMS marketing best practice — easy too.

While some platforms charge a premium for advanced features, we like that Textedly lets you add individual tools as you need them — no matter your plan. You only pay for the features you use. Creating drip campaigns, automated replies and adding social media messaging can be done right from the platform; plus, there’s only a small one-time setup fee. You can even add unlimited teammates or additional numbers and continue managing everything from the same familiar platform.

Usability

Navigating Textedly is seamless. Everything you need is only a click away. On the left-hand side, you’ll see a navigation panel with all the key tools you’ll need. Extensive filters make it easy to find and respond to the right message. Composing a new message is a piece of cake. Also, a visual display shows you how many messages you have left. The display also shows you how many messages the campaign will use — it even gives you a direct link to purchase more messages if necessary.

The Textedly dashboard’s first row shows your plan, your total available keywords and your number of contacts. Below that, you’ll see your number of remaining monthly messages, activity reports and feed, and payment and review info — if your plan includes these features.

The dashboard also shows a list of your most popular keywords, your unsubscribe rate and your recently sent campaigns. In the center of it all is an activity report showing your new subscribers, messages sent and messages delivered over time. We like that this dashboard is clear and crisp.

The App Tools icon houses your advanced features, like drip campaigns and automations, as well as integrations, which are easy to use. Textedly maintains a Zapier integration, so you can integrate just about any tool you desire. Certain tools have apps readily available in Textedly: Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp and Facebook are some of the 24 integrations available in the App Store.

Textedly Features

Scalable Messaging

Textedly’s extensive pricing plans cover businesses that need to send as few as 500 messages per month and as many as 240,000. And you can easily add extra messages when needed. You can send extended messages of up to 306 characters and only be charged for two messages. You also get unlimited incoming messages and contacts — letting you handle as many client interactions as needed. We especially like that Textedly’s prices are usually the lowest. Even at high monthly texting amounts, Textedly charges less than half the price of certain competitors.

Essential Marketing Tools

We appreciate that Textedly includes essential marketing features without bogging you down with unnecessary tools. While keywords are limited, you can purchase more as your business expands. Customer data collection lets you create detailed profiles and segments according to relevant fields. Bulk and two-way messaging are standard; however, you can add free features like trigger words that send automatic replies when a customer texts. Also available are trackable link shortening, custom webforms and features for building customer engagement, like text-to-win and customer text surveys.

You can easily enhance your marketing texts with emojis, images and GIFs. Source: Textedly

Integrations and Apps

Textedly stands out for its one-time-fee add-ons. Alongside familiar external business software integrations — such as Slack and Zapier — are unique apps to expand your messaging capabilities. This includes tools for autoreply, personalized text messages, drip campaigns, SMS inbox notifications and Instagram texting. We appreciate that Textedly only makes you pay for what you need. Plus, as the fee is one time, it won’t put a dent in your wallet as you scale. Most competitors that offer advanced features as paid add-ons charge you monthly for each extra tool.

Textable Numbers

All Textedly accounts come with a toll-free number and a local 10DLC number that your customers can use to text you. If you need more numbers as you expand — for example, if you open a second location — you can purchase more for a reasonable fee. Like many competitors, Textedly can also text-enable your current landline or provide dedicated short code. Getting numbers verified is simple and can be done straight from the app. We especially love that you can add voice calling; this way, if you want to broaden your communications, you can do it with the same number from the same platform.

Text Payments

Textedly recently introduced a text-to-pay tool — a function that not many other competitors offer. You can text a payment link right from the dashboard; when your customer clicks, they’ll be taken to a secure payment portal. Textedly will even set you up with your own merchant account, so you can process cards and get paid right away. Plus, you can use automations to send out payment reminders and set up recurring payments.

You can send easy payment links to customers, and once they pay you’ll get a notification in your inbox. Source: Textedly

Customer Review Requests

A big part of growing your business is developing a solid reputation. Textedly includes tools to build your online reputation. You can text customers a link to leave reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp or TripAdvisor. You’ll see all your reviews in your inbox and can easily leave responses or manage issues. Textedly also provides metrics so you can gather insights and see how your online reputation is growing.

QR Codes

QR codes can help you streamline the process of adding customers to your subscriber list. When customers scan your code, their messaging app will auto-populate your number and sign-up link. Although this feature is common, on Textedly you must first activate this feature; it comes at no extra charge, though. Other text message marketing services don’t require this extra manual activation step.

With the free QR code add-on app, you can generate QR codes to opt-in customers or to send out mobile coupons. Source: Textedly

Textedly Costs

Textedly’s vast pricing options stand out; the company offers 13 pricing plans that cover the whole spectrum of operations. Custom plans are also available for businesses with complex needs.

You can sign up for a 14-day free trial with 50 messages, one custom keyword and free incoming messages. Thereafter, you can sign up for one of the plans listed below. Textedly’s pricing model is unique in that the brand doesn’t use lower prices as an incentive to switch from monthly to annual billing. Instead, customers who pay annually get 20 percent more messages; it’s a great way to increase limits while keeping total costs down.

We found that most other SMS marketing companies charge considerably more per month for each of these per-month messaging limits. All plans include free incoming messages and one user. Starting with the Plus plan, you get access to the text-to-pay feature, Google Business reviews and premium support.

1. Basic: $26 per month
   • One custom keyword
   • 500 messages per month if billed monthly, 600 if annually
2. Bronze: $38 per month
   • One custom keyword
   • 1,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 1,200 if annually
3. Plus: $69 per month
   • Two custom keywords
   • 2,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 2,400 if annually
4. Enterprise: $99 per month
   • Three custom keywords
   • 3,500 messages per month if billed monthly, 4,200 if annually
5. Elite: $139 per month
   • Four custom keywords
   • 5,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 6,000 if annually
6. Business: $249 per month
   • Six custom keywords
   • 10,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 12,000 if annually
7. Silver: $349 per month
   • Seven custom keywords
   • 15,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 18,000 if annually
8. Premium: $499 per month
   • 10 custom keywords
   • 25,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 30,000 if annually
9. Pro: $599 per month
   • 13 custom keywords
   • 35,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 42,000 if annually
10. Gold: $849 per month
    • 15 custom keywords
    • 50,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 60,000 if annually
11. Platinum: $1,599 per month
    • 20 custom keywords
    • 100,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 120,000 if annually
12. Diamond: $2,299 per month
    • 20 custom keywords
    • 150,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 180,000 if annually
13. Champion: $2,999 per month
    • 50 custom keywords
    • 200,000 messages per month if billed monthly, 240,000 if annually

You can buy an extra 500 messages for $25 dollars, which is a bit more expensive per message than some alternatives. For example, in our EZ Texting review we saw that additional messages are charged based on your plan; plus, even the most expensive rate is half that of Textedly.

As messaging demands increase, you can add tools or change plans. Although some features require one-time activation fees, it’s a cheaper option than competitors who charge monthly for advanced features. We were disappointed that these fees are not listed on the website, but they can be found on the platform. Here’s how they break down:

• Personalization – $28
• Autoreply – $36
• SMS inbox notifications – $65 per phone number
• Instagram texting – $79
• Voice calls – $99
• Drip campaigns – $135

Beyond that, there are some other fees to consider, such as:

• Mandatory monthly Telecom surcharge: $8 per month
• Additional keywords: $5 per keyword
• Additional teammates: $10 per month per teammate
• Additional toll-free or 10DLC numbers: $15 per month
• Dedicated random short code: $1,000 per month plus one-time $1,000 setup fee
• Dedicated vanity short code: $1,500 per month plus one-time $1,000 setup fee

Textedly Setup

Like most text message marketing software, Textedly is easy and quick to implement. After you sign up, your dashboard will be ready to go. You’ll already have a dedicated toll-free and 10DLC number, and you can easily purchase additional numbers or a short code. We love that Textedly handles number registration and approval right from the app.

From there, you can add new subscribers manually or via a CSV file and create keywords. You won’t pay any extra fees to add subscribers. After that, you’re ready to start texting your customers. The whole process takes minutes.

Setting up Textedly becomes a lengthier process if you add extra paid services such as voice calling, Instagram texting and text personalization. Each of these tools is quick to set up, but signing up for all of them can add extra time to your implementation process.

You can also access roughly two dozen free integrations — plus Zapier — from the Apps tool. As with Textedly’s native apps, each of these integrations can take a few minutes to get up and running. We suggest allocating an hour total for setup.

Textedly Customer Service

You can reach Textedly’s customer support by phone or text. Live chat is also available through the Textedly website and directly in the app. We like that when you start a chat, you can scroll down to see articles about frequently asked questions. Not all competitors include this feature. We also heard back from a Textedly rep within 90 seconds of using the live chat tool, and a rep saw our message within the first 30 seconds; this was considerably faster than most other services we reviewed.

The Textedly support team is available from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. CT on weekdays. It’s also available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT on Saturdays and Sundays; only a few brands offer weekend support.

Outside of these hours, you can email Textedly’s help line or use the automated chat. You’ll never pay additional fees for customer support. However, the two cheapest plans don’t get access to premium support, so you might end up waiting longer for an answer.

Textedly Drawbacks

Textedly’s most significant drawback is the relatively small number of custom keywords you can use — even on the Champion plan. Although Textedly might give you the best bang for your buck in terms of messages per dollar, you’ll never get more than 50 custom keywords unless you pay for extra. This cap is enough for most businesses, but it’s still a cap. If you need to build extensive customer lists, consider reading our review of SimpleTexting; it offers unlimited keywords.

We were disappointed to see that Textedly doesn’t offer a dedicated mobile app. If sending messages and creating text campaigns on the go is a high priority for your business, consider reading our ProTexting review — our choice for ease of use.

Additionally, Textedly is known to have a difficult cancellation process. Customers have reported being unable to shut down their account from within the Textedly Dashboard’s account settings tool. Instead, they’ve had to contact customer support via email and then wait for a call from a representative. Despite these stories, Textedly representatives told us that you can cancel your account right from the live chat tool.

Methodology

Textedly is one of roughly a dozen text message marketing platforms we reviewed. It’s also one of a handful of brands for which we arranged a guided, recorded demo with Textedly sales reps. We were given access to a free trial as well. The majority of our information came from these demos, though certain information came from the Textedly website and reviews online. When determining the best service for scalability we specifically looked at the amount of plans offered and how easy and expensive it is to add on additional features.

Overall Value

We recommend Textedly for …

• Small businesses looking for a text message marketing service that can grow with them.
• Businesses in need of a platform that remains affordable even at high texting quantities.
• Businesses that want text message marketing and voice calling from the same number.

We do not recommend Textedly for …

• Businesses that need unlimited custom keywords.
• Businesses that need a fully functional mobile app to text on the go.
• Businesses that want the ability to cancel their text message marketing services easily.

Max Freedman contributed to this article.