Stefan SchulzIf you’re here, you already know that SMS marketing literally gets you into the pocket of your audience, leading to more interactions, engagement, and returns for businesses.
Now, you just need to know which SMS platform is the best for your business.
We tried ClickSend for ourselves and are here to let you know honestly if it’s worth it.
Best Overall
SimpleTexting
- Easiest platform to use
- Send bulk SMS campaigns in minutes
- Great for eCommerce, marketing messages, appt reminders and more
Most Integrations
Mobile Text Alerts
- 200+ integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, and more
- Cost-effective monthly pricing options
- Great for businesses of any size
Here, we'll highlight ClickSend’s SMS services and its pricing system, its pros and cons, and a few of its alternatives.
Key Takeaways: ClickSend is a solid SMS platform that’s on the lower side of things cost-wise and offers all of the basic SMS and MMS necessities. That being said, it’s not our absolute favorite SMS service.
Table of Contents
We offer this website completely free to our visitors. To help pay the bills, we’ll often (but not always) set up affiliate relationships with the top providers after selecting our favorites. However, we do our best not to let this impact our choices. There are plenty of high-paying companies we’ve turned down because we didn’t like their product.
An added benefit of our relationships is that we always try to negotiate exclusive discounts for our visitors.
What Is Clicksend?
ClickSend is an SMS provider that lets businesses send, receive, and track SMS text messages worldwide. You can send transactional or marketing memos to customers or employees.
This product is cloud-based, so it's easy for businesses to integrate it with thousands of apps. It's also compatible with most network providers out there.
ClickSend lets users send SMS messages via online SMS gateway applications from a user dashboard. Alternatively, you can also send SMS messages using a designed API.
ClickSend also allows users to track their campaigns' progress in Google Analytics.
How Does ClickSend Work?
As one of the most popular cloud-based SMS providers, ClickSend has different products to meet its clients' needs. Businesses can send and receive memos through their dashboard or API via:
- SMS
- MMS
- Text-to-speech calls
- Email messaging
- Faxing
- Letters via an online cloud
- Rich messaging channels (coming soon)
Once you create an account, you can start sending memos from your dashboard or API within minutes.
ClickSend also lets users integrate the software with Android and iOS mobile apps and Outlook. Software developers may also integrate their apps using ClickSend's multiple API options, including:
- REST
- HTTP
- SMPP
- SMTP
- FTP
- SOAP
Also Read: Text Message Marketing Laws
Who Uses ClickSend?
This SMS system is meant to be used by medium and large-sized businesses in the United States. From the reviews we've studied, the provider caters to businesses in a variety of industries, including:
- Emergency services and healthcare
- Hospitality
- Transport and logistics
- Sporting associations
- Retail
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Marketing
- Advertising
- IT
- Ecommerce
- Banking and finance
While extensive, this list is not exhaustive. ClickSend can help USA businesses in any industry communicate better with their clients and employees. If you're looking for an SMS marketing software for your customer service, for example, you should definitely consider ClickSend.
What Does ClickSend Cost? (ClickSend Pricing)
To complete day-to-day tasks and watch your business prosper, you will need an efficient way to communicate with your staff and customers. Luckily, ClickSend allows you to do so at a great value for money.
ClickSend does not come with any startup or monthly fees. You will only pay for what you use. Your business will never be under the constraints of a contract.
The software offers both prepaid and postpaid plans. With a prepaid plan, you'll pay the price for memos as you send them out. ClickSend will send you an invoice with a postpaid plan each month for the price of the memos you sent out.
ClickSend charges its users based on the types of memos they send. The pricing details fall into seven different categories:
- Dedicated number: $1.63/month (no setup fees)
- Dedicated shortcode: $944.39 / month ($944.39 – Setup Fee)
- SMS: Users can send online SMS text messages starting at $0.024 per message when sharing less than 5,000 messages. The rates get cheaper as you send out more bulk text messages.
- MMS: Outbound MMS messages will cost $0.039 per message. (Read about the differences between SMS vs MMS)
- Voice: Mobile and landline text-to-speech memos will be invoiced at $0.013 per call.
- Email: Emails are sent with ClickSend at a specific rate starting at $0.0065 for under 25,000 messages per month.
- Fax: Users can fax pages at an outbound rate of $0.031 per page. Dedicated fax number: $3.9100/month
- Post: Users can send postcards for a fixed rate of $0.82 each. Users can send letters for a per-letter rate that depends on selections like color, single- or double-sided, and priority mail.
- Rich Messaging: This service is currently in the works but will be available soon. Users can share messages across conversation channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Apple Business Chat.
If you need to request a refund, the ClickSend staff will likely be able to help. Within the first 14 days of your purchase, the SMS service will grant a client a full refund with no questions asked. After 14 days, ClickSend will evaluate refund claims for its SMS services on a case-by-case basis.
ClickSend Review
ClickSend is a reliable tool that can help improve communication in multiple areas. It lets clients:
- Send bills and invoices
- Offer customer service via text message support functionalities
- Personalize and manage advertising and marketing leads
- Simplify human resource communications
- Manage delivery communications with suppliers
- Send out birthday promotions to customers
- Send reminders about meetings and events
As a versatile SMS gateway provider, ClickSend gives clients many ways to improve efficiency with communication. The reviews we've read paint the SMS service in a positive light, and we can't disagree.
Check out our review of its pros and cons below, and learn why we give this software such a high rating.
Track, Receive, & Send SMS Online Messages Worldwide. Check out ClickSend.
Visit ClickSend
Pros: Here’s what I like about ClickSend
- The pay-as-you-go kind of pricing system that ClickSend has is a major plus in this review. You never have to pay for anything you won't use. You will only pay for outgoing (and some incoming) messages. You won't ever need to spend money on wasteful startup or monthly maintenance fees.
- ClickSend offers a lenient refund policy compared to other similar kinds of SMS marketing software. If you request a refund within 14 days, you'll receive all of your money back with no questions asked. If you need to request a refund after 14 days, the ClickSend team will review your case and make a fair decision.
- ClickSend allows users to communicate via SMS, email, voice calls, and faxes. The SMS software lets clients communicate externally with customers and internally with staff. It guarantees the efficient delivery of any memos you need to send out.
- Based on our experience and the ClickSend reviews we've read, the company offers superior customer support. You can talk to the Sales or Support team via a live chat or consult the Knowledge Base section on the company's site.
- If you happen to find a company with better SMS prices, ClickSend will beat the quote you've found.
- In the ClickSend reviews we've read, customers love the convenient SMS reply features, and you can use the service with nearly any carrier option.
- ClickSend has RCS messaging in the works, a modern approach to SMS gateways that businesses and customers are sure to love.
- From my own personal experience, ClickSend is SUPER SIMPLE to use. It's easy to upload contacts and send out bulk text messages. I was able to set up an account, import a list of over 1000 contacts, and send out a bulk SMS in less than thirty minutes. This software provides huge ROI potential (I saw ~800% ROI on my ClickSend investment) and is a dream tool for marketers!
- They have reporting features so you can see exactly how many text messages you've sent out, how many texts bounced, and some simple engagement metrics.
- Delivery from the shared phone number is exceptional. I've previously used other SMS platforms and tested delivery and been extremely disappointed. Every test text message I sent was sent and there weren't any weird disappearances.
- Being able to reply to inbound text messages directly from the platform is a HUGE bonus.
- Pre-built zaps and workflows with Zapier make marketing automation easy.
Cons: Here are the only things I don’t like about ClickSend
- The reporting leaves a little to be desired. Reviewing the data is a little clumsy and there isn't an easy way to export and share insights. I also felt like the reporting just scratched the surface. I'd love to get more insights similar to what you'd see in Google Analytics with more device and operating system insights.
- I had a couple of issues where I'd create a campaign, but then need to go back and modify my list, or adjust some settings. Because I didn't set the campaign up as a template, it didn't save as a draft. This was a little annoying because I had to go back and recreate the text.
- Character limits are tight. Also, it seems like when you use an emoji, it automatically stretches out the SMS into “two texts”. Since you are paying per text, you might find yourself doing a lot of copy-editing to get the message down to 1 SMS / recipient.
- One complaint we've read in reviews is that sticking to a campaign isn't easy. When you send SMS memos, a ClickSend team member needs to approve them. While the SMS specialists at ClickSend usually approve SMS memos quickly, they may not do so in time for a time-sensitive campaign you have planned. Try to set up campaigns far in advance to avoid this issue.
- If you're a developer, I can see how this software would be almost “too simple”. This is really a great tool for marketers. If you're looking to do a lot of custom programming and automation, or if you're an enterprise, you might be better off checking out an ClickSend alternative like Twilio (check out our comparison of Clicksend vs Twilio).
Other User Testimonials
Don't just take my word for it, check out some of these users’ testimonials:
“I like everything about ClickSend. They have lots of features and my favourite is SMS. It's the only feature for which I joined their platform, but after joining their platform I found lots of other services they provide.” -Bhabishya B., Sales Manager, Capterra review
“SUPER affordable payment options – Plenty of flexibility in terms of set-up, which made it easy to fold ClickSend into a very unusual business model – Interface was smooth and easy to explain during roll-out.” -Mikhail R., Senior Operations Associate, Capterra review
“I love the ease-of-use for this platform. Being a small business, I don't have time to manage all of the personalized communications in a timely manner. Clicksend saves me about 30 minutes each day!” -Thomas T., Website Developer, Capterra review
ClickSend Alternatives
Are you shopping around for a text message marketing solution?
Compare ClickSend with other providers. Check out our detailed guide and get our recommendation on the best SMS marketing software.
After reading this ClickSend review, you may want to explore your other options. There are several other companies available that offer bulk SMS business texting services. If you're looking for a different SMS provider, some ClickSend alternatives include:
- SimpleTexting – Read our review
- Textmagic – Read our review
- Salesmsg – Read our review
- Heymarket – Read our review
- Twilio – Read our review
- Textedly – Read our review
- EZ Texting – Read our review
- Mobile Text Alerts – Read our review
When it comes to deciding on the right SMS product to use, it's all a matter of what your business needs. Consider factors like pricing system, delivery speed, customer support, and others' overall experience with and reviews of the product.
Before settling on an SMS product, try and review each one to see which one works best for your company.
Summary
At the end of the day, ClickSend is a great SMS option for small or medium-sized businesses that want an easy, straightforward SMS platform to run campaigns.
The customer service is excellent and their refund policy is fair.
That being said, the reporting features are a bit lackluster, and the software may be too “simple” for those with development experience.
With the lenient free 14-day trial, you might as well try it for yourself and see if it’s right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sign up for a free trial?
Yes, this USA text message software offers a free trial. To get started, you'll need to:
- Make a free account
- Provide your full name, business email address, company name, and phone number
- Create a username and password
- Accept the cookies that the Clicksend site uses
Upon making a free account, you will receive free credits to try out the SMS service. These free credits will help you review all of the service's features.
Can multiple users share the same account?
Yes! As the account owner, you can add, manage, and review as many additional accounts as needed. With their own “subaccount,” designated employees can log in and have certain messaging freedoms like never before.
Is there a character limit in each message that I send?
The character limits in online SMS messages fall into two categories: Standard and Unicode characters. You can send up to 160 characters in one Standard SMS message and up to 70 characters in one Unicode SMS message.
For voice-to-text memos, the categories are the same. You can send up to 300 characters in one Standard voice message and up to 150 characters in one Unicode voice message.
What payment options can I use?
You can pay using a credit card or bank transfer. If you want to pay using another method, you can discuss the option with a USA team member.
How long does it take to set up an account?
Virtually no time at all! ClickSend promises an “instant” account setup process to help clients reach their SMS marketing goals. You can start sending bulk SMS text messages within moments.
Is ClickSend Worth It?
Our overall rating for ClickSend is high; this is a reliable SMS marketing software that will increase your business communications. Sure, there are SMS provider alternatives you should look into as well. However, ClickSend is definitely a reliable SMS provider you should research.
Is ClickSend safe to use?
Yes, ClickSend is perfectly safe to use.
What is ClickSend used for?
ClickSend is used by businesses to send SMS, MMS, and voice-to-text messages to customers in order to facilitate easier communication and more effective marketing tactics.
Who owns ClickSend?
ClickSend is owned by Matt Larner, who founded the company in 2013.
Where is ClickSend based?
ClickSend is based in Perth, Western Australia.
Geoff Cudd
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