SMS vs. WhatsApp Marketing: Which One Should You Use for Business?

Compare SMS vs. WhatsApp marketing to choose the best channel for your business.

SMS and WhatsApp are both effective marketing channels, and many businesses are using them.

Although WhatsApp has more advanced features, it also has some limitations compared to SMS. So, you can’t simply choose one and ignore the other.

In this article, we’ll explain the key differences between SMS vs. WhatsApp marketing to help you choose the best one for your business.

You can use a single platform like WP SMS to send promotional and transactional messages to both SMS and WhatsApp recipients.

Understanding SMS & WhatsApp Marketing

If you’re looking for the best way to reach customers right where they are, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we want to define SMS and WhatsApp marketing to let you know their capabilities.

SMS Marketing: The Quick-Hit Messenger

SMS, or Short Message Service, is the text messaging used on your phone. It was first introduced in 1984 and is one of the most used communication channels in the world.

Apart from personal uses, SMS is useful for business communications. For businesses, SMS is a great marketing channel with a laser focus.

You just need to craft a short pitch like “Sale ends tonight!” or “Your order’s on the way” and send it to see a great result. SMS works on every mobile phone out there and doesn’t need any extra app or registration.

Around 40% of businesses in the world use SMS as part of their marketing strategy, which shows its effectiveness in promotional campaigns. Also, more than 80% of businesses use SMS for non-promotional tasks like notifications.

WhatsApp Marketing: The Chatty All-Rounder

WhatsApp is like an advanced SMS available on the internet and through a standalone application.

So you have to use it on smartphones and have high-speed internet to use all of its features. This messaging app was first introduced in 2009 and then became part of the Meta Corporation. 

It supports all types of content from text to video and live location. As a business owner, you can use its Business version and WhatsApp API to run your SMS marketing campaigns.

The percentage of businesses that use WhatsApp for marketing is way lower than SMS. This means that SMS is easier to use, although WhatsApp is more attractive.

SMS vs. WhatsApp Marketing: Key Differences

Now, let’s review the most important differences between SMS marketing and WhatsApp marketing.

Take a look at the following table to get the gist of their key differences:

Feature	SMS Marketing 📱	WhatsApp Marketing 💬
Delivery & Open Rate	~98% open rate, instant delivery (no internet needed)	High open rate, requires internet & app
Reach	Works on all mobile phones	Limited to WhatsApp users
Cost	Charged per SMS, varies by region	Conversation-based pricing by Meta
Message Format	Text-only (160-character limit)	Rich media (images, videos, documents, buttons)
Engagement	One-way, limited interactivity	Two-way, interactive conversations
Personalization	Basic personalization (e.g., name)	Advanced personalization & automation with chatbots
Compliance	Requires opt-in under telecom regulations (TCPA, GDPR)	Requires opt-in per WhatsApp Business policies
Best For	Urgent notifications, OTPs, promotions	Customer engagement, support, multimedia marketing

Here is a more detailed comparison between marketing via SMS and WhatsApp:

1. Message Delivery & Open Rates

SMS has a high open rate of 98% because people receive them without needing an internet connection. WhatsApp, on the other hand, requires an internet connection, and the delivery rate of WhatsApp messages is not as high as that of SMS.

2. Reach & Accessibility

You don’t need to install any app on your phone to use SMS, while WhatsApp requires you to install its app and update it on every occasion.

Also, all the phones support SMS, but you need a smartphone to install the WhatsApp application.

Considering these facts and the simplicity of using SMS, we understand why SMS is way more useful than WhatsApp.

The following shows more details about the number of users of these two marketing channels:

Metric	SMS	WhatsApp
Global Users	5 billion = 65% of the world’s population.	2.96 billion
Mobile Phone Subscriptions	8.9 billion mobile phone subscriptions	Not applicable.
Daily Messages Sent	18.7 billion texts every day	600 million messages each day

3. Cost & Pricing

SMS is typically charged per message, while WhatsApp’s pricing is usually conversation-based.

Here is an estimation of the marketing cost when you use SMS and WhatsApp marketing:

Aspect	SMS Marketing	WhatsApp Marketing
Per-Message Cost	$0.01–$0.05 (U.S.)	Varies by country and API pricing structure
Bulk Pricing	Discounts for high volumes (e.g., $0.02/message for 10,000+)	No direct bulk discounts; conversation-based pricing
Setup Fees	Minimal or none; optional platform fees ($10–$50/month)	$500–$1,000 (API/BSP onboarding) + $50–$200/month
Message Limits	160 characters; multi-part messages cost an extra	No limit; rich media included in conversation
Free Messaging	None; charged per message	Free replies within a 24-hour user-initiated window
Multimedia Cost	Higher (MMS: $0.03–$0.10/message)	Included in the message cost
Best for Cost	Small, text-only, local campaigns	Interactive, media-rich, global campaigns

4. Message Length & Format

SMS is limited to 160 characters per message, and you have to pay more if you write a longer message.

WhatsApp, on the other hand, doesn’t have any limitations in terms of the length of the message. This gives you more flexibility in explaining your goals and offers.

Also, SMS mainly supports text with some limited rich media content. However, WhatsApp supports all types of media, including images, videos, documents, emojis, live location, interactive buttons, etc.

5. Engagement & Interactivity

Both SMS and WhatsApp have two-way messaging, but WhatsApp has more interactive features for engagement.

On the other hand, many people might not use WhatsApp as their main messaging channel, while almost everyone uses SMS.

So SMS is better in terms of engagement rate, while WhatsApp is better for interactivity.

6. Personalization & Automation

SMS marketing tools allow you to personalize your SMS campaigns at scale. In fact, you can include the personal information of each recipient, like names, dates, and purchases, without manual intervention.

WhatsApp Business also supports AI chatbots, automated responses, and personalized messaging. So, both platforms offer personalization, but personalization with SMS is easier to implement.

7. Compliance & Regulations

When you want to run campaigns using SMS and WhatsApp, you need to get clear consent. However, WhatsApp marketing requires compliance with Meta’s regulations apart from local and international regulations like GDPR.

8. Use Cases

SMS has an immediate nature, so it’s great for time-sensitive campaigns and last-minute offers. On the other hand, WhatsApp is ideal for interactive customer engagement, multimedia promotions, and customer support.

What Marketing Channel Is Best for Your Business?

Here are some factors to consider when choosing your primary marketing channel:

• Urgency: Use SMS for urgent and time-sensitive purposes because WhatsApp messages might be delivered with a bit of delay. Also, recipients might check their WhatsApp app later, but many people open their SMSs within 3 minutes.

• Interactivity: If you need to send interactive elements, go for WhatsApp.

• Content Type: If you just want to send a short text, SMS is the best option. WhatsApp is great for ads with videos and images.

• Customer Engagement: If you need customer engagement like live video chat, WhatsApp is a better choice.

In summary, you can consider the following table to choose between SMS vs WhatsApp:

Use Case	SMS	WhatsApp
Appointment Reminders	✅	❌
OTP & Authentication Codes	✅	❌
Order Confirmations	✅	✅
Shipping & Delivery Updates	✅	❌
Flash Sales & Promotions	✅	✅ (with images/videos)
Customer Support	❌ (Limited)	✅ (Two-way chat)
Feedback & Surveys	✅ (Basic)	✅ (Interactive)
Event Invitations	✅	✅ (Rich media)
Loyalty Program Updates	✅	✅
Emergency Alerts	✅	❌ (Internet required)

Use Both for Maximum Impact

Each of these channels, SMS and WhatsApp, has its own benefits and drawbacks. If you need a comprehensive marketing campaign, you can’t solely rely on one of them.

You’d better create an omnichannel marketing strategy and include both SMS and WhatsApp marketing, along with other channels like emails and other social platforms.

This way, you can ensure customer engagement in the most effective way possible. For example:

You can send an SMS for urgent notifications, and then follow up with a detailed message on WhatsApp.

Looking for a Solution to Use Both SMS and WhatsApp?

Fortunately, there are platforms like WP SMS that allow you to use both SMS and WhatsApp using a single dashboard.

This way, you can send promotional and transactional messages using SMS and WhatsApp without switching your marketing platform.

Fortunately, WP SMS can be integrated into your online shop using WooCommerce integration. It’s specifically designed for WordPress websites and offers lots of advanced features like:

• Automation
• Scheduling
• Segmentation
• Dynamic Content
• Bulk Messaging
• Two-Way Messaging

It also supports more than 350 SMS gateways and APIs, including WhatsApp API. So you don’t need to be worried about using SMS or WhatsApp marketing. You just need to trust WP SMS. 

The good news is that WP SMS offers a free plan for small businesses that need basic features. You can also go for premium features by choosing affordable pricing packages. 

Final Thoughts

In the end, choosing between SMS and WhatsApp marketing is dependent on your business needs and your target audience.

SMS keeps it simple and direct and has a great reach, even to those who don’t have smartphones or internet connections!

Also, it has an immediate nature that makes it perfect for last-minute ads and sensitive messages like OTPs. WhatsApp, on the other hand, has an interactive vibe that lets you chat with various content types like live video calls. Overall, it’s good to include both of them in your marketing strategy.

Use SMS for quick updates and reminders, and choose WhatsApp for deeper connections. Also, if your audience is youngsters or tech-savvy, you’d better go for WhatsApp. No matter what channel you choose, WP SMS is here to help you reach maximum marketing ROI. So why wait? Get started right now!

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