TextScaleHQ vs SlickText
SlickText sells texts as monthly credit plans. TextScaleHQ charges a flat fee and you pay Twilio’s own price per text. Monthly costs at 2,000, 10,000 and 40,000 texts, side by side.
We make TextScaleHQ. Every SlickText price and feature below comes from SlickText’s own website, checked October 21, 2026, with links. US prices, monthly billing, single-part texts.
Key takeaways
- At 10,000 texts a month to a list of 2,500, TextScaleHQ comes to about $187; SlickText about $361, carrier fees included.
- SlickText is cheaper at 500 texts a month or fewer.
- SlickText doesn’t publish a price for extra credits, so a busy month usually means the next plan up.
- SlickText leads on workflows, a shared inbox, native integrations and phone support.
The short version
SlickText sells texts in monthly credit plans, with a two-way inbox and visual workflows on every plan. TextScaleHQ charges a flat fee for the software, and you pay Twilio or Vonage their own price for each text. Here is what that means in dollars, and where SlickText is the better pick.
Pick TextScaleHQ if you
- Send more than 500 texts a month to a list of 500 or fewer (more on bigger lists) and want your carrier’s price
- Run several businesses, with 2 or 5 included in the price (SlickText may charge for extra brands)
- Want to plan weeks of promos at once, and own your number
Pick SlickText if you
- Want automations like birthday texts or Shopify abandoned-cart texts
- Need a shared inbox and native CRM integrations
- Send 500 texts a month or fewer
What you’d pay each month
Move the sliders to your list. Both totals include carrier fees. SlickText uses the smallest plan that covers that many texts; TextScaleHQ uses the plan your list needs plus Twilio’s list price.
At this size TextScaleHQ costs $173.85 less a month.
Three common sizes
| Size | TextScaleHQ | SlickText | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 texts 500 contacts | $56.35 Starter plan | $87.40 2,000-credit plan | $31.05 less |
| 10,000 texts 2,500 contacts | $187.15 Growth plan | $361.00 10,000-credit plan | $173.85 less |
| 40,000 texts 10,000 contacts | $705.15 Pro plan | $1,107.00 50,000-credit plan | $401.85 less |
Where SlickText costs less: at 500 texts a month or fewer, SlickText’s $29 plan comes to about $31.10 with carrier fees and TextScaleHQ to about $37.45. Above 500, SlickText moves you to its next plan, so a few more texts can add $20 or more.
How we worked it out: TextScaleHQ: plan fee, plus Twilio’s US toll-free price of $0.0083 a text and carrier fees of $0.0043 (the average of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon), plus a $2.15 toll-free number. SlickText: credit plans ($29 for 500, $49 for 1,000, $79 for 2,000, $129 for 3,500, $169 for 5,000, $319 for 10,000, $579 for 25,000, $939 for 50,000). SlickText doesn’t publish a price for extra credits, so a volume between plans is priced at the next plan up. Carrier fees of $0.0042 a text, passed through at cost, and the free toll-free number. Yearly billing gives two months free, but SlickText doesn’t list yearly prices, so the table shows monthly only. Sources: slicktext.com/pricing, carrier fees, credits and rollover, terms of use.
Side by side
“Better here” marks the side that’s ahead on that line.
| What matters | TextScaleHQ | SlickText |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| How you pay for texts | Your carrier’s own price, billed by Twilio or Vonage. No markup. Better here | Monthly credit plans. No published price for extra credits, so going over usually means the next plan up. |
| Monthly fee | $29, $59 or $199, set by your contacts and businesses | $29 to $939 for 500 to 50,000 credits; Enterprise quote above that |
| Picture messages (MMS) | Twilio’s MMS price ($0.022) plus carrier fees, on every plan | 3 credits per picture message, plus a $0.0087 carrier fee |
| Unused texts | Nothing to expire. You never buy texts in advance. | Credits roll over for one month (one year on yearly plans); lost if you downgrade or cancel |
| Free trial | 30 days, no credit card | 14 days, no credit card; a sending number can’t be registered until you pay |
| Numbers and setup | ||
| Phone number | Yours, in your own Twilio or Vonage account. You keep it if you leave. Better here | Comes with SlickText: one toll-free number free, 10DLC $10/mo |
| Getting set up | Connect your own Twilio or Vonage account. A guide walks you through it. | Nothing to connect. Sign up and pick a number. Better here |
| Carrier registration | Toll-free verification filed from the dashboard; 10DLC numbers you’ve registered yourself also work | SlickText registers your number; toll-free usually under 48 hours, 10DLC about a week |
| Sending | ||
| Two-way inbox | One-way campaigns only. STOP, START and HELP are handled for you. | Shared inbox with assigning, tags and notes Better here |
| Scheduled and repeating campaigns | Yes | Scheduled and recurring campaigns |
| Welcome text on sign-up | Sent when someone joins by form, QR code, keyword or webhook (Zapier, Make), held until daytime where they live. Your own template. | Keyword auto-replies and opt-in confirmations |
| Drip sequences | No follow-up series after the welcome text | Visual workflows: birthdays, link clicks, Shopify abandoned cart and more Better here |
| AI | AI Promo plans weeks of texts from your own offers (4 weeks on Starter, 12 on Growth, 52 on Pro). You approve each one. | AI Compose drafts and rewrites a text |
| Link tracking | Each person gets their own short link, so you see who clicked | Short links with unique and bot clicks counted |
| Daytime-only sending | Built in: 8 AM to 8 PM in each person’s time zone | Not found in its help center; sends go out in the account’s time zone |
| Growing your list | ||
| Contacts | 500, 2,500 or unlimited, by plan | Unlimited on every plan Better here |
| Sign-up forms, QR codes, keywords | Webforms, printable signs, QR codes, keywords | Web forms, popups, QR codes, keywords |
| Integrations | Webhook for Zapier, Make or your own code | Shopify, HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp and more, plus Zapier and Make Better here |
| Running it | ||
| More than one business | 2, 5 or unlimited businesses, each with its own number, list and opt-outs | Multiple brands, each with its own number and contacts; extra brands may cost extra (price not published) |
| Mobile app | Works in a phone browser | iOS app Better here |
| Support | Email; priority on Growth; fastest replies on Pro | Phone and chat, 8:30 AM to 6 PM ET on weekdays Better here |
When SlickText is the better pick
SlickText’s workflows send texts on birthdays, link clicks or an abandoned Shopify cart. TextScaleHQ sends a welcome text, then the campaigns you schedule.
SlickText has a shared inbox with assigning and notes. TextScaleHQ handles STOP, START and HELP, nothing more.
SlickText connects natively to Shopify, HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp and more. TextScaleHQ uses one webhook through Zapier or Make.
SlickText provides the number and registers it. With TextScaleHQ you open a Twilio or Vonage account first.
SlickText has phone and chat support on weekdays and an iOS app. TextScaleHQ support is by email.
At that size SlickText’s $29 plan costs up to about $6 a month less. On a list bigger than 500 it stays cheaper up to about 1,000 texts.
What you get with TextScaleHQ
These are real screens from the TextScaleHQ dashboard.
See the price before you press send
The campaign summary works out the parts, the people and what your own carrier will charge, before anything goes out.
- Business name and STOP line added for you
- Opted-out people are never counted
- Send yourself a test first
Every client or location under one login
Each business has its own number, subscribers, opt-outs and reports. Two on Starter, five on Growth, unlimited on Pro.
Weeks of texts, planned from your offers
Plan 4 weeks on Starter, 12 on Growth or a whole year on Pro. It plans around holidays and drafts every text from the offers you saved. Nothing sends until you approve it.
- Flags any offer you didn’t save
- Rewrite, shorten or unschedule any text
What Twilio actually charged, in your reports
Reports show your real carrier costs and why any texts failed, in plain words, so you don’t have to log in to Twilio to check.
Moving from SlickText
Most of the wait is toll-free verification, which can take from a few days to a couple of weeks. You can set everything else up during the 30-day trial.
- Export your contacts
Export your contacts from SlickText before you cancel: its terms say that on cancellation you “lose any subscribers and other data”. Keep only people who agreed to texts from that business.
- Connect Twilio or Vonage
Open an account, get a toll-free number and paste two keys into TextScaleHQ. The guide shows where they are.
- Import and check
Import the CSV and match the columns. Opted-out people stay opted out, and nobody can add them back.
- Verify and send
File toll-free verification from the dashboard. Once it’s approved, schedule your first campaign.
SlickText’s help center says to contact support about porting. Ask whether your number can be ported before you cancel, or start with a new number.
Questions
Is TextScaleHQ cheaper than SlickText?
At list prices, on a list of 500 or fewer, yes once you send more than 500 texts a month (on bigger lists, a little later). At 2,000 texts a month TextScaleHQ comes to about $56 against SlickText’s $87; at 10,000 it’s about $187 against $361. At 500 texts or fewer, SlickText’s $29 plan costs less, by up to about $6.
Does SlickText charge carrier fees?
Yes. SlickText passes carrier fees through at cost: $0.0042 per SMS and $0.0087 per MMS, billed after the month ends. TextScaleHQ customers pay carrier fees to Twilio or Vonage the same way.
What happens if I go over my SlickText credits?
You can buy extra credits or move up a plan. SlickText doesn’t publish the price of extra credits. On TextScaleHQ there are no credits: you pay your carrier for each text you send.
Can I move my contacts from SlickText?
Yes. Export them before you cancel, because SlickText’s terms say cancelling ends access to your subscribers and data. Import the CSV into TextScaleHQ; opted-out people stay opted out.
Does TextScaleHQ have workflows like SlickText?
No. TextScaleHQ sends a welcome text when someone joins, then the campaigns you schedule, including repeating ones. There are no multi-step workflows.
Do unused SlickText credits roll over?
For one month on monthly plans and one year on yearly plans, and they’re lost if you downgrade or cancel. TextScaleHQ has no credits to roll over.
SlickText is a trademark of its owner. TextScaleHQ isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by SlickText. Prices and features come from SlickText’s public website on October 21, 2026 and may have changed since.
