TextScaleHQ vs Textmagic
Textmagic charges 4.9¢ a text, or 1¢ a text on your own Twilio. TextScaleHQ charges a flat fee on your own Twilio. When each is cheaper, at 2,000, 10,000 and 40,000 texts.
We make TextScaleHQ. Every Textmagic price and feature below comes from Textmagic’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; Textmagic pay-as-you-go about $500 and Textmagic BYOC about $228, carrier fees included.
- Textmagic BYOC (1¢ a text on your own Twilio) is cheaper until about 2,900 texts a month on Starter, 5,900 on Growth.
- Both TextScaleHQ and Textmagic BYOC keep your number in your own Twilio account.
- Textmagic adds a shared inbox, email, WhatsApp and calls; TextScaleHQ adds link tracking and multi-business.
The short version
Textmagic has two ways to pay: 4.9¢ a text with no monthly fee, or its bring-your-own-carrier option (BYOC), which uses your own Twilio account and adds 1¢ a text. TextScaleHQ also uses your own Twilio or Vonage account, for a flat monthly fee instead of a per-text one. Here is when each comes out cheaper, and where Textmagic is the better pick.
Pick TextScaleHQ if you
- Send more texts than our plan fee buys at 1¢ each: about 2,900 a month on Starter, 5,900 on Growth
- Run several businesses or clients, each with its own number and list
- Want per-person link tracking and printable QR sign-up signs built in
Pick Textmagic if you
- Want a shared inbox, WhatsApp, email and calls in one place
- Send a few thousand texts a month or fewer on your own Twilio
- Want no monthly fee at all for occasional sends
What you’d pay each month
Move the sliders to your list. Textmagic pay-as-you-go is 4.9¢ a text plus a $10 number. Textmagic BYOC and TextScaleHQ both bill your Twilio texts at Twilio’s price; BYOC adds 1¢ a text, TextScaleHQ adds a flat plan fee.
At this size TextScaleHQ costs $41.00 less a month than the cheaper Textmagic BYOC option.
Three common sizes
| Size | TextScaleHQ | Textmagic pay-as-you-go | Textmagic BYOC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 texts 500 contacts | $56.35 Starter plan | $108.00 Pay as you go | $47.35 Your Twilio + 1¢ a text | $9.00 more |
| 10,000 texts 2,500 contacts | $187.15 Growth plan | $500.00 Pay as you go | $228.15 Your Twilio + 1¢ a text | $41.00 less |
| 40,000 texts 10,000 contacts | $705.15 Pro plan | $1,970.00 Pay as you go | $906.15 Your Twilio + 1¢ a text | $201.00 less |
Where Textmagic costs less: Textmagic BYOC costs less than TextScaleHQ until your 1¢-a-text fee passes our plan fee: about 2,900 texts a month on Starter, 5,900 on Growth and 19,900 on Pro. At 2,000 texts it comes to about $47.35 against $56.35. Pay-as-you-go costs less below about 580 texts a month on a list of 500, or about 1,400 on a bigger list.
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. Textmagic pay-as-you-go: $0.049 a text, which Textmagic says has no hidden fees (we assumed carrier fees are included), plus a $10/mo toll-free number. Textmagic BYOC: $0.01 a text to Textmagic, plus the same Twilio price, carrier fees and $2.15 number we use for TextScaleHQ. Textmagic doesn’t publish a monthly fee for BYOC, so we counted none. Sources: textmagic.com/pricing, bring your own CPaaS, how BYOC is charged, billing plans.
Side by side
“Better here” marks the side that’s ahead on that line.
| What matters | TextScaleHQ | Textmagic |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| How you pay for texts | Your carrier’s own price, billed by Twilio or Vonage. No markup. | 4.9¢ a text pay-as-you-go, or 1¢ a text on top of your own Twilio, Vonage, Sinch or Bandwidth |
| Monthly fee | $29, $59 or $199, set by your contacts and businesses | No monthly fee on pay-as-you-go; monthly Professional bundles priced in the app |
| Picture messages (MMS) | Twilio’s MMS price ($0.022) plus carrier fees, on every plan | 8¢ per picture message (no bulk MMS); your provider’s price on BYOC |
| Unused texts | Nothing to expire. You never buy texts in advance. | Pay-as-you-go credit never expires; monthly-plan credit rolls over one month |
| Free trial | 30 days, no credit card | Free account with test credit, no credit card |
| Numbers and setup | ||
| Phone number | Yours, in your own Twilio or Vonage account. You keep it if you leave. | Local or toll-free $10/mo from Textmagic; on BYOC, your own Twilio number |
| Getting set up | Connect your own Twilio or Vonage account. A guide walks you through it. | Nothing to connect on pay-as-you-go. 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 | Toll-free verification free; 10DLC campaign $10/mo after the first month |
| Sending | ||
| Two-way inbox | One-way campaigns only. STOP, START and HELP are handled for you. | Shared team inbox with notes, tags and AI reply suggestions Better here |
| Scheduled and repeating campaigns | Yes | Scheduled and recurring texts |
| 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. | Welcome series automation |
| Drip sequences | No follow-up series after the welcome text | Automation flows with delays and branching 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 writing assistant and reply suggestions |
| Link tracking | Each person gets their own short link, so you see who clicked Better here | Not documented for texts |
| Daytime-only sending | Built in: 8 AM to 8 PM in each person’s time zone | Quiet hours setting |
| Growing your list | ||
| Contacts | 500, 2,500 or unlimited, by plan | Unlimited |
| Sign-up forms, QR codes, keywords | Webforms, printable signs, QR codes, keywords | Web subscribe forms and keywords; QR codes not mentioned |
| Integrations | Webhook for Zapier, Make or your own code | Shopify, WooCommerce, HubSpot, Zapier, full API Better here |
| Running it | ||
| More than one business | 2, 5 or unlimited businesses, each with its own number, list and opt-outs Better here | One shared balance; sub-accounts only if support turns them on |
| Mobile app | Works in a phone browser | iOS and Android Better here |
| Support | Email; priority on Growth; fastest replies on Pro | Phone, chat and email, most hours of the week Better here |
When Textmagic is the better pick
Textmagic BYOC’s 1¢ a text costs less than our plan fee below about 2,900 texts a month on a list of 500.
Textmagic’s inbox also takes WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram messages. TextScaleHQ handles STOP, START and HELP, nothing more.
Textmagic adds email campaigns, voice calls and a chat widget. TextScaleHQ is text messaging only.
Textmagic runs flows with delays and branching. TextScaleHQ sends a welcome text, then the campaigns you schedule.
Textmagic has phone and live chat support and mobile apps. TextScaleHQ support is by email.
Textmagic pay-as-you-go has no monthly fee and its credit never expires.
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 Textmagic
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
Textmagic says you can export contacts from its contacts page; it doesn’t publish the steps, so ask its support if you can’t find it. 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.
Textmagic doesn’t publish a port-out policy. If you use Textmagic BYOC, the number is already in your own Twilio account and you can connect it to TextScaleHQ.
Questions
Is TextScaleHQ cheaper than Textmagic?
Than pay-as-you-go, yes above about 580 texts a month on a list of 500: at 2,000 texts it’s about $56 against $108. Than Textmagic BYOC, only once BYOC’s 1¢ a text passes our plan fee, at about 2,900 texts a month on Starter. At 10,000 texts it’s about $187 against $228.
What is Textmagic BYOC?
Textmagic’s bring-your-own-carrier option. You connect Twilio, Vonage, Sinch or Bandwidth, pay that provider for texts, and pay Textmagic 1¢ per message part.
Can I use the same Twilio number with TextScaleHQ?
Yes. If your number is already in your Twilio account and registered, connect that account to TextScaleHQ and keep sending from it.
Do Textmagic credits expire?
Pay-as-you-go credit doesn’t expire. Monthly-plan credit rolls over to the end of the next month, then expires. TextScaleHQ has no credits.
Does TextScaleHQ have a shared inbox like Textmagic?
No. TextScaleHQ is built for one-way campaigns. STOP, START and HELP are handled for you, but there is no inbox for conversations.
Does Textmagic track link clicks in texts?
We couldn’t find it in Textmagic’s help center for SMS. TextScaleHQ gives each person their own short link, so you see who clicked.
Textmagic is a trademark of its owner. TextScaleHQ isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Textmagic. Prices and features come from Textmagic’s public website on October 21, 2026 and may have changed since.
