Text messages with the default Android app can become difficult to manage. So today, we’re talking about the best text messaging apps for Android that you can use to enhance your messaging experience. Without any further delay, let’s dive right in!
Best Text Messaging Apps for Android in 2021
All the text messaging apps I’ve covered in this list are completely free. Depending on your needs, you can choose to use one of these apps today.
- Microsoft SMS Organizer – Perfect app if you need to automatically clean up and organize marketing, banking, offers, and other SMS messages
- Google Messages – Best overall text messaging app built by Google and perfect for users who need basic functionality
- Smart Messages – A full customizable text messaging app with a lot of bells and whistles
- Pulse SMS – The perfect SMS app for cross-platform synchronization
- Handcent Next SMS – Best SMS app for group text messaging, stickers, and private messaging
1. Microsoft SMS Organizer – The Most Feature-Rich Messaging App for Android
Of all the text messaging apps, Microsoft’s SMS Organizer is the most powerful and feature-rich one available. It’s free to use, has the compatibility and developmental support of Microsoft and is extremely easy to use.
With it’s automatic segregation, you see only the important messages while the others are save in categorical tabs for later viewing. Along with that, this text messaging app also allows you to automatically display bank account balances and transactions in a nice bank-statement format based on the text messages that you receive.
Microsoft SMS Organizer is perfect for those who love to organize and keep their text messaging app clean and focused.
Pros:
- Very feature-rich
- Organizes SMS automatically
- Handles bank SMS specially
- Displays bank details in a separate tab
- Automatic reminders for bills
- Copy-OTP feature for SMS notifications
Cons:
- A little complex to work with if you don’t need all the features
- You might end up missing a few SMS if you don’t scan through the other tabs
2. Google Messages – Best Overall Text Messaging App With Basic Features
If you’ve used stock Android, you’ve probably already used the Google messages app. It accompanies the default setup of Android and unless your phone manufacturer installs a custom app, you’ll have the Google messages app.
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Google Messages is a perfect app for you if you don’t use SMS too often and only need the app present for the texts from your banks.
Pros:
- Installed by default on Stock android
- RCS-compliant (multimedia messaging support)
- Clean UI like all other Google applications
- Very easy-to-use
Cons:
- No organizing features available
3. Smart Messages – Text Messaging with Read Receipts and Group Messaging
Smart SMS Messages is a smarter replacement for your default SMS app (which most likely is the Google messages app). The app is built on the Material design principles, boasts a clean user experience with a great set of features.
It also offers features that are seen in social media instant messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and others.
Some of these features are group chat, fast replies, emoji predictions based on intelligent emotion recognition in your text messages, easy sharing of videos, images, your geolocation, and more.
Smart Messages is perfect for those who want a clean messaging app with social media like features without creating additional social media accounts.
Pros:
- Perfect instant-messaging-like replacement for your default SMS app, without creating an additional social media account
- Features group chat and AI-prediction on apps
- Clean User Interface with a Material design
Cons:
- Typing indicator and read receipts require the recipient to have the app installed as well. But this is more of a limitation of the SMS protocol
4. Pulse SMS – The Perfect SMS App for Cross-Platform Synchronization
Pulse SMS is a seriously beautiful, next-generation, text messaging app. Using Pulse SMS on your Android device is free of cost.
But you can choose to buy their monthly subscription service costing $0.99 per month or $10.99 for a lifetime subscription to use Pulse on other devices.
Pulse does not perform shady data collection through its platform, not does it allow advertisers onboard for any third-party data collection. They also offer end-to-end encrypted messaging for complete privacy.
Pulse SMS is best for individuals who appreciate apps that care about data privacy.
Pros:
- Cross-platform capabilities with a subscription
- Preview web links in app
- Blacklist SMS spammers
- Automatically delays sending by a few seconds so you have time to cancel or delete the message
- Replies are customized with AI based on your contacts, keywords, and context
Cons:
- Doesn’t handle larger multimedia files well
5. Handcent Next SMS – Best SMS App for Customization
Handcent Next offers some of the best features on the list. Apart from being a great replacement for your default Android text messaging application, Handcent provides stickers, messenger customization, multi-device access, and more.
You can also search and schedule messages for a future date. For the sticker and emoji fans, this SMS app supports Giphy, which means any sticker that you can send out from WhatsApp, you can send from Handcent Next SMS app as well.
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Handcent Next SMS is perfect for those looking for a highly customizable replacement for their default Android text messaging app.
Pros:
- Free cloud backups so you never lose your text messages
- Android wear device support
- Group messaging and scheduled text
- Texting from computer
- Great customer support
Cons:
- Runs slow on older devices due to the large feature set
Which one is the best?
If I had to choose one, that would be the Microsoft SMS Organizer. It offers all the features that the default SMS app lacks, without going overboard on the feature set.
However, if you need a text messaging app that is highly-customizable, Handcent is your perfect companion.
The other 3 in the list offer unique features that will appeal to audiences that are looking for them.
And of all, if you are only looking for a text messaging application that’s basic and does the job, Google SMS is your best bet.
So which is your favorite? Go on and let us know in the comments below!