MessageDesk vs Forward SMS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MessageDesk
Integrate SMS messaging into your business phone lines, including VoIP and landlines. This app offers a shared team inbox and broadcast capabilities for efficient communication. Features like scheduled messages, autoresponders, and templates help streamline SMS workflows.
- Add SMS to business phone numbers
- Shared team SMS inbox
- Mass text broadcasts
- Scheduled text messages
- Keyword-based autoresponders
- Automation
- Pre-saved text message templates
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Add texting to any business phone number including VoIP and landlines. Use MessageDesk's shared team SMS inbox and mass text broadcasts to get the right message to the right people at the right time. Streamline your SMS communication and save time with scheduled text messages, keyword-based autoresponders, automation, and pre-saved text message templates.
Forward SMS
Automatically forward your SMS messages to various platforms like email, Slack, or WhatsApp. Set custom rules, filters, and schedules for precise control over message delivery. Ensures privacy by processing messages locally on your device.
- Automatic SMS forwarding
- Forward to Email, Slack, WhatsApp, etc.
- Custom forwarding rules
- Message filtering by sender/content
- Scheduled forwarding options
- Real-time message alerts
- Local processing for privacy
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Forward SMS is an SMS forwarder app that simplifies the way you handle text messages. Whether you're traveling, managing workplace restrictions, or dealing with high SMS volumes, this app has you covered! Key Features: 1. Seamless Forwarding: Automatically forward text messages, 2FA codes, and more to Email, Phone Number, WhatsApp, Slack, Teams, Discord, Telegram, or REST API. 2. Custom Rules & Receivers: Set up multiple rules with unique forwarding paths—each rule can have multiple recipients. 3. Smart Filters: Filter messages based on sender or content. Enjoy advanced conditions for precise control. 4. Schedule Forwarding: Enable forwarding only when you need it. Choose specific days or time slots. 5. Real-Time Alerts: Messages are forwarded instantly as soon as they are received. 6. Privacy First: Your SMS messages are never stored anywhere. All forwarding happens locally on your device, ensuring your personal information remains secure. Who Can Benefit: • Travelers: Forward your messages while you're in another country or away from your primary phone. • Workplace Professionals: Ideal for environments requiring a dedicated work phone. • Teams with Heavy SMS Workloads: Route messages to team members for efficient collaboration and quick response times. • Single phone for personal and work use: Use the filter and schedule to make sure forwarding works only in a timeline and forwards relevant messages. Why Choose Forward SMS: Auto Forwarder? This app combines flexibility, convenience, and security, making it the perfect solution for anyone needing automated SMS forwarding. Take your text forwarding to the next level! Download now and take control of your messages! Privacy policy: https://forward-sms.com/privacy-policy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: MessageDesk at 80% against Forward SMS's 38%. MessageDesk also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (3.7 vs 3.4). Forward SMS's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Forward SMS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. MessageDesk asks for nothing beyond the download.
MessageDesk holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 20 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of MessageDesk's written reviews are positive against 38% of Forward SMS's.
MessageDesk ships an update every 3 weeks, Forward SMS weekly. The most recent releases landed on July 5, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MessageDesk | Forward SMS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (17 ratings) — better | 3.4 (20 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better | 37.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 17 | 20 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alderwood Labs Inc. | Parveen Kapoor |
Customer experience
MessageDesk
Forward SMS
In-app purchases
MessageDesk
No in-app purchases
Forward SMS
- Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$5.991 Month
- Annual Premium Subscription1 Year trial$49.991 Year
