# Group SMS+ vs Groups! Free

The clearest difference is rating: Group SMS+ at 4.7 against Groups! Free's 2.5. Group SMS+ also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 15). Groups! Free's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Group SMS+ sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Groups! Free sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Group SMS+ holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Group SMS+ has 4.2K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Group SMS+'s written reviews are positive against 67% of Groups! Free's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Group SMS+ ships an update fortnightly, Groups! Free every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Group SMS+ | Groups! Free |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/group-sms-plus/id398189559/reviews)** | [2.5 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groups-free/id407855985/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.2K** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 65.1% of reviews | **67.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **7.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cedars Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1610841640) | [Qbix, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/406865714) |

## What reviewers say

### Group SMS+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/group-sms-plus/id398189559)

Send SMS messages to groups of any size with ease. This app allows for bulk messaging, batch sending, and contact import. Enhance your messages with photo attachments.

**Highlights:** Bulk SMS sending, Batch messaging, Contact import, Photo attachments, Send to large groups

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bronze Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Silver Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Gold Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Rocket Tip | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Practical and helpful
- 🚀 Straightforward group messaging
- 👍 Great app for organizations
- 🚀 Works well and efficiently

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable message delivery
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs after updates
- 🐛 Overlapping UI elements
- 🐛 Limited functionality compared to advertised features
- 🐛 Inability to send to large groups

**Reported bugs**

- Messages not sending to all recipients
- Repeated messages sent to the same contacts
- App freezing or crashing
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Search function not working properly

**Requested features**

- Ability to send photos and attachments
- Option to hide recipient list
- Automatic group splitting for large contacts
- Delivery status tracking
- Improved search and contact management


### Groups! Free

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groups-free/id407855985)

Organize contacts into custom groups for easy communication via text or email. Send personalized messages to multiple recipients simultaneously and share your location. Find contacts quickly with advanced search and set reminders to stay in touch.

**Highlights:** Group contacts into custom lists, Send mass texts and emails, Personalize messages, Attach images to emails, Share location, Search contacts by attribute, Set contact reminders

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nice | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sweet | $2.99 | one-time |
| Turn off Ads | $3.99 | one-time |
| Helpful | $4.99 | one-time |
| + 30 icons | $4.99 | one-time |
| + 60 icons | $4.99 | one-time |
| Awesome! | $9.99 | one-time |
| + I just like your app | $9.99 | one-time |
| + I really love your app! | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient contact organization
- 💡 Useful for group communication
- 🔒 Integrates well with contacts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Slow performance
- 🐛 Inability to delete groups
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with iOS updates

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup
- Groups disappear after use
- Contacts not syncing properly
- Inability to edit or remove groups

**Requested features**

- Ability to delete groups
- Faster load times
- More customization options for groups
- Ability to sort contacts within groups


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Group SMS+ free?

Group SMS+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Groups! Free free?

Groups! Free is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Group SMS+ or Groups! Free?

Group SMS+ is rated higher. Group SMS+ averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.2K ratings, while Groups! Free averages 2.5 from 15 ratings.

### Do Group SMS+ or Groups! Free have ads?

Group SMS+ shows ads; Groups! Free does not.

### Which is updated more often, Group SMS+ or Groups! Free?

Group SMS+ ships an update fortnightly, and Groups! Free every 3 months. Most recently, Group SMS+ was updated on November 10, 2026 and Groups! Free on November 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*