# Group SMS+ vs A2Z Groups

The clearest difference is monetization model: Group SMS+ at free with in-app purchases against A2Z Groups's subscription. A2Z Groups's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (82% vs 65%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Group SMS+ sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and A2Z Groups sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Group SMS+ against 4.6 for A2Z Groups. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.1K and 3.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Group SMS+'s written reviews are positive against 82% of A2Z Groups's.

Group SMS+ ships an update fortnightly, A2Z Groups every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Group SMS+ | A2Z Groups |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/group-sms-plus/id398189559/reviews)** | [4.6 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a2z-groups/id622492105/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.1K** | 3.9K |
| Positive reviews | 65.0% of reviews | **81.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 14 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cedars Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1610841640) | [Playa Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/449814913) |

## 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


### A2Z Groups

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a2z-groups/id622492105)

Manage your contacts and send messages or emails to groups efficiently. Organize contacts, create custom groups, and send personalized mass communications. Features include backups, birthday reminders, and contact sharing.

**Highlights:** Create and manage contact groups, Send mass texts and group emails, Backup and restore contacts, Birthday and anniversary notifications, Share and export contacts, Clone contacts and groups

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (1 Year) | $0.99 | per year |
| Premium (Lifetime Access) | $1.99 | one-time |
| Make Contribution | $4.99 | one-time |
| Larger Contribution | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient group messaging
- 💡 Helpful for organizing contacts
- 🔒 Reliable privacy policy
- 👍 Customizable groups

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🐛 Issues with message delivery
- 🐛 Syncing problems after updates
- 🐛 Duplicate contacts
- 🐛 Disappearing notes/data

**Reported bugs**

- Contacts being deleted unexpectedly
- Inability to save contact information
- Syncing issues with Google/Outlook contacts
- Unreliable group messaging

**Requested features**

- Scheduled messaging
- Improved group management
- Better integration with native Contacts app
- Map feature
- Birthdays/anniversaries tracking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Group SMS+ free?

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

### Is A2Z Groups free?

A2Z Groups is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Group SMS+ or A2Z Groups?

Group SMS+ is rated higher. Group SMS+ averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.1K ratings, while A2Z Groups averages 4.6 from 3.9K ratings.

### Do Group SMS+ or A2Z Groups have ads?

Group SMS+ shows ads; A2Z Groups does not.

### Which is updated more often, Group SMS+ or A2Z Groups?

Group SMS+ ships an update fortnightly, and A2Z Groups every 3 weeks. Most recently, Group SMS+ was updated on October 11, 2026 and A2Z Groups on October 14, 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.*