# Group SMS+ vs Contacts Groups

The clearest difference is rating: Group SMS+ at 4.7 against Contacts Groups's 4.2. Group SMS+ also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 33%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months). Contacts Groups's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Group SMS+ sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Contacts Groups asks for nothing beyond the download.

Group SMS+ holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Group SMS+ has 4.1K ratings behind it against 111, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Group SMS+'s written reviews are positive against 33% of Contacts Groups's.

Group SMS+ ships an update fortnightly, Contacts Groups every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Group SMS+ | Contacts Groups |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/group-sms-plus/id398189559/reviews)** | [4.2 (111 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contacts-groups-email-and-text/id954983555/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.1K** | 111 |
| Positive reviews | **65.0% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cedars Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1610841640) | [LiveBird Technologies Private Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/551521372) |

## 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


### Contacts Groups

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contacts-groups-email-and-text/id954983555)

Easily send mass text messages and emails to your organized contact groups. Save time and stay connected with friends, family, or customers by sending messages, vCards, or even attachments to multiple people at once. Features include push notifications, one-tap calling, and birthday reminders.

**Highlights:** Mass SMS and email sending, vCard sharing, Push notifications, One-tap calling, Birthday reminders, Message templates, iCloud sync

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Group SMS+ free?

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

### Is Contacts Groups free?

Contacts Groups is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Group SMS+ is rated higher. Group SMS+ averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.1K ratings, while Contacts Groups averages 4.2 from 111 ratings.

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

Both Group SMS+ and Contacts Groups show ads.

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

Group SMS+ ships an update fortnightly, and Contacts Groups every 9 months. Most recently, Group SMS+ was updated on October 19, 2026 and Contacts Groups on October 16, 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.*