Comparison

SMS Sparrow vs SMS Forwarder

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SMS Sparrow

Automatically forward your SMS messages to WhatsApp, Telegram, or email in real-time. Set it up once and forget about it, ensuring you never miss important texts like 2FA codes or bank alerts. Enjoy privacy-first forwarding with no ads.

Highlights
  • Real-time SMS forwarding
  • Forward to WhatsApp, Telegram, or Email
  • Set up once, runs automatically
  • Privacy-first, messages not stored
  • No ads
  • Simple 2-minute setup
Features
Read full description

Never miss an important text message again. SMS Sparrow forwards your SMS to WhatsApp, Telegram, or Email — automatically and in real-time. SET UP ONCE, FORGET ABOUT IT SMS Sparrow runs quietly using iOS Shortcuts and delivers your text messages to your chosen destination instantly. THREE DESTINATIONS, YOUR CHOICE - WhatsApp — read SMS in the app you use most - Telegram — keep all notifications in one place - Email — archive important messages securely WHY SMS SPARROW - Real-time delivery in seconds - Privacy first — messages are forwarded, never stored - No ads — ever - Simple 2-minute setup - Free plan to get started PERFECT FOR - 2FA codes and verification messages - Bank alerts and service notifications while traveling - Accessing SMS without a SIM card nearby Your messages are encrypted in transit and never stored on our servers. GDPR compliant. SMS Sparrow is for personal use only.

About

SMS Forwarder

Features
Read full description

Never miss a text again! SMS Forwarder automatically forwards every SMS you receive to email, Telegram, WhatsApp, your favorite messaging platform - or straight to your own API. No manual copying, no missed messages. Built on Apple Shortcuts, SMS Forwarder runs as a native iOS automation. The moment an SMS arrives on your iPhone, the shortcut triggers, applies your forwarding rules, and routes the message to your chosen destination. Once it's configured, it runs hands-free! FORWARD YOUR SMS TO: Email - receive every text directly in your inbox, automatically Telegram - route messages to yourself or a group via a dedicated Telegram bot LINE - receive your SMS on LINE via the SMS Forwarder official account WhatsApp - forward texts to a WhatsApp contact or number of your choice Slack - pipe incoming SMS into any Slack channel, instantly Discord - deliver texts straight to a Discord channel Microsoft Teams - send incoming SMS to a Microsoft Teams channel via webhook Google Chat - NEW! Forward texts to a Google Chat space Zapier, Make & IFTTT - trigger your automations with every SMS Custom API - Send every incoming SMS as a JSON POST to any HTTPS endpoint you control - your server, your automations, your rules KEY FEATURES: Custom API destination - each text is delivered to your endpoint as a clean JSON POST, ready to parse and automate Forwarding rules - create rules that map specific senders or keywords to specific destinations AES-256 encryption - every text is encrypted on your iPhone before it's forwarded, and never stored Built-in test message flow - verify your setup works before relying on it Quick Setup - NEW! On iOS 27, add the ready-made forwarding shortcut in a few taps, then switch its automation on In-app Shortcuts onboarding - a step-by-step walkthrough gets you configured in under 5 minutes Native Apple approach - works entirely through Apple Shortcuts, using iOS the way it was designed Keyword filtering - Add filtering keywords to only forward messages that are necessary HOW IT WORKS: Install SMS Forwarder and open the app Follow the in-app guide to set up an Apple Shortcuts automation on your iPhone Add a forwarding rule - choose your destination (email, Telegram, LINE, WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, Zapier, Make, IFTTT or your own API) and set any filters Send a test SMS to confirm everything is working Most users are fully set up in under 5 minutes. PERFECT FOR: Travelers, expats and dual-SIM users - land abroad, switch to a travel eSIM, and still see every text sent to your main number: OTPs, bank alerts and delivery updates follow you on any device, in any country Developers and technical teams - point the Custom API destination at your own REST endpoint and every SMS arrives as structured JSON - trigger pipelines, log messages, feed bots, or integrate with internal tools Business owners and solopreneurs - receive client texts in Slack, Teams or email so nothing slips through while you're heads-down Anyone managing OTPs and 2FA codes - auto forward verification codes to email or Telegram so they're always within reach Frequent SMS forwarders - stop copy-pasting texts manually; let the automation handle it every time SMS backup - Backup and save all your important SMS messages in your email or desired destination PRIVACY: SMS Forwarder uses Apple Shortcuts to access your incoming SMS details so you have full control over which messages get forwarded. Every message is encrypted with AES-256 on your iPhone before it's sent, then delivered to the destinations you chose. We never store your message content or the sender's number - only a masked preview and the delivery status, so you can see your forwarding history. No account is needed. Terms of Service: https://hoholapps.com/apps/sms-forwarder/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://hoholapps.com/apps/sms-forwarder/privacy/ EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SMS Sparrow4 screens
SMS Forwarder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SMS Sparrow at none against SMS Forwarder's 4. SMS Sparrow also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SMS Forwarder sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. SMS Sparrow asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
SMS Sparrow versus SMS Forwarder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSMS SparrowSMS Forwarder
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEvgeny YusovMehmed Ihsan Kahramanoglu

In-app purchases

None

SMS Sparrow

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

SMS Forwarder

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$149.99

Questions

Is SMS Sparrow free?
SMS Sparrow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SMS Forwarder free?
SMS Forwarder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SMS Sparrow or SMS Forwarder have ads?
Neither SMS Sparrow nor SMS Forwarder shows ads.

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