Comparison

MessagePilot vs SMS Forwarder

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

Head to head
About

MessagePilot

Features
Read full description

MessagePilot - Your Messages, Wherever You Need Them Never miss an important SMS again. MessagePilot forwards your incoming text messages to Email and Telegram automatically. KEY FEATURES - Smart Forwarding: Route SMS to Email and Telegram instantly - Easy Setup: Configure once with Apple Shortcuts, works automatically - Message Templates: Forwarded messages include sender info and timestamp - Multi-Destination: Forward to multiple Email addresses and Telegram chats - Test Center: Verify your setup before going live - Backup and Restore: Export and import your settings - Multi-Language: 20 languages supported SUPPORTED DESTINATIONS - Email: Just enter your email address, we handle the rest - Telegram: Connect our bot, start receiving HOW IT WORKS MessagePilot works with Apple Shortcuts: 1. Open Shortcuts, go to Automation, tap New Automation, select Message 2. Set sender to Any Sender, press space in content field 3. Select Run Immediately, tap Next 4. Search MessagePilot, select Forward SMS 5. Tap Message, select Shortcut Input, tap Save Every incoming SMS will be forwarded to your Email and Telegram. PRIVACY AND SECURITY - Messages processed on your device - No ads, no tracking - Per-device isolation PLANS Free: 2 destinations, 50 messages per month Pro: 5 destinations, 5000 messages per month Premium: Unlimited, priority support Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://whis33.com/api/messagepilot/privacy.html

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 Custom API - NEW! 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 Privacy-first design - all processing happens by encryption Built-in test message flow - verify your setup works before relying on it 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 Personalized experience - Personalize your SMS forwarding experience for your own needs 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 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 the control on which SMS messages will be forwarded. The app or the whole automation flow does not store your message content - what you forward goes directly from SMS Forwarder to your chosen destination in an encrypted flow. Terms of Service: https://ayazmon.github.io/SMS-Forwarder/terms_of_service/ Privacy Policy: https://ayazmon.github.io/SMS-Forwarder/privacy_policy/ EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MessagePilot3 screens
SMS Forwarder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SMS Forwarder at every 4 days against MessagePilot's every 10 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. MessagePilot sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and SMS Forwarder sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MessagePilot ships an update every 10 days, SMS Forwarder every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on July 12, 2026 and August 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
MessagePilot versus SMS Forwarder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMessagePilotSMS Forwarder
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size28 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOrcun OzerMehmed Ihsan Kahramanoglu

In-app purchases

2 purchases

MessagePilot

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$4.991 Month
  • Premium$9.991 Month
3 purchases

SMS Forwarder

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$149.99

Questions

Is MessagePilot free?
MessagePilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SMS Forwarder free?
SMS Forwarder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MessagePilot or SMS Forwarder have ads?
Neither MessagePilot nor SMS Forwarder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MessagePilot or SMS Forwarder?
MessagePilot ships an update every 10 days, and SMS Forwarder every 4 days. Most recently, MessagePilot was updated on July 12, 2026 and SMS Forwarder on August 24, 2026.

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