Comparison

Group SMS vs Simple Groups

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

Head to head
About

Group SMS

Easily send personalized SMS messages to multiple contacts at once. Create custom lists, use templates with variables, and schedule messages for future delivery. Syncs across devices via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Personalized group SMS
  • Custom contact lists
  • Message templates with variables
  • Scheduled SMS sending
  • Send history log
  • iCloud sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Need to alert the whole team, send holiday wishes to 200 people, or promote your business? Group SMS sends texts and MMS to entire groups and lists in seconds — straight from your iPhone, on your own plan, with no third-party service and no per-message fees. WHY GROUP SMS • No servers, no SMS credits: messages go out through your iPhone's Messages app • Your contacts never leave your phone: complete privacy • No artificial recipient caps: block sending handles hundreds of contacts smoothly CAMPAIGNS (PRO) — NEW IN THIS VERSION Need to reach 3,000 contacts? Create a campaign: pick recipients, duration in days and a time. The app computes your daily quota, reminds you each day with a notification and splits sending into manageable blocks. Pause, resume, extend or stop anytime — with progress and history always in view. EFFORTLESS GROUP SENDING • Use your iOS contact groups or build unlimited distribution lists • Import contacts from CSV files • Search, select and exclude recipients on the fly TEXTS THAT FEEL PERSONAL • {name} and {surname} placeholders: every contact gets their own message • Reusable templates for greetings, reminders, promos and recurring updates • Photo and file attachments (MMS) SCHEDULE IT AND FORGET IT • One-time or recurring sends: daily, on specific weekdays, or monthly • On-time notifications when it's time to send • Home Screen widget with your sending stats STAY IN CONTROL • Delivery outcome for every send: how many went through, how many didn't • One-tap resend to just the missed contacts • Statistics with delivery rate plus weekly and monthly activity PERFECT FOR Coaches and sports clubs • Schools and class parents • Churches and nonprofits • Shops, salons and restaurants • Clinics and professionals • Event organizers • Holiday greetings FREE to start. Go PRO (monthly, yearly or lifetime) to unlock campaigns and advanced features, ad-free. Note: messages are sent through the iOS Messages app with your confirmation, on your carrier plan. Group SMS never sends anything without you and never uploads your data to external servers. ======================================================================== Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ========================================================================

About

Simple Groups

Easily manage groups, send mass texts and emails, and track attendance for any organization. This tool streamlines communication for teachers, coaches, and community leaders, saving time and effort.

Highlights
  • Unlimited group creation
  • Mass texting and emailing
  • Attendance tracking
  • Contact import
  • Reusable message templates
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

The simplest way to manage groups, send mass texts, and track attendance. Perfect for teachers, coaches, team leaders, and community organizers. Stop juggling spreadsheets and contact lists. SimpleGroups lets you communicate with your entire team in seconds—whether it's a sports team, classroom, volunteer group, or family reunion. ORGANIZE ANY GROUP ○ Create unlimited groups for classes, teams, clubs, or families ○ Import contacts instantly from your phone ○ Add members to multiple groups at once SEND GROUP TEXTS ○ Mass text your entire group with one tap ○ Uses your native Messages app (iMessage, RCS, or SMS) ○ Select specific members to message ○ Save time with reusable message templates SEND GROUP EMAILS ○ Broadcast emails to everyone instantly ○ Choose recipients individually when needed ○ Create default templates for common messages TRACK ATTENDANCE ○ Take roll call in seconds—tap to mark present ○ Record attendance for any date, past or present ○ View complete attendance history at a glance ○ Follow up with absent members via text or email SYNC ACROSS DEVICES ○ Free account keeps your data backed up ○ Access your groups from any device ○ Your data stays private and secure Whether you're a yoga instructor managing class sign-ups, a little league coach tracking who showed up to practice, a church leader organizing volunteers or simply trying to keep in touch with a group of family members, Simple Groups makes group communication effortless. LANGUAGES ○ English ○ French

Screenshots

Group SMS4 screens
Simple Groups4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simple Groups at 83% against Group SMS's 17%. Simple Groups also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, update cadence 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. Group SMS sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Simple Groups asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Groups holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Groups has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Group SMS's written reviews are positive against 83% of Simple Groups's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Group SMS ships an update fortnightly, Simple Groups every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Group SMS versus Simple Groups: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGroup SMSSimple Groups
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.2 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.7% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings212 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCarlo Di GiuseppeAwaken Solutions Inc.

Customer experience

Group SMS

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative66.7%

Simple Groups

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Group SMS

Subscriptions2
  • Group SMS Pro – Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Group SMS Pro – Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Remove Banner$0.99
  • Group SMS Pro – Lifetime$29.99
None

Simple Groups

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Group SMS free?
Group SMS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Groups free?
Simple Groups is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Group SMS or Simple Groups?
Simple Groups is rated higher. Group SMS averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Simple Groups averages 4.2 from 12 ratings.
Do Group SMS or Simple Groups have ads?
Neither Group SMS nor Simple Groups shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Group SMS or Simple Groups?
Group SMS ships an update fortnightly, and Simple Groups every 10 days. Most recently, Group SMS was updated on September 9, 2026 and Simple Groups on September 8, 2026.

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