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

Group SMS — One message, all your contacts. The fastest way to send personalized SMS messages to groups, distribution lists and contacts — right from your iPhone, through the Messages app you already use. --- GROUPS & LISTS --- Import your iPhone contacts into groups or build custom distribution lists from scratch. Add contacts manually or import thousands in seconds from a CSV file exported by Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets. Your address book stays untouched. In a group, the app spots contacts that share the same number so you can leave out the duplicates with one tap (Pro). --- SCAN CONTACTS FROM A PHOTO (PRO) --- Take a photo of a sign-up sheet or a printed list, or pick a screenshot: Group SMS reads names and phone numbers right on your iPhone. Check the list, fix any misread number with a tap and import only the contacts you select. --- MINI-CRM: LIST FIELDS (PRO) --- Every extra column in your CSV — amount, due date, plan, membership number — becomes a field of the list. Write a message to the list, tap the fields to insert them, and each customer receives their own values. A real preview shows exactly what every person will get, and the app warns you about contacts with missing values. Next month, re-import the updated file into the same list: contacts are updated, not duplicated. Select only who still has an amount due and send your reminder. --- TEMPLATES --- Save your most-used messages as templates and send them in one tap. With Pro, use {name}, {surname} and {phone} placeholders, with a default value when a detail is missing. Pro also includes a library of 15 ready-made messages for appointments, gyms and clubs, shops, notices and events. --- PERSONALIZED SENDING --- When a message contains variables, Group SMS opens one message per contact, already filled in with their details. You confirm each one with a tap; turn on auto-open and the next message opens by itself. Nobody sees the other recipients. --- ONE BY ONE OR IN BLOCKS --- One by one, the default: each recipient gets their own message, nobody sees the others and no group chat is created. You confirm every message with a tap. In blocks: up to 40 recipients per message, so fewer taps. If recipients use iMessage or RCS, iPhone turns it into a group conversation where everyone sees the others' numbers and replies: the app reminds you before every send in blocks. --- EXCLUDED NUMBERS (PRO) --- Add people who asked not to be contacted — manually, from your contacts or from a list. They are left out of every send automatically, even if your subscription ends. --- SCHEDULED SMS --- Plan one-off or recurring messages — daily, weekly or monthly. The app reminds you at exactly the right time and opens the message ready to send. --- SEND HISTORY --- Every send is logged automatically: see who received the message, and resend to the rest with one tap. --- ICLOUD SYNC --- Your groups, lists, templates and history sync across all your Apple devices via iCloud. --- PRO --- Upgrade to Group SMS Pro to send to every contact of your groups and lists (the free plan sends to the first 25), remove the “Sent with Group SMS” signature and unlock contact scanning, the template library, duplicate exclusion, list fields, excluded numbers, scheduled reminders, personalized templates, send history and iCloud sync. Group SMS never sends messages on its own: every SMS is sent by the iPhone Messages app after your confirmation. Group SMS is free to download. Group SMS Pro is optional: price and duration are shown in the app before you confirm any purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. 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 25%. Simple Groups also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). 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 3 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 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 25% 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 November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Group SMS versus Simple Groups: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGroup SMSSimple Groups
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (4 ratings)4.2 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings412 — 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
Size7 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCarlo Di GiuseppeAwaken Solutions Inc.

Customer experience

Group SMS

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative62.5%

Simple Groups

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

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Group SMS

Subscriptions2
  • Group SMS Pro – Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Group SMS Pro – Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • 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 3.5 out of 5 from 4 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 November 6, 2026 and Simple Groups on November 2, 2026.

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