TextBee review
A low-cost, self-hosted SMS API for teams comfortable with Android gateways.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
TextBee turns an Android phone with a SIM card into a programmable SMS endpoint. It is aimed at developers, small businesses, nonprofits, and hobbyists that want to send and receive messages through a REST API or dashboard while retaining the phone’s mobile plan and number. The product supports individual and bulk SMS, inbound message retrieval, scheduled sending, message templates, signed webhooks, and multiple Android devices. Its open-source code and self-hosted option also suit teams that want more control over deployment and messaging infrastructure.
Pricing is straightforward across the published plans. Free costs $0 per month and includes one active device, 50 messages per day, 300 messages per month, send-and-receive SMS, and webhook notifications. Pro costs $9.99 per month and adds up to five active devices, unlimited daily messages, 5,000 messages per month, templates with variables, and priority support. Scale costs $29.99 per month and raises the allowance to 25,000 messages per month with up to 15 active devices. Custom adds tailored message limits, white labeling, custom integrations, an SLA with uptime guarantees, and a dedicated account manager.
The main trade-off is the gateway model: teams must provide an Android phone and SMS-capable SIM, and iOS is not supported. That makes TextBee a practical choice for organizations that already manage Android hardware or prefer self-hosting over a shared messaging number. It connects with n8n, Zapier, Make, MCP, and a JavaScript/TypeScript SDK, giving developers several automation paths. Choose it for programmable SMS, device-based control, and modest-to-medium message volumes; choose another approach when the requirement centers on MMS, short codes, toll-free numbers, or avoiding phone-based infrastructure.
TextBee pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free plan includes REST sending, receiving, and webhooks
- Open-source, self-hosted deployment with Android gateway support
- Bulk, scheduled, templated, and multi-device SMS capabilities
- Where it doesn't
- Requires an Android phone with an SMS-capable SIM
- Free plan is limited to 50 messages per day and 300 per month
- SMS-focused; MMS, short-code, and toll-free needs are not a fit
TextBee fact sheet, pricing and score →
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