iPhone mass-text apps: what to check before you pay
The best mass-text app for iPhone sends from your own number, opens one text per person, merges names, and says plainly that you still tap Send. It should also show who's done, keep contacts on your phone, and state its free limit. Check whether you need Android, a one-time price, or a long ratings history.
Where our app fits. Batchrunner, an iPhone app, texts from your own number. In Batchrunner 2.2, include {firstName} to open one conversation per person; you tap Send. Free for 10 per send; Pro $7.99/month or $39.99/year.
Where our app fits. Batchrunner is an iPhone app (iOS 17+) that texts many people from your own number through Messages. In Batchrunner 2.2, include {firstName} to open one conversation per person; without a merge token, a batch can open as a group. You tap Send for each; a ledger tracks sent, remaining and skipped. Free: 10 per send; Pro $7.99/month or $39.99/year. Batchrunner fits personal and small-business lists (guests, team parents, club members, clients who asked for reminders). The sender needs an iPhone (iOS 17 or later); recipients can be on any phone, and how each text arrives (iMessage, SMS, MMS or RCS) depends on their phone and carrier. Not for senders on Android, unattended sending or bulk marketing. See Batchrunner for iPhone for pricing and limits. We did not test the other apps below, so this is not a ranking.
Nothing ticked yet.
Tick what matters to you. This card then lists what to check on each app's App Store page.
Saves nothing and sends nothing. The link holds criterion codes only.
In Batchrunner 2.2, include {firstName} to open one conversation per person; without a merge token, a batch can open as a group. The app opens Messages for each person — you tap Send. Free for up to 10 people per send.
The short answer
The best mass-text app for iPhone is one that sends from your own number and gives each person their own thread. It should merge each person's name into the text. It should say plainly that you still tap Send, because an app that opens Messages still needs your tap. It should show who's done and let you resume after an interruption. It should keep your contacts on your phone and state its free limit up front. Three more points matter to some people — Android or Mac support, a one-time price, and a public ratings record — and our own app fails all three.
The 10-point checklist
Share your picks: /compare/mass-text-apps/?need=own,threads,names,ledger,cap — only criterion codes, nothing personal.
| # | Criterion | Why it matters | How to check it yourself | Batchrunner (our app) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sends from your own number | People recognize you and reply to you | Look for "your own number" or "through Messages" on the App Store page | Yes, through Messages |
| 2 | Each person gets their own thread (1:1) | Nobody sees other numbers or replies | Look for "individual" or "no group chat"; check what happens without a name in the text | Yes when the text has {firstName}. Without a name token, a batch of up to 40 opens as one compose sheet, and iOS may make it a group thread |
| 3 | Name merge ({firstName}) | A personal greeting gets read. A name token alone does not make a text private; check each app's sending behavior separately (criterion 2). | Look for name tokens or "personalize" | Yes |
| 4 | Honest about tapping Send | iPhone needs your tap; several apps say their "automatic" mode is a Shortcut you install | Search the page for "automatic" and "Shortcut" | Yes — you tap Send for each batch |
| 5 | Ledger and resume | With 60 people, you need to know who's done after a call or lost signal | Look for "sent / remaining" or "resume" | Yes — sent / remaining / skipped, resumes |
| 6 | Contacts stay on your phone | Your friends' numbers are not your data to upload | Read the App Privacy label and the privacy policy | Yes — no server, no ads SDK (see our Batchrunner app privacy policy) |
| 7 | Free limit stated plainly | You shouldn't find the cap after building your list | Look for the limit in the description or In-App Purchases | Yes — 10 people per send, 2 groups, 2 templates |
| 8 | Works on Android or Mac | Some people switch phones or want a desktop | Check "Compatibility" on the App Store page | No — iPhone only (iOS 17+) |
| 9 | One-time purchase available | Some people won't subscribe | Look for a "Lifetime" or paid-once option under In-App Purchases | No — subscription only ($7.99/mo or $39.99/yr) |
| 10 | Public ratings track record | Many ratings over years show an app has been maintained | Look at the rating count and version history | None yet on the US App Store |
Points 8–10 are where other apps may beat ours. If one of them is a must for you, start your search with an app that meets it.
Who shouldn't use an app like this
An iPhone mass-text app — ours or anyone's — is the wrong choice if:
- You send marketing to a customer list. Use a registered business platform with opt-in records and STOP handling. CTIA counts anyone texting for a business as a business sender, even from a personal phone. Read texting customers: consent and opt-out basics first; it is not legal advice.
- You send business-volume texts. CTIA's guidance describes typical person-to-person texting as about 10 recipients per message and 100 at most. That is industry guidance, not an app limit; regular high-volume business sending belongs on a registered platform.
- You're a school or a teacher with a whole class. Tools like Remind are built for that.
- You, the sender, use Android. An iPhone app like Batchrunner needs the sender to have an iPhone. Your recipients can be on any phone; how each text arrives depends on their phone and carrier.
- You need texts to go out with nobody at the phone. On iPhone, someone taps Send.
- You only text 3 or 4 people. Messages one by one is free.
Not sure which kind of tool you need? Our comparison of 9 ways to text a lot of people ranks every method, apps included, for your list size.
Apps you can check against the list
These iPhone apps came up in an App Store search for "mass text" and "group text individual" on 3 Nov 2026. We list name, developer and link only. We did not install or test them, and listing is not a recommendation. Apple's terms keep us from copying store prices, ratings or descriptions, so check those on each page.
The list is alphabetical, with our app placed last on purpose.
Why criterion 2 matters most
Apple's Messages app chooses the message type for a group on its own. If everyone uses iMessage, it's a group iMessage, and everyone sees all replies. If anyone doesn't, it goes as MMS, SMS or RCS. In a group MMS everyone also sees all replies; only in a group SMS do replies come back privately (Apple 118236). An app that opens one compose screen for many people can therefore create a shared thread. That's why criterion 2 asks what happens without a name in the text — and why we tell you our own app's answer. The full set of outcomes is in what happens when you text a group from an iPhone.
How we judged
- Criteria 1–7 come from the job itself: one text, many people, each their own. We built them from 195 real questions people asked online about mass texting.
- Criteria 8–10 are common reasons people pick a different app. We added them so the list isn't built around our own features.
- We describe only our own app's answers. For other apps, use the "how to check" column on their App Store page.
- Our sourcing rules are on how we test and source this site.
About our app
Batchrunner is our app; its prices and limits are in the fit note at the top of this page. Before you send anything, you can draft and test your text for free in the One Text Each message writer, which warns you when a text has no name token.
In Batchrunner 2.2, include {firstName} to open one conversation per person; without a merge token, a batch can open as a group. Batchrunner opens Messages batch by batch from your own number, you tap Send, and the ledger marks sent / remaining / skipped. iPhone only. Free for 10 people per send. → App Store
Questions people ask
What is the best mass text app for iPhone?
There's no single best one; it depends on what you need. Start with the 7 job criteria on this page: own number, one thread per person, name merge, honesty about tapping Send, a record of who's done, contacts kept on your phone, and a stated free limit. Then decide whether you need Android, a one-time price, or a long ratings history.
Is there a free mass text app for iPhone?
Many apps have a free tier with a cap, such as a number of people per send or a number of trial messages. Look for the cap stated in plain words on the App Store page before you build a list. Messages itself is free if you send one text per person by hand.
What's the best app for sending multiple text messages?
For personal lists from your own number, an iPhone app that opens one text per person. For thousands of customers, a registered business texting platform. For a school, a tool like Remind. Our method comparison ranks all of them for your list size.
Can an iOS app automatically send scheduled SMS using my own number?
Batchrunner can't. It opens the Messages compose screen with the text filled in, and you tap Send for each person. Other apps have their own conditions, so check each app's own page: some that advertise automatic sending say it runs through an iOS Shortcut you install. Business platforms can send on a schedule, but from a registered business number, not yours.
Is there an app for mass text messages?
Yes, dozens. An App Store search for 'mass text' on 3 Nov 2026 showed at least 25 apps. They differ on the 10 points in our checklist, so compare them on those rather than on the name.
Sources (5)
- Apple Support — Send a group text message on iPhone (118236). support.apple.com/en-us/118236 — checked 4 Nov 2026.
- Apple Shortcuts User Guide — personal automation (iOS 18). support.apple.com/guide/shortcuts/apd602971e63/8.0/ios/18.0 — checked 3 Nov 2026.
- CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023). api.ctia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/230523-CTIA-Messaging-Principles-and-Best-Practices-FINAL.pdf — checked 3 Nov 2026.
- Remind. www.remind.com — checked 3 Nov 2026.
- App Store pages of the apps listed above — opened 3 Nov 2026 for name and developer only.