ZeepText vs SimpleTexting: Which SMS Platform Is Right for Nonprofits and Political Campaigns?

A comparison of pricing, compliance, features, and fit for side-by-side comparison of various platforms so that you can select a platform that fits your needs.

We understand that time is of the essence and that you have limited budget available, but you also have a team that needs tools that work. The last thing that you need is to take a retail e-commerce platform that builds for your voters’ outreach and/or fundraising and try to squeeze it into a non-profit planner who did NOT build for either.

This comparison will look at ZeepText and SimpleTexting as platforms. In this comparison, we’ve compared pricing, compliancy, etc. for each platform and will go over how the prices of ZeepText compare with the price of SimpleTexting, etc.

1. Quick Overview: What Are These Platforms?

ZeepText

ZeepText is a platform that provides SMS broadcast services specifically tailored to both nonprofit organizations and political campaigns. This platform was created with compliance and affordability as its two primary objectives. There are no monthly fees associated with this service; instead, you will only pay for the actual SMS messages you send. All necessary functionality (i.e., contact management and built-in 10DLC registration guidance) is included, and the pricing structure allows smaller organizations to utilize the platform without having to commit to a monthly subscription.

SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting is a well-known SMS messaging service that many businesses utilize – including retail, hospitality, restaurants, and general marketing companies. This platform is user-friendly, has good automated features, and has excellent customer service. However, it is not specifically designed for nonprofits or political campaigns; it’s just like any other service that provides SMS messaging capabilities. You will pay a monthly fee ($39/month minimum) and will subscribe until you determine whether or not you wish to continue on the service.

2. Pricing; The Biggest Difference

Pricing is where ZeepText and SimpleTexting diverge most significantly. Understanding this difference is critical for budget-conscious organizations.

ZeepText Pricing

• Outgoing SMS: $0.039 per message
• Incoming SMS: $0.015 per message
• Monthly platform fee: $0 — forever
• 10DLC registration: $65 one-time
• Monthly carrier fee: $10/month
• No contracts, no commitments — pay only when you send

SimpleTexting Pricing

• Plans start at $39/month for 500 SMS credits
• Higher plans: $59/month (1,000 credits), $109/month (2,000 credits), and up
• Credits are consumed per SMS segment — longer messages use multiple credits
• MMS messages cost more credits than standard SMS
• 10DLC registration: ~$19 one-time + $10/month carrier fee
• Unused credits roll over on select plans

Let’s put this into a real-world scenario. Imagine your nonprofit wants to send 1,000 text messages per month to your donor list.

Feature / Criteria	ZeepText	SimpleTexting
Monthly platform fee	$0	$39–$59/month
Cost for 1,000 outgoing SMS	$39.00	Included in plan (500–1,000 credits)
Cost for 2,000 outgoing SMS	$78.00	$59–$109/month plan required
10DLC registration (one-time)	$65	~$19
Monthly carrier fee	$10	~$10
Pay-as-you-go option	Yes — no monthly minimum	No — subscription required
Annual cost (1,000 SMS/month)	~$588/year	$468–$708/year

3. Compliance & 10DLC — Critical for Campaigns and Nonprofits

When using SMS for voter outreach, fundraising, or advocacy, you must comply with the regulations. Major wireless carriers, including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, require all organizations to register their messaging campaigns with the 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) system; failure to do so will lead to your messages being filtered, blocked, or possibly fined.

ZeepText and Compliance

ZeepText has compliance with 10DLC regulations at its foundation. The ZeepText platform has many features that facilitate compliance:

• Step-by-step guided 10DLC registration process to help you through registration
• Built-in compliance messages for voters, political campaigns, and nonprofit organizations
• Automatic handling of opt-out requests via STOP keywords in every broadcast
• Separation of campaign types (political, nonprofit, and general) to prevent misclassification
• Documentation and support throughout the registration process dedicated to compliance

SimpleTexting and Compliance

SimpleTexting allows users to register for 10DLC (Chicago 10 Digit Long Codes) as well as help manage opt out requests. However:

• It should be noted that registering a 10DLC is treated as an independent registration process and was not developed with political or non-profit campaigns in mind.

• SimpleTexting’s platform was primarily created for sending marketing and promotional messages; therefore, there will be some nuances, such as political campaign compliance, which may require further care by the end-user.

• It is also important to note that users that are managing their constituents through voter outreach and/or issue advocacy campaigns must be responsible for their own compliance classifications.

4. Features — Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature / Criteria	ZeepText	SimpleTexting
CORE MESSAGING
SMS Broadcast	Yes	Yes
Two-way SMS	Yes	Yes
MMS (images/media)	Coming soon	Yes
Scheduled messages	Yes	Yes
Auto-reply / Keywords	Yes	Yes
COMPLIANCE & SETUP
Guided 10DLC registration	Built-in, step-by-step	⚠️ Supported, self-managed
Nonprofit-specific setup	Yes	⚠️ General setup only
Political campaign compliance	Purpose-built	⚠️ Not specialized
Auto opt-out (STOP) handling	Yes	Yes
CONTACT MANAGEMENT
Contact list upload (CSV)	Yes	Yes
Contact segmentation	Yes	Yes
Subscriber growth tools	No	Yes (web forms, QR codes)
PRICING MODEL
Pay-as-you-go	Yes	No
No monthly fee option	Yes — always	No — plans from $39/month
Rollover credits	N/A — pay per use	On select plans
Free trial	Early access ($25 top-up)	14-day free trial
SUPPORT
Customer support	Direct founder access	Phone, chat, email
Nonprofit / campaign expertise	Core focus	General business focus
Integrations (Zapier, CRM)	Coming soon	Yes

5. Who Is Each Platform Actually Built For?

Choose ZeepText if you are:

• A nonprofit organization that would like to send out: updates on membership, requests for support, and reminders of forthcoming events within a flexible budget; 
• Political campaign/campaign manager/itinerant campaign manager(s) that need: compliant (voter) outreach via text message; Get Out The Vote (GOTV) messaging; and supporter engagement; 
• Advocacy groups/unions/civic organizations that need: to be able to text their members about issues; mobilization in support of causes; and providing information for all members about upcoming actions/events; 
• Organizations that use SMS at specific times of the year and do not wish to pay for a provided service during periods when they are not actively sending messages; and
• Smaller or mid-sized organizations that want to connect directly with a person or team that understands their particular Compliance needs and can assist them accordingly.

Choose SimpleTexting if you are:

• Businesses that require consistent and large quantities of SMS texts per month will benefit from a credit plan; 
• Organizations who utilize MMS as part of their messaging strategy; 
• Teams seeking robust integration with CRM’s, e-commerce platforms, or Zapier directly out-of-the-box; 
• Companies that are already managing their 10DLC compliance classification independently.
• companies whose project teams are large enough to benefit from features specifically designed for enterprise use such as Multi User Access and API integrations.

6. Real-World Scenarios

Scenario A: Nonprofit Monthly Update on Donors (500 contacts)  Your organization sends one broadcast every month to 500 donors. You do not send anything the months of December and January.

With ZeepText you would pay a total of $29.50 ($0.039/500 messages = $19.50 + $10.00 carrier fee ) in the month of your broadcast. For December and January you would pay $10 (per month Carrier fee) because you sent no messages. 

With SimpleTexting you will pay $39/month minimum for the twelve months, regardless of message activity. Your total cost for the year would be a minimum of $468, regardless of activity.

Source credit: ZeepText Pricing. SimpleTexting Pricing.

Let’s take the costs of the text message (SMS) advertising scenario: At ZeepText, 10,000 SMS × $0.039 = $390 + a $10 carrier fee = $400 for the month of advertising in this situation. The 10DLC registration is completed upfront for $65. Therefore, your total cost for the first month would be about $465. After the campaign ends, your total cost incurred through ZeepText will be zero.

For SimpleTexting, you don’t have 10,000 available as an option. You would have to subscribe to their 7,500 credits monthly plan at $229 and then pay overage for the remaining 2,500 at an additional $0.035 each = $87.50 plus a one-time local number fee of $10 will cost you roughly $326.50 per month. You will also continue to incur the same monthly fee even if there is no active campaign, which adds up to an additional $4 for the one-time carrier fee.

In summary, ZeepText has a higher upfront charge than SimpleTexting to launch your campaign (approximately $465 vs approximately $330). However, SimpleTexting locks you into a recurring monthly plan for advertising. For three months of running a Get Out The Vote campaign, you will pay just under $980 using SimpleTexting compared to $1,265 through ZeepText. When your Get Out The Vote Campaign ends, ZeepText’s charges cease, whereas SimpleTexting continues to charge regardless of whether you have a campaign running.

Scenario C: Large Nonprofit With 5,000+ Monthly Texts and CRM Integration Needs

Your organization sends 5,000+ SMS every month, uses Salesforce, and needs Zapier automations to trigger texts based on CRM events.

Using ZeepText: SMS sent cost $0.039/each times 5,000 SMS sent = $195 total SMS sent plus $10 carrier fee for monthly total of $205 and currently no native CRM or Zapier integration but will be available eventually so you will have to manage your contacts through either manual entry or using a CSV.

Using Simple Texting: No longer have the option to purchase 5,000 SMS plan – you would have to go with 7,500 credit plan costing $229 plus $10 per local number for a total of $239/month to send 5,000 SMS. Simple Texting does now have both Zapier and CRM integrations and if automation is important will give Simple Texting a significant edge over ZeepText.

7. The Bottom Line

Both ZeepText and SimpleTexting are legitimate SMS platforms. The right choice depends on who you are and what you need.

ZeepText is the better fit when…	SimpleTexting is the better fit when…
You’re a nonprofit or political campaign	You’re a general business with retail/marketing needs
You want $0 monthly fee and pay-as-you-go flexibility	You send consistently high volumes and want bundled credits
Compliance guidance for political/nonprofit texting matters	You need MMS, Zapier, or deep CRM integrations today
You send seasonally and don’t want to pay during quiet months	You want a large established platform with phone support

Tired of paying for SMS features that aren’t relevant to you? ZeepText is designed specifically for nonprofits and campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ZeepText cheaper than SimpleTexting?

If your organization sends out fewer than 2,000 SMS per month or seasonally, ZeepText’s pay-as-you-go pricing structure will most likely be less expensive than your current solution because there is no monthly minimum. For organizations that consistently send large volumes of SMS, we recommend you to compare your per-SMS rates between ZeepText and SimpleTexting’s bundled plans.

Does ZeepText support MMS (picture messages)?

Although MMS is part of ZeepText’s future plans, it is not yet available. SimpleTexting does support MMS and is a valid option for you if MMS will be a functionality you’ll need in your texting strategy.

Can I use ZeepText for political campaign texting?

Yes, ZeepText was created specifically to help political campaigns stay in compliance with their text messaging efforts. ZeepText includes built-in opt-out management in compliance with carrier regulations and also offers guided registration through the 10DLC registration process.

What is 10DLC and do I need it?

10DLC is the carrier registration system that all businesses and organizations must use to send text messages in the US. If you send any SMS to any of your contacts (donors, voters, members, supporters, etc.) you must register with 10DLC. Both SimpleTexting and ZeepText require 10DLC registration; however, ZeepText will guide you through the entire process while you are required to manage the process yourself with SimpleTexting.

Does SimpleTexting have a free plan?

SimpleTexting has a 14-day trial period but does not have a permanent free plan. Once the trial period ends, any of the SimpleTexting plans will start at $39/month. ZeepText does not have a monthly fee, but you will have the following costs — a one-time $65 fee for 10DLC registration, $10/month for the carrier fee, and the cost of sending any SMS messages you wish to send.