TextBee Alternative: Android SMS Gateway With No Monthly Cap
TextBee and Android Texter work the same way underneath: an app on your Android phone sends texts from your own number, controlled through an API. The differences are in limits and tools. TextBee is open source and can be self-hosted, and its paid plans cap messages per month (sent and received both count). Android Texter has no message cap from us on Pro, supports MMS and group texts, and adds a full web inbox, an official Zapier app and an MCP server.
Android Texter vs TextBee
| Android Texter | TextBee | |
|---|---|---|
| How texts are sent | Your Android phone's SIM, your number | Your Android phone's SIM, your number |
| Price | Free 100 texts a day on 1 phone; Pro $10/month per phone, no message cap from us | Free 50 a day and 300 a month; Pro $14.99/month for 5,000 messages on up to 5 phones; Scale $29.99/month for 25,000 on up to 15 |
| What counts toward limits | Nothing on Pro | Sent and received messages both count; unused messages do not roll over |
| MMS and group texts | Yes | MMS not supported yet |
| Web inbox | Conversations with folders, archive and spam, contacts, leads pipeline, broadcasts | Dashboard for sending, devices and webhooks; a conversation inbox is not described on its site |
| Scheduling | Yes | Up to 72 hours ahead |
| Integrations | Official Zapier app, webhooks, Python and Node SDKs, MCP server | n8n node, MCP server, JS and Python SDKs; Zapier and Make through webhook recipes |
| Open source and self-hosting | SDKs and MCP server are open source; the service is hosted | Fully open source (AGPL-3.0), can be self-hosted |
When TextBee is the better choice
- You want to self-host the whole gateway, or need the source code
- You run several phones on a budget: Scale covers 15 phones for $29.99 a month
- You only need to send, without a conversation inbox
When Android Texter fits better
- You send or receive more than a few thousand texts a month and don't want to count them
- You need MMS, group texts or a real two-way inbox your team can work from
- You connect through Zapier and want an official app instead of webhook setup
- You run one or two phones: $10 a month each, no caps
Switching from TextBee
- Install Android Texter on the same phone and pair it from the dashboard
- Create an API key and swap the base URL and key in your code, or use the Python or Node SDK
- Re-point your incoming-message webhooks to your endpoint from Android Texter's Webhooks page
- Turn on history import if you want existing conversations on the phone brought into the dashboard
Questions
Is Android Texter open source like TextBee?
The SDKs and the MCP server are open source (MIT). The service itself is hosted, so there is nothing to run on your own server.
Do received messages count against my plan?
Not on Android Texter Pro. There is no monthly message cap from us; your carrier's fair-use limits on a personal line still apply.
Can I use the same phone?
Yes. Android Texter works on the same Android phones and sends from the same number. Make it the default SMS app so incoming texts reach the dashboard.
Try it on your own phone
Free for 100 texts a day on one phone; Pro is $10/month per phone with no message cap from us.
Get started free