SMS Tool Comparison Matrix

From MobileActive Wiki

The introduction to this comparison is at Desktop_SMS_Campaign_Tools

Rating Criteria and Scale

I’ve applied the following ratings to each software package:

Category: H, O, A

I’ve classified software into three groups using the codes (H=hacker, O=old, A=alive and well). If it has an “H” it means that the software looks and behaves as if some smart programmer put it together in a few weeks in spare time. The user interface is probably terrible, a lot of things don’t work, and it’s an unprofessional product all around. However, if you’re a hacker, it probably has some solid code snippets and functionality that you can mashup into something better and beautiful.

If it has an “O” it means that it looks like this software was developed a while ago and then forgotten and is no longer being improved. This software can work well, but don’t rely on it to serve needs in the future as the technology changes.

An “A” indicates that the software is alive and well. Someone is paying attention to it and it looks like it’s moving strongly into the future.

Ease of Installation: 1-10

1 means that it was nearly impossible to install. 10 was a few-click process with no problems.

Ease of Use: 1-10

My background is in user interface design, so I’m especially sensitive to software that breaks your mind when you try to figure it out. A lot of the software that I reviewed for this document fell into this category. I give it a 1 if I couldn’t figure it out. I give it a 10 if I intuitively understood how to use it within a few seconds.

Support: 1-10

I give the software a 1 if I can’t find any contact information at all and a 10 if the product has a dedicated support team that can respond to inquiries from 9-5 on weekdays.

Note that I didn’t install all of the software – especially the ones that looked like they weren’t the right fit for nonprofits or that wouldn’t work on Windows Vista. You’ll find some (?)s in the matrix to indicate an unknown in this instance.

The SMS Tool Comparison Matrix

The Comparison Matrix is published as a [Google document].

You can also download a .pdf [here]

See also selected SMS Tool Screenshots.