You've heard you should be texting your leads faster. You search for SMS tools and land on SimpleTexting and FollowFire. Both involve text messages. Both are priced affordably. So what's actually the difference?
The short answer: SimpleTexting is a broadcast SMS platform designed for marketing campaigns and list management. FollowFire is an automatic lead response tool designed to text back every new inquiry within 60 seconds. They're not really competing — they solve different problems at different stages of the customer lifecycle.
But if you only have budget for one right now, here's how to decide.
What SimpleTexting Does
SimpleTexting is a well-built SMS marketing platform designed for businesses that want to:
- Send broadcast text messages to a list of existing contacts
- Run SMS drip campaigns and keyword-triggered automations
- Collect opt-ins with short codes and keyword triggers
- Manage two-way conversations with multiple team members
- Send appointment reminders and review requests
- Integrate with Zapier, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and other tools
SimpleTexting is excellent at what it does. If you have a list of 500+ past customers you want to re-engage with seasonal promotions, or if you're running a keyword opt-in campaign on your trucks ("Text HVAC to 55512 for your $49 tune-up"), SimpleTexting is a solid choice.
Pricing starts at around $29–39/month for 500 messages, scaling up by message volume. The per-message cost model means costs grow with usage.
What FollowFire Does
FollowFire is an automated lead response tool built specifically for contractors. When a new contact form lead comes in — from your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, HomeAdvisor, or Angi — FollowFire automatically texts that person back within 60 seconds, 24/7.
The core insight behind FollowFire: most contractors lose leads not because they don't follow up, but because they follow up too slowly. A lead that submits a form at 2 PM on a Tuesday while you're on a job is gone by 5 PM if you haven't called back. FollowFire ensures that lead hears from you within a minute — every time, without any manual work.
FollowFire handles:
- Instant text-back for every new form submission
- Automatic Day 3 follow-up for leads who don't respond
- Consistent, professional lead response messaging
- Flat $49/month pricing with unlimited leads — no per-message fees
The Core Difference: Existing Contacts vs New Leads
This is the clearest way to frame the distinction:
- SimpleTexting: Best for communicating with people who already know you — existing customers, opted-in leads, past clients.
- FollowFire: Best for converting new inquiries into booked jobs — people who just found you and submitted a form.
SimpleTexting assumes you already have a list to message. FollowFire assumes you're getting new leads every week and need to respond to them fast.
For most contractors, the more urgent and revenue-critical problem is new leads. If you're getting 20 inquiries a month and converting 5 of them, improving that conversion rate from 25% to 40% is worth more than any marketing campaign. That's where FollowFire operates.
Head-to-Head Comparison
- Use case: SimpleTexting = broadcast + campaigns; FollowFire = instant new lead response
- Pricing: SimpleTexting = $29–39/month + per-message fees; FollowFire = flat $49/month, unlimited leads
- Setup: SimpleTexting = list import, campaign builder, short code configuration (1–3 hours); FollowFire = connect form, set message, live in 5 minutes
- Who gets texted: SimpleTexting = people you import manually or who opt in; FollowFire = every new form lead automatically
- Response speed: SimpleTexting = whenever you send a campaign; FollowFire = within 60 seconds of form submission
- Best for: SimpleTexting = re-engagement, seasonal promos, appointment reminders; FollowFire = winning new jobs before competitors call back
When to Choose SimpleTexting
SimpleTexting makes sense if:
- You have a large existing customer list (200+ contacts) and want to run seasonal promotions or referral campaigns
- You're running keyword opt-in campaigns (vehicle wraps, yard signs, radio ads) and need a short code
- You want a full-featured SMS platform with team inbox, campaign scheduling, and integrations
- You're primarily focused on retention and repeat business, not new lead conversion
When to Choose FollowFire
FollowFire makes sense if:
- You're getting new leads through your website, Google, Yelp, or Angi and not responding fast enough
- You're losing jobs to competitors because they call back faster
- You want a "set it and forget it" tool that works without any daily management
- You want flat pricing that doesn't scale with usage — you pay $49/mo whether you get 10 leads or 200
- You're pre-revenue or early stage and want maximum conversion from your existing traffic before you spend on campaigns
The Sequencing Argument: Which Problem to Solve First
Here's a mistake a lot of contractors make: they invest in SMS marketing tools (re-engagement campaigns, promotions, short codes) before fixing the leaky conversion funnel at the top.
If you're generating 30 leads a month from organic search, Google LSA, and referrals — but only responding to half of them within 2 hours — you're leaving significant revenue on the table. A campaign to re-engage past customers adds noise on top of that problem.
Fix the funnel first. If you respond to every new lead in 60 seconds and follow up 3 times before giving up, you've already unlocked the biggest revenue lever available to a local contractor. Then, once that's working, SimpleTexting's campaign tools add incremental value on top.
The contractors who grow fastest tend to focus obsessively on converting the traffic they already have before spending on campaigns to get more. FollowFire is built for that phase.
Can You Use Both?
Yes, and for mature contractors with growing contact lists, it makes sense. FollowFire handles new lead response. SimpleTexting handles ongoing engagement with existing contacts — seasonal promotions, review requests, referral campaigns, appointment confirmations.
The combined stack runs about $78–88/month. If you're doing $200K+ annually and have an established customer base, both tools pay for themselves many times over.
But if you're choosing one to start with, ask yourself honestly: is my bigger problem converting new leads, or staying in touch with existing ones? For most local service contractors under $500K in revenue, the answer is almost always new leads.
Bottom Line
SimpleTexting is a solid SMS marketing platform for contractors with large contact lists and campaign needs. FollowFire is a focused lead response tool that books more jobs by texting every new inquiry in under 60 seconds.
If you're losing jobs because competitors call back faster, start with FollowFire. Set it up in 5 minutes, run a free 30-day trial, and see how many leads come back when you're the first one to reach them.