Both FollowFire and Textedly involve SMS. Both can help a contractor book more business. But they operate at completely different points in the customer lifecycle — and using the wrong one first means paying for a tool while quietly losing thousands of dollars in new lead revenue.
Here's the honest breakdown of what each one does and which one your contracting business needs now.
What Textedly Does
Textedly is a bulk SMS marketing platform. It lets you send mass text messages to a list of subscribers — promotional campaigns, appointment reminders, seasonal offers, review requests, and keyword-triggered opt-in flows.
It's a broadcast tool for your existing customer base. If you have 400 past clients and want to send a spring tune-up offer, Textedly can handle that. You build a list, import contacts, and blast out campaigns on a schedule.
What FollowFire Does
FollowFire is a lead response engine. When a new prospect submits your contact form, clicks a Google ad, or submits an Angi inquiry, FollowFire automatically texts them back within 60 seconds — before your competitor even sees the notification.
It's a conversion tool for strangers who are actively looking to hire. No list needed. No prior relationship required. Every new inquiry triggers an immediate, personalized follow-up.
The Core Distinction: Broadcast vs Response
The clearest way to understand the difference:
- Textedly is outbound — you initiate contact with people who already know your business. You're marketing to a warm audience.
- FollowFire is inbound response — new prospects reach out to you, and you respond before they have a chance to book someone else. You're converting a cold audience into booked jobs.
Most contractors are actively losing 30–50% of new leads because they're too busy on jobs to respond within the first hour. That's not a marketing problem — it's a response problem. And Textedly can't fix it.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | FollowFire | Textedly |
|---|---|---|
| Instant lead text-back (60 sec) | ✅ Core feature | ❌ Not designed for this |
| Bulk SMS to subscriber list | ❌ Not a broadcast tool | ✅ Core feature |
| Automated 3-touch follow-up sequences | ✅ 60s / 20min / Day 3 | ⚠️ Drip to existing contacts only |
| New lead intake (no opt-in required) | ✅ Works on all new inquiries | ❌ Requires prior subscriber opt-in |
| Web form / Angi / Google integration | ✅ Built-in lead source routing | ❌ Not a lead routing tool |
| Contractor lead dashboard | ✅ One-screen view of all active leads | ⚠️ Campaign-focused interface |
| Seasonal promo campaigns | ❌ Not a broadcast tool | ✅ Built for this |
| Keyword opt-in flows | ❌ | ✅ |
| MMS (image/media messages) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Price | $49/month flat | $24–$299+/month (message-volume based) |
| Setup time | 5 minutes | Varies (list import, compliance, opt-in flows) |
| Built for contractors | ✅ Contractor-specific | ❌ General purpose |
The Problem Textedly Can't Solve
Picture this: It's a Wednesday afternoon. You're on a job site. Four new inquiries came in from your website and Google — an HVAC repair, a roofing inspection request, a bathroom remodel quote, and a plumbing emergency.
You don't see them until 6 PM. You call back at 6:30.
- Lead 1 (HVAC repair): "Oh, I already called someone else — they came out this afternoon."
- Lead 2 (roofing): "Yeah, we're talking to a couple of people, I'll let you know." (Never calls back.)
- Lead 3 (bathroom): No answer.
- Lead 4 (plumbing): "We got someone, thanks anyway."
Four leads. Zero booked estimates. Textedly's spring promotion campaign can't recover these — they were strangers, not subscribers. FollowFire would have texted all four within 60 seconds of their inquiry, and you'd have walked off that job site with at least two booked estimates.
When Textedly Makes Sense
Textedly is a legitimate platform — just for a different stage of your business:
- You have a large customer database (500+ contacts) and run regular seasonal campaigns
- You want to send appointment reminders or review requests via SMS to past clients
- You do keyword-triggered opt-in flows for inbound text inquiries
- You need MMS messaging to send photos or visual promos
- You're already converting new leads well and want to squeeze more from your customer base
For contractors with mature retention programs, Textedly adds real value. But most contractors aren't there yet.
When FollowFire Makes Sense
FollowFire is the right move when:
- You spend money on ads, Angi, or SEO — but don't convert leads fast enough
- You're often on jobs and can't respond to form submissions within the first hour
- You want every new inquiry to get a professional, immediate response automatically
- You want to see all your active leads in one place and pick up conversations at your pace
- You're losing jobs to competitors who simply respond faster — not because they're better
The Right Sequence: FollowFire First, Textedly Later
These tools aren't competitors — they serve different purposes. But sequence matters:
- FollowFire first ($49/mo): Stop losing incoming leads. Every new inquiry gets a 60-second text-back. Your close rate on new leads jumps immediately. Revenue goes up.
- Textedly later ($24+/mo): Once you're booking more new customers, build your list. Run seasonal re-engagement campaigns, promo blasts, and review requests to grow repeat business.
Skipping step 1 and jumping to step 2 means you're marketing to existing customers while ignoring the leak in your new lead funnel. Most contractors lose $5,000–$20,000/month in missed leads. Fix that first — then amplify retention.
ROI Comparison
- Textedly ROI: Depends on list size and campaign frequency. A contractor with 500 past clients running four campaigns per year might recover $3,000–$8,000 in re-engaged business. Solid. Not urgent.
- FollowFire ROI: One additional booked job per month from faster lead response = $2,000–$15,000 depending on your vertical. That's a 40x–300x return on $49/month — compounding monthly, not seasonally.
Bottom Line
Textedly helps you get more from customers who already know you. FollowFire helps you stop losing the strangers who are actively trying to hire you right now.
If you're spending on lead generation and not closing at least 40–50% of inquiries into booked estimates, FollowFire delivers faster, larger ROI. Lock in that foundation first — then build your retention stack on top of it.
Try FollowFire Free for 30 Days
FollowFire is $49/month — no contract, cancel anytime. Setup takes 5 minutes. One recovered job pays for the entire year.
The next lead submitting your contact form will be texted in 60 seconds. That's the difference between booking the job and losing it.