Attentive

Attentive is a customer engagement platform for brands that want to connect marketing and customer support across messaging channels. It is best suited to teams with behavior-driven customer journeys and the capacity to invest in a broader platform. Its range of channels, automation and support are substantial; custom pricing makes it a less practical fit when buyers need to compare costs up front.

Overview

Attentive brings SMS, email, RCS and push into a single messaging platform, with two-way, real-time conversations. Browsing, cart activity, purchases, preferences and engagement can shape the audience, content and timing of messages. That makes it more compelling for brands with useful customer signals and repeatable journeys than for businesses that simply need to send occasional texts.

The platform also covers inbound messaging, MMS, audience segmentation, workflow automation and compliance tools. Attentive was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Hoboken, New Jersey. Its stated focus on ecommerce revenue and customer relationships is reflected in the behavioral targeting and channel breadth, though buyers should weigh that scope against a sales-led pricing process.

Key features

Behavioral journeys and sign-up

Attentive can use customer activity and preferences to tailor who receives a message, what it says and when it arrives. Automated cross-channel journeys support welcome and abandonment messages, while patented two-tap sign-up gives brands a dedicated way to grow their messaging audience. These tools are most useful when a business can act on customer behavior across more than one campaign; their value is harder to realize for a team with only basic broadcast needs.

AI and customer support

Attentive Concierge pairs AI with live agents for personalized support and can route complex questions to a business's in-house team. That combination can help brands connect automated messaging with human follow-up rather than treating every conversation as a marketing send. AI Essentials, included with all plans, covers message and subject-line generation and automated retargeting. More advanced AI capabilities are separate plan options, so buyers should distinguish included assistance from paid predictive tools.

Testing, integrations and security

A/B testing frameworks and campaign and segment reporting give teams ways to compare messaging and evaluate performance. Attentive says it has more than 100 pre-built integrations and flexible APIs, including connections for ecommerce, loyalty, customer data and customer experience tools; this breadth can reduce the effort of connecting a messaging program to adjacent systems.

Security controls include multi-factor authentication and SSO, with access monitoring and encryption at rest among its data security topics. Its security status page identifies CCPA, GDPR and SOC 2 compliance areas, and a SOC 2 Type 2 report is available by request. These controls matter for organizations evaluating customer-data handling, though they do not replace a buyer's own review of fit and requirements.

Pricing

Most pricing is custom or tied to usage, so a business should request a quote that reflects its list size, message volume, channels and AI needs before comparing total cost.

The Text option is the narrower entry point for businesses focused on mobile messaging, while Text & email suits teams that want to add email without moving to the full channel mix. The four-channel package is better aligned with coordinated campaigns across a broader customer journey. AI Journeys charges by click, while AI Grow and AI Pro use flat monthly fees; without published rates, buyers need to establish how those charges fit their expected usage. The full platform package adds the complete AI suite, a dedicated customer success manager and full-service onboarding, making it the most comprehensive choice for a brand seeking a managed platform rather than a narrow messaging tool.

All plans include strategic planning, onboarding and deliverability support, a dedicated support team and 24/5 service. That support is a meaningful part of the offer, especially for teams building out messaging programs, but it does not solve the need to obtain a quote to assess affordability. No seat counts, message quotas, trial length or renewal terms are provided as plan terms.

Platforms

Attentive is offered on web and through an API. That combination suits teams managing campaigns in a browser and organizations that need to connect messaging to their own systems. The platform's integration library and flexible APIs support that approach, while buyers seeking a dedicated mobile app should consider whether web and API access meet their workflow needs.

Who it's for

Attentive is aimed at brands, with solutions presented for retail and ecommerce, food and beverage, entertainment and media, travel and hospitality, and fitness and wellness. It is a strong candidate for organizations in those sectors that want behavioral targeting, automated journeys, two-way messaging and coordination across channels. Smaller teams or businesses with modest texting needs may find the breadth and custom pricing harder to justify, particularly if they want a permanent free tier or a clearly priced self-serve plan.

Pros and cons

• Pro: SMS, email, RCS and push can work together, with behavioral signals informing recipients, content and timing.
• Pro: Automation, segmentation, A/B testing and campaign and segment analytics support ongoing, measurable messaging programs.
• Pro: Concierge combines AI and live agents, with a route for complex questions to reach the business's own team.
• Pro: All plans include a dedicated support team, strategic planning, onboarding and deliverability support, and 24/5 service.
• Con: There is no free plan, and most prices depend on usage or require a quote, making early cost comparisons difficult.
• Con: AI Journeys, AI Grow and AI Pro do not publish rates, so teams cannot determine the cost of these add-ons from the plan structure alone.
• Con: The trial has no stated duration, which leaves buyers without a clear window for evaluation.

Alternatives

For a narrower texting requirement or a different pricing approach, these alternatives may be worth comparing:

• Textmagic is a paid option with a free trial and Android, iOS, web and API access. Its Essential plan is $0.05 a month, billed 100% prepaid, with rates varying by destination country and 160 plain-text characters per SMS part. It may suit buyers who prefer a stated SMS rate and broad platform access, though its offer is more narrowly described than Attentive's multichannel platform.
• Remelo has a free plan and a web platform. Its Newbie plan includes 25 appointments, SMS and email reminders, confirmations, one staff member and one online booking page, making it a more relevant choice for appointment-based businesses wanting a free starting point.
• Postscript offers a free plan and trial on web and API. Its Starter plan is free, with a $49 monthly minimum spend, $0.009/SMS and $0.045/MMS plus carrier fees, as well as campaigns, automations and unlimited segments. It is worth considering for buyers focused on SMS and MMS who value stated message charges.
• Bird Verify is a paid web and API option with a free plan; verification is included, while channel messages are charged separately. It is a more focused alternative when verification rather than a full messaging platform is the need.
• Textedly offers a free plan and trial across Android, iOS and web. Its Basic plan is $29 a month, billed monthly, for 500 messages; annual billing includes 20% more messages per month, or 600. It suits buyers prioritizing a stated monthly SMS allowance.
• Kenect is a paid option for Android, iOS and web.
• Text Request offers a free trial and broad platform access, including desktop and mobile platforms. Its Enterprise plan is $575 a month, billed monthly, with 20,000 included texts, 10 dashboards and additional texts at $0.032; it may suit buyers evaluating a defined high-volume text package.
• Pulse SMS is a paid option for Android, iOS and web.

Browse Business Text Messaging Software, SMS Marketing Software and Messenger Marketing Software for more options by category.

Verdict

Attentive is best for brands that can make use of behavior-based, automated messaging across multiple channels and want support as part of the platform. The case for choosing it is the combination of personalization, channel breadth, integrations and AI-assisted customer engagement. Look elsewhere if you need a free plan, a published price before speaking to sales, or only a straightforward low-volume text service.