Push Notifications vs. SMS Texts: What’s the Difference?

Push Notifications vs. SMS Texts: What’s the Difference?

It’s no surprise that consumers are increasingly reliant on their mobile devices. Considering they can shop, scroll through social media, work, send emails, and do so much more from the palm of their hands, businesses today need to deliver the seamless mobile experiences that customers expect.

Push notifications and text messages are 2 communication tools that allow businesses to find customers where they already are—on their phones. And since 86.34% of the world's population owns a smartphone as of January 2023, businesses need to understand the ins and outs of push notifications vs. text messages, especially when making meaningful connections with audiences.

Here, we’ll explore the differences between push notifications and text messages to help you better understand the best fit for your business and achieve your goals in real time.

What is a push notification?

Push notifications are small pop-up messages sent to a user’s device by a mobile app or web browser. This powerful communication tool grabs the user’s attention, as notifications appear even when the app or browser isn’t open.

Typically brief and to the point, push notifications may contain updates, reminders, promotional offers, logos, emojis, and links. This type of communication can help increase user engagement and boost conversions, especially when used with emails, SMS, and web notifications.

What is an SMS text message?

Short Message Service (SMS) is the most common form of text messaging used today. Senders relay SMS messages to mobile phones over a cellular network, either from a computer or another mobile device.

SMS text messages have a limit of 160 characters in a text-only format. In other words, this type of communication doesn’t include images or videos. Still, SMS notifications provide information—whether a promotional message or appointment reminder—in a direct way.

What are the differences between push notifications vs. text messages?

So what’s the difference between a push vs. text notification? Here are the 3 most important ones:

1. How notifications are received

When a user receives an SMS text message, they need to text a specific phrase to a specific number. For example, if they want to sign up to receive promotional offers from their favorite store, they may have to text “OFFER” to 54321. When they text the phrase, they officially opt in to receive business text messaging and promotions.

Push notifications, on the other hand, are slightly different. Once users download an application, they must allow their device to receive push notifications. They can turn this feature on or off at any time through their device settings.

Want to build an Android app capable of sending users real-time push notifications? Learn how.

2. How notifications are delivered

SMS text messages get delivered directly to users’ inboxes, and they don't need to download an additional application to access these messages. However, with push notifications, messages get delivered to the user’s desktop or mobile device whether or not the application is open.

3. What the notifications contain

As mentioned earlier, SMS text messages contain up to 160 characters of text, while push notifications are short, to the point, and a sentence or 2 in length. An added benefit of choosing push vs. text notifications is that Android and iOS users can see images or videos in push notifications.

When to use push notifications vs. SMS

When choosing between push notifications vs. text messages, knowing when to use each can help you maximize the reach of your marketing messages.

Push notifications are an engaging and effective marketing strategy to get your message in front of the right people at the right time. These tend to work well for sales and marketing offers, including new product launches, customer feedback requests, message alerts, and reminders.

What’s more, push notifications get delivered even when the user doesn’t have the app open, so it’s easy to integrate with other technology to ensure you reach consumers at a relevant time. As customers continue to shop online, a push notification vs. message can be an effective way to send promotional offers and discount codes.

On the other hand, SMS text messages are an effective marketing strategy that doesn’t require an internet connection. Considering a 95% response rate within 3 minutes for SMS messages getting opened and responded to, it’s almost guaranteed your message will get delivered to the right customer at the right time.

SMS text messages are reliable options for travel alerts, delivery status updates, booking confirmations, two-factor authentication, appointment and payment reminders, and fraud alerts.

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Frequently asked questions

Q: Which is more expensive: push notifications or SMS messages?

A: Push notifications are typically cheaper since they use your app's existing internet connection. SMS messages cost per message sent (usually $0.01-0.05 each), while push notifications only require server and development costs after initial setup.

Q: Do push notifications work without internet connection?

A: No, push notifications require an active internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular data) to be received. SMS messages work on any cellular network, even with poor data coverage, making them more reliable for critical communications.

Q: Can people reply to push notifications like they can to SMS?

A: Generally no. Push notifications are one-way messages that direct users to open an app or website. SMS messages allow full two-way conversations, making them better for customer service interactions or feedback collection.

Q: Which has better open rates: push notifications or SMS?

A: SMS messages typically have higher open rates (95%+ within 3 minutes) compared to push notifications (varies widely but often 10-50%). However, push notifications can include rich media like images and videos.

Q: Do I need special permissions to send push notifications vs. SMS?

A: Both require opt-in consent, but differently. SMS requires explicit opt-in (like texting a keyword), while push notifications need app download plus permission approval. Users can disable either at any time.

Q: Which is better for urgent messages?

A: SMS is more reliable for urgent communications since it doesn't depend on app installation or internet connectivity. Push notifications work well for timely but non-critical updates within your app ecosystem.