TextBee Alternative: SMS Gora vs TextBee Compared (Pricing, Limits, API)

TextBee made a simple idea popular: turn an Android phone into an SMS gateway and send texts through an API, at your operator's rates. If you're looking for a TextBee alternative, it's usually for one of three reasons: you've hit a monthly message cap, you want campaigns and an inbox without writing code, or you need more phones on one account.

This comparison looks at SMS Gora, the Tekservix Android SMS gateway, next to TextBee. We make SMS Gora, so we've stuck to published facts and said plainly where TextBee is the better choice.

How both tools work#

Both follow the same model. You install an app on an Android phone with a SIM card and link it to your account. Your software calls a REST API, the service passes the message to the phone, and the phone sends it as a normal SMS. The text is billed by your mobile operator, often from a bundle, and replies come back to the same number. Neither tool needs a contract with a carrier or an SMS aggregator. Our guide to Android SMS gateways explains the setup in detail.

At a glance#

TextBee figures are from the TextBee website as checked on 30 September 2026; TextBee also offers lower prices on yearly billing. Prices change, so check both sites before you decide.

The real difference: caps vs phones#

The two services price different things. TextBee's paid plans include a number of messages each month. SMS Gora charges per linked phone and doesn't count messages; each SIM's bundle and the operator's fair-use rules are the real limit.

That makes the choice fairly easy to reason about:

• A few hundred texts a month on one phone: TextBee's free tier may be all you need.
• Thousands of texts a month from one or two phones: SMS Gora's per-phone price is lower than a message-capped plan.
• Many phones to spread load or cover several networks: compare the per-phone cost. SMS Gora's larger plans work out between $1.30 and $1.66 per phone per month.

Switching is mostly two settings#

SMS Gora accepts TextBee's paths and body for the common calls: send-sms, send-bulk-sms and get-received-sms, authenticated with the same x-api-key header. In most integrations you change the base URL, the key and the device ID:

curl -X POST https://tekservix.com/smsgora/api/v1/gateway/devices/42/send-sms \
  -H "x-api-key: sgk_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"recipients":["+250788123456"],"message":"Your order is ready for collection."}'

1. Install the SMS Gora app on your Android phone and scan the pairing QR code from the dashboard.
2. Create an API key (it starts with sgk_) and note the phone's ID.
3. Point your code at https://tekservix.com/smsgora/api/v1 with the new key and ID.
4. Send a test message to your own number, then re-register your webhook URL for received messages.

Run both side by side for a day if you can, sending test traffic through the new gateway before moving live traffic. The TextBee alternative page has the full compatibility table, and the SMS Gora API documentation covers every endpoint.

Where TextBee is the better choice#

• You want to self-host. TextBee's code is on GitHub under the MIT licence. If your organisation requires running everything on its own servers, that settles it.
• Your volume is tiny. A free tier beats any paid plan when you send a few messages a day.
• You want to inspect or modify the source code of the app and server.

Where SMS Gora is the better choice#

• High volume from few phones, because there's no monthly message cap.
• Non-developers sending campaigns: upload a CSV, personalise with the customer's name, set the pace and watch delivery counts, all in the browser. See our guide to bulk SMS for small business.
• Conversations: a two-way inbox, keyword auto-replies with loop protection, and STOP handling applied to campaigns automatically.
• Everything in one account: if you also use WhatsApp messaging, invoices or the PDF tools on Tekservix, it's one login and one bill.

Things to check before switching#

• Android settings: any phone gateway needs battery optimisation turned off for its app, or the phone may stop sending when the screen is off. This applies to both tools.
• Receiving SMS: SMS Gora's standard app only sends. To receive texts, install the "send and receive" edition. Some phones' security features block sideloaded apps that read SMS, and the install guide explains the fix.
• Operator rules: sending thousands of texts from a consumer SIM may break your operator's terms. Ask about business bundles.
• Consent: whichever tool you use, only text people who agreed to hear from you, and honour STOP replies.

Bottom line#

TextBee is a good open-source project and the natural pick for self-hosting or very light use. If you're sending at volume, want campaigns and an inbox without writing code, or need several phones at a low price, SMS Gora is worth a look, and moving your code over usually takes minutes. For a wider view of the options, including carrier-connected providers, read our SMS API guide.