From typing it to knowing it landed.

Eighteen things SharkSMS does, in the order a message actually happens: you write it once, it goes out from the phone in your pocket, your customer replies, and it plugs into the software you already run. No per-message fee at any step.

Used by 3,000+ businesses in 65 countries since 2022.

01 Compose

Personalise every message without writing it twice.

Write a message once and SharkSMS fills in the details for each person as it sends. Contact fields drop in as shortcodes, any extra column in your campaign spreadsheet becomes a placeholder you can use, and saved templates put the messages you send every week one click away.

  • Templates and personalisation

    Save the messages you send often, and drop each contact's own details into them automatically.

  • Spreadsheet columns

    Any extra column in a Send from Excel campaign becomes a placeholder, so every row carries its own order number, appointment time or balance.

  • Message variation

    Write several wordings for the same message and let the system rotate between them, so a large send does not look mechanical.

  • Translate before you send

    Pick a language in the send box and the message is rewritten there, so you read it before it goes anywhere.

  • Short links

    Shorten the URLs in your messages so they fit and stay readable.

More on bulk SMS software

One template

Hi {name}, your appointment is {{custom.Time}} on {{custom.Day}}. Reply STOP to opt out.

What Sarah receives

Hi Sarah, your appointment is 2:30pm on Thursday. Reply STOP to opt out.

2:30 pm
02 Send

Send bulk SMS and WhatsApp on your schedule.

Upload your list, choose who should get it, and pick the moment it goes out. SharkSMS sends through the Android phones you have paired, on the mobile plan you already pay for, so there is no per-message gateway fee sitting between you and your customer.

  • Bulk campaigns

    Import contacts from an Excel file, sort them into groups, and send to all of them at once.

  • Scheduling

    Pick the date and time a campaign goes out and leave it. It sends without you being there.

  • Repeat sends

    Set a campaign to go out again every few days and it keeps running without you opening the dashboard.

  • WhatsApp groups

    Pull the groups from a linked WhatsApp account and send to a whole group as a single recipient.

  • Photos and documents

    Send an image, a PDF or a price list over WhatsApp. The filename your customer sees is the one you uploaded.

More on SMS marketing for small business

A scheduled campaign
When
Thursday, 9:00am
To
Group: Regulars
Repeat
Repeats every 7 days
Sent from
Your paired phone
Thursday, 9:00am

Friday special: half rack of ribs, $18, until we run out. Kitchen opens at 5.

9:00 am

Set it once. It keeps going out until you stop it.

Free companion tool

WhatsApp Group Extractor

Turn any WhatsApp group into a ready-to-send contact list in one click. Export members to Excel, CSV, or straight into SharkSMS, then reach them with everything above.

Get the extractor
03 Reply

Customers message at 11pm. AI answers at 11pm.

Replies land in the same dashboard you sent from. You can answer them yourself, let AI answer in your own words using Claude, Gemini, OpenAI or Deepseek, or build the whole back and forth as a flow you drag together from blocks. Opt-outs are recorded for you.

  • AI replies

    Let Claude, Gemini or OpenAI answer incoming messages in your own words, day or night.

  • Visual flow builder

    Design a back-and-forth conversation by dragging blocks. No code at any point.

  • Save the contact

    A flow can add the person who messaged you to your contacts, so a conversation turns into a list you can send to later.

  • Unsubscribe handling

    Someone who replies STOP is recorded as opted out and left out of your campaigns.

See these running in eight real businesses

Dani's ChairAI replies on
WhatsApp
Tuesday, late

Hi, do you have anything Saturday morning for a cut and beard trim?

11:02 pm

Hi! Saturday we have 9:30 and 11:00 open with Dani. Reply 1 for 9:30 or 2 for 11:00 and I will book it.

11:02 pm
Answered by AI in your words, 11:02 pm

2

11:03 pm

Booked: Saturday 11:00 with Dani. See you then. Reply C if you need to cancel.

11:03 pm
04 Connect

Trigger a message from your own software with one request.

SharkSMS has a documented REST API for sending messages, managing contacts and groups, and issuing one-time passwords. Webhooks push every incoming message to your server the moment it lands, and a WooCommerce plugin keeps your buyers informed without anyone writing code.

  • REST API

    Send messages, manage contacts and groups, and issue one-time passwords from your own application. Fully documented.

  • Webhooks

    Every incoming message can be forwarded to your server the instant it lands.

  • WooCommerce

    Tell buyers their order is confirmed, paid or on its way, without touching any code.

  • USSD

    Check your operator balance and top up straight from a connected device.

  • Shopify Coming soon

    Map selected, consented Shopify customer segments to SharkSMS contact groups with a manual sync. See how the sync works.

Read the full API reference

Send one message
curl -X POST "yourdomain.com/api/send/sms" \
  -d "secret=YOUR_API_SECRET" \
  -d "mode=devices" \
  -d "phone=+15551234567" \
  -d "device=00000000-0000-0000-d57d-f30cb6a89289" \
  -d "sim=1"
What comes back
{
  "status": 200,
  "message": "SMS has been queued for sending!",
  "data": { "messageId": 456 }
}
The arithmetic

One subscription, instead of a bill per message.

Sending a thousand texts a month, compared against a typical per-message gateway. The rate below is an illustrative market rate, not a quote from any named provider.

Sending 1,000 SMS a month. Illustrative rates.
1,000 SMS Per-message gateway SharkSMS
1,000 SMS USD 45.00 at a typical 0.045 each USD 0.00, sent on the SIM plan you already pay for
Monthly platform fee Varies by provider USD 9
What you pay USD 45.00 and up USD 9
3,000+ businesses sending 65 countries 1M+ messages delivered 2022 trading since

Straight answers

Does a phone have to stay switched on?

Yes. The Android phone you pair is what physically sends your SMS, so it needs to be switched on and connected. Most people leave a spare handset plugged in somewhere out of the way.

Is the gateway app Android only?

Yes. It is an Android app you install from your dashboard rather than from the Play Store. There is no iPhone version, and that is a deliberate limit of how the product works rather than something on a roadmap.

Do I need to write code?

No. Everything on this page except the REST API and webhooks is done from the dashboard. The API is there if you want it, and ignorable if you do not.

Does the free plan put a signature on my messages?

Yes. Messages sent on the free plan carry a short SharkSMS line at the end. Both paid plans send your message and nothing else.

Are opt-outs handled for me?

Someone who replies STOP is recorded as opted out and left out of your campaigns. Getting permission to message people in the first place is still yours to do.

Start with the free plan.

Pair a phone, send your first message, and watch it arrive. No card needed.

Start free