SMS Local: The Rise of Texting From Computers from smslocal's blog

Texting has become one of the most popular forms of communication in recent years. With the proliferation of smartphones, it's easy to send texts on the go from just about anywhere. However, there are still many situations where it's more convenient to send texts from a computer, whether you're at home or work. Fortunately, there aretexting apps for computerthat allow you to seamlessly text from your desktop or laptop.

Texting from a computer comes with several advantages, especially when you use the best apps to text from a computer. For one, typing on a full keyboard is faster and easier than tapping on a small smartphone screen. Computer texting apps also synchronize conversations across devices, so you can start a conversation on your phone and pick it up later on your laptop. Some of the best apps to text from a computer for PCs even allow you to send texts for free using your current phone number.

In this guide, we'll go over the bestcomputer texting programsand apps to help you stay connected. With the right app, you'll be able to seamlessly send and receive texts across all your devices.

Here are our top picks for the best apps and programs for SMS texting from a laptop or desktop computer:

Pushbullet

Pushbullet is one of the most popular apps for mirroring your phone's notifications and texts on a computer. It's available as desktop browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox as well as Windows and Mac apps.

The great thing about Pushbullet is that it's completely free. You can send and receive texts on your computer via the Pushbullet desktop app or browser extension. Pushbullet will sync any SMS conversations from your Android phone so you can pick up where you left off on your computer.

Pushbullet also makes it easy to share files and links between devices. You can quickly push website links, photos, or other files from your computer to your smartphone or tablet. The app requires you to make an account to connect all your devices.

mightyText

mightyText is another solid option for SMS texting via your online desktop. It also syncs your phone's text messages to your computer so that you can send, receive, and continue conversations seamlessly between devices.

One advantage of mightyText is its cross-platform support. You can use the web app from just about any computer desktop browser while also installing browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. There are also dedicated mightyText apps for Windows and Mac for a streamlined experience.

mightyText offers a free basic plan that includes unlimited texting. You can also upgrade to a paid Pro plan starting at $3.99 per month for additional capabilities like MMS picture messaging, group messaging, auto-syncing between unlimited devices, and more.

Pulse

Pulse SMS takes a different approach by letting you send texts for free directly from your computer using just your phone number—no smartphone required. This makes Pulse a great option if you want to text from your computer without constantly syncing to your mobile device.

The Pulse SMS desktop apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, and the web allow you to compose and receive SMS messages using your current phone number. The Android and iOS Pulse apps then sync those conversations when you're on your phone.

Pulse SMS is free for basic texting capabilities. The pro version ($10.99 per year) adds MMS media messages, encrypted messaging, email SMS, and more features.

MyPhoneExplorer

MyPhoneExplorer is a versatile piece of software for Windows that wirelessly connects your Android device to your PC. Among the various integration features, it allows you to view, send and receive SMS messages directly on your Windows laptop or desktop.

MyPhoneExplorer provides a built-in SMS client in the desktop app. You can then seamlessly manage text conversations without constantly grabbing your phone. The app also lets you make and receive calls through your computer as well as sync contacts, photos, videos, documents, and more between devices.

You can try MyPhoneExplorer for free or purchase the pro version ($29.95) to remove ads and access additional features. This desktop texting solution only works for Windows PCs and Android phones.

AirDroid

AirDroid provides a full desktop client for managing your Android device from Windows or Mac. Like the other options, one of the key features is the ability to send and receive SMS text messages from your computer.

The AirDroid desktop app gives you access to all of your phone's texts in one place. You can reply to messages, start new conversations, and sync across devices. AirDroid also allows you to transfer files, update contacts, view notifications, screen mirror your phone, and more without touching your smartphone.

AirDroid offers a free desktop client with the option to upgrade to a paid premium account ($1.99 per month) for advanced controls. You can use AirDroid online or through the desktop apps for Windows and macOS.

Join by Joao

Join by Joao is a versatile cross-platform messaging app that lets you text for free from Windows, Mac, Linux, or the web. After downloading the Join desktop app, you can send and receive SMS texts using your existing phone number without needing your phone nearby.

Join also allows you to transfer files, manage notifications, and mirror your device screen like other desktop texting apps. A major advantage is that Join supports both Android and iPhone. The Join iOS app syncs your iMessages rather than regular texts, enabling seamless desktop iMessage capabilities.

The Join app is available entirely for free. You can download Join on as many devices as you want and text to your heart's content. The free version includes basic text messaging, file transfer, and device syncing. An optional Pro subscription ($4.99 per month) unlocks additional features.

Textto

Textto is a web and mobile app that gives you a free phone number for texting and calling over WiFi. With Textto, you can send SMS and MMS messages from your desktop browser without needing a smartphone nearby.

To get started, simply sign up for a free Textto phone number, then install the Textto web browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge. You can then use that browser extension to send and receive texts right from your desktop. Textto also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android if you want to sync conversations across devices.

The major caveat is that Textto gives you an entirely separate phone number—it doesn't sync texts from your existing mobile number. However, if you primarily want to text from your computer, Textto provides an easy free solution.

In addition to our top picks, there are a few other solid apps and services that allow you to send and receive SMS text messages from your desktop:

• MightyText - Browser-based texting app that syncs across devices. Offers premium features like MMS and group messaging for a paid subscription.

• Pushbullet- Popular utility app for Android that includes desktop SMS texting capabilities. Also useful for pushing files and links between devices.

• AirMore -Functions similar to AirDroid but specifically designed for iPhone and iPad. Syncs iMessages to your computer.

• Messages for Web - Google's official browser-based messaging app for syncing Android texts via Chrome.

• iMessage on the Web- Apple's official web and desktop app for sending iMessages from your Mac or PC browser.

• Cortana- Microsoft's digital assistant can sync SMS texts and notifications from an Android phone to Windows 10 desktops.

• KDE Connect- Open source platform for syncing texts and other phone features to Linux desktops.

With so many options, deciding which desktop texting app is right for you will depend on your platform and device preferences:

• For cross-platform support, Pushbullet, Pulse, and Join are great choices that work across Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

• If you have an iPhone, iMessage on the Web provides official desktop iMessaging from Apple. AirMore is another good option for syncing iMessages from an iPhone to Mac or Windows.

• For Android users on Windows, Cortana and MyPhoneExplorer offer deep integration and text syncing capabilities. KDE Connect is ideal for Linux desktops.

• For only occasional texting from computers, the browser-based apps like Pushbullet, MightyText, or Textto may be the easiest solution.

• If you want to text from your desktop without syncing to a phone, Pulse SMS or Textto give you an independent phone number.

Take some time to download a few texting apps and try them out on your desktop to see which option provides the best experience. With the right app, you'll forget you aren't texting directly from your phone. Staying connected across all your devices is easier than ever.

While smartphones have certainly dominated texting over the past decade, the ability to send SMS and MMS messages from a computer desktop or tablet remains highly convenient in many scenarios. Here are some examples:

For longer conversations, most people can type faster and more comfortably on a computer keyboard compared to texting on a tiny touchscreen phone. The bigger screen makes reading and reviewing messages easier on the eyes as well. Texting from a computer or tablet simply provides a better experience for extended chats.

Texting from a desktop or laptop enables you to multi-task more easily at work. You can carry on text conversations in their own window while also writing emails, creating documents, researching online, and doing other tasks using the larger screen real estate and keyboard. It's much harder to text and work simultaneously from just a smartphone.

The best texting apps for computers and tablets provide a smooth user experience along with some key features:

Cross-platform support: Apps that work across Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux offer flexibility. Look for apps built for multiple platforms.

Syncing across devices: The ability to sync conversations across smartphones, tablets, computers, etc. allows seamless transition between gadgets.

Native desktop apps: Dedicated desktop apps typically provide a better experience than browser-based apps. But the web apps can also work well.

Keyboard shortcuts: The option to use keyboard shortcuts for common actions like starting a new message makes texting faster.

Notifications and quick replies: Get notified of new messages and reply directly from notifications without opening the app.

Group messaging:Apps with MMS group messaging allow you to text multiple people in the same conversation.

Texting capabilities will integrate directly into business software, allowing seamless communications between companies and customers or team members. Customer service, lead generation, marketing and more will benefit.

As texting continues saturating human communications, don't be surprised if one day your refrigerator reminds you to pick up milk via text. The technology to support effortless device-agnostic texting already exists. It's only a matter of time and adoption before texting simply feels like a natural extension of you.