Textiful vs Join By Text

Join By Text details are from joinbytext.com as of November 4, 2026. Plans and features change, so check their site for the latest.

The short version

Both tools turn "text a word to a five-digit number" into a new email subscriber, and both work in the US only.

Join By Text keeps it simple. People text your keyword, reply with their email, and the address lands in your email platform. It costs less per sign-up.

Textiful is built for live events. People can scan a QR code as well as text a keyword. The capture flow asks several questions, one text at a time. You can run a live poll, and Textiful sends your slides or a file the moment someone signs up.

If all you need is email addresses from a keyword on TV, radio, or a sign in a store, Join By Text costs less. On a stage, at a booth, or in a service, where people scan or text, answer a question or two, and get something back, Textiful does more.

At a glance

	Textiful	Join By Text
How people sign up	Text a keyword to 33777 or 55444, or scan a QR code	Text a keyword to a five-digit number (44144 in their example)
QR code sign-ups	Yes, free and unlimited on every plan	Not offered (keyword sign-ups only, per their site)
What you can ask	Email, name, company, zip, city and state, custom questions, poll votes, one question at a time	Email, plus name, phone, or zip
Live polls with results on screen	Yes	Not mentioned on their site
Send a file after sign-up	Yes: slides, PDFs, or recordings, by text or email	A welcome message that can link to your website
Built-in email platforms	Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, and HubSpot; Constant Contact and more through Zapier	Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Constant Contact, AWeber, Keap, HubSpot, Campaign Monitor, Emma, ActiveCampaign, Sendlane
Zapier and webhooks	Yes	Yes
Entry price	$19/month for 100 conversations	$19/month for 500 email sign-ups
Extra keywords	One included; more are $10/month each	$19/month each on Starter, with discounts at 5 or more
Over your limit	100 more conversations added for $15, so nobody gets cut off	Keeps working; they email you about a bigger plan
Free trial	14 days (card required)	14 days on Starter and Advanced; none on Pro
Countries	US only	US only

Signing up: keyword only, or keyword and QR code

Join By Text uses a keyword. Put "Text SIGNUP to 44144" on a slide, a sign, or in an ad, and people type it in. That works well on TV, radio, and print, where a keyword is easy to say and nobody can scan anything.

Textiful does that too, with keywords on 33777 and 55444, and adds QR codes. Scanning opens the person's texting app with a message already written, so they only tap send. At a booth, on a table tent, or on a slide people can see, that takes less effort than typing a keyword. Print a different code for every booth, session, or sign and you can see which one pulled in the most people. QR codes are free and unlimited on every Textiful plan.

What you can collect

Join By Text collects the email address, and its site says people can also reply with a name, phone number, or zip code.

Textiful's capture flow asks one question at a time, by text: email, first or last name, company, zip (which fills in city and state), your own custom questions, or a live poll vote. Answers are checked as they come in. Textiful fixes typos like gmail.con and asks again if a reply isn't an email address. Every answer is saved on the contact and in your CSV export, and goes to Zapier or a webhook as its own field.

Giving people something back

Join By Text's welcome message can thank people or link to your website.

Textiful can deliver what you promised from the stage. Upload your slides, a PDF guide, or a recording once, and Textiful sends a tracked download link by text or email the moment someone finishes the flow. It's a simple trade from the stage: "Text DEMO to 33777 and I'll send you the slides."

Live polls

Textiful runs live polls as a step in a flow. People text your keyword or scan your QR code, get the question by text, and reply with their answer. A results page on the projector updates as votes arrive, and the same conversation can ask for their email. Join By Text's site doesn't mention polls.

Integrations

Join By Text has the longer list of direct connections: ten email platforms plus Zapier and webhooks, and a CSV or Excel export.

Textiful connects directly to Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, and HubSpot, and sends every contact to Zapier and webhooks. There are step-by-step guides for Constant Contact, Salesforce, Google Sheets, and many more through Zapier. If your platform isn't one of those four, connecting it to Textiful takes a Zapier account.

Pricing

Join By Text prices by email sign-ups per month: Starter is $19 for 500, Advanced $39 for 1,000, and Pro $79 for 2,000, with Enterprise plans on request. Extra keywords are $19/month each on Starter.

Textiful prices by conversations, meaning each person who starts your flow: $19/month for 100, $34 for 300, $49 for 500, $89 for 1,000, and $149 for 2,000, with every feature on every plan. One keyword is included, extra keywords are $10/month, and QR codes are free. Pay yearly and you get two months free. See Textiful pricing for current plans.

Per sign-up, Join By Text is cheaper. Textiful's price includes QR codes, multi-question flows, live polls, and file delivery, so the comparison depends on whether you'll use them.

Who each one is best for

Choose Join By Text if:

• You only need email addresses, collected with a keyword.
• You promote it on TV, radio, print, or in-store signs.
• You need a direct connection to AWeber, Campaign Monitor, Emma, or another platform on their list.
• The lowest price per sign-up matters most.

Choose Textiful if:

• You capture leads at live events: talks, booths, concerts, church services, and workshops.
• You want people to scan a QR code as well as text a keyword.
• You want to ask more than one question.
• You want to send your slides or run a live poll in the same text conversation.