# Customer.io vs EZ Texting: which do AI models recommend for SMS & WhatsApp, October 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, SMS and WhatsApp marketing platforms. Eight of fourteen models named Customer.io first on the direct prompt; zero named EZ Texting. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/marketing/sms-and-whatsapp-marketing/customer-io-vs-ez-texting/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer.io | 17% | #1 of 17 | 0% | 13 | 10 of 14 |
| EZ Texting | 6% | #6 of 17 | 5% | 19 | 12 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: customer.io first (first choices: Customer.io) (alternatives: ActiveCampaign, Sakari, Salesmsg, SimpleTexting)
- Perplexity Sonar: customer.io first (first choices: Customer.io) (alternatives: Attentive, Salesmsg, Sinch, SlickText, Vibes)
- Mistral Small: customer.io first (first choices: Customer.io) (alternatives: Heymarket, Salesmsg, SimpleTexting, Sinch, SlickText)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: customer.io first (first choices: Customer.io) (alternatives: ActiveCampaign, Salesmsg, Twilio)
- Llama 4 Maverick: customer.io first (first choices: Customer.io) (alternatives: Heymarket, Salesmsg, SimpleTexting, SlickText)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: customer.io first (first choices: Customer.io) (alternatives: Heymarket, Salesmsg, SimpleTexting)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: customer.io first (first choices: Customer.io) (alternatives: Braze, Salesmsg, Twilio)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: customer.io first (first choices: Customer.io) (alternatives: Heymarket, Salesmsg, Sinch, SlickText)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Salesmsg) (alternatives: Aloware, Customer.io, Kixie, Mogli, SMS-Magic, TextUs)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Salesmessage) (alternatives: Customer.io)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Salesmsg) (alternatives: Birdeye, SMS-Magic, Sinch, SlickText)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Salesmsg) (alternatives: ActiveCampaign, SimpleTexting, Sinch)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Salesmsg, SlickText) (alternatives: Klaviyo SMS, Sinch, Twilio)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: Salesmsg) (alternatives: HubSpot's own SMS, Sakari, TextUs)

## What the models said about EZ Texting

- "Not a scam, but many users feel nickel-and-dimed. If you're on a tight budget, look at alternatives first." (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "EZ Texting is probably the best balance of low starting price + ease of use" (GPT-5.4 mini, budget prompt, first choice)
- "EZ Texting edges out for sheer lowest price ($20-25/mo entry) and quick setup" (Grok 4.1 Fast, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Start with SimpleTexting or EZ Texting for a user-friendly experience" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, budget prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.