Head to head

Emissary vs TextUs

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Emissary

Sales-quoted

AI text recruiting for candidate engagement and automations. Pricing is sales-quoted.

Where Emissary fits

  • TA teams that want AI-assisted candidate texting
  • Recruiters running reminders and nurture by SMS
  • HR teams replacing email-only candidate comms
  • Companies buying texting as a recruiting workflow

TextUs

$299/mo

Shared business texting for recruiters. Pro is $299/mo (5,000 messages, 5 numbers); extra numbers $49/mo.

Where TextUs fits

  • TA and staffing teams that text as the channel
  • Bullhorn, Workday, or Greenhouse shops
  • Shared inboxes that need local numbers
  • Buyers who can budget a $299/mo floor

At a glance

DetailEmissaryTextUs
Starting priceSales-quoted$299/mo
Free tier–No–No
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No✓Yes
Listed underTextingTexting
CapterraNot enough reviews4.7 from 126 reviews

Where they pull apart

Emissary

Stands out: Built as recruiting SMS with AI, not as a generic marketing texter.

Watch out: There is no public rate card. This is emissary.ai, the recruiting product, not another Emissary brand.

Not the right fit for

  • Marketers looking for consumer SMS blasts
  • Buyers who need a published monthly price

TextUs

Stands out: A real $299 floor for TA texting, with Bullhorn, Workday, Greenhouse, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier named.

Watch out: Pro is $299/mo. WhatsApp is +$29/user (beta). Overage is $0.02/message.

Not the right fit for

  • Solo operators who need a sub-$299 plan
  • Teams that will not SMS candidates
  • People who need a full talent CRM (Sense)

Pros and cons

Emissary

  • Recruiting-specific SMS, not marketing blasts
  • AI-assisted candidate engagement
  • Two-way texting for TA workflows
  • Sales-quoted, no public rate card
  • Buying starts with a demo
  • Thin public feature list

TextUs

  • Honest $299 Pro floor
  • Bullhorn, Workday, Greenhouse named
  • Shared inbox plus local numbers
  • WhatsApp is extra
  • No free trial advertised

What each one costs

Emissary

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted. No public rate card on the vendor site. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

TextUs

$299/mo

Pro from $299/mo with 5,000 messages and 5 numbers included. Extra numbers are $49/mo. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 18 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Emissary or TextUs for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

Not the pair you wanted?

All Emissary alternatives All TextUs alternatives Every Texting tool

Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?