RCS vs SMS: The ultimate comparison guide

Ever since the first text message was sent 30 years ago, SMS has been the leading messaging channel. Considering that over 5.32 billion people own mobile phones globally, and every handset can send and receive SMS by default, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

16 million SMS messages are sent every minute worldwide, and 60% of consumers read texts within the first 5 minutes of receiving them. Replacing SMS with another messaging channel feels impossible. 

However, RCS Business Messaging has been winning fans over the last couple of years as a leading customer communication channel. Its success stems from combining the reliability of SMS with rich functionalities that enable users to send images, videos, files, and more.

With brands worldwide already achieving significant success using RCS for business messaging, many business leaders are evaluating how to extend their use of the channel and how much of their SMS traffic to transfer.

Our many years of experience helping businesses get the best of both SMS and RCS have prepared us to explain the pros and cons of each channel and which is better suited to particular use cases. We can help you offer your customers the best possible experience and optimize your communication costs.

Let’s start with the basics before we get into the detail.

What is SMS? The standard for texting

What is RCS? Why is it the future?

What devices support RCS?

Since the release of iOS 18 in September, iPhone users can now join Android phone users in using RCS messaging. Previously, Android and Apple users would have had to use SMS or MMS to share messages and multimedia.

RCS now offers iMessage-type messaging features between Apple and Android users such as:  

• Read receipts  
• Typing indicators  
• High-quality media (photos, videos, etc.) 

When an RCS message cannot be delivered, SMS can be configured as a fallback option to ensure that messages always reach the end user. 

Is RCS secure?

Messages sent between end-users and businesses are encrypted in transit between RBM agents and Google servers, as well as between telecom operators and users’ devices.

Messages received on users’ mobile devices are encrypted using any device-wide encryption that users have configured, and Google uses on-device security models to protect message data.

In summary, RCS messages are just as secure as SMS when all available security features are applied by operators.

How many people use RCS now?

According to a Mobilesquared report, as of June 2024, before RCS was supported on Apple devices, there were 1.5 billion RCS business messaging users worldwide, more than double the number than at the beginning of 2022.

Carrier support is crucial to the adoption of RCS because messages go through the carrier’s servers, not Apple’s, like they do with iMessage. This means that a lot of people around the world are still waiting for their carriers to start supporting RCS.

Carriers that already support RCS on iPhones

If you live in one of the following countries and use one of these carriers, your phone already supports RCS.

RCS vs SMS and MMS comparison

Sending an SMS doesn’t require an Internet connection (WiFi or mobile data), all you need is a cell signal, but you cannot send images, videos, GIFs, or other multimedia content. However, SMS is reliable and excellent for sending notifications, reminders, and OTPs.

MMS is considered the next generation of SMS. It allows sharing of multimedia documents, images, or videos and is often used to send coupons, discounts, and proof of delivery.

RCS is the next evolution of these messaging channels provided through MNOs. It takes engagement to the next level with OTT features such as verified sender, custom branding, cards, carousels, group chats, suggested actions, and analytics. It is commonly used for sending automated notifications, interactive promotional campaigns and guiding customers through the onboarding process.

With these capabilities, it’s easy to see why more brands are moving from SMS to RCS. Mobilesquared data highlights this shift, showing that there were 1.4 billion unique RCS users in April 2024, up 36.4% year-on-year, while SMS-only users were down 8% from April 2023 to April 2024.

RCS vs iMessage

While comparing the capabilities of RCS with other messaging options it is worth adding iMessage to the mix.

This isn’t a completely like-for-like comparison as iMessage is limited to communication between Apple devices only. RCS, as we have learned, can now be sent between both Apple and Android devices. However, it is still worth seeing how they stack up in terms of features and security.

Read our guide and find out the differences and similarities between RCS and other messaging channels:

What are the unique benefits of RCS?

Because of its many features and app-like experience, businesses can benefit in multiple ways if they include RCS messages in their communication strategy. Let’s have a look at some of the options that RCS offers for creating visually appealing, attention-grabbing messages that can result in more clicks and a higher conversion rate:

Using RCS for two-factor authentication (2FA)

All the rich features of RCS, as described above, make it an excellent option for sending OTPs as part of a 2FA solution.

Here are some of the advantages of using RCS for OTP delivery:

What can SMS vs RCS offer your business?

RCS use cases

The key is to define the right use case for each that will deliver desirable results and positive ROI. For promotional messages, we have seen significant gains for businesses shifting from SMS to RCS Business Messaging. Just a couple of examples include:

While RCS offers exciting new possibilities, SMS remains a powerful tool for certain applications. SMS continues to be a reliable and effective channel for sending alerts, appointment reminders, and time-sensitive notifications. Just a couple examples include:

With its many rich features and a reliable network, RCS is an ideal channel to create rich, engaging marketing campaigns. Below we’ve outlined ways you can use the channel to increase conversions, ROI, and engagement.

Once you have a reliable provider with an in-depth solution, you can use the customer insights you have at hand to segment customers based on:

• demographics
• loyalty status
• preferences

Find a reliable provider

Implementing RCS as a channel is a good first step – but to ensure a successful campaign, you need an experienced, reliable provider.

Oftentimes, business leaders have a good idea of what they want their campaign to achieve, how they want it to appear, and who they want to target. However, designing the messages, programming the channel, and running the campaign often requires someone with experience and knowledge of best practices.

Finding a provider with a reliable platform can help prevent downtime, undelivered messages, skewed metrics, and other instances that could cause a ripple effect of negative outcomes.

It’s also important to ensure the provider doesn’t offer a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a flexible one that can be set up according to your business needs.

There is no RCS without a network connection. Aside from that, telecom operators account for a massive chunk of channel adoption. They should lead by example to show other businesses the benefits of incorporating RCS in their communication efforts.

Also, it is a good opportunity for them to recover revenue lost to ‘other’ OTTs once RCS is popularized. One of the ways to drive the adoption is to use the channel for campaigns aligned with their marketing strategy.

Recently we surveyed 3,000 telecom users worldwide to get insights into their expectations and satisfaction with the service they receive from their operators. The findings are presented in our eBook, but for the purposes of this blog, we’ll highlight a particularly interesting finding.

When it comes to receiving promotional messaging, Email is still popular among customers of all age groups, and is followed by SMS. Social media is increasing in popularity among the 18-29 and 30-39 age groups with 27% and 26% asking for it respectively. That increase opens up space to take SMS to the next level with other channels that offer richer communication experiences. RCS Business messaging is definitely one that can be a core component of future B2C communication strategies.

What is the future of RCS?

No crystal ball can predict the future of RCS, but according to market reports, RCS market size was projected to grow from USD 5.2 billion in 2020 to USD 11.7 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 17.6% during the same period.

One of the most common reasons that businesses are increasingly using RCS is that it allows them to enrich their messaging use cases with the interactive capability that it provides. That doesn’t mean that it will replace SMS in its entirety; rather, it can be used to cover additional use cases that SMS is not suited to.

Find a solution no matter your messaging strategy

From interactive conversations to essential alerts, the right messaging strategy is key to success. RCS empowers businesses to create rich, engaging experiences. For simpler, but equally important, notifications (think fraud alerts or delivery updates), an easy-to-integrate SMS API provides a reliable solution.

Or if you are ready, we can help you incorporate RCS into your communication strategy to drive demonstrable business results.