Let’s break it down carefully 👇
🧠 Metadata
Goal: Send SMS from Google Sheets to user mobile numbers automatically.
Tools/Platforms:
Google Apps Script
SMS API (Twilio / Fast2SMS / Textbelt / Msg91 etc.)
Google Sheet (with Name, Phone, Message columns)
🌲 Step Tree
- Prepare Google Sheet
Column Example Data
A (Name) John B (Phone) +919876543210 C (Message) Your meeting is at 10 AM today.
- Choose an SMS API Provider
Free APIs (limited):
Textbelt — 1 free SMS/day
Paid/Enterprise:
Twilio
Fast2SMS
MSG91
ClickSend
- Get Your API Key
Sign up → Generate API Key → Copy it securely.
- Open Google Apps Script
In your Sheet → Extensions > Apps Script
Paste the code below.
✅ Script Example (Textbelt Free API)
function sendSmsFromSheet() { const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName("Sheet1"); const data = sheet.getRange("A2:C").getValues(); const apiKey = "textbelt"; // free demo key (1 SMS/day)
data.forEach(row => {
const name = row[0];
const phone = row[1];
const message = row[2];
if (phone && message) {
const payload = {
phone: phone,
message: Hi ${name}, ${message},
key: apiKey
};
const options = {
method: "post",
contentType: "application/json",
payload: JSON.stringify(payload)
};
const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch("https://textbelt.com/text", options);
Logger.log(response.getContentText());
}
});
}
⚙️ Script Example (Twilio API – More Reliable)
function sendSmsUsingTwilio() { const accountSid = "YOUR_TWILIO_SID"; const authToken = "YOUR_TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN"; const fromNumber = "YOUR_TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER";
const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName("Sheet1"); const data = sheet.getRange("A2:C").getValues();
data.forEach(row => {
const name = row[0];
const phone = row[1];
const message = row[2];
if (phone && message) {
const payload = {
To: phone,
From: fromNumber,
Body: Hi ${name}, ${message}
};
const options = {
method: "post",
headers: {
Authorization: "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode(accountSid + ":" + authToken)
},
payload: payload
};
UrlFetchApp.fetch(https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/${accountSid}/Messages.json, options);
Logger.log(SMS sent to ${phone});
}
});
}
⚡ Advantages
Advantages Description
💬 Auto-Send SMS Sends messages directly from Sheets ⚙️ Trigger Support Can run daily or on-demand 📱 Personalized Custom message per user 🌎 Multi-Provider Works with Twilio, MSG91, Textbelt 🔐 Secure API key-based authentication 🧠 Smart Filtering Skip empty rows automatically 🔄 Reusable Works for alerts, reminders, or reports 📈 Scalable Integrates with thousands of records
⚖️ Pros & Cons
Pros Cons
Automated SMS sending Some APIs charge per message Custom per-user message Free APIs limited per day Works with time triggers Requires API key setup Easy to edit message format Internet connection required Supports multiple providers No image/media messages Logs SMS status Demo API has daily limits Secure authentication — Scalable via paid plans —
📊 Comparison Table
Feature Textbelt Twilio Fast2SMS MSG91
|Free SMS | ✅ (1/day) ❌ ❌ ❌| Indian Numbers ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Global Reach ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ Authentication API Key SID + Token API Key Auth Key Delivery Reports ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Setup Time 2 min 5 min 3 min 3 min Cost Free/Paid Paid Paid Paid Reliability Medium High High High
🧰 Useful Platforms
Google Sheets
Google Apps Script
Twilio API / Textbelt API / MSG91 API
Trigger setup (Apps Script → Triggers → Time-driven)
💬 FAQ
Q1: Can I send WhatsApp messages instead? 👉 Yes, via Twilio WhatsApp API — similar setup.
Q2: Can it handle 1000+ users? 👉 Yes, but use a paid API (Twilio/MSG91) to avoid rate limits.
Q3: Can I attach dynamic messages (like OTPs or reports)? 👉 Yes, use cell placeholders for custom messages.
🧪 Case Study
Company: TechRemind Pvt Ltd Use Case: Automated daily reminders to 50 employees about productivity report submission. Result:
Reduced manual follow-ups by 95%
Sent 1,500+ messages/month automatically Reference: Twilio Case Studies
📰 Recent News
(Oct 2025): Twilio launched enhanced India SMS compliance support — Read more.
Textbelt v2.1 adds message delivery tracking improvements — textbelt.com.
🧭 Final Recommendation
🔹 For testing, use Textbelt (Free key) 🔹 For production use, prefer Twilio or MSG91 (faster, reliable, global) 🔹 For India-specific bulk alerts, use Fast2SMS