# Looking for an SMS Forwarder Alternative on iPhone?

> How Fwrd compares with the SMS Forwarder app on iPhone: destinations, price, privacy labels and iOS versions, from both App Store pages.

Last updated: 2026-10-23
Canonical HTML page: https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/sms-forwarder-alternative-iphone
Published: 2026-10-20

If you're looking for an alternative to the SMS Forwarder app on iPhone, Fwrd does the same job through a Shortcuts Message automation, adds Telegram, and costs less: $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, while SMS Forwarder's own App Store page lists monthly and yearly plans that cost more. Fwrd needs iOS 26 or later; SMS Forwarder lists iOS 17 or later.

**What you need:** an iPhone on iOS 26 or later, the [Fwrd](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6759069713?pt=128544281&ct=blog-smsfwd-alt&mt=8) app, and the place you want texts to go, such as a Slack channel, a Telegram chat or an email address.

## How do Fwrd and SMS Forwarder compare?

Both are iPhone apps that forward new texts through an automation in Apple's Shortcuts app, and both say texts are handled on the iPhone. The differences are in price, destinations and which iPhones they run on. Everything below comes from each app's US App Store page, read on October 20, 2026.

| | Fwrd | SMS Forwarder: Forward SMS |
|---|---|---|
| Free use | 15 forwards a month | Not stated on the App Store page |
| Paid plans | $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year | Weekly, monthly and yearly; the monthly and yearly plans cost more than Fwrd's |
| Destinations | Email, another phone, WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, Telegram, webhook | Email, WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, webhooks, another phone |
| Needs | iOS 26 or later | iOS 17 or later |
| Privacy label | Data not linked to you: purchases | Data not linked to you: usage data, diagnostics |
| Ratings | 5.0 from 1 rating | 4.3 from 384 ratings |

Sources: [Fwrd on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6759069713?pt=128544281&ct=blog-smsfwd-alt&mt=8) and [SMS Forwarder: Forward SMS on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sms-forwarder-forward-sms/id6693285061), both read October 20, 2026. App Store prices change, and other countries see their own prices.

## Why choose Fwrd over SMS Forwarder?

We make Fwrd, so here's our case, with the points you can check yourself:

- **Lower price.** A year of Fwrd Pro is $29.99. Every yearly option on SMS Forwarder's App Store page costs more.
- **A free plan with a clear limit.** Fwrd is free for 15 forwards a month, and one text counts once however many places it goes.
- **Telegram included.** Fwrd's eight destinations include Telegram, which SMS Forwarder's App Store page doesn't list.
- **No account.** You don't sign up for anything. Destinations are set up in the app on your iPhone.
- **Filters.** Every destination can keep only texts with words you choose, texts that look like a verification code, or texts at certain hours. Email, Another Phone and WhatsApp need one extra step: put the send action inside an If in the shortcut.

## How to switch to Fwrd

1. **Turn off the old automation.** In Shortcuts, open Automation, open the automation that runs SMS Forwarder's action, and switch it off. Then two apps won't forward the same text.
2. **Add your destination in [Fwrd](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6759069713?pt=128544281&ct=blog-smsfwd-alt&mt=8).** Tap +, choose where texts should go, and follow its guide, such as the [Slack guide](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/slack) or the [Telegram guide](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/telegram).
3. **Create a new Message automation.** Choose which texts to forward with a word they contain, such as code, and set it to run without asking. The [automation guide](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/automation) shows each step for iOS 26 and iOS 27.
4. **Add Fwrd's action.** Use Forward Message to All Destinations, with Shortcut Input as the message.

That's it. New texts with your word now go to your destination on their own, with the iPhone unlocked or locked.

## What you can set up once you switch

Fwrd's filters work on all eight destinations, so you can send codes to one place and everything else to another. For Slack, Discord, Telegram, Teams and webhooks the filter works straight away. For email, another phone and WhatsApp, the send action goes inside an If.

A text a filter skips doesn't use up one of your 15 free forwards. If you want to know who wrote each text, turn on Include Who Sent It in Fwrd's Settings and choose Sender on Fwrd's action, and each forward starts with a From: line. Your destinations stay in the app on your iPhone, with their secrets in the Keychain, and there is no Fwrd account to sign in to.

## What Fwrd doesn’t do

- **It doesn't run below iOS 26.** Fwrd installs only on iPhones that run iOS 26 or later.
- **It only forwards new texts.** Messages that arrived before setup stay in Messages.
- **It doesn't forward pictures.** Only the words of the text are sent.
- **The phone has to stay on and online.** After a restart, unlock it once before forwarding starts again.

## Questions about switching

### Can I use both apps at the same time?

You can, but each matching text would be forwarded twice. Turn off the old automation, or give the two automations different words.

### Will I lose my old forwarded messages?

No. Messages you already forwarded stay wherever they were sent, such as your Slack channel or inbox. Fwrd only forwards texts that arrive after you set it up.

### Is Fwrd free?

Fwrd is free for 15 forwards a month. Fwrd Pro removes the limit for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year in the US.

### Does Fwrd forward iMessages too?

Yes. The Message automation runs for messages that arrive in the Messages app, iMessages included.

## Keep reading

- [The best SMS forwarding apps for iPhone, compared](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/best-sms-forwarding-apps-iphone)
- [Is an SMS forwarder app safe?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/is-sms-forwarder-app-safe)