Comparison

iMessage is a communication service rendered by Apple that can only be used on Apple devices. SMS and MMS are regular text messages that work through your wireless service provider and can be sent to third-party devices.

Text Messages

The standard text message uses the SMS package that you purchased from your wireless service provider. There are two types of SMS:

  • SMS (Short Message Service): The original text message that we have been using for years. SMS are limited to 160 characters and can only contain text.
  • MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service): MMS messages amplify the capacity of original text messages and promote sending of photos, long text messages, and other content.
  • Operators charge more to send MMS than SMS, and some still do. Today, most operators charge the same amount for SMS and MMS and count them as part of an SMS plan.

iMessage

Email messages vary fundamentally from text messages in that they use data to send messages, not the SMS rate that you buy through your mobile operator.

Some main benefits of using the iMessage are as follows:

  • iMessage is much more than SMS or MMS: iMessage promotes sending photos, videos, files, locations, and a wide range of other types of data using the messaging application.
  • The iMessage works with WiFi: As you can imagine, sending and receiving photos or videos can consume a large amount of data, and you pay for that data with your mobile data plan. Once connected to Wi-Fi, you can send iMessage without using your cell phone data or your SMS rates.
  • iMessage is faster than SMS or MMS: SMS and MMS are sent using a different technology than your iPhone to connect to the Internet. iMessage allows you to send photos and other large files much faster than MMS messages.