Attentive: AI‑led Email &SMS

Attentive’s platform itself is fine, but the contract structure and enforcement approach are extremely restrictive and disappointing.

The agreement includes strict SMS exclusivity with long-term lock-in, limited flexibility, and significant financial penalties (more than reasonable costs) if you need to adapt your tech stack. Even more frustrating, the Attentive team has taken an overly aggressive interpretation of the contract—suggesting that even discussing or planning with other providers would be a breach, despite that not being clearly supported by the language.

For a fast-growing e-commerce business, this makes it very difficult to evolve, evaluate alternatives, or integrate with tools Attentive doesn’t support. When integration gaps arise, the exclusivity still applies, leaving you stuck paying for services that no longer meet your needs.

If you value flexibility, vendor interoperability, or the ability to plan ahead without pressure tactics, read the contract very carefully before signing.

We have used Attentive for many years and have been happy with every aspect. The features and UI are solid, they are always pushing on product development, and are proactive with compliance. I can't speak highly enough about their white glove support and dedicated CSMs. Chelsee is top tier and has felt like an extension of our internal team.

We have used Attentive for about 5 years now for our SMS program. They have been so great to work with, the software works great and is easy to use to setup messaging, campaigns and automations. They were so great, that we moved our email management over to them as well about 3 years ago. Having the all in one soltuon for email and SMS makes automations great to keep messaging consistent. Also, in the world of tricky SMS litigation they are great about staying on top of it and helping to keep you complaint. Highly recommend.