TrueDialog vs Mainstay: Compare SMS Solutions
More Features than Mainstay
Easy To Use. Flexible. Enterprise-Grade.
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How Does TrueDialog Compare to Mainstay?
While Mainstay can help you connect with students, that’s not your only audience. TrueDialog powers SMS across the entire campus. So, if you want to reach alumni for fundraising, include faculty and staff in emergency alerts, or send messages that keep your admissions pipeline flowing, TrueDialog’s enterprise-grade platform will ensure your texts land.
Unlike Mainstay, which focuses narrowly on chatbots for enrollment and retention, TrueDialog delivers scalable, compliant communication for every department. With SOC 2, TX-RAMP, and ISO 9001 certifications, native CRM integrations, and direct carrier connections, we help institutions do more than just message students — we support communication across your entire ecosystem.
With TrueDialog, you get:
- True campus-wide messaging that covers every type of contact
- Stronger compliance and infrastructure built for institutional IT standards
- Reliable message delivery, no matter how large your campaign
If you’re ready to graduate to a platform that engages students — and everyone else you need to reach — it’s time to upgrade to TrueDialog.
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| Direct Carrier Connections | ✅ Direct-to-carrier routing ensures faster, more reliable delivery with fewer potential points of failure. | ❌ Relies on third-party SMS aggregators, which can introduce additional latency and potential delivery issues, like blocklisting. |
| Short Code + Long Code in One Thread | ✅ Seamlessly blends mass messaging and 1:1 conversations within a unified thread. | ❌Does not support unified threads for short code and long code messages. |
| Enterprise-Grade Compliance | ✅ SOC 2, TX-RAMP, and ISO 9001 certified to support industries like higher education. | ❌ Lacks formal certifications such as SOC 2 or ISO 9001. |
| Unlimited Users at No Extra Cost | ✅ Flat-rate pricing with unlimited users helps you avoid per-user fees. | ❌ Pricing is based on usage volume, and adding more users may increase costs. |
| Native CRM Integrations | ✅ Seamless integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, and other CRMs for easier workflows. | ❌ Offers limited integrations and primarily focuses on educational platforms. |
| TrueDelivery® AI Optimization | ✅ Our proprietary AI-powered tool optimizes message delivery by scanning for spam triggers and enhancing inbox placement. | ❌ Lacks an AI-driven deliverability optimization engine and relies on standard delivery mechanisms. |
| Unified Multi-Channel Messaging | ✅ Supports SMS, MMS, voice, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and email within a single platform. | ✅ Supports SMS, web chat, live chat, and social media messaging. |
| U.S.-Based Support by Messaging Experts | ✅ Offers access to experienced SMS professionals via phone, email, and text. | ⚠️Offers support, though agent experience and availability may vary. |
| 99.9% Uptime / ISO 9001 Infrastructure | ✅ ISO 9001-certified infrastructure and 99.9% uptime guarantee ensure reliability. | ❌ No public uptime guarantees or ISO 9001 certification details. |
| Faster Time to Value | ✅ Seamless onboarding requires minimal IT involvement, so you can get started fast. | ✅ User-friendly interface allows for quick setup of SMS campaigns to students. |
Why TrueDialog?
With our quick and easy setup, fast and reliable delivery, and highly secure infrastructure, TrueDialog delivers the advanced SMS experience colleges and universities need.
Learn MoreMainstay’s intro-level functionality and student-only scope can limit your success, but TrueDialog helps you communicate across your entire institution — and beyond. With its enterprise-grade security and unparalleled scalability, our platform ensures you can quickly and easily reach everyone you need.
Mainstay lacks the certifications many U.S. institutions require, like SOC 2, TX-RAMP, and ISO 9001. TrueDialog exceeds industry standards, ensuring your entire campus communication strategy meets strict security and privacy regulations — including mandates from the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
Mainstay doesn’t offer the robust SMS architecture needed for high-volume, campus-wide communications. TrueDialog connects directly to U.S. carriers, supporting fast delivery for large-scale alerts, event notifications, and critical updates — without triggering spam filtering.
Mainstay integrates with SIS platforms like Ellucian but lacks native connections to enterprise CRMs. TrueDialog integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, MS Dynamics, Marketo, and more — bridging the gap between student services, advancement, marketing, and administrative departments.
Mainstay’s subscription model doesn’t scale well for cross-departmental use. TrueDialog powers targeted outreach, mass emergency notifications, and daily operations across your entire institution, and our infrastructure is built to reliably support both small teams and large-scale initiatives.
Mainstay focuses on AI-driven student engagement. TrueDialog offers AI-powered automation and direct human engagement to ensure personalized, effective communication across every audience on (and off) campus.
Mainstay focuses primarily on SMS and chatbot communications. TrueDialog supports SMS, MMS, voice, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger so your institution can engage across multiple channels and broaden its reach.
Mainstay’s closed pricing model obscures scaling costs. TrueDialog offers transparent, predictable, flat-rate pricing with no user caps, no hidden fees, and no unwelcome surprises on your invoices.
Mainstay’s infrastructure supports student engagement but isn’t built for time-sensitive, campus-wide alerts. TrueDialog’s carrier-grade technology ensures rapid delivery of all messages, including critical communications like enrollment deadlines and emergency notifications.