Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and Tumblr, has expanded its portfolio by acquiring the all-in-one messaging app Texts.com for $50 million. This app consolidates various messaging platforms into a single dashboard, including iMessage, Slack, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Messenger, LinkedIn, Signal, Discord, and more, with plans for further integrations in the future, according to a company blog post.
Texts.com distinguishes itself from competitors like Beeper by offering end-to-end encryption for chats and coveted features such as the ability to schedule messages for recipients’ convenience. Users can mark messages as unread, even on services that lack this feature, allowing them to revisit messages later and receive summaries of lengthy group chats they may have missed.
Automattic expressed its interest in this messaging platform as a strategic move into the “fourth market” that plays a vital role in the modern web experience: messaging.
Automattic already offers various online tools, including WordPress for publishing, WooCommerce for e-commerce, Tumblr for blogging, and a suite of advertising tools. They’ve also made acquisitions like the journaling app Day One, podcast app Pocket Casts in 2021, and a recent addition of an ActivityPub plug-in that connects WordPress blogs to the decentralized social networking apps known as the fediverse.
As part of the acquisition, Kishan Bagaria, the founder of Texts.com, will join Automattic as the head of messaging, along with the rest of the Texts.com team.
The acquisition aligns with Automattic’s goal of streamlining the messaging experience, driven in part by personal frustration and the desire to create lasting solutions in the messaging space. Automattic’s owner, Matt Mullenweg, emphasized the regulatory environment as a factor that made the acquisition feasible. He believes that EU regulations would make it more challenging for larger tech companies like Apple, Google, and Meta to block a user-centric, client-side, and 100% encrypted player like Texts.com.
Texts.com’s approach involves never storing messages on its servers. Instead, messages are sent directly to the platforms, allowing for end-to-end encryption, similar to official apps. No sensitive data, messages, or account credentials are hosted on Texts.com servers.
Mullenweg believes that a company like Automattic, which is not part of “Big Tech,” can develop Texts.com more efficiently and maintain its focus. He argues that larger companies like Google often struggle with messaging solutions. Additionally, the proprietary nature of iMessage, exclusive to Apple devices, creates a divide that Texts.com seeks to bridge.
The acquisition fits into Automattic’s ethos of user-centric values and its commitment to supporting a wide range of messaging platforms. The company believes that by integrating with everything and using open source solutions, they can compete with and thrive alongside larger tech giants.
Texts.com is available for most users at $15 per month or $30 per month for businesses. It currently operates on Mac, Windows, and Linux, with iOS and Android apps in development. While iMessage is only supported on Mac, SMS is supported through iMessage, and Texts.com offers compatibility with a variety of other messaging services.
