Automattic, the owner of WordPress.com, announced its acquisition of Texts.com on October 24, 2023. TechCrunch reported the transaction value as $50 million, although Automattic’s announcement did not disclose a price. Texts combined chats from services including iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Slack and Discord in one inbox, with a strong emphasis on keeping data on the user’s device.
Texts did not remain a standalone product. Automattic acquired Beeper in April 2024 and said the two products and teams would merge under the Beeper brand. Texts’ current transition guidance says it no longer accepts new registrations and directs new users to Beeper.
Who bought Texts.com?
The buyer was Automattic Inc., the company behind the hosted WordPress.com service. That is different from saying “WordPress bought Texts”: WordPress.com and the open-source WordPress project are separate entities. Automattic’s portfolio also includes WooCommerce, Tumblr, Day One and Pocket Casts. Matt Mullenweg is Automattic’s founder and chief executive.
Automattic’s corporate information is available through its press page, while its acquisition announcement appears on WordPress.com.
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When did the acquisition happen?
Automattic published the announcement on October 24, 2023. Texts founder Kishan Bagaria joined Automattic as head of messaging, and Automattic said the distributed Texts team would remain with the company.
Automattic described messaging as a new strategic market alongside publishing, commerce and advertising. The announcement framed the deal around the practical problem that people increasingly split conversations among many closed networks.
Was the purchase price really $50 million?
$50 million is a reported deal value, not a price Automattic publicly disclosed in its announcement. TechCrunch reported that figure in its acquisition coverage. Automattic confirmed the acquisition and the team’s arrival but did not state the consideration paid.
| Point | What is established |
|---|---|
| Acquisition date | October 24, 2023, according to Automattic’s announcement |
| Reported value | $50 million, according to TechCrunch |
| Officially disclosed price | Not stated in Automattic’s announcement at WordPress.com |
That distinction matters when comparing private-company acquisitions: a reported valuation should not be rewritten as an officially disclosed purchase price without a transaction filing or other primary confirmation.
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What was Texts.com?
Texts was a unified inbox intended to let users read and respond to several messaging services without opening each service’s app. The historical product description and launch coverage listed integrations including:
- iMessage (with historical support limited to macOS)
- WhatsApp and Signal
- Telegram
- Instagram and Messenger
- Slack and Discord
- X
The exact list and capabilities changed over time, and integration availability could vary by operating system or by the policies of each network.
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Features Texts promoted
- Message scheduling
- Marking messages unread even when a native service lacked that control
- Keyboard shortcuts and interface customization
- Group-chat summaries
- End-to-end encryption claims tied to the underlying service and connection method
Texts’ historical pricing was reported as $15 per month for most users and $30 per month for businesses. Those were 2023-era prices, not current Texts subscription offers.
Why was Texts different from a typical aggregator?
Texts’ central selling point was its local architecture. Its FAQ said messages did not touch Texts’ servers and were sent directly to the underlying platforms, with credentials and data kept on the user’s device.
That design can reduce the amount of information passing through an intermediary, but it does not make every conversation identically secure. Protection depends on the network being used, the connection method, and whether a particular feature requires processing away from the device. “End-to-end encrypted” should therefore be read as a network- and configuration-dependent description, not a universal guarantee for every service in one inbox.
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Compatibility trade-offs
- Historical iMessage access was limited to macOS, not iPhone or Android.
- Some native features may be unavailable in a third-party client.
- Platform policy or API changes can break or restrict an integration.
- Some Beeper connections still require the official app to remain installed.
Why did Automattic want it?
Automattic’s stated rationale was the fragmentation of online communication: people maintain relationships across multiple proprietary networks and miss messages or waste time switching apps. A unified inbox addresses that friction directly.
The broader strategic interpretation is analysis rather than a published financial forecast. Automattic appeared to be extending its user-controlled, web-oriented philosophy into messaging while buying an experienced team that had already solved difficult integrations instead of starting from zero. Bagaria’s appointment as head of messaging gave that effort a dedicated leader.
What happened after the acquisition?
- October 24, 2023: Automattic announced the Texts acquisition.
- April 9, 2024: Automattic announced that it had acquired Beeper.
- 2024 onward: Automattic said the Texts and Beeper teams and products would merge under the Beeper brand, while Beeper said Texts’ local-processing commitment would be preserved where applicable.
The Beeper transaction is documented by Automattic and Beeper.
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Is Texts.com still available?
Not as a normal new-user product. Texts’ official transition documentation says new registrations are closed. Existing users can still log in for account and billing information, but the company recommends moving to Beeper.
Legacy subscriptions are handled differently:
| Former Texts plan | Transition described in official guidance |
|---|---|
| Texts Personal | Beeper Plus |
| Texts for Students | Beeper Plus for the remaining subscription period |
| Texts for Work | Beeper Plus Plus; transition documentation lists a discounted $30 monthly rate |
Details and exceptions are in the official transition guide. The former Windows installation page also points users toward the transition: texts.com/install/windows.
What does the successor, Beeper, offer?
For new users, Beeper—not Texts—is the relevant product. Official documentation currently lists these plans and limits; prices and account caps can change, so check the live pages before subscribing.
| Plan | Current details listed by Beeper |
|---|---|
| Beeper Free | Free; up to five connected accounts under the current FAQ |
| Beeper Plus | $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year; up to 10 accounts and up to three accounts per network |
| Beeper Plus Plus | $49.99 per month or $499.99 per year; no stated account limit |
See the Beeper plan FAQ, Beeper’s product site and its download page for current availability.
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- People who actively use several messaging networks
- Users who want one desktop and mobile inbox
- People managing separate personal and work accounts
- Existing Texts customers seeking the official successor
Who may prefer native apps?
- Users who need every network-specific feature
- People unwilling to keep official apps installed for certain connections
- Anyone requiring a completely server-free setup in every configuration
- Businesses needing formal compliance, retention or administration controls beyond the advertised plans
Beeper’s FAQ explains that connections can be on-device or use older cloud methods. On-device connections may offer stronger privacy characteristics but can require more setup; cloud connections can simplify multi-device management while adding an intermediary. Beeper also says users must retain official apps for Google Messages, WhatsApp and Signal in relevant configurations. See Beeper’s architecture explanation, its FAQ and official-app requirements.
Bottom line for readers following the deal
Automattic’s reported $50 million Texts acquisition was a 2023 bet on reducing messaging fragmentation, not a current Texts.com launch. The company bought a local-first unified inbox and its team, then combined that effort with Beeper in 2024. Texts no longer accepts new registrations; anyone considering the product today should evaluate Beeper’s connection modes, network limitations, account caps and current pricing instead.
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