CPaaS voice and messaging pricing compared
Verified 2026-10-14 · 60 sources · tier 2 · 6 disputed
Also known as cpaas-pricing.
Twilio, Telnyx, Plivo and Bandwidth each publish US per-message SMS list rates and US per-minute voice list rates 55371125736123. Carrier fees, 10DLC registration fees and number rental are charged separately from those list rates at several of these vendors 4391727.
Messaging list rates
| Vendor | Sender type | Outbound US SMS list rate |
|---|---|---|
| Twilio | Long code, toll-free, short code | $0.0083 per segment 54 |
| Telnyx | Local (long code including 10DLC) | $0.004 per message part plus carrier fee 37 |
| Telnyx | Toll-free | $0.0055 per part plus carrier fee 39 |
| Telnyx | Short code | $0.007 per part plus carrier fee 38 |
| Plivo | Long code, short code | $0.0077 per message 11 |
| Plivo | Toll-free | $0.0079 per message 11 |
| Bandwidth | 10DLC | $0.004 2 |
| Bandwidth | Toll-free | $0.007 2 |
| Bandwidth | Short code | $0.008 2 |
Twilio lists US long code SMS at $0.0083 per segment for both outbound and inbound messages, before carrier fees 55. Telnyx lists its local and short code SMS rates for both outbound and inbound 3738. Plivo charges the same SMS rate outbound and inbound 11.
Twilio bills SMS per segment and MMS per message, so a long or Unicode SMS that splits into several segments is billed several times 49. Telnyx prices SMS per message part 37.
For MMS, Twilio lists US long code MMS at $0.022 per outbound message and $0.0165 per inbound message 52. Twilio charges $0.02 per inbound MMS on US toll-free numbers, higher than the $0.0165 inbound rate on long codes 56. Telnyx lists US local MMS at $0.015 per outbound message and $0.005 per inbound message, each plus carrier fee 34. Telnyx lists US toll-free MMS at $0.016 per message in both directions, plus carrier fee 39. Plivo lists US MMS at $0.0180 per message on long code and $0.0200 on short code and toll-free 10.
Outside the US, Twilio prices Canadian short code SMS at $0.0315 per segment in each direction, against $0.0083 for Canadian long codes and toll-free numbers 44.
Volume discounts and price stability
Twilio's US SMS pricing page publishes no volume tiers, and volume and committed-use discounts are handled through Twilio sales or an account team 46. Telnyx applies messaging volume discounts automatically, starting at 100 million parts per month for local senders and 500,000 messages per month for short codes 31. Twilio's US SMS page dates its pricing as current as of October 2026 and states that prices may change without notice 50.
Carrier fees
Twilio passes through an AT&T carrier fee on US long code traffic of $0.0035 per SMS in each direction and $0.009 per MMS in each direction 43. Twilio passes through a T-Mobile carrier fee on US long code traffic of $0.0045 per outbound SMS, $0.0025 per inbound SMS and $0.01 per MMS in each direction 51. Twilio lists a $0.02 per-message carrier fee for outbound free-to-end-user (FTEU) short code SMS on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon 45.
Plivo applies carrier-specific surcharge fees per message on top of its base messaging rates 9. Bandwidth states that its published rates do not include applicable taxes or fees, and it does not itemise carrier fees on the pricing page 1. Telnyx's pricing page lists no carrier fee for outbound local messages to "all other carriers" outside its named carrier rows 29.
Sources disagree on Telnyx's T-Mobile fee: the messaging pricing page lists $0.0045 outbound and $0.0025 inbound on local SMS 32, while the 10DLC Fees and Charges article lists $0.003 to send and $0.003 to receive on registered 10DLC SMS 33. Sources disagree on Telnyx's AT&T fee as well: the messaging pricing page lists $0.0035 outbound and $0.0035 inbound on local SMS 23, while the 10DLC Fees and Charges article lists $0.003 to send and free to receive on registered 10DLC SMS 24. This is disputed for Verizon too: Telnyx's messaging pricing page lists $0.0045 per outbound local SMS, $0.007 per outbound MMS and no fee on inbound 40, while Plivo lists a Verizon surcharge of $0.0050 per sent SMS on long code, short code and toll-free, with no receive surcharge 14.
WarmTransfer's reading of the sources is that adding the $0.0045 T-Mobile outbound carrier fee to list rates gives an effective outbound US long code SMS cost of about $0.0128 at Twilio, $0.0122 at Plivo and $0.0085 at Telnyx, so headline rates alone overstate how far apart the vendors are in proportion 5. We infer that major-carrier SMS pass-through fees are largely the same across Twilio, Plivo and Telnyx's pricing page, which suggests they are set upstream by the carriers and are not a point of vendor competition 4.
10DLC registration fees
Telnyx states that from 3 February 2025 any unregistered 10DLC traffic is blocked altogether 60. Telnyx passes through a $4.50 10DLC brand registration application fee 17. Telnyx charges $15 per 10DLC campaign review, a manual review fee passed through from carriers and charged per submission 18.
Telnyx lists the monthly 10DLC campaign fee as $10 for standard-volume use cases and $1.50 for low-volume mixed campaigns 22. Telnyx lists special monthly campaign fees of $2 for sole proprietor, $3 for charity, $5 for emergency and $30 for agents and franchises 21. Telnyx bills 10DLC campaign fees for 3 months up front, then monthly on a recurring basis 16. Telnyx states that it does not currently add a markup to 10DLC registration and campaign fees 20.
Voice rates
Twilio Programmable Voice lists US local calls at $0.0140 per minute outbound and $0.0085 per minute inbound, pay as you go 57. Twilio charges $0.0220 per minute to receive calls on a US toll-free number and $0.0140 per minute to call US toll-free numbers 58. Twilio prices outbound calls to Alaska at $0.0945 per minute, while calls to Hawaii are priced at the $0.0140 contiguous US rate 42. Twilio lists browser/app (client) calling and its SIP interface at $0.0040 per minute in each direction in the US 47. Twilio charges $0.10 per SIP REFER handled on its SIP interface 48.
Telnyx SIP trunking lists US outbound local calls from $0.005 per minute and outbound toll-free calls as free 36. Telnyx SIP trunking lists US inbound local calls from $0.0032 per minute and inbound toll-free from $0.015 per minute, with toll-free rates varying by calling number 35. Telnyx Voice API (Call Control) charges a $0.002 per-minute platform fee on outbound calls and on inbound calls to local and toll-free numbers, on top of the SIP trunking per-minute rate 25. Telnyx's Voice API pricing page lists its own US outbound list rate as $0.007 per minute, the $0.002 API fee plus the $0.005 SIP rate 41.
Plivo lists US local calls at $0.0115 per minute outbound and $0.0055 per minute inbound, with rates dated May 2026 12. Plivo lists US toll-free calls at $0.0060 per minute outbound and $0.0180 per minute inbound 13. Plivo lists Browser SDK and SIP calling at $0.0033 per minute in each direction 7.
Bandwidth's Voice API lists US local calls at $0.0100 per minute outbound and $0.0055 per minute inbound 3.
Numbers and short codes
Twilio charges $1.15 per month for a US local number and $2.15 per month for a US toll-free number 53. Telnyx prices US local and toll-free numbers from $1 per month and charges an extra $0.10 per month per number to enable SMS and MMS 27. Telnyx publishes number volume tiers that fall to $0.25 per number per month at 5,000 or more numbers 28. Telnyx lists emergency calling as a separate $1.50 per month per number charge alongside SIP trunking 26. Plivo rents US SMS-enabled long code numbers at $0.50 per month and toll-free numbers at $1.00 per month 6.
Telnyx lists a US short code at $1,000 per month and a vanity short code at $1,500 per month 30. Plivo lists a US short code at $500 per month (random) or $1,000 per month (vanity), billed quarterly, plus a one-time $1,500 fee at purchase 8.
See also CPaaS platforms and when to use them and UCaaS and CCaaS procurement and RFP evaluation.
Applicability
Applies to: Twilio Programmable Messaging, Twilio Programmable Voice, Telnyx Messaging API, Plivo Messaging API, Telnyx Voice API, Telnyx SIP Trunking, Telnyx Numbers, Plivo Voice API, Bandwidth Voice API, Bandwidth Messaging API, and Bandwidth Communications APIs. Deployments: multi-tenant. Sources checked 2026-10-14. The Canadian rates in this article come from a single Twilio claim; every other rate applies to the US 44. Twilio dates its US SMS pricing as current as of October 2026 50. Plivo dates its US voice rates to May 2026 12. Telnyx dates its 10DLC campaign fee table to The Campaign Registry's fees as of 22 July 2025 19.
What remains uncertain
The timing of any change to the Verizon 10DLC SMS carrier fee, and which figure is current, is not covered by the sources below. This is disputed between Telnyx's $0.0045 pricing-page figure and Plivo's $0.0050 surcharge for Verizon SMS 4014. International SMS pricing for the UK, the EU and India is not covered by the sources below. The voice billing increment for each vendor (per-second or per-minute) is not covered by the sources below. Twilio handles committed-use discounts through sales or an account team rather than published tiers 46, and Telnyx publishes only its messaging discount starting thresholds 31. The actual committed-use and volume discount terms are not covered by the sources below. RCS business messaging per-message pricing is not covered by the sources below. Plivo lists a one-time $1,500 fee at short code purchase 8. Toll-free verification fees and short code application fees at the other vendors are not covered by the sources below. How Twilio's Canada carrier fee columns map to its Canadian rates is not covered by the sources below. Bandwidth toll-free voice pricing and Bandwidth number rental pricing are not covered by the sources below.
See also
Related to
- CPaaS platforms and when to use them — Queued 2026-10-14; CPaaS platforms and when to use them is the nearest existing coverage
Sources
- 1Bandwidth states that its published rates do not include applicable taxes or fees, and it does not itemise carrier fees on the pricing page.Bandwidth Pricing · Pricing page disclaimer · Checked 2026-10-14
- 2Bandwidth lists outbound US SMS at $0.004 on 10DLC, $0.007 on toll-free and $0.008 on short code.Bandwidth Pricing · Messaging section table, SMS outbound column · Checked 2026-10-14
- 3Bandwidth's Voice API lists US local calls at $0.0100 per minute outbound and $0.0055 per minute inbound.Bandwidth Pricing · Voice API section · Checked 2026-10-14
- 4Major-carrier SMS pass-through fees are largely the same across Twilio, Plivo and Telnyx's pricing page, which suggests they are set upstream by the carriers and are not a point of vendor competition.inferredSMS Pricing United States | Plivo · Additional Carrier Surcharge Fees; compared with twilio-pricing-sms-us Carrier fees and telnyx-pricing-messaging carrier fee tables · Checked 2026-10-14
- 5Adding the T-Mobile outbound carrier fee of $0.0045 to list rates gives an effective outbound US long code SMS cost of about $0.0128 at Twilio, $0.0122 at Plivo and $0.0085 at Telnyx, so headline rates alone overstate how far apart vendors are in proportion.inferredSMS pricing - United States · SMS/MMS Pricing table and Carrier fees T-Mobile row; combined with telnyx-pricing-messaging and plivo-pricing-sms-us equivalents · Checked 2026-10-14
- 6Plivo rents US SMS-enabled long code numbers at $0.50 per month and toll-free numbers at $1.00 per month.SMS Pricing United States | Plivo · Phone Number Rental section · Checked 2026-10-14
- 7Plivo lists Browser SDK and SIP calling at $0.0033 per minute in each direction.Voice API Pricing United States | Plivo · Voice Calls table, Browser SDK and SIP row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 8Plivo lists a US short code at $500 per month (random) or $1,000 per month (vanity), billed quarterly, plus a one-time $1,500 fee at purchase.SMS Pricing United States | Plivo · Phone Number Rental section, Short code row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 9Plivo applies carrier-specific surcharge fees per message on top of its base messaging rates.SMS Pricing United States | Plivo · Additional Carrier Surcharge Fees section intro · Checked 2026-10-14
- 10Plivo lists US MMS at $0.0180 per message on long code and $0.0200 on short code and toll-free.SMS Pricing United States | Plivo · MMS Multimedia Messages section · Checked 2026-10-14
- 11Plivo lists US SMS at $0.0077 per message on long code and short code and $0.0079 on toll-free, at the same rate outbound and inbound.SMS Pricing United States | Plivo · SMS Text Messages section · Checked 2026-10-14
- 12Plivo lists US local calls at $0.0115 per minute outbound and $0.0055 per minute inbound, with rates dated May 2026.Voice API Pricing United States | Plivo · Voice Calls table, Local row; rates-as-of note · Checked 2026-10-14
- 13Plivo lists US toll-free calls at $0.0060 per minute outbound and $0.0180 per minute inbound.Voice API Pricing United States | Plivo · Voice Calls table, Toll-free row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 14Plivo lists the Verizon carrier surcharge on US SMS as $0.0050 per sent message on long code, short code and toll-free, with no receive surcharge.disputedSMS Pricing United States | Plivo · Additional Carrier Surcharge Fees, SMS surcharge table, Verizon row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 15Sinch lists US SMS at $0.0078 per message on 10DLC and toll-free and $0.009 outbound on short code, with carrier fees applying in addition.SMS Pricing | Sinch · SMS Messaging table (rows identical in both US price blocks) · Checked 2026-10-14
- 16Telnyx bills 10DLC campaign fees for three months up front, then monthly on a recurring basis.10DLC Fees and Charges · Monthly campaign fee section, billing note · Checked 2026-10-14
- 17Telnyx passes through a $4.50 10DLC brand registration application fee.10DLC Fees and Charges · Brand registration section · Checked 2026-10-14
- 18Telnyx charges $15 per 10DLC campaign review, a manual review fee passed through from carriers and charged per submission.10DLC Fees and Charges · Campaign Review fee entry · Checked 2026-10-14
- 19Telnyx dates its 10DLC campaign fee table to The Campaign Registry's fees as of 22 July 2025.10DLC Fees and Charges · Monthly campaign fee table heading · Checked 2026-10-14
- 20Telnyx states that it does not currently add a markup to 10DLC registration and campaign fees.10DLC Fees and Charges · Markup statement · Checked 2026-10-14
- 21Telnyx lists special 10DLC monthly campaign fees of $2 for sole proprietor, $3 for charity, $5 for emergency and $30 for agents and franchises.10DLC Fees and Charges · Monthly campaign fee table (TCR Fees as of 7/22/2025), special use case rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 22Telnyx lists the monthly 10DLC campaign fee as $10 for standard-volume use cases and $1.50 for low-volume mixed campaigns.10DLC Fees and Charges · Monthly campaign fee table (TCR Fees as of 7/22/2025), Standard volume and Low Volume Mixed rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 23Telnyx's messaging pricing page lists the AT&T carrier fee on local SMS as $0.0035 outbound and $0.0035 inbound.disputedSMS API Pricing | Telnyx · Carrier fees for outbound messages and Carrier fees for inbound messages tables, AT&T row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 24Telnyx's 10DLC Fees and Charges article lists the AT&T carrier fee on registered 10DLC SMS as $0.003 to send and free to receive.disputed10DLC Fees and Charges · Carrier fees section, AT&T entry · Checked 2026-10-14
- 25Telnyx Voice API (Call Control) charges a $0.002 per-minute platform fee on outbound calls and on inbound calls to local and toll-free numbers, on top of the SIP trunking per-minute rate.Voice API Pricing | Telnyx · What's on the card section, Outbound calls and Local/Toll-free number rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 26Telnyx lists emergency calling as a separate $1.50 per month per number charge alongside SIP trunking.SIP Trunking Pricing · Usually bought with block, Emergency calling item · Checked 2026-10-14
- 27Telnyx prices US local and toll-free numbers from $1 per month and charges an extra $0.10 per month per number to enable SMS and MMS.Phone Number Pricing | Telnyx · Number pricing section and SMS/MMS capability footnote · Checked 2026-10-14
- 28Telnyx publishes number volume tiers that fall to $0.25 per number per month at 5,000 or more numbers.Phone Number Pricing | Telnyx · Volume discounted number pricing section · Checked 2026-10-14
- 29Telnyx's pricing page lists no carrier fee for outbound local messages to 'all other carriers' outside its named carrier rows.SMS API Pricing | Telnyx · Carrier fees for outbound messages table, All other carriers row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 30Telnyx lists a US short code at $1,000 per month and a vanity short code at $1,500 per month.Phone Number Pricing | Telnyx · Add-ons, Short code and Vanity short code rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 31Telnyx applies messaging volume discounts automatically, starting at 100 million parts per month for local senders and 500,000 messages per month for short codes.SMS API Pricing | Telnyx · SMS API Pricing section, volume discount note · Checked 2026-10-14
- 32Telnyx's messaging pricing page lists the T-Mobile carrier fee on local SMS as $0.0045 outbound and $0.0025 inbound.disputedSMS API Pricing | Telnyx · Carrier fees for outbound messages and Carrier fees for inbound messages tables, T-Mobile USA row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 33Telnyx's 10DLC Fees and Charges article lists the T-Mobile carrier fee on registered 10DLC SMS as $0.003 to send and $0.003 to receive.disputed10DLC Fees and Charges · Carrier fees section, T-Mobile entry · Checked 2026-10-14
- 34Telnyx lists US local MMS at $0.015 per outbound message and $0.005 per inbound message, each plus carrier fee.SMS API Pricing | Telnyx · SMS API Pricing table, Local inc. 10DLC rows, MMS column · Checked 2026-10-14
- 35Telnyx SIP trunking lists US inbound local calls from $0.0032 per minute and inbound toll-free from $0.015 per minute, with toll-free rates varying by calling number.SIP Trunking Pricing · Pay as you go for United States block, inbound rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 36Telnyx SIP trunking lists US outbound local calls from $0.005 per minute and outbound toll-free calls as free.SIP Trunking Pricing · Pay as you go for United States block, outbound rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 37Telnyx lists US local (long code including 10DLC) SMS at $0.004 per message part plus carrier fee, outbound and inbound.SMS API Pricing | Telnyx · SMS API Pricing table, Local inc. 10DLC rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 38Telnyx lists US short code SMS at $0.007 per part in both directions, plus carrier fee.SMS API Pricing | Telnyx · SMS API Pricing table, Short code rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 39Telnyx lists US toll-free SMS at $0.0055 per part and toll-free MMS at $0.016 per message, both directions, plus carrier fee.SMS API Pricing | Telnyx · SMS API Pricing table, Toll-free rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 40Telnyx's messaging pricing page lists the Verizon Wireless carrier fee as $0.0045 per outbound local SMS and $0.007 per outbound MMS, with no fee on inbound.disputedSMS API Pricing | Telnyx · Carrier fees for outbound messages and Carrier fees for inbound messages tables, Verizon Wireless row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 41Telnyx's Voice API pricing page lists its own US outbound list rate as $0.007 per minute, the $0.002 API fee plus the $0.005 SIP rate.Voice API Pricing | Telnyx · Competitor comparison block dated Aug 2026, Telnyx row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 42Twilio prices outbound calls to Alaska at $0.0945 per minute, while calls to Hawaii are priced at the $0.0140 contiguous US rate.Programmable Voice pricing - United States · In-depth pricing, Make Calls rows for United States Alaska and United States Hawaii · Checked 2026-10-14
- 43Twilio passes through an AT&T carrier fee on US long code traffic of $0.0035 per SMS in each direction and $0.009 per MMS in each direction.SMS pricing - United States · Carrier fees section, Long code table, AT&T row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 44Twilio prices Canadian short code SMS at $0.0315 per segment in each direction, against $0.0083 for Canadian long codes and toll-free numbers.SMS Pricing in Canada for Text Messaging | Twilio · SMS/MMS Pricing table, Short codes, Long codes and Toll-free rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 45Twilio lists a $0.02 per-message carrier fee for outbound free-to-end-user (FTEU) short code SMS on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.SMS pricing - United States · Carrier fees section, FTEU short code table · Checked 2026-10-14
- 46Twilio's US SMS pricing page publishes no volume tiers; volume and committed-use discounts are handled through Twilio sales or an account team.SMS pricing - United States · Committed-use discounts section · Checked 2026-10-14
- 47Twilio lists browser/app (client) calling and its SIP interface at $0.0040 per minute in each direction in the US.Programmable Voice pricing - United States · Pay-as-you-go Voice pricing table, Browser/app and SIP interface rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 48Twilio charges $0.10 per SIP REFER handled on its SIP interface.Programmable Voice pricing - United States · Pay-as-you-go Voice pricing, SIP interface referrals line · Checked 2026-10-14
- 49Twilio bills SMS per segment and MMS per message, so a long or Unicode SMS that splits into several segments is billed several times.SMS pricing - United States · SMS/MMS Pricing section, note beneath the rate table · Checked 2026-10-14
- 50Twilio's US SMS page dates its pricing as current as of October 2026 and states that prices may change without notice.SMS pricing - United States · Page footer pricing note · Checked 2026-10-14
- 51Twilio passes through a T-Mobile carrier fee on US long code traffic of $0.0045 per outbound SMS, $0.0025 per inbound SMS and $0.01 per MMS in each direction.SMS pricing - United States · Carrier fees section, Long code table, T-Mobile row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 52Twilio lists US long code MMS at $0.022 per outbound message and $0.0165 per inbound message.SMS pricing - United States · SMS/MMS Pricing table, Long code row, MMS columns · Checked 2026-10-14
- 53Twilio charges $1.15 per month for a US local number and $2.15 per month for a US toll-free number.Programmable Voice pricing - United States · Phone number pricing section · Checked 2026-10-14
- 54Twilio prices US SMS at the same $0.0083 per segment for long code, toll-free and short code senders.SMS pricing - United States · SMS/MMS Pricing table, Long code, Toll-free and Short code rows · Checked 2026-10-14
- 55Twilio lists US long code SMS at $0.0083 per segment for both outbound and inbound messages, before carrier fees.SMS pricing - United States · SMS/MMS Pricing table, Long code row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 56Twilio charges $0.02 per inbound MMS on US toll-free numbers, higher than the $0.0165 inbound MMS rate on long codes.SMS pricing - United States · SMS/MMS Pricing table, Toll-free row, MMS inbound column · Checked 2026-10-14
- 57Twilio Programmable Voice lists US local calls at $0.0140 per minute outbound and $0.0085 per minute inbound, pay as you go.Programmable Voice pricing - United States · Pay-as-you-go Voice pricing table, Local calls row · Checked 2026-10-14
- 58Twilio charges $0.0220 per minute to receive calls on a US toll-free number and $0.0140 per minute to call US toll-free numbers.Programmable Voice pricing - United States · Pay-as-you-go Voice pricing table, Toll-free calls row; In-depth pricing, Make Calls United States & Canada Toll-Free · Checked 2026-10-14
- 59Twilio's US voice pricing page does not state a billing increment for per-minute charges.Programmable Voice pricing - United States · Whole page; no billing increment statement found in extraction · Checked 2026-10-14
- 60Telnyx states that from 3 February 2025 any unregistered 10DLC traffic is blocked altogether.Frequently asked questions about 10DLC · UPDATE note in the 10DLC FAQ article · Checked 2026-10-14
Documents
10DLC Fees and Charges
Bandwidth Pricing
Frequently asked questions about 10DLC
Phone Number Pricing | Telnyx
Programmable Voice pricing - United States
SIP Trunking Pricing
SMS API Pricing | Telnyx
SMS pricing - United States
SMS Pricing | Sinch
SMS Pricing in Canada for Text Messaging | Twilio
SMS Pricing United States | Plivo
Voice API Pricing | Telnyx
Voice API Pricing United States | Plivo
Cite this page
APA
WarmTransfer. (2026, October 14). CPaaS voice and messaging pricing compared. WarmTransfer. https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/cpaas-pricing-comparison
BibTeX
@misc{warmtransfer-cpaas-pricing-comparison,
title = {CPaaS voice and messaging pricing compared},
author = {{WarmTransfer}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/cpaas-pricing-comparison},
note = {Verified 2026-10-14}
}