SMS API Cost Comparison (US)
Enter one monthly US outbound volume (presets 10k, 100k, 1M) and a carrier-fee blend. The table prices it on Twilio ($0.0083), Telnyx ($0.004) and Plivo long code ($0.0077) or toll-free ($0.0079). Toggle the Verify layer to compare Twilio Verify OTP ($0.05 per success) with raw SMS. Estimates only; provider pricing pages prevail.
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| Option | Monthly | $ / unit | Note |
|---|
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US outbound, 1 segment per message. Twilio $0.0083, Telnyx Local/10DLC $0.004 per part ($0 platform fee; first 100M parts $0.004, next 150M $0.002), Plivo long/short code $0.0077 or toll-free $0.0079 — each plus the same carrier fee blend (Telnyx's page example blend is $0.0038; Twilio's Big-3 average ≈ $0.00433; Plivo lists AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.005, US Cellular & other $0.005). Verify layer: SMS = started × attempts; Twilio Verify adds $0.05 per successful verification. Worked example: 20k signups × 1.3 SMS × 90% → Twilio Verify ≈ $1,116 before carrier vs Telnyx raw ≈ 26,000 × ($0.004 + $0.0038) ≈ $203. Number rent not included (Twilio $1.15 / $2.15, Plivo $0.50 / $1 per month long code / toll-free). Vonage and MessageBird are not listed because their official pages were not cleanly re-read on 2026-11-02.
Estimates only. Official list prices as of 2026-11-02 (Asia/Shanghai); the provider's pricing page prevails. Sources: Twilio SMS pricing · Twilio Verify pricing · Telnyx messaging pricing · Plivo SMS pricing (US)
Twilio Verify Cost Calculator · Twilio SMS Cost Calculator (US) · Transactional Email API Cost Comparison · Amazon SES Cost Calculator · Resend Cost Calculator
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How it works
- Which SMS API is cheapest in the US?
- On list price Telnyx ($0.004 per part) is cheapest, then Plivo long code ($0.0077) and Twilio ($0.0083). Carrier fees apply to all three. Example: 1M parts on Telnyx with a $0.0038 blend → $4,000 + $3,800 = $7,800.
- How does Twilio Verify compare with raw SMS for OTP?
- 20k signups × 1.3 SMS × 90% success: Twilio Verify ≈ $1,116 before carrier vs Telnyx raw SMS ≈ 26,000 × ($0.004 + $0.0038) ≈ $203. Verify adds fraud protection and managed OTP logic for the $0.05 per success.
- Which carrier blend should I use?
- Telnyx's example blended US carrier fee is $0.0038. Twilio's Big-3 long code average is about $0.00433. Pick a preset or type your own; the same blend is applied to every provider.
- Do Telnyx volume tiers matter?
- Only at huge volume: the first 100M parts are $0.004, then the next 150M are $0.002. Below 100M parts a month the flat rate applies.
- Why are Vonage and MessageBird missing?
- Their official pricing pages were not cleanly re-read on 2026-11-02, so we do not list numbers we cannot verify.