Teams look past Twilio when the stacked cost of a text (segment rate, carrier fee, failed-message fee, add-ons) is hard to forecast, or when they want a plain SMS API without a wider platform around it. Most go to Telnyx or Plivo for developer-first pricing, to Sinch or Bandwidth for carrier-grade scale.
Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within
the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. The first three alternatives
go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the
established names follow in their ranked order. How it works:
placement disclosure · editorial process.
What each alternative does differently
1. Telnyx
Messaging API with published pass-through pricing · United States
Publishes two lines, its own per-part rate and the carrier passthrough at cost, with no platform fee and a pay-as-you-go tier that needs no contract. A Growth tier at $2,000 monthly minimum spend adds a discount. Telnyx also sells its own numbers, voice and SIP products under one account.
Switch from Twilio if you want a published per-part rate and carrier cost shown as separate, unmarked lines.
Pricing: Pay as you go: from $0.004 per outbound US message part plus carrier fees at cost, $0 platform fee, volume tiers from 100M parts. (free trial)
Full review: #1 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Telnyx →
2. Plivo
Developer SMS and voice API, now leaning into voice agents · United States
Per-message rates are the same for long code and short code, and message queueing is listed as included. Numbers rent from $0.50 a month. Short codes carry a $1,500 one-time fee. Plivo is a messaging and voice vendor, not a broader customer-data platform like Twilio.
Switch from Twilio if you want a flat per-message rate across sender types and a smaller product to learn.
Pricing: Pay as you go: $0.0077 per US long-code or short-code SMS, $0.0079 toll-free, plus carrier surcharges; numbers from $0.50 a month. (free trial)
Full review: #2 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Plivo →
3. Sinch
Global CPaaS with SMS, RCS, voice and email · Sweden
A Swedish group whose US page prices 10DLC and toll-free SMS the same and short code a little higher, with carrier fees on top. Larger volumes go to sales. Sinch also owns Mailgun and Mailjet, so email and messaging can come from one parent. Support runs from Atlanta and Stockholm.
Switch from Twilio if you send in several regions and want an EMEA-based vendor with a US price table.
Pricing: Pay-as-you-go US pricing is published: 10DLC and toll-free SMS from $0.0078 outbound, numbers about $1 to $2 a month; larger volumes by quote. (free trial)
Full review: #5 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Sinch →
4. Bandwidth
US carrier-owned messaging and voice API · United States
Says it runs its own IP voice network and sells direct-to-carrier messaging in the US. The rate card is public for 10DLC, toll-free and short code, with a quote step for volume. Trials are by request, not self-serve. It targets companies that have outgrown one-size-fits-all providers.
Switch from Twilio if you send high US volume and want direct carrier connections with a published rate card.
Pricing: Published US outbound SMS: 10DLC $0.004, toll-free $0.007, short code $0.008 per message; MMS $0.015 to $0.020; quotes for volume. (free trial)
Full review: #3 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Bandwidth →
5. Bird
Developer messaging platform, formerly MessageBird · Netherlands
SMS is one product in a wider Bird account that holds email, WhatsApp and Apple Messages, funded from a shared balance. SMS is billed per segment with smart encoding, plus carrier fees. An MCP server lets AI coding assistants send through the same workspace.
Switch from Twilio if you want SMS, email and WhatsApp on one funded balance and a modern developer console.
Pricing: Pay as you go from $0.0035 per US outbound long-code segment plus carrier fees; plans with benefits and wallet funding from $100 a month on some channels. (none)
Full review: #6 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Bird →
6. Infobip
Global omnichannel messaging and CPaaS platform · United Kingdom
Sells SMS through a self-serve top-up account and lists no per-message rates in the pages we fetched, so every price is discovered inside the console or from sales. Infobip states 800+ direct telco connections. It is an omnichannel vendor with large-account tooling.
Switch from Twilio if you send worldwide, want direct operator links and are fine getting rates from the console or sales.
Pricing: Free sign-up with no credit card, then pay as you go by top-up; per-message rates are not printed on the pages we fetched; volume deals on request. (free trial)
Full review: #7 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Infobip →
7. Amazon SNS
AWS notification service with an SMS channel · United States
Not a standalone SMS vendor. SMS runs through AWS End User Messaging, billed to your AWS account with no upfront cost, with prices set per destination country in a downloadable file. You get no contact-center layer, only the pipe, plus Transactional and Promotional message types.
Switch from Twilio if your workloads already run on AWS and you want SMS on the same bill and IAM.
Pricing: Pay as you go with no upfront cost; SMS is priced per country through AWS End User Messaging, with a downloadable price CSV and separate carrier fees. (none)
Full review: #8 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Amazon SNS →
8. Azure Communication Services
Microsoft's SMS, voice, chat and email APIs on Azure · United States
Microsoft's communication API set, billed to an Azure resource. SMS covers toll-free, short code, 10DLC and alphanumeric sender IDs, and prices vary by country and number type. It also ties into Microsoft Teams for voice and chat. There is no separate SMS storefront.
Switch from Twilio if you build on Azure and want SMS billed to a resource beside Teams interoperability.
Pricing: Billed to an Azure resource per message, with toll-free, short-code, 10DLC and alphanumeric sender options; prices vary by country and number type. (free trial)
Full review: #9 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Azure Communication Services →
9. Messente
Estonian SMS, Viber and WhatsApp messaging platform · Estonia
An Estonian vendor with a pay-as-you-go plan with no monthly fees, basic support and Viber, WhatsApp and RCS included. A commitment plan adds an account manager and lower per-message rates. Verigator, its one-time-password product, handles per-country compliance. Pricing is set by destination.
Switch from Twilio if you send mostly to Europe and want OTP handled with per-country compliance.
Pricing: Pay-as-you-go with no monthly fees and basic support; a commitment plan adds an account manager and lower per-message rates; prices set by destination. (free trial)
Full review: #10 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Messente →
10. ClickSend
Prepaid SMS, MMS and voice with a web app and API · Australia
Prepaid credit, not metered billing: tiers from $20, $500, $3,000 and $10,000 give 0, 7, 14 and 21 percent savings, with no subscription and free inbound. Carrier fees are extra. Developer pages list SDKs, a Postman collection and an MCP server. It suits small teams.
Switch from Twilio if you are a small team that prefers topping up a balance over a monthly bill.
Pricing: Prepaid top-up tiers: Boost from $20, Growth from $500 (save 7%), Scale from $3,000 (14%), Enterprise from $10,000 (21%); no subscription, inbound free. (free trial)
Full review: #11 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit ClickSend →
11. CM.com
Dutch conversational commerce platform with an SMS API · Netherlands
A Dutch communications platform whose Business Messaging API accepts SMS, SMPP and XML. Its docs bill by message part of 153 or 67 characters. The pricing page we fetched shows channel offers and no SMS rate table, so rates come through a quote. It also sells voice, payments and verification.
Switch from Twilio if you want a European vendor with SMPP support and are ready to buy by quote.
Pricing: SMS prices were not published on the pages we fetched; the developer docs bill per message part, and the pricing page points to quotes and channel offers. (none)
Full review: #12 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit CM.com →
Questions and answers
How much notice does Twilio need to end the agreement?
Under the standard Terms of Service, either party can end the terms with 30 days advance notice. If you signed an order form, that order form stays in force for its own term, and the terms keep applying until it ends. Check your order form for minimums before you give notice.
Can I export my message history from Twilio?
Yes, through the API: the Messages resource supports reading a list of messages, and the same resource can redact or delete content. After termination, the data addendum says Twilio gives you 30 days to obtain a copy of stored content. Export on a schedule, not on the last day.
Is deleting a Twilio message reversible?
No. The documentation states that deleted messages cannot be recovered, and that deleting a message also deletes its media and feedback sub-resources. Message bodies may persist for up to 30 days in database back-ups after the DELETE request. Export before you delete anything.
What does a Twilio text really cost with carrier fees?
For a US long-code segment sent to an AT&T subscriber the page shows $0.0083 from Twilio plus $0.0035 in carrier fees, which is $0.0118 together. Verizon adds $0.005, T-Mobile $0.0045. Telnyx, Plivo, Bandwidth, Sinch and Bird also show carrier fees as extra, so compare all-in totals, not headline rates.
Can Twilio change its prices without telling me?
The pricing page says prices may change from time to time without notice, while the Terms of Service promise written notice of material term updates at least 30 days ahead. Those are different documents. If predictable pricing matters, ask for an order form with fixed rates.
Will my phone numbers and short code move with me?
Standard US numbers can be ported, but expect a request, a signed authorization and a carrier approval date. Twilio lists short codes as leases billed quarterly with a one-time setup fee, so ask both vendors how a lease is handled before you cancel. Do not give notice until the new number is live.
Is there a free way to test an alternative first?
Yes, for several. Telnyx offers a free sign-up with pay as you go, Infobip says no credit card is required, ClickSend lists a free trial, and Bandwidth offers a trial on request. Twilio itself offers a free trial with no credit card, which is useful for a side-by-side delivery test.
