SMS API pricing, vendors side by side
What sending SMS to US numbers costs per segment at the SMS APIs we track, with number rental, read off each vendor's own pricing page.
Price one workload across every SMS API vendor
Starts at 10,000 SMS to US numbers a month. Change the numbers and the table re-sorts, cheapest first.
| Vendor | Estimated month | Cheapest listed option | What is not priced | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plivo | $77.00 | Pay as you go: Outbound SMS, US long code | Sourcechecked 2026-10-25 | |
| Twilio | $83.00 | Pay as you go: Outbound SMS, US long code | Sourcechecked 2026-10-25 |
List prices in USD before tax and discounts. Each vendor is priced on its cheapest plan that lists a rate for every line, and the vendor's own region and tier assumptions apply (see each vendor page). "From" means some lines have no listed price, so the real bill is higher.
The rates behind the estimate
The published rate for each line of the workload, with the free or included amount. Each row links to the vendor's own pricing page.
| Vendor | Rate | Free or included | Plan | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twilio | Outbound SMS, US long code$0.0083 per SMS segment | None | All | Sourcechecked 2026-10-25 |
| Plivo | Outbound SMS, US long code$0.0077 per SMS segment | None | All | Sourcechecked 2026-10-25 |
Left out: Vonage. We could not read its pricing page on 2026-10-25, so no price is shown rather than a guess.
How to choose SMS API on price
Carrier fees come on top
Long messages are several segments
Ask about one-off fees
SMS API pricing questions
Which SMS API vendor is cheapest?
For 10,000 SMS to US numbers a month, Plivo comes out lowest at about $77.00 a month on list prices, and Twilio highest at about $83.00, checked 2026-10-25. A different workload can change the order, so enter your own numbers in the estimator.
How is the estimate worked out?
Each vendor is priced on its cheapest plan that lists a rate for every line of the workload: the plan fee plus each usage line, after any free or included amount. A plan's monthly minimum counts as a floor. Volume tiers are applied in order. Taxes, discounts and committed-use deals are left out.
Why are some vendors missing a price?
We could not read the pricing page of Vonage on 2026-10-25, so it is left out.
How current are these prices?
Every rate was read off the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-10-25 and links to it. Prices change often: check the vendor's page before you commit, and tell us if a number here is out of date.
Vendor pages and other categories
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