Bandwidth Pricing
Posted by | Last updated: | Featured

Introduction to Bandwidth Pricing

Bandwidth is one of the widely known platforms not only for SMS, voice, and communication APIs. It is very popular for software companies that are looking to build robust texting as well as calling capabilities inside their applications. It works as a powerful backend, but bandwidth pricing plans often become confusing and, in many cases, expensive, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. 

So, to help you understand the breakdown of Bandwidth subscription pricing, in this blog, we will break down its subscription model, highlight its pros and cons, and compare it with the more business-friendly approach offered by Emitrr to help you decide which option delivers the best value. So let’s get started!!

Bandwidth Pricing

Bandwidth subscription pricing mainly operates on usage usage-based model, which means instead of offering predictable and direct plans, it varies depending on whether you’re sending SMS, using voice services, or relying on authentication tools like two-factor verification.

Bandwidth pricing plans offer full control and flexibility, but they also instantly become complex due to various reasons, such as:

  • Multiple per-unit charges
  • Carrier pass-through fees
  • Compliance and registration fees (A2P 10DLC, toll-free verification, shortcode setup)
  • Hidden operational Bandwidth costs
  • Scaling unpredictability (the bill increases with every interaction)

Let’s take a look at a unified view of all major Bandwidth subscription pricing:

CategoryTypePriceUnit
MessagingU.S. 10DLC SMS Outbound$0.004per message
U.S. 10DLC MMS Outbound$0.015per message
U.S. Short Code SMS Outbound$0.008per message
U.S. Short Code MMS Outbound$0.020per message
U.S. Toll-Free SMS Outbound$0.007per message
U.S. Toll-Free MMS Outbound$0.020per message
VoiceU.S. Local Outbound$0.0100per minute
U.S. Local Inbound$0.0055per minute
Standard Text-to-Speech$0.0007per 100 characters
Enhanced Text-to-Speech$0.0030per 100 characters
Standard Transcription$0.0450per minute
Real-Time Transcription$0.0451per minute
Recording$0.0020per minute
Conferencing$0.0015per minute
Answering Machine Detection$0.0060per call
Unidirectional Media Streaming$0.0035per minute
Bidirectional Media Streaming$0.0040per minute
In-App Calling$0.0025per minute

Bandwidth Pricing vs. Emitrr Pricing: A Comparison

While Bandwidth is indeed a powerful tool, the Bandwidth subscription cost and its fragmented billing make it less intuitive. It offers usage-based multiple charges, and you also need to pay extra for compliance and registration, which quickly increases the pricing, making it expensive for small and medium-sized businesses. On the other hand, Emitrr offers simple, transparent pricing and is also equipped with extensive capabilities, including messaging, calling, automation, AI tools, compliance, and support, which makes it an ideal choice for all business sizes. 

Emitrr gives you a complete toolset, not just backend messaging pipes, and still manages to keep pricing predictable.

Bandwidth Pricing vs. Emitrr Pricing: A Comparison

Pros and Cons of Bandwidth Pricing

Let’s have a look at what Bandwidth and Emitrr pricing comparison looks like: 

Pros of Bandwidth Pricing

  • Pay-Only-for-What-You-Use Model: Bandwidth pricing plan is usage-based, which can be beneficial for businesses and companies that have fluctuating or low-volume communication needs, as you don’t need to commit to a high Bandwidth monthly cost.
  • Scales Well for High Volume: For businesses that send a large volume of sms and voice traffic, the per-unit Bandwidth pricing plan can be a cost-effective option because you only pay based on volume.
  • Flexible for Developers: Bandwidth is specifically designed for teams that want to have complete control. The API first approach offered by Bandwidth allows team members and developers to customize messaging, calling, and authentication exactly as they need.
  • Enterprise-Grade Reliability: As Bandwidth operates as a carrier, it ensures high deliverability and stable performance across messaging and voice channels.
  • Transparent Rate Listing: Unlike other platforms, Bandwidth’s pricing plan is clearly displayed on their page. This kind of Bandwidth cost transparency helps businesses calculate the estimated cost before getting started. 

Pros of Bandwidth Pricing

  • Unpredictable Bandwidth Pricing: Although the pricing per-unit rates seem small but the pricing increases once you factor in message volume, voice minutes, media usage, and authentication fees, which can affect the Bandwidth monthly cost
  • Complex Pricing Structure: Bandwidth pricing offers different costs for SMS, MMS, voice minutes, transcription, authentication, and more, which makes it a bit confusing and can also increase the overall Bandwidth cost.
  • Additional Carrier and Compliance Fees: Beyond the published Bandwidth pricing plan, users are responsible for multiple extra costs, including:
    – A2P 10DLC registration
    – Toll-free verification
    – Carrier surcharges
    – Shortcode monthly fees

    These hidden charges can also lead to a significant increase in your Bandwidth monthly cost.
  • Expensive for Businesses with Steady or Growing Usage: For businesses that are handling consistent communication volumes, usage-based billing becomes more expensive than platforms that offer unlimited or fixed-rate pricing.
  • Limited Support for Non-Technical Teams: Bandwidth is also less intuitive, as it is specifically built for technical teams and developers. Non-technical businesses of a newbie very often struggle while operating, setting up, maintaining, and troubleshooting the platform.

Emitrr Pricing

Here’s Emitrr SMS and VoIP pricing. Let’s take a look: 

Emitrr Messaging Pricing

Emitrr is an AI-powered communication platform that is designed to help businesses offer seamless communication and improve client engagement. It not only automates but also streamlines communication and supports growth. Whether you are a large healthcare practice or a solo provider, Emitrr makes day-to-day workflow effortless.

Unlike Bandwidth cost, which is complex and hard to understand, Emitrr offers two straightforward pricing plans with no hidden charges. In these two affordable pricing it offers you are comprehensive all-in-one platform that can help you from managing your communication to establishing a strong online reputation. A user-friendly and affordable alternative to Bandwidth that adheres to all the regulatory requirements without any extra charge. 

Plan Type Monthly PriceAnnual Price
Standard$45 pm$495
Pro$64 pm$704

Key Features of Emitrr 

  • Two-way texting and calling
  • AI-powered assistance –
    – Auto responses 
    – Message translation
    – Message tuning 
    – AI rule engine

Emitrr VoIP Pricing

Emitrr offers different pricing plans for different capabilities. For VoIP, there are 2 pricing plans – Standard and Professional. 

Name of the plan Pricing if paid annually Pricing if paid monthly 
Standard  $20 per user per month$25 per user per month
Professional  $25 per user per month$30 per user per month

Key features of Standard Plan: 

Key features of Professional Plan: 

Everything in Standard plus

  • Call Transcription
  • IVR (Interactive Voice Response)  / Call Tree
  • Call Recording (automated)
  • Missed Call Auto Text
  • Call Conference
  • Voicemail Transcription
  • HIPAA Compliance
  • Access Management 

How Does Emitrr Offer Better Value For Money Than Bandwidth?

If you are still confused about choosing between the two platforms, then here are some key reasons that make Emitrr a better and affordable alternative to Bandwidth: 

Transparent, All-Inclusive Pricing

Emitrr offers transparent, straightforward, and all-inclusive pricing to ensure there are no sudden surprises, unlike Bandwidth pricing, which charges extra even for compliance and registration, which makes the overall cost go up quickly. Businesses know exactly what they’ll pay every month, and during onboarding, every cost is clearly explained upfront. This transparency ensures that businesses do not get any last-minute billing shocks.

Better Value For Money

Bandwidth’s cost plans are usage-dependent and can also increase as messaging volumes or calling minutes increase. For businesses that want a predictable and certain cost, this kind of pricing can become more like a financial burden. Emitrr, on the other hand, is specifically built to offer maximum value as it: 

  • Charges per user, not per location
  • Flexible messaging credits 
  • Pay-as-you-grow model

Also, Bandwidth charges separately for every feature, but Emitrr includes features in its standard plans, such as:

  • AI rule automation
  • Auto-responses
  • Multi-language message translation
  • Missed-call auto-text
  • Call transcription
  • Intelligent call routing

With Emitrr, you get more features without being forced into expensive usage-based pricing. 

AI Information Collection & Workflow Automation

Bandwidth’s pricing plan is an API-first platform, which also means that from automation to client communication, you need to build everything on your own. Emitrr offers an all-in-one communication platform without any need to have technical requirements. Emitrr’s AI information collection flow can:

  • Collect information via call or SMS
  • Handle routine patient or customer queries
  • Send automatic SMS updates
  • Schedule appointments
  • Confirm bookings
  • Manage follow-up reminders
  • And more!!

AI-driven VoIP & SMS capabilities

Emitrr also offers more than just basic SMS and voice capability; it also comes with robust AI functionality, which can turn calls into appointments with features like  AI call routing, AI call queuing, AI rule engine, AI call transfer, and more. For SMS, we have our AI agent “Sarah” that excels in automating communication. You can also take a look at what else our AI SMS agent can do:

Unparalleled Customer Support

Emitrr is known for offering robust support to its customers from onboarding to resolving technical issues. You will get support that gives you a resolution within minutes. Because of its robust support, it has received a 5-star rating on some of the reputable platforms, such as Capterra. 

Seamless CRM Integrations

When it comes to integrating with other software, Emitrr excels and offers seamless integrations with any third-party tool, such as Athenahealth, Drchrono, Dentrix, Denticon, and more, so that you do not have to juggle between multiple platforms. From data sync to accessing patient information with Emitrr, it’s effortless.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bandwidth cheaper than Emitrr?

Not actually, Bandwidth’s pricing initially seems low but goes up quickly once carrier fees, compliance charges, and voice minutes are included. On the other hand, Emitrr’s straightforward and transparent pricing keeps costs predictable.

Who is Bandwidth best suited for?

Bandwidth is an ideal choice for businesses with strong technical teams looking to build custom communication systems using APIs.

Who is Emitrr best suited for?

Emitrr is a perfect choice for small and medium-sized businesses, healthcare practices, organizations, and service providers who are looking for a ready-to-go communication platform without any technical setup.

Does Emitrr include AI features?

Yes, Emitrr offers robust AI features such as an AI voice agent, AI SMS agent, AI chat, automated workflows, and more, which make it a better and more affordable alternative to Bandwidth. 

Does Bandwidth have hidden charges or extra fees?

Bandwidth’s pricing plan includes various additional fees such as carrier charges, compliance and registration fees, transcription fees, and more, which significantly impact the overall cost. 

Does Emitrr charge for 10DLC registration or carrier fees?

No. Emitrr absorbs compliance, carrier fees, and registration costs into its subscription plan. This means no surprise telecom charges, unlike Bandwidth, where such fees can add up quickly.

Conclusion

Choosing the right communication platform ultimately comes down to pricing clarity, long-term affordability, and predictability. On one hand, Bandwidth offers powerful backend features, but the usage-based pricing model that charges separately for SMS as well as MMS, voice minutes, registration, and compliance fees can make the pricing go significantly high. On the other hand, 

Emitrr, on the other hand, offers a simple, transparent, affordable, and all-inclusive pricing structure. With no hidden fees and no surprise charges. Emitrr offers a stable, budget-friendly, and cooperative communication platform and is also equipped with robust AI features that grow with your business without increasing your bill. SO if you are looking for a tool that offers value for money and also comes with an extensive suite of features, then a demo with Emitrr is a great next step. Book a demo with Emitrr today and see how it can help your business transform.

Comments are closed.