10 Best Twilio Alternatives and Competitors

Introduction 

Are you looking for a Twilio Alternative? We are sure you must be either an existing Twilio user or someone hunting for companies similar to Twilio. In either case, you have come to the right place. In this guide, let us understand different aspects of Twilio, how it can be beneficial for your business to go for a solution similar to what Twilio offers and also alternative solutions that come at a cheaper and more efficient cost. 

But before we begin saying anything, let us understand what Twilio is.

What is Twilio?

Twilio is a Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) platform. A CPaaS platform such as Twilio allows developers to integrate real-time communication features like SMS, voice calls, and video chat into their applications via APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). Basically, with the use of API, it helps you simplify communication with your customers or clients. 

People who use Twilio like the platform because it integrates into their apps and supports software development kits (SDKs) in various programming languages. Having said that, you need to have strong coding skills and software knowledge to utilize Twilio to its best abilities. This is the reason why Twilio may not be fit for business owners who are looking for something simpler. Keep on reading as we reveal to you the best Twilio alternatives. 

Why Look for Twilio Alternative? 

Here are the most common reasons why businesses look for alternatives to Twilio:

• Cost: Twilio’s pricing differs depending on the API you choose. However, Twilio costs can quickly add up, making Twilio unfit for startups or smaller businesses especially. Additionally, access to Twilio’s customer support comes at a starting price of $250 a month. 
• Difficult to implement: Twilio is a complex software and you will need a dedicated tech team to implement it. This can be quite expensive for a small business who may not have a tech team or the capacity to hire one and hence should look for companies similar to Twilio.
• Does not have a flexible API: Having a flexible API is important to smoothly integrate the service with your business system, however, Twilio’s API is not flexible and may or may not integrate with your current business system. 
• Lacks texting features: Twilio lacks features like automated text messaging, drip campaigns, group texting, etc., which are very important for businesses who want to reach out to their customers. 
• Limited services & functions: Certain businesses might look for advanced features such as automated texting, seamless integration with their CRM/EHR/PMS software, etc. Unfortunately, Twilio offers very limited functionality. 

10 Best Twilio Alternatives: A Quick Glance

Here’s a quick glance at top 10 Twilio competitors:

1. Emitrr
2. Sinch
3. Plivo
4. Vonage
5. Bandwidth
6. MessageBird
7. Amazon Web Services (AWS)
8. Infobip
9. Podium
10. Telnyx

Features to Look For In Twilio Competitors

Before choosing better Twilio alternative, analyze what your business requirements are and think of the areas in which your business needs improvement. Some must-have key features to look for in Twilio competitors are:

• Omnichannel support: Depending on your business use case, the best Twilio alternative should offer multiple communication media channels such as voice, SMS, email, social media, etc.
• Seamless integration: Integration with your existing tools and software is a must. So check what integrations are being offered by the platform and whether it is compatible with your current business model or not. 
• Customization options: The ideal alternative to Twilio should also be able to offer you solutions that can fit your specific requirements and branding.
• Scalability: The ideal alternative should be able to accommodate your growing business needs and handle the increasing communication load effectively. 
• Regional deliverability: If your business operates in multiple regions, then look for the SMS delivery rates and call quality offered by the provider across different regions. 
• Ease of migration: Your Twilio alternative SMS and voice provider should ensure a painless migration process and should allow you to add communications services to your existing setup with ease. 

10 Best Twilio Competitors: Detailed Comparison

Lets have a look at companies similar to Twilio and compare them on the basis of features, price, support, etc.

Emitrr 

Emitrr is our top pick for the best Twilio competitor. Emitrr is a customer communication and engagement platform that offers a developer API. You can build all the communication features like SMS, voice calls, emails and more via API. For accessing Emitrr’s API, you simply need to create an account with Emitrr. Additionally, Emitrr offers a comprehensive suite of features for texting, marketing, etc., and integrates seamlessly with more than 500 tools that too at the most affordable price. Have a look at these useful features that Emitrr offers:

Emitrr Features

• API: Emitrr offers an API and can act like a CPaaS.
• Two-Way Texting: Communicate efficiently with two-way texting.
• Secure Links: Send secure links via text messages.
• Group Texting: Improve teamwork with group texting.
• Text Alerts: Get instant alerts for urgent situations.
• Mass Texting: Easily send mass texts for outreach.
• Send Media: Send and receive images, GIFs, and videos.
• Automated Review Requests: Automatically request reviews from patients.
• CRM Integration: Easily integrate your existing CRM system.
• Unified Review Inbox: Read all review responses in one place.
• Automated Reminders: Send automated text reminders to customers.
• Live Chat: Offer immediate customer support with live chat.
• No-Show Follow-Up: Follow up on no-shows via text and calls.
• Payment Follow-Up: Automate payment and cancellation follow-ups.
• Track Metrics: Monitor missed calls, open rates, and more.
• Editable SMS Templates: Personalize messages with customizable templates.
• Landline Texting and 10DLC: Text-enable your landline with 10DLC support.
• VoIP Functionality: Enhance communication with VoIP features.

Emitrr Pros

• Exceptional customer support
• Has the most extensive features
• Offers the best value for money
• Very affordable
• Seamless integration with multiple tools
• Extensive texting features
• Caters to all size of businesses 
• Best Twilio competitor

Emitrr Cons

• No major issues with this software 

Emitrr Pricing 

Starts at $99 per month (You pay for what you use)

Emitrr Customer support

• Capterra: 5/5
• G2: 4.7/5

Sinch 

Sinch is another great Twilio competitor and is a cloud communications platform, that offers solutions for messaging, voice, and video to help businesses connect with their customers. It acts as an aggregator platform, providing access to multiple communication channels through a single API. By simplifying and streamlining communications, Sinch enables businesses to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency.

Sinch Features

• Activity Dashboard
• Alerts/Notifications
• Chat/Messaging
• Inbox Management
• SMS Messaging

Sinch Pros

• Easy to use
• Integrates seamlessly with WhatsApp
• Good for video communication

Sinch Cons

• Glitchy software, stops suddenly
• Support team takes too much time to respond
• Very few native integrations
• Lacks advanced features 

Sinch Pricing 

Sinch has a pricing plan of $100 per month.

Sinch Customer support

• Capterra: 4/5
• G2: 3.9/5

Plivo

Plivo is a popular cloud-based API platform that offers voice APIs, SMS APIs, SIP Trunking services, etc. Additionally, Plivo also offers SDKs and RESTful API for building SMS, Video, voice, push notifications and other communications into mobile, web or other applications. For SMS Plivo offers features like message queuing, delivery reports, etc. And Plivo voice API offers features like custom caller IDs, voicemail transcription, etc. Here are some more details on Plivo: 

Plivo Features 

• Long message concatenation
• Templates to build flow for SMS surveys, call routing, call forwarding, etc. 
• Delivery report notifications
• Number pooling
• Get instant access to national, local, mobile, and toll-free phone numbers
• Built-in multitenancy
• Server-side SDKs in Java, C#, Python, PHP, Ruby, Node.js, or Golang

Plivo Pros

• Get message failure alerts with error codes for debugging
• Friendly customer support
• Availability of SDKs

Plivo Cons

• Templates do not work with PBX systems
• Updates the server side of their API without warning or documentation
• Confusing to navigate
• API documentation is not detailed 

Plivo Pricing

Plivo offers pay-as-you-go pricing for SMS, voice calls, 10DLC, SIP trunking, etc. Here’s what the starting price at Plivo looks like:

• SMS API: Starts at $0.00550/sms to send and receive messages
• SIP Trunking: Starts at $0.00650/min to make a call and $0.00250/min to receive a call.
• Voice API: Starts at $0.01000/min to make a call and $0.00550/min to receive a call. 

Plivo Customer Support 

• Capterra: 4.2/5
• G2: 4.5/5

Vonage

Vonage is a CPaaS platform that offers a wide range of APIs for SMS, Video, Voice, Email, SIP Trunking, etc. Additionally, it also has user authentication APIs for voice, SMS,  WhatsApp, etc. The major difference between Vonage and Twilio is pricing. Twilio charges by rounding up to the nearest minute, and Vonage charges by second. This means you pay for only what you use. Vonage is the best option for those who want to save money and time spent on managing message channels. 

Vonage Features 

• You can set up interactive voice response (IVR) in 120+ languages
• Connect with 40+ external tools
• Host in-app video conferencing and add up to 16,000 participants
• Create no-code virtual assistants to answer queries across social media or SMS platforms. 
• Verify user accounts and prevent fraud with mobile two-factor authentication
• Call tracking
• Private SMS
• Voice-based critical alerts

Vonage Pros

• It’s omnichannel
• Extensive features
• Easy-to-use

Vonage Cons

• 24/7 priority support starts at $750/month, which can be quite expensive for small businesses
• Charges extra for integrations
• Vonage is quite expensive overall
• Slow & unresponsive customer service
• Canceling Vonage takes a lot of time

Vonage Pricing

Vongage’s pricing is based on pay for what you use: 

• SMS API: Charges $0.0076 per outbound message and $0.0061 per inbound message
• Video API: Charges starts at $0.00395 per minute per participant 
• Voice API: Charges starts at $0.0043 per minute for outbound or inbound calls
• Verify API: Charges starts at at $0.053 per successful verification

Vonage Customer Support 

• Capterra: 3.7/5
• G2: 4.3/5

Bandwidth 

Bandwidth provides communication services and APIs for businesses to integrate various communication functionalities into their applications. It offers voice, messaging, and emergency services through its platform, allowing businesses to add these features without building and maintaining the underlying infrastructure. This is one is also a good Twilio alternative for sending text messages.

Bandwidth Features

• API
• Activity Dashboard
• Alerts/Notifications
• Chat Transcript
• Chat/Messaging
• Dashboard
• SIP Trunking
• SMS Messaging
• Voice Calling

Bandwidth Pros

• Helpful customer support
• User friendly
• Good call quality
• Best for business who need 911 access

Bandwidth Cons

• Expensive compared to other options
• Does not integrate with Zapier
• Some APIs are quite difficult to use
• Glitchy software

Bandwidth Pricing

You need to have a minimum contract of $500 per month and a website to start using Bandwidth. They have a long verification process before you start using their platform.

Bandwidth Customer Support 

• Capterra: 4.7/5
• G2: 4.5/5 

MessageBird 

One of the top Twilio alternatives, MessageBird is a global communications platform that allows businesses to connect with their customers via SMS, Voice, and Chat. It provides reliable and scalable solutions for enhancing customer engagement. By integrating various communication channels into one platform, MessageBird streamlines operations and improves customer interactions.

MessageBird Features

• 2-Way Messaging
• API
• Appointment Scheduling
• Automated Responses
• Call Recording
• Campaign Scheduling
• Chat/Messaging
• Confirmation/Reminders
• Mass Texting
• Message Personalization
• SMS Messaging
• SMS Reminders
• Scheduled Messaging
• VoIP

MessageBird Pros

• Easy-to-use
• Competitive pricing 
• Offers useful functionalities

MessageBird Cons

• Priority email support starts at $500 a month
• Unreliable and slow APIs
• Does not support mass texting for large numbers of people

MessageBird Pricing

The price starts at $45 per month for 3000 contacts.

MessageBird Customer Support 

• Capterra: 4.3/5
• G2: 4.1/5

Amazon SNS

Amazon SNS (simple notification service) is a push messaging service offered by Amazon AWS. It essentially uses a subscribe model for sending messages to customers via SMS, push notifications, or emails. Using SNS, developers can easily send SMS to any phone, and users can opt-in or opt-out from receiving these messages from the developer. 

Amazon SNS Features 

• Seamless integration with AWS services like Lambda, SQS (Simple Queue Service), and Kinesis Data Firehose.
• Access one million publishes, 1,000 email and 100,000 HTTP deliveries for free every month.
• Application-to-application messaging
• Message archiving, replay, and analytics
• Standard and FIFO topics

Amazon SNS Pros

• Best for sending and managing notifications
• Easy to integrate
• Daily reports can be accessed easily

Amazon SNS Cons

• Complex setup
• Limited customization
• Poor customer service
• Limited features
• Debugging errors could be difficult
• Poor documentation

Amazon SNS Pricing

Here’s what Amazon SNS pricing looks like:

• Mobile push plan: $0.50 per million notifications
• Email plan: $2.00 per 100,000 notifications
• HTTP/s plan: $0.60 per million notifications

Amazon SNS Customer Support 

• Capterra: 3.8/5
• G2: 4.3/5

Infobip

Infobip is an omni-channel communication platform, offering a platform for messaging, voice, email, and chat. With a unified API for multiple communication channels, Infobip helps businesses enhance customer engagement and streamline operations. This top Twilio alternative emphasis on reliability, security, and scalability empowers organizations to connect with their customers more effectively.

Infobip Features 

• 2-Way Messaging
• API
• Appointment Scheduling
• Automated Responses
• Campaign Management
• Chat/Messaging
• Chatbot
• Drip Campaigns
• Mass Texting
• Message Personalization
• Push Notifications
• Real-Time Notifications
• SMS Messaging
• Scheduled Messaging

Infobip Pros

• Easy-to-use interface
• Data analysis option is quite good
• Works with plenty of CRM tools

Infobip Cons

• Expensive compared to other options
• Response from customer service take days
• Not fit for smaller businesses 

Infobip Pricing

The pricing plan for Infobip starts from $150 per month.

Infobip Customer Support 

• Capterra: 4.4/5
• G2: 4.3/5

Podium

Podium is a cloud-based platform meant for local businesses that are looking to build online reputation, boost customer retention, lead generation, etc. Podium is best alternative to Twilio for large businesses that want to tackle all this and create marketing campaigns with useful messaging features. Podium also offers AI integration and audio APIs to help you scale your audio processing pipeline.  

Podium Features 

• Connects with 180+ external tools like ActiveCampaign, Gmail, Outlook, etc.
• Customize message routing by team availability or topic
• Access & reply to SMS, calls, voice messages, etc. from a single place
• PodiumGPT
• Podium mobile app
• Voice and SMS features 

Podium Pros

• Easy to communicate with customers
• Review integration with facebook and google is great
• Useful SMS features 

Podium Cons

• Very expensive
• Podium phone does not work well
• Inconsistent support
• Limited API functions

Podium Pricing

Podium is quite expensive, and not ideal for small businesses. Here’s how Podium’s pricing looks like: 

• Essential plan: $249/month 
• Standard plan: $409/month
• Professional plan: $599/month

Podium Customer Support 

• Capterra: 4.1/5
• G2: 4.6/5

Telnyx

Another one of the best Twilio alternatives is Telnyx. Telnyx is a well-known CPaaS platform that offers APIs for voice, SMS, user verification, and SIP trunking services. Telnyx is a better Twilio alternative in the sense that it offers free 24×7 customer support, and since Telnyx owns a private global IP network, it offers great call quality. The platform also offers messaging services with easy-to-use SMS features. 

Telnyx Features 

• Good call quality and low latency
• Telnyx is a carrier in 30+ countries
• Has a multi-cloud network with Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure for high uptime
• Offers messaging registration via API for Toll-Free AND 10DLC numbers
• SDKs available in Ruby, Python, Java, Node, PHP, and .NET

Telnyx Pros 

• Competitive pricing
• Good customer support
• Offers a wide range of tools
• Voice API is quite good

Telnyx Cons

• Requires advanced programming to use some features
• Billing process is complex
• Support is not available in multiple languages
• Outages are common
• Porting can be a struggle

Telnyx Pricing

Telnyx offers both pay-as-you and volume-based pricing. Here’s what Telnyx’s pricing looks like:

• SMS API: Starts at $0.004 per message
• Voice API: Starts at $0.005 per minute
• Numbers: Starts at $1.00 per number

Telnyx Customer Support 

• Capterra: 4.7/5
• G2: 4.7/5

Why Emitrr is the Best Twilio Alternative? 

After comparing ten best Twilio alternatives, we think Emitrr is the best option to go for and here’s why!

Easy to use

Unlike Twilio, Emitrr is extremely easy to use. Emitrr does not require you to have a tech team in order to implement the software, it’s more of a plug and play solution. With Emitrr, you can simply text-enable your business number and start sending SMS to your customers.

Automated Reviews and Reputation

With Emitrr, improving your online reputation is a breeze. Our automated review campaigns let you easily request reviews from customers on your preferred channel.

You’re in charge – set the review request frequency and follow-ups to your liking. Receive notifications about new reviews and manage them all from one dashboard, eliminating the need to juggle multiple platforms. Plus, respond to reviews directly from the dashboard.

Converting Phone Calls to Texts

Emitrr performs its magic by transforming missed calls into automated text conversations. With Emitrr’s unique missed call-to-text feature, you can slash 40% of your calls while effortlessly staying connected with customers.

No More Missed Voicemails

With Emitrr, stay informed with accurate voicemail transcripts. Customize your responses for missed calls according to office hours, ensuring complete control over customer communication.

Elevate your business with Emitrr and never miss a call. It’s the savvy solution to stay connected and delight your customers.

Seamless Team Management And Collaboration

With Emitrr, team management becomes effortless. Assigning roles, conversations, and more is a breeze, ensuring fair and effective task handling. Plus, seamless collaboration among team members on the platform makes teamwork hassle-free.

Beyond Texting: A Flawless Blend of Capabilities

Emitrr is your ultimate solution for seamless customer communication. From online appointment scheduling to automated text campaigns, reminders, reviews, feedback collection, and surveys, Emitrr has you covered for an exceptional customer experience.

Unlike other options that stick to basic texting, Emitrr takes it up a notch. With easy automation features, we elevate your business to the next level.

In-chat Features

Emitrr goes the extra mile by offering a range of features directly within the chat interface, refining your conversation management.

• Add Depth with Notes: Enhance discussions by adding notes to your conversations.
• Organize Chat Space: Keep things organized by categorizing conversations as read or unread.
• Customize Dispositions: Monitor progress by customizing dispositions, staying informed about every conversation.
• Streamlined Focus: Instantly differentiate between open and closed conversations to streamline your focus.
• Clutter-Free Workspace: Effortlessly organize conversations into folders for a clutter-free workspace.
• Control Contacts: Exercise control by blocking contacts when needed for a secure and focused communication environment.
• Record-Keeping: Securely print conversations for record-keeping, maintaining a tangible archive of important discussions.

Twilio Alternative FAQs

Conclusion 

Now that you’re in the know, it’s time to take action. If you’re searching for an exceptional Twilio alternative as a CPaaS or for SMS with enhanced features, competitive pricing, round-the-clock customer support, and a seamless onboarding experience, the solution is clear – make the switch to Emitrr. As you know, you can use Emitrr for your CPaaS needs or even for your simple texting and calling needs. 

Book a Demo now!