Telnyx vs. Twilio for SMS
Telnyx and Twilio both offer programmable SMS messaging. But how do the two providers compare?
By Emily Bowen
Choosing the right messaging provider is crucial if you want smooth communication, cost savings, and robust support. In the programmable SMS (text messaging) world, two industry leaders stand out: Telnyx and Twilio.
In this blog post, we'll compare Telnyx and Twilio's SMS APIs regarding pricing, support, user reviews, and ease of migration.
By the end of this post, you'll see which provider emerges as the top choice for businesses looking to invest in a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective SMS solution.
Take advantage of insights from 1 billion+ messages with our '2023 Guide to SMS and MMS'. Download your copy to learn from Telnyx experts and shape your ideal SMS/MMS strategy.
So, let's dive in and explore the key differences between Telnyx and Twilio.
Telnyx vs. Twilio: SMS pricing
Price is a significant factor when deciding which SMS service to choose for your business. Telnyx and Twilio both offer pay-as-you-go models. However, a side-by-side comparison of SMS rates reveals that Telnyx fares better, especially when scaling.
| TELNYX | TWILIO | |
|---|---|---|
| Local inbound and outbound SMS or 10DLC | $0.004 | $0.0079 |
| Toll-Free inbound and outbound SMS | $0.0055 | $0.0079 |
| Short code inbound and outbound SMS | $0.007 | $0.0079 |
How can Telnyx offer lower prices than Twilio for the same services? As a licensed carrier, Telnyx has direct access to a vast database of phone numbers. By cutting out the middleman—third-party aggregators Twilio relies on for its inventory of numbers—Telnyx can pass down savings directly to customers.
Telnyx vs. Twilio: Support
At Telnyx, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. That's why we provide 24/7 technical support to every company we work with. Let's see how our standard support measures up against Twilio's offering.
| TELNYX | TWILIO | |
|---|---|---|
| Support availability | Free 24/7 support Every Telnyx customer gets free support around the clock from our team of expert in-house engineers, so your issues never have to wait until Monday. | Pay-to-play support Customers must spend at least $1,500 per month (or a surcharge of 6% of their monthly bill) to access support. Twilio support is only available during business hours, so your questions may go unanswered for days. |
| Type of support | All channels, all the time Telnyx offers support via chat, phone, and email, so you can choose whichever channel is most convenient for you. | Email only Depending on which support plan you’ve purchased, you may be limited to self-serve support. Accessing phone and chat support costs extra, which limits your options. |
| Quality of support | High customer satisfaction Telnyx has received a 9.3 out of 10 overall rating—according to G2 user reviews—and consistently wins awards for our high-quality support. | Lower customer satisfaction Twilio only received a rating of 8.2 out of 10 for their support, which points to less satisfied customers. |
| Speed of support | Direct network control = fast resolution Because Telnyx manages our own purpose-built communications network, our in-house engineers have direct control over your communications routing and other core functionalities. That means we can answer your questions quickly. | No network control = lengthy resolution Since Twilio doesn’t own its network, it often has to lodge tickets with its communications middlemen. Waiting for these intermediaries to fix issues increases resolution time, meaning you’re stuck waiting for answers. |
With our higher level of control over our network, you'd think Telnyx would have to charge more for support. But all Telnyx customers receive free around-the-clock support from our expert engineers, compared to Twilio's $1,500 per month minimum for support.
Network ownership plays a crucial role in the quality of support. At Telnyx, we can diagnose, trace, and solve message failure issues on our own network. Direct network troubleshooting translates to shorter resolution times—our average is just 45 minutes—so you can keep building without interruption.
On the other hand, Twilio uses public networks, which means they rely on indirect troubleshooting. Diagnosing and solving issues necessitates back-and-forth communication with network providers, which can significantly slow down resolution times.
Telnyx vs. Twilio: User reviews
Don't just take our word for it: user reviews across various platforms like G2, Courier, and Medium offer valuable insights into how Telnyx and Twilio compare. Check out how real customers rate their experiences with each provider.
Telnyx outranks Twilio in every category:
Telnyx is rated 4.7 out of 5 overall:
Telnyx is rated 9.3 out of 10 for support:
User reviews consistently favor Telnyx over Twilio. Telnyx also outperforms Twilio in key areas such as ease of use, quality of support, and overall customer experience. Users appreciate Telnyx's user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, superior support, better call quality, and lower latency.
By choosing Telnyx, businesses can expect a more seamless, cost-effective, and satisfying SMS solution.
Telnyx vs. Twilio: Ease of migration
Cost, scalability, and support comparisons are all well and good. But how easy is it to migrate services? Switching platforms can be time-consuming and challenging, so we strive to make the transition seamless.
Telnyx FastPort® streamlines porting processes with real-time CSR validation and complete transparency via our Mission Control Portal for users who need to port numbers from another provider. Conversely, Twilio advises three weeks to port a number, and customers cannot port internationally via their customer portal.
| TELNYX | TWILIO | |
|---|---|---|
| Porting process | Fast automated porting Telnyx FastPort® streamlines porting processes with real-time CSR validation and complete transparency via our Mission Control Portal. | Standard manual porting Twilio’s six-step porting process can take up to three weeks to port a number. Twilio does not have real-time CSR validation, and customers cannot port internationally via their customer portal. |
To further ease messaging migration, Telnyx also offers SDKs and the Twexit API, which allows users to send messages and receive notifications with minimal changes to existing Twilio messaging code.
Our five SDKs (Python, Node, Ruby, PHP, and .NET) allow you to integrate seamlessly with the Telnyx API without building RESTful requests for each interaction. We even have video tutorials to help you get started sending SMS.
The Telnyx SMS API, designed specifically for customers switching from Twilio, lets you start sending messages quickly on our platform. If you're considering making the switch from Twilio, be sure to check out our Twexit API developer docs for guidance on how to start building with only minor changes to your existing code.
Switch from Twilio to Telnyx SMS and save up to 70%
Telnyx is the clear choice for businesses looking to invest in a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective SMS solution. Customers who switch from Twilio to Telnyx typically save between 30% and 70% on their communication services, making Telnyx a more affordable Twilio alternative. To learn more about why Telnyx is a better alternative to Twilio, check out the top Twilio alternative page and our comprehensive Telnyx vs. Twilio guide.
Contact our team of experts to make the switch from Twilio to Telnyx. Experience our private global network, high-quality messaging solutions, and award-winning support at a fraction of Twilio’s prices. Or get started today by creating a free account on our Mission Control Portal, where you can purchase an SMS-enabled number or port existing ones.