Two SMS providers, compared on price, features and ratings, so you can pick fast.
Azure SMS wins Azure-native SMS with EU data residencyBandwidth wins price
Updated July 2026
At a glanceAzure SMSBandwidth
Price per message$0.0075$0.004
THE VERDICT
Azure SMS wins on Azure-native SMS with EU data residency. Bandwidth wins on price.
Azure SMS starts at $0.0075 versus Bandwidth's $0.004. Pick based on volume and team, and the scorecard below breaks down where each one leads.
Which should you choose?
Pick Azure SMS
✓Already running infrastructure on Azure and want unified billing/IAM
✓Need an EU Data Boundary guarantee for SMS data residency
✓Want SMS alongside voice, chat, email, and WhatsApp from one vendor
✓Enterprise buyer that values Microsoft's compliance posture (SOC 2, ISO 27001) over messaging-specific deliverability tooling
Pick Bandwidth
✓You need direct Tier-1 carrier connectivity rather than an aggregator
✓High-volume A2P 10DLC, short code, or toll-free SMS/MMS in the US
✓You also need bundled voice and emergency/911 services
✓You want broad SDK coverage and accept enterprise compliance onboarding
Feature by feature
Winner cells are tinted, green where Azure SMS leads, violet where Bandwidth does.
capability
Azure SMS
Bandwidth
Pricing
Price per SMS (US)
$0.0075
$0.004
Pricing model
Pay-as-you-go per message segment billed through the Azure subscription; no ACS-specific platform fee, but separate leasing and registration fees apply per number type
Pay-as-you-go per segment; volume discounts via committed-use
Volume discounts
No
Yes
Channels
SMS
Yes
Yes
MMS
Yes
Yes
WhatsApp
Yes
No
RCS
No
Yes
Voice
Yes
Yes
Routing & delivery
Carrier network
Relies on underlying carrier partners rather than owning tier-1 infrastructure; publishes a per-carrier surcharge table (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, US Cellular, etc.) for 10DLC traffic
Owns Tier-1 US carrier network
A2P 10DLC
Yes
Yes
Two-way messaging
Yes
Yes
Short codes
Yes
Yes
Toll-free
Yes
Yes
Number lookup
Yes
Yes
Developer experience
Official SDKs
C#/.NET, JavaScript/Node.js, Python, Java
Java, Python, C#/.NET, Ruby, Node.js, PHP
Delivery webhooks
Yes
Yes
Compliance
SOC 2
Yes
Yes
HIPAA
BAA (Azure-wide)
BAA
GDPR
Yes
Yes
ISO 27001
Yes
Yes
Support
Support channels
Phone, email, and chat via paid Azure support plans (Standard, Professional Direct, Unified); free community Q&A and docs otherwise
Phone, email, chat, knowledge base
24/7 support
Yes
Yes
Support SLA
SLA-backed response times tied to Azure support plan tier and case severity (for example, 1-hour response on the highest severity with Professional Direct)
SLA-backed response times, tiered by plan
FAQ
Common questions
Azure SMS starts at $0.0075 versus Bandwidth's $0.004. Compare your expected monthly volume against the per-message rates above.