MessageBird vs Plivo

Two SMS providers, compared on price, features and ratings, so you can pick fast.

MessageBird wins price and compliancePlivo wins reviews and support

Updated July 2026

At a glanceMessageBirdPlivo
Price per message$0.00331$0.0077
G2 rating4.14.5
Trustpilot1.33.6

THE VERDICT

MessageBird wins on price and compliance. Plivo wins on reviews and support.

MessageBird starts at $0.00331 versus Plivo's $0.0077. Plivo rates higher with developers (4.5 vs 4.1 on G2). Pick based on volume and team, and the scorecard below breaks down where each one leads.

Which should you choose?

Pick MessageBird

If you want to interact with your customers quickly and on multiple channels, including WhatsApp, MessageBird should be perfect for you.

Pick Plivo

When integrating SMS and call features into your applications, Plivo is a suitable product for you.

Feature by feature

Winner cells are tinted, green where MessageBird leads, violet where Plivo does.

capability
MessageBird
Plivo
Price per SMS (US)
$0.00331
$0.0077
Pricing model
Pay-as-you-go per message on top of monthly plans (Free 5 SMS/day, Pro $49/mo)
Pay-as-you-go per message; no required platform fee
Volume discounts
Yes
Yes
SMS
Yes
Yes
MMS
Yes
Yes
WhatsApp
Yes
Yes
RCS
Yes
Yes
Voice
Yes
Yes
Carrier network
Direct-to-carrier (150+ countries, 240+ connections)
Direct carrier connections to 190+ countries
A2P 10DLC
Yes
Yes
Two-way messaging
Yes
Yes
Short codes
Yes
Yes
Toll-free
Yes
Yes
Number lookup
Yes
Yes
Official SDKs
Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, C#/.NET, Go
Python, Java, Node.js, Ruby, PHP, .NET, Go
Delivery webhooks
Yes
Yes
Test / sandbox
Yes
Yes
SOC 2
Yes
Yes
HIPAA
No
BAA
GDPR
Yes
Yes
ISO 27001
Yes
No
Support channels
Email/ticket, help center, status page; priority on higher plans
Email, phone, chat/Slack (paid tiers); docs on free tier
24/7 support
Yes
Support SLA
1-hour P1/P2 SLA on paid plans; 99.95% uptime

FAQ

Common questions

MessageBird starts at $0.00331 versus Plivo's $0.0077. Compare your expected monthly volume against the per-message rates above.

Why not both?

Use both behind one API.

Route MessageBird, Plivo, or both, and switch providers without changing your code. Courier sits in front of every channel.

Pricing, plans and feature availability as of July 2026 and may change. Ratings are aggregated from public review platforms. MessageBird is now Bird.