MessageBird vs Twilio
Compare MessageBird and Twilio based on observed SMS API performance, features, and pricing
Live performance comparison
Real-world performance data from messages sent through Knock
| Provider | Message volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | <1M | 7th of 7 ↑ | 4 | 12 |
 | 100M–500M | 1st of 7 → | 25 | 25 |
From January 3rd to April 2nd, Knock routed <1M messages through MessageBird and 100M–500M through Twilio. MessageBird reported 12 status page updates over the last 90 days, while Twilio reported 25.
Response time
Response time measures how long each provider takes to accept an SMS API request from Knock, including connection overhead and any automatic retries. Lower values mean faster message hand-off.
| Provider | Median (p50) | p90 | p95 | p99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 311ms | 407ms | 432ms | 535ms |
| 74ms | 107ms | 116ms | 139ms |
The chart above shows each provider's daily median response time (p50) from January 3rd to April 2nd. The top-line number is an average of these daily values: MessageBird averaged 311ms compared to 74ms for Twilio. MessageBird's highest daily p50 was 371ms; Twilio's was 79ms. Twilio is 237ms faster at the median, which can add up at high volumes.
The 90th percentile (p90) captures the slowest 10% of requests, revealing how each provider handles moderate stress. Averaged across all days, MessageBird has a p90 of 407ms compared to 107ms for Twilio. The highest daily p90 was 862ms for MessageBird and 117ms for Twilio. Twilio handles these slower requests 300ms faster, suggesting more consistent performance across the board.
The 99th percentile (p99) represents the long tail — the slowest 1% of requests. Averaged across all days, MessageBird reached 535ms at p99 while Twilio reached 139ms. The highest daily p99 was 7528ms for MessageBird and 192ms for Twilio, indicating the worst-case response time during spikes or provider-side congestion. Twilio shows a tighter tail, which may matter for time-sensitive SMS notifications like one-time passwords or real-time alerts where even rare delays can impact user experience.
Error rate
Error rate tracks the ratio of 5xx responses and timeouts to total SMS API requests. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
| Provider | Avg. daily error rate | Highest daily rate | Peak error date | Zero-error days | Days above 0.01% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00% | 0.00% | Jan 3 | 79 | 0 |
| 0.00% | 0.00% | Jan 2 | 91 | 0 |
Averaged across the date range, MessageBird shows a 0.00% daily error rate compared to 0.00% for Twilio. The highest single-day error rate was 0.00% for MessageBird and 0.00% for Twilio. Both providers show similar reliability levels, with error rates well within acceptable thresholds. Knock automatically retries failed requests to both providers, minimizing the impact of transient errors on end-user delivery.
About these metrics: Data represents messages sent through Knock during the specified period. Response time measures time from Knock to provider acceptance. Error rate includes only provider 5xx responses and timeouts.
Recent MessageBird incidents
Recent status page incidents for MessageBird
Started Mar 31, 2026 — Resolved Mar 31, 2026
Mar 31, 15:47 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved.Mar 31, 14:25 CEST Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Affected customers are advised to retry their campaigns.Mar 31, 13:29 CEST Identified - We are currently investigating an issue impacting campaigns activated in the EP Marketing Suite within the last 30 minutes. Affected campaigns are failing approximately 10 minutes after activation. Our team is actively working on a fix.
Started Mar 24, 2026 — Resolved Mar 24, 2026
Mar 24, 15:37 CET Resolved - This incident has been resolved.Mar 24, 15:16 CET Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.Mar 24, 14:49 CET Investigating - We are currently investigating this issue.
Started Mar 23, 2026 — Resolved Mar 23, 2026
Mar 23, 10:34 CET Resolved - This incident has been resolved.Mar 23, 09:42 CET Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.Mar 23, 08:29 CET Investigating - Flows and Journeys are impacted. We are investigating this issue.
Started Mar 11, 2026 — Resolved Mar 11, 2026
Mar 11, 16:07 CET Resolved - This incident has been resolved.Mar 11, 14:52 CET Investigating - We are currently investigating processing delays impacting a subset of flows & journeys configured with contact-added-to-list triggers.
Started Feb 24, 2026 — Resolved Feb 24, 2026
Feb 24, 01:10 CET Resolved - This incident has been resolved.Feb 24, 01:00 CET Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.Feb 24, 00:49 CET Update - We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue.Feb 23, 23:43 CET Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented.Feb 23, 23:30 CET Investigating - We are currently observing problems with our MMS service resulting in failed messages sending to US based routes. We are investigating the situa
Recent Twilio incidents
Recent status page incidents for Twilio
Ongoing since Apr 30, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 29, 20:00 PDT - Apr 30, 00:00 PDTMar 12, 00:34 PDT Scheduled - Twilio is conducting a planned maintenance from 29 April 2026 at 20:00 PDT until 30 April 2026 at 00:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays or failures delivering SMS to and from United States and Canada handsets when sending via long codes, short codes and toll free numbers.
Ongoing since Apr 29, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 29, 13:00 - 17:00 PDTMar 31, 07:43 PDT Scheduled - The Tele2 network in Russia is conducting a planned maintenance from 29 April 2026 at 13:00 PDT until 29 April 2026 at 17:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to Tele2 Russia handsets.
Ongoing since Apr 27, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 27, 13:00 - 17:00 PDTMar 31, 07:42 PDT Scheduled - The Tele2 network in Russia is conducting a planned maintenance from 27 April 2026 at 13:00 PDT until 27 April 2026 at 17:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to Tele2 Russia handsets.
Ongoing since Apr 23, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 22, 20:00 PDT - Apr 23, 00:00 PDTMar 12, 00:33 PDT Scheduled - Twilio is conducting a planned maintenance from 22 April 2026 at 20:00 PDT until 23 April 2026 at 00:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays or failures delivering SMS to and from United States and Canada handsets when sending via long codes, short codes and toll free numbers.
Ongoing since Apr 22, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 22, 13:00 - 17:00 PDTMar 31, 07:42 PDT Scheduled - The Tele2 network in Russia is conducting a planned maintenance from 22 April 2026 at 13:00 PDT until 22 April 2026 at 17:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to Tele2 Russia handsets.
Pricing comparison
| Provider | Plan | Per message | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| MessageBird | Local number | $0.0003 | $31 |
| Twilio | Pay-as-you-go | $0.0083 | $830 |
MessageBird
Bird (formerly MessageBird) publishes per-country rate cards rather than a single headline price. US outbound SMS via local numbers costs $0.00031 per message, with short codes at $0.0009 and toll-free at $0.00147. Carrier surcharges apply on top. International rates vary widely by destination.
Twilio
Outbound SMS to US numbers costs $0.0083 per message. Inbound messages are $0.0075 each. Phone numbers start at $1.15/month for local numbers. Carrier surcharges of ~$0.003–$0.005 per message apply on top of the base rate.
US carrier surcharges
All US A2P SMS sent via 10DLC incurs mandatory carrier fees on top of the provider base rate. Most providers pass these through at cost.
| Carrier | Outbound SMS | Inbound SMS |
|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | $0.0045 | $0.0025 |
| AT&T | $0.003 | $0.003 |
| Verizon | $0.004 | $0.00 |
| US Cellular | $0.005 | $0.00 |
Pros and cons
MessageBird
Twilio
Pros
- Strong global coverage with direct carrier connections in 190+ countries
- Unified API across SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, and other channels
- Visual flow builder enables non-technical users to create messaging workflows
- Now part of Bird, offering an expanded platform for customer engagement
Pros
- Largest ecosystem of SDKs, tutorials, and community resources for SMS
- Trusted by Airbnb, Uber, and Netflix for mission-critical messaging
- Comprehensive compliance tooling with opt-out management and content filtering
- Supports SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, and voice in a single platform
Cons
- Pricing is published as per-country rate cards rather than simple headline rates, making comparison harder
- Rebranding to Bird has caused some confusion in documentation and branding
- Smaller developer community compared to Twilio
Cons
- Per-message pricing can add up at high volumes without committed-use discounts
- Phone number provisioning and compliance setup can be complex for new users
- Support response times vary by plan tier
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between MessageBird and Twilio?
MessageBird (now Bird) is an omnichannel communications platform with global SMS coverage and a unified messaging API. Twilio is the most widely adopted cloud communications platform, offering SMS, MMS, voice, and WhatsApp through a unified API. MessageBird is best suited for global omnichannel messaging, while Twilio is geared toward full-featured sms at scale.
Which is cheaper, MessageBird or Twilio?
Bird (formerly MessageBird) publishes per-country rate cards rather than a single headline price. US outbound SMS via local numbers costs $0.00031 per message, with short codes at $0.0009 and toll-free at $0.00147. Carrier surcharges apply on top. International rates vary widely by destination. Outbound SMS to US numbers costs $0.0083 per message. Inbound messages are $0.0075 each. Phone numbers start at $1.15/month for local numbers. Carrier surcharges of ~$0.003–$0.005 per message apply on top of the base rate. The best value depends on your sending volume and destination countries.
Which is faster, MessageBird or Twilio?
Based on real-world data from Knock, MessageBird has a median SMS API response time (p50) of 311ms compared to 74ms for Twilio.
Which is more reliable, MessageBird or Twilio?
From January 3rd to April 2nd, MessageBird showed an error rate of 0.00% while Twilio showed 0.00%. Both rates are within acceptable thresholds for production SMS delivery, and Knock automatically retries failed requests to minimize the impact of transient errors.
Which is more popular, MessageBird or Twilio?
On the Knock platform, MessageBird handled <1M messages from January 3rd to April 2nd compared to 100M–500M for Twilio. MessageBird is currently trending upward in adoption, while Twilio volume has remained stable.
Can I use both MessageBird and Twilio together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple SMS providers into a single notification workflow. You can use MessageBird and Twilio side by side, route traffic between them, or migrate from one to the other without changing your application code.
What are the main pros and cons of MessageBird vs Twilio?
MessageBird strengths include strong global coverage with direct carrier connections in 190+ countries and unified api across sms, whatsapp, telegram, and other channels. Twilio strengths include largest ecosystem of sdks, tutorials, and community resources for sms and trusted by airbnb, uber, and netflix for mission-critical messaging. On the other hand, MessageBird drawbacks include pricing is published as per-country rate cards rather than simple headline rates, making comparison harder, while Twilio drawbacks include per-message pricing can add up at high volumes without committed-use discounts.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate MessageBird, Twilio, or any combination of SMS providers into a single notification workflow. Manage templates, orchestrate cross-channel delivery, and switch providers without changing your code.