Plivo vs Telnyx
Compare Plivo and Telnyx based on observed SMS API performance, features, and pricing
Live performance comparison
Real-world performance data from messages sent through Knock
We don't have enough message volume through Knock for Plivo to publish statistically meaningful benchmarks yet. The data below reflects Telnyx only. Comparison charts will appear once both providers have sufficient data.
| Provider | Message volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | — | — | 1 | 10 |
 | <1M | 3rd of 7 ↓ | 25 | 25 |
From January 2nd to April 2nd, Knock routed <1M messages through Telnyx. Telnyx reported 25 status page updates over the last 90 days, while Plivo reported 10.
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.
Telnyx has a median response time (p50) of 275ms, a p90 of 451ms, and a p99 of 662ms from January 2nd to April 2nd. Comparison charts for Plivo will appear once enough data is available.
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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 0.42% | 24.57% | Feb 20 | 57 | 34 |
Averaged across January 2nd to April 2nd, Telnyx shows a 0.42% daily error rate. Comparison data for Plivo will appear once enough message volume is available. Knock automatically retries failed requests to minimize 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 Plivo incidents
Recent status page incidents for Plivo
Started Mar 28, 2026 — Resolved Mar 28, 2026
Mar 28, 14:52 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolvedMar 28, 14:46 UTC Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the resultsMar 28, 14:13 UTC Identified - Issue has been identified. Fix is being implemented.Mar 28, 13:23 UTC Investigating - Some webhook events for voice calls are not being generated in the India region. We are actively investigating and working to resolve this as quickly as possible. Updates will be provided as they become available.
Started Feb 9, 2026 — Resolved Feb 9, 2026
Feb 9, 15:59 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolved.Feb 9, 15:41 UTC Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.Feb 9, 15:14 UTC Update - We are continuing to investigate this issue.Feb 9, 14:59 UTC Investigating - Please be advised that voice calls in the US region are currently being impacted by an infrastructure issue. We are investigating the matter alongside our infrastructure partner to resolve this as quickly as possible. We will provide further
Started Feb 9, 2026 — Resolved Feb 9, 2026
Feb 9, 12:52 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolved.Feb 9, 12:26 UTC Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.Feb 9, 12:25 UTC Investigating - Dear Valued Customer, We are observing failures to retrieve CDR and recordings. All other services are operating normally. Our engineers are actively working to resolve the issue and restore service. Please contact Plivo Support for any questions. Support portal: https://support.plivo.com/hc/en-us
Started Feb 8, 2026 — Resolved Feb 8, 2026
Feb 8, 17:11 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolved.Feb 8, 14:49 UTC Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.Feb 8, 13:41 UTC Investigating - Dear Valued Customer, We are currently experiencing intermittent message failures affecting a subset of Messaging traffic. Our engineering teams have identified the issue and are actively working to stabilize the service. Other platform services continue to operate normally. We are closely monitoring the situa
Started Feb 8, 2026 — Resolved Feb 8, 2026
Feb 8, 06:48 UTC Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.Feb 8, 06:47 UTC Verifying - Verification is currently underway for the maintenance items.Feb 8, 03:30 UTC In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.Jan 20, 08:17 UTC Scheduled - Dear Valued Customer, We will perform planned maintenance on our Plivo database on Sunday, 8th February 2026 to improve the overall availability of our database engines. During that time
Recent Telnyx incidents
Recent status page incidents for Telnyx
Started Apr 3, 2026 — Resolved Apr 3, 2026
Apr 3, 10:39 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolved.Apr 3, 09:45 UTC Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.Apr 3, 09:03 UTC Investigating - We are aware of instability affecting our Wireless Products API endpoints. The incident began at approximately 08:25 UTC. Our engineering team is actively investigating the root cause. Further updates will be provided as information becomes available.
Started Apr 2, 2026 — Resolved Apr 2, 2026
Apr 2, 17:00 UTC Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.Apr 2, 12:00 UTC In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.Apr 2, 11:12 UTC Scheduled - Engineering will run updates on voice services on all regions.
Ongoing since Apr 2, 2026
Apr 2, 13:00 UTC In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.Apr 2, 11:13 UTC Scheduled - Our Telephony Engineers will be performing an update on our Voice Services across all regions Impact: This update is not expected to disrupt service. Action Required: If you experience any audio issues or dropped calls during this maintenance window, please report them immediately to Telnyx Support.
Started Apr 2, 2026 — Resolved Apr 2, 2026
Apr 2, 05:30 UTC Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.Apr 2, 04:30 UTC In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.Apr 1, 12:53 UTC Update - We will be undergoing scheduled maintenance during this time.Mar 25, 09:44 UTC Update - We will be undergoing scheduled maintenance during this time.Mar 31, 05:30 UTC Scheduled - The Telnyx Wireless teams will perform upgrades to mobile data infrastructure in the North America reg
Started Apr 1, 2026 — Resolved Apr 1, 2026
Apr 1, 14:00 UTC Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.Mar 31, 18:30 UTC In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.Mar 31, 17:06 UTC Scheduled - Our Telephony Engineers will be performing an update on our Voice Services servers servers across all regions Impact: This update is not expected to disrupt service. Action Required: If you experience any audio issues or dropped calls during this maintenance window, please repo
Pricing comparison
| Provider | Plan | Per message | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plivo | Pay-as-you-go | $0.0077 | $770 |
| Telnyx | Pay-as-you-go | $0.004 | $400 |
Plivo
Pay-as-you-go with no minimums or monthly fees. US outbound SMS costs $0.0077 per message. Inbound messages are $0.0055 each. Volume discounts available for high monthly usage. Carrier surcharges apply on top of the base rate.
Telnyx
No free tier. Outbound SMS to US numbers costs $0.004 per message. Inbound messages are $0.004 each. Phone numbers start at $1.00/month for local numbers. Carrier surcharges are passed through at cost with no markup.
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
Plivo
Telnyx
Pros
- Among the lowest per-message rates with automatic volume discounts
- Familiar API design modeled after Twilio, making migration straightforward
- 99.99% uptime SLA with direct carrier connections to 190+ countries
- Free inbound messages and no monthly minimums or base fees
Pros
- Among the lowest per-message rates for US domestic SMS
- Private IP network provides lower latency than providers using the public internet
- Transparent, pay-as-you-go pricing with no monthly minimums
- Strong developer experience with well-documented APIs and SDKs
Cons
- Narrower feature set with no native support for WhatsApp or other messaging channels
- Smaller community and fewer third-party tutorials compared to Twilio
- Web dashboard is functional but not polished for managing large number inventories
Cons
- Smaller community and ecosystem compared to Twilio
- No free trial credits for new accounts
- Feature set is narrower than full-suite platforms like Twilio
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Plivo and Telnyx?
Plivo is a cost-effective communications platform with direct carrier connections, a Twilio-compatible API design, and a 99.99% uptime SLA. Telnyx is a developer-first communications platform with competitive pricing and a private IP network for reliable SMS delivery. Plivo is best suited for cost-effective high-volume sms, while Telnyx is geared toward cost-effective developer sms.
Which is cheaper, Plivo or Telnyx?
Pay-as-you-go with no minimums or monthly fees. US outbound SMS costs $0.0077 per message. Inbound messages are $0.0055 each. Volume discounts available for high monthly usage. Carrier surcharges apply on top of the base rate. No free tier. Outbound SMS to US numbers costs $0.004 per message. Inbound messages are $0.004 each. Phone numbers start at $1.00/month for local numbers. Carrier surcharges are passed through at cost with no markup. The best value depends on your sending volume and destination countries.
Which is faster, Plivo or Telnyx?
Based on real-world data from Knock, Telnyx has a median SMS API response time (p50) of 275ms. We don't yet have enough data for Plivo to make a direct comparison.
Which is more reliable, Plivo or Telnyx?
From January 2nd to April 2nd, Telnyx showed an error rate of 0.42%. We don't yet have enough data for Plivo to compare reliability directly. Knock automatically retries failed requests to minimize the impact of transient errors.
Which is more popular, Plivo or Telnyx?
On the Knock platform, Telnyx handled <1M messages from January 2nd to April 2nd. Telnyx is currently seeing declining volume. We don't yet have enough data for Plivo to compare popularity.
Can I use both Plivo and Telnyx together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple SMS providers into a single notification workflow. You can use Plivo and Telnyx 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 Plivo vs Telnyx?
Plivo strengths include among the lowest per-message rates with automatic volume discounts and familiar api design modeled after twilio, making migration straightforward. Telnyx strengths include among the lowest per-message rates for us domestic sms and private ip network provides lower latency than providers using the public internet. On the other hand, Plivo drawbacks include narrower feature set with no native support for whatsapp or other messaging channels, while Telnyx drawbacks include smaller community and ecosystem compared to twilio.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Plivo, Telnyx, or any combination of SMS providers into a single notification workflow. Manage templates, orchestrate cross-channel delivery, and switch providers without changing your code.