Twilio
performance benchmarks
Browse Twilio's observed SMS API response time, error rates, and incident history over the last 90 days.
Live performance metrics
Real-world performance data from messages sent through Knock
| Message volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|
25M–100M | 1st of 7 ↓ | 25 | 25 |
From July 25th to October 23rd, Knock routed 25M–100M messages through Twilio. For adoption, Twilio ranks 1st of 7 providers based on new channel connections, with adoption slowing over the period. Twilio reported 25 status page updates over the last 90 days, 25 of which were in the last 30 days.
Response time
Response time measures how long Twilio takes to accept an SMS API request from Knock, including connection overhead and any automatic retries. Lower values mean faster message hand-off.
| Median (p50) | p90 | p95 | p99 |
|---|---|---|---|
118ms | 142ms | 152ms | 179ms |
From July 25th to October 23rd, Twilio averaged a daily median response time (p50) of 118ms across all days in the range, meaning half of all SMS API requests on a typical day complete in under 118ms. The 99th percentile averaged 179ms, with a peak daily p99 of 271ms. This is slightly higher than some providers, which may reflect additional processing Twilio performs on message acceptance.
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.
| Avg. daily error rate | Highest daily rate | Peak error date | Zero-error days | Days above 0.01% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0.00% | 0.31% | Sep 1 | 90 | 1 |
From July 25th to October 23rd, Twilio averaged a 0.00% daily error rate for 5xx responses and timeouts, with the highest single-day error rate reaching 0.31%. This is one of the lowest error rates among providers on Knock, indicating strong reliability and consistent uptime. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
About these metrics: Data represents messages sent through Knock to Twilio during the specified period. Response time measures time from Knock to provider acceptance. Error rate includes only provider 5xx responses and timeouts.
Recent Twilio incidents
Recent status page incidents for Twilio
Ongoing since Nov 24, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Nov 23, 20:00 PST - Nov 24, 00:00 PST Oct 20, 19:20 PDT Scheduled - Twilio is conducting a planned maintenance from 23 November 2026 at 20:00 PST until 24 November 2026 at 00:00 PST. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays or failures delivering SMS and MMS to and from United States and Canada handsets when sending via long codes, short codes and toll free numbers.
Ongoing since Nov 19, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Nov 18, 21:00 PST - Nov 19, 03:00 PST Sep 30, 16:04 PDT Scheduled - Our SMS carrier partner in the United States is conducting a planned maintenance from 18 November 2026 at 21:00 PST until 19 November 2026 at 03:00 PST. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to and from United States handsets via subset of United States long codes.
Ongoing since Nov 19, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Nov 18, 20:00 PST - Nov 19, 00:00 PST Oct 20, 19:19 PDT Scheduled - Twilio is conducting a planned maintenance from 18 November 2026 at 20:00 PST until 19 November 2026 at 00:00 PST. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays or failures delivering SMS and MMS to and from United States and Canada handsets when sending via long codes, short codes and toll free numbers.
Ongoing since Nov 17, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Nov 16, 21:00 PST - Nov 17, 03:00 PST Sep 30, 13:34 PDT Scheduled - Our SMS carrier partner in the United States is conducting a planned maintenance from 16 November 2026 at 21:00 PST until 17 November 2026 at 03:00 PST. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to and from United States handsets via subset of United States long codes.
Ongoing since Nov 12, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Nov 11, 20:00 PST - Nov 12, 00:00 PST Oct 20, 19:19 PDT Scheduled - Twilio is conducting a planned maintenance from 11 November 2026 at 20:00 PST until 12 November 2026 at 00:00 PST. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays or failures delivering SMS and MMS to and from United States and Canada handsets when sending via subset of long codes, short codes and toll free numbers.
Pricing calculator
| Plan | Per message | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | $0.0083 | $830 |
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 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | $0.0045 | $0.0025 | |
| AT&T | $0.003 | $0.003 | |
| Verizon | $0.004 | $0.00 | Increased May 1, 2026 |
| US Cellular | $0.005 | $0.00 | Increased Jan 19, 2026 |
Compare Twilio with other providers
About Twilio
Twilio is the most widely adopted cloud communications platform, offering SMS, MMS, voice, and WhatsApp through a unified API.
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
- 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
Twilio is an SMS provider commonly used for two-factor authentication and otp, transactional notifications, marketing campaigns and promotions. Twilio is the most widely adopted cloud communications platform, offering SMS, MMS, voice, and WhatsApp through a unified API.
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. Twilio does not offer a permanent free tier.
Based on real-world data from messages sent through Knock, Twilio accepts SMS API requests with a median response time of 118ms (p50) and 179ms at the 99th percentile.
From July 25th to October 23rd, Twilio showed an error rate of 0.00% for 5xx responses and timeouts across 25M–100M messages sent through Knock. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
Key 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, per-message pricing can add up at high volumes without committed-use discounts and phone number provisioning and compliance setup can be complex for new users.
Yes. Knock has a native Twilio integration that enables you to send SMS notifications through Twilio as part of a cross-channel workflow. You can combine Twilio with other channels like in-app feeds, push, email, and Slack from a single API call.
Use Twilio with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Twilio alongside other notification channels, manage templates, and orchestrate cross-channel workflows from a single platform.