Plivo vs Telnyx: voice and SMS API pricing compared
Updated 2026-11-01 · listed A to Z, not ranked
Plivo sells messaging and voice on a pay-as-you-go plan or an Enterprise plan with a monthly commitment. US messaging is billed per message, and numbers per month.
Telnyx is a telecom carrier with APIs for messaging, voice, numbers and AI inference. Its published prices split each service into separate invoice lines: Telnyx’s own rate, plus pass-through fees such as carrier fees or the SIP trunk a call rides on.
Listed A to Z, from plivo.com and telnyx.com. Every figure below is quoted from those pages.
- Main price table
- Pay as you go, Enterprise
- Free option
- Pay as you go: $10 free credits, no card
- Published prices
- Pay-as-you-go with $10 free credit, Enterprise from $1,000/month, US SMS $0.0077, MMS, number rental and short codes.
- Main price table
- Send outbound, Receive inbound
- Free option
- None in the published plan table
- Published prices
- SMS from $0.004 per part plus carrier fees, voice API $0.002 per minute plus SIP trunking, volume tiers, and its x402 route.
How we checked: Prices quoted from each official pricing page: Plivo checked Nov 9, 2026, Telnyx checked Nov 9, 2026. Taxes, usage overages and promotions can change what you pay; confirm with each provider before you buy.
How they compare
- Main price table. Plivo lists 2 entries (Pay as you go, Enterprise); Telnyx lists 2 (Send outbound, Receive inbound).
- Free option. Plivo: Pay as you go: $10 free credits, no card. Telnyx: none in the published plan table.
- How prices are quoted. Plivo: “Plans”. Telnyx: “SMS and MMS (US, pay as you go)”.
Plivo plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | $10 free credits, no card | US and India coverage, 2 requests/s and 50 concurrent calls, up to $2,500 monthly usage |
| Enterprise | From $1,000 per month | 190+ countries, SMS, WhatsApp and Verify, short codes |
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| SMS, long code or short code (out or in) | $0.0077 |
| SMS, toll-free | $0.0079 |
| MMS, long code | $0.018 |
| MMS, toll-free or short code | $0.020 |
| Long code number | $0.50 per month |
| Toll-free number | $1.00 per month |
| Short code | $500 per month regular or $1,000 vanity (billed quarterly), plus $1,500 one-time |
From plivo.com, checked Nov 9, 2026. Full breakdown: Plivo pricing.
Telnyx plans and prices
| Direction | SMS | MMS |
|---|---|---|
| Send outbound | $0.004 per message part + carrier fee | $0.015 per message part + carrier fee |
| Receive inbound | $0.004 per message part + carrier fee | $0.005 per message part + carrier fee |
Charged per message part. Carrier pass-through fees are listed by carrier on the same page (for example $0.0035 to $0.0045 per SMS part for most large US carriers). Above 100M messages a month, outbound rates step down automatically, for example SMS to $0.0020 per part for the next 150M.
| Line | Price |
|---|---|
| Outbound calls | $0.002 per minute + the SIP trunking fee for outbound calls |
| Inbound on a local or toll-free number | $0.002 per minute + the SIP trunking fee for inbound calls |
| Call recording | $0.002 per minute |
| Conference calls | $0.002 per participant, per minute |
| Call transfer | $0.10 per invocation |
| Standard / premium answering machine detection | $0.002 / $0.0065 per call |
| Telnyx speech-to-text | $0.015 per minute |
Telnyx’s own worked example on the page uses $0.005 per minute for outbound and $0.0032 per minute for inbound SIP trunking. Phone numbers are priced separately (from $1.00 per number per month on its numbers page).
From telnyx.com, checked Nov 9, 2026. Full breakdown: Telnyx pricing.
FAQ
How much does Plivo cost?
Pay-as-you-go with $10 free credit, Enterprise from $1,000/month, US SMS $0.0077, MMS, number rental and short codes. (checked Nov 9, 2026).
How much does Telnyx cost?
SMS from $0.004 per part plus carrier fees, voice API $0.002 per minute plus SIP trunking, volume tiers, and its x402 route. (checked Nov 9, 2026).
Do Plivo and Telnyx have a free option?
Plivo: Pay as you go: $10 free credits, no card. Telnyx: none in the published plan table.
Where do these prices come from?
Each vendor's own pricing page: plivo.com (checked Nov 9, 2026) and telnyx.com (checked Nov 9, 2026). Prices change; confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Sources (official pages, read 2026-11-01)
- plivo.com
- plivo.com/pricing
- plivo.com/sms/pricing/us
- telnyx.com
- telnyx.com/pricing/messaging
- telnyx.com/pricing/call-control
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