Twilio vs Vapi: tool pricing compared
Updated 2026-11-10 · listed A to Z, not ranked
Twilio bills messaging per message segment and voice per minute, plus a monthly fee for each phone number. Carrier fees and 10DLC registration fees are charged on top.
Vapi is a platform for building voice AI agents. A call’s cost is Vapi’s own hosting fee plus the providers you pick for transcription, the language model and the voice, which Vapi passes through at cost, plus telephony if you use an outside carrier.
Listed A to Z, from twilio.com and vapi.ai. Every figure below is quoted from those pages.
- Main price table
- SMS outbound or inbound (long code, toll-free, short code), MMS outbound, MMS inbound, Failed message processing fee
- Free option
- None in the published plan table
- Published prices
- SMS $0.0083 per segment, MMS, voice per minute, phone number rental and the free trial credit.
- Main price table
- Vapi hosting, Transcriber, model, voice, Vapi telephony / SIP, WebSockets, Daily WebRTC, Twilio inbound / outbound (charged by the carrier), Vonage / Telnyx (charged by the carrier)
- Free option
- Vapi telephony / SIP, WebSockets, Daily WebRTC: Free
- Published prices
- $0.05 per minute Vapi hosting, provider costs passed through at cost, Core $29 and Pro $999 packages, concurrency and add-ons.
How we checked: Prices quoted from each official pricing page: Twilio checked Nov 10, 2026, Vapi checked Nov 10, 2026. Taxes, usage overages and promotions can change what you pay; confirm with each provider before you buy.
How they compare
- Main price table. Twilio lists 4 entries (SMS outbound or inbound (long code, toll-free, short code), MMS outbound, MMS inbound, Failed message processing fee); Vapi lists 5 (Vapi hosting, Transcriber, model, voice, Vapi telephony / SIP, WebSockets, Daily WebRTC, Twilio inbound / outbound (charged by the carrier), Vonage / Telnyx (charged by the carrier)).
- Free option. Twilio: none in the published plan table. Vapi: Vapi telephony / SIP, WebSockets, Daily WebRTC: Free.
- How prices are quoted. Twilio: “US messaging”. Vapi: “What a minute is made of”.
Twilio plans and prices
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| SMS outbound or inbound (long code, toll-free, short code) | $0.0083 per segment |
| MMS outbound | $0.022 per message |
| MMS inbound | $0.0165 ($0.02 toll-free) |
| Failed message processing fee | $0.001 |
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Local: make a call | $0.0140 per minute |
| Local: receive a call | $0.0085 per minute |
| Toll-free: make / receive | $0.0140 / $0.0220 per minute |
| Browser or app calling | $0.0040 per minute |
| SIP interface | $0.0040 per minute |
| Local number | $1.15 per month |
| Toll-free number | $2.15 per month |
From twilio.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Twilio pricing.
Vapi plans and prices
| Line | Price on vapi.ai/pricing |
|---|---|
| Vapi hosting | $0.05 per minute (prepaid) |
| Transcriber, model, voice | Passed through at the provider’s cost, no markup |
| Vapi telephony / SIP, WebSockets, Daily WebRTC | Free |
| Twilio inbound / outbound (charged by the carrier) | $0.008 / $0.014 per minute |
| Vonage / Telnyx (charged by the carrier) | $0.00814 / $0.0055 per minute |
New accounts get $5 in free credits. Vapi’s calculator shows ranges for one example setup: Deepgram transcriber $0.0095–$0.0099, OpenAI model $0.0077–$0.0452 and ElevenLabs voice $0.0146–$0.0238 per minute; its 1,000-minute example totals $82–$129 a month (Nov 3, 2026).
| Package | Price | Concurrent calls | Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage only | Pay per minute | 4 | 2 organizations, 1 Vapi phone number, 14 days data retention |
| Core | $29 / month | 10 | 5 Vapi numbers, 30 days retention, ZDR, 2 business day email SLA |
| Pro | 10% of the Vapi hosting fee, $999 / month minimum | 30 | 10 numbers, 180 days retention, Slack support, 99% uptime SLA |
| Premier | Contact sales | Custom | 99.9% uptime SLA, SSO, dedicated SIP available |
Add-ons seen Nov 1, 2026: extra concurrent lines $10 per line per month, extra organizations $20 each per month, HIPAA $2,000 per month.
From vapi.ai, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Vapi pricing.
FAQ
How much does Twilio cost?
SMS $0.0083 per segment, MMS, voice per minute, phone number rental and the free trial credit. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
How much does Vapi cost?
$0.05 per minute Vapi hosting, provider costs passed through at cost, Core $29 and Pro $999 packages, concurrency and add-ons. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Do Twilio and Vapi have a free option?
Twilio: none in the published plan table. Vapi: Vapi telephony / SIP, WebSockets, Daily WebRTC: Free.
Which is better, Twilio or Vapi?
We do not pick a winner. The two price and package their products differently; the tables above quote each official pricing page so you can match a plan to your own usage.
Where do these prices come from?
Each vendor's own pricing page: twilio.com (checked Nov 10, 2026) and vapi.ai (checked Nov 10, 2026). Prices change; confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Sources (official pages, read 2026-11-10)
- twilio.com
- twilio.com/en-us/sms/pricing/us
- twilio.com/en-us/voice/pricing/us
- vapi.ai
- vapi.ai/pricing
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