Bandwidth Messaging API vs Plivo SMS API
Bandwidth Messaging API
bandwidth.com
Plivo SMS API
plivo.comSide by side
| Figure | Bandwidth Messaging API | Plivo SMS API |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $0.01/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 18 |
| Spec score · SMS API services | 8.9 (#2) | 8.8 (#3) |
| Spec score · SMS APIs | 8.9 (#2) | 8.4 (#11) |
| Compliance | Bandwidth lists SOC 2 Type II compliance and says it meets HIPAA security requirements for eligible services. | Plivo lists GDPR, SOC 2, HIPAA/HITECH, PCI DSS Level 1, CSA STAR Level 1 and the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. |
| Founded | 1999 | 2011 |
| Global reach | The product page says its messaging options reach 120+ countries. | The SMS page says Plivo can deliver messages to 226 countries. |
| Headquarters | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | Austin, Texas, USA |
| Inbound webhooks | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Bandwidth's developer documentation provides Messaging API integration guides for ServiceNow, Zendesk, and Salesforce. | Official integrations include Microsoft Power Automate, Integromat, Zapier, Auth0, n8n, Pipedream, Integrately, GitHub Actions, Tray and EngageBay. |
| MMS support | Yes | Yes |
| SDK languages | Node.js,Python,Java,C#,PHP,Ruby | C#,Go,Java,Node.js,PHP,Python,Ruby |
| Short code support | Yes | Yes |
| Toll-free numbers | Yes | Yes |
| Two-way SMS | Yes | Yes |
Plans
Bandwidth Messaging API
- U.S. 10DLC SMS outboundFree
- U.S. Short code SMS outbound$0.01, paid once
- U.S. Toll-free SMS outbound$0.01, paid once
- U.S. 10DLC MMS outbound$0.02, paid once
- U.S. Short code MMS outbound$0.02, paid once
- U.S. Toll-free MMS outbound$0.02, paid once
Plivo SMS API
- Pay as you go$0.01 a month
- Long CodesPriced on request
- Short CodePriced on request
- Toll-FreePriced on request
- Long Codes rental$0.50 a month
- Toll-Free Numbers rental$1 a month
- Enterprise$1,000 a month
- SMS long codes$0.01, paid once
- SMS short codes$0.01, paid once
- SMS toll-free$0.01, paid once
In their own words
Bandwidth Messaging API
Bandwidth Messaging API sends SMS and MMS over HTTP, with two-way messaging, inbound webhooks, and options including 10DLC, short code, toll-free, alphanumeric, and global mobile number texting. The product page lists reach in 120+ countries. Traffic monitoring can show unregistered traffic and messages blocked by carriers or Bandwidth, with alerts by email or webhook. Registration Center can autofill customer and campaign data for Short Code and 10DLC; RCS is described as coming soon. Developer guides cover ServiceNow, Zendesk, and Salesforce integrations. New accounts have a default outbound testing limit of 1 message per second, while A2P traffic can go up to the account limit. If a webhook does not receive an HTTP 2xx response, delivery is retried multiple times over 24 hours and then stops. Bandwidth says it does not store message text and retains metadata for queries after successful webhook delivery. Pricing is on request, with a free trial but no free plan. Listed U.S. outbound rates include free for 10DLC SMS, $0.01, paid once for short code or toll-free SMS, and $0.02, paid once for listed MMS routes.
Plivo SMS API
Plivo SMS API has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.