Bandwidth Messaging API vs TextBee
Bandwidth Messaging API
bandwidth.com
TextBee
textbee.devSide by side
| Figure | Bandwidth Messaging API | TextBee |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $8.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 6 |
| Spec score · SMS API services | 8.9 (#2) | 8.2 (#18) |
| Spec score · SMS APIs | 8.9 (#2) | 7.9 (#22) |
| Inbound webhooks | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Bandwidth's developer documentation provides Messaging API integration guides for ServiceNow, Zendesk, and Salesforce. | The integrations page describes routes for GoHighLevel, Zapier, Make, n8n, Google Sheets, Home Assistant, Node-RED, Slack, Shopify, and WooCommerce. |
| Intended users | The product is aimed at companies that have outgrown a one-size-fits-all provider and need global scale and high throughput. | The maker says developers, small businesses, nonprofits, and hobbyists use TextBee for SMS from their own apps and automations. |
| Support | Messaging customers receive Signature support and can opt for Premium support packages with on-call, ongoing assistance. | The Free plan includes basic support, paid plans list priority support, and the maker provides support by email and through a Discord community. |
| Two-way SMS | Yes | Yes |
| What it does | The Messaging API sends SMS and MMS messages over HTTP. | TextBee turns an Android phone and its SIM into an SMS gateway that apps can use to send and receive messages through a REST API. |
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
TextBee
- FreeFree
- Pro (monthly)$14.99 a month
- Scale (monthly)$29.99 a month
- Pro (yearly)$99.99 a year
- Scale (yearly)$199.99 a year
- CustomPriced on request
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.