SMS and messaging APIs · Comparison

AWS End User Messaging SMS vs Sinch SMS API vs Telnyx Messaging API

3 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.

Side by side

AWS End User Messaging SMS vs Sinch SMS API vs Telnyx Messaging API: value, access facts, plan limits and bottom lines
Metric	AWS End User Messaging SMS	Sinch SMS API	Telnyx Messaging API
What you're paying for	Compliance includedUS texting from your own AWS account, inside AWS’s SOC 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA scope, with opt-outs, events and 10DLC registration as AWS APIs.	Built-in reachPrepaid SMS priced for 241 countries from one account, with US 10DLC registration in the same dashboard or API and a SOC 2 Type II that names the SMS API.	Worth the priceUS texting at $0.004 a part, the lowest published rate in this group, with carrier and 10DLC fees passed through at cost and every messaging rate public.
Overall score	6.9	7.6	8.2Best
Free option	Paid only	Free trial	Free trial
Card to start	–Not measured	No card needed	No card needed
Getting access	Approval wait	Self-serve	Self-serve
Starter priceCheapest paid plan	$0.00774/US SMS + carrier fee	$0.0078/message	$0.004/SMS part
Pricing model	Usage-based	Usage-based	Usage-based
Pricing page	Public prices	Public prices	Public prices
US SMS rate (10DLC)	$0.00774 per message part, outbound; inbound $0.0075	$0.0078 per message, outbound or inbound	$0.004 per part, outbound or inbound
US carrier fees	One all-network fee: $0.00421 (10DLC, long code, toll-free)	Per carrier: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.0050 (outbound; carrier fee article of Oct 1, 2026)	Per carrier, no markup: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.0045 (outbound)
Local number	$1/mo (10DLC)	$1.00/mo plus $1.00 setup	$1.00/mo plus $0.10/mo for SMS and MMS
10DLC registration fees	Brand $4.50, optional brand vetting $41.50, campaign $2/mo low-volume or $10/mo; no campaign vetting fee listed	Brand $4, campaign review $15 per submission, $10/mo standard or $1.50/mo low-volume mixed (under 10k SMS/mo); optional vetting $41.50	Passed through: brand $4.50, campaign review $15, $1.50/mo low-volume mixed
Reference scenario (10,000 US texts/mo)	$122.88, computed	$134.00, computed	$85.89, computed
Free option	None for SMS; sandbox sends billed texts to up to 10 verified numbers	Trial credit, no card ($2 for US accounts per archived help); texting sandbox	$5 testing credit after a fraud review, no card; texts only to your own verified number
Volume discounts	None listed for SMS	Not published; contact sales	Published tiers, from 100M parts/mo on local numbers
SOC 2 / ISO 27001	Listed in AWS SOC 1/2/3 and ISO 27001 scope	SOC 2 Type II naming the SMS API; group ISO 27001 certificate	SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2; ISO 27001:2013 (scope not stated)
HIPAA BAA	HIPAA eligible under the AWS BAA (voice and WhatsApp excluded)	Product-level BAAs offered; SMS API not named	Yes, US messaging traffic only; rate sheet lists $2,500/mo
Non-US data region	The AWS Region you pick, EU Regions included	EU (Ireland, Sweden), Australia, Brazil, Canada through the account manager	EU (Germany), Australia, UAE or Canada, chosen once
Opt-out handling	Automatic STOP/HELP by default; self-managed optional	Automatic STOP blocking once consent management is switched on (Conversation API)	Automatic STOP and similar keywords; AI detection $0.002 per message
SSO	SAML 2.0 through IAM Identity Center, no extra charge	SAML in Sinch Build; no plan condition stated	SAML through Organizations; no plan gate stated
Bottom line	From its public pages, AWS End User Messaging SMS pairs a published US price with AWS’s compliance scope, and SSO and an audit log at no extra charge. There is no trial, production needs approval per Region, and technical support is a paid plan.	From its public pages, Sinch offers a prepaid SMS API with per-country prices, SAML SSO, non-US servers and a SOC 2 Type II for SMS. Its US carrier and 10DLC fees sit in help articles that call them "only indications".	From its public pages, Telnyx has the lowest published US rate and scenario figure in this group, with every fee itemized and passed through at cost. US 10DLC needs the Verified tier with KYC, the trial is narrow, and several pages disagree on fees and plans.

Evidence: AWS End User Messaging SMS: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Sinch SMS API: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Telnyx Messaging API: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.

When to pick each

In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.

From our AWS End User Messaging SMS review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick AWS End User Messaging SMS when
You want the DPA built into the terms and SMS inside the compliance scope of the AWS account you already use.
Pick Telnyx Messaging API when
Price leads: $0.004 per part puts our scenario at $85.89 a month, with a $5 trial credit and support for every account.
From our AWS End User Messaging SMS review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick AWS End User Messaging SMS when
You need a HIPAA path for SMS, want the US carrier and 10DLC fees on the pricing page and price list, and a lower scenario figure ($122.88 against $134.00).
Pick Sinch SMS API when
You want trial credit without a card and a sandbox for test messages that does not bill.
From our Sinch SMS API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick Sinch SMS API when
You want a texting sandbox for tests and a DPA that is part of the online terms.
Pick Telnyx Messaging API when
Price leads: our scenario is $85.89 a month at Telnyx against $134.00 here, with carrier fees and volume tiers on its own pricing page.
From our Sinch SMS API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick Sinch SMS API when
You want a trial credit without a card, a sandbox that does not bill, and carrier fees listed per carrier.
Pick AWS End User Messaging SMS when
You already run on AWS and need a HIPAA BAA for SMS, CloudTrail audit logs and SSO through IAM Identity Center.
From our Telnyx Messaging API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick Telnyx Messaging API when
You want carrier fees on the pricing page itself, published volume tiers and a lower scenario figure ($85.89 against $134.00).
Pick Sinch SMS API when
You want a sandbox for simulated test messages that do not bill, and a DPA that is part of the online terms.
From our Telnyx Messaging API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick Telnyx Messaging API when
You want trial credit, carrier fees per carrier, support without a paid plan and a lower scenario figure ($85.89 against $122.88).
Pick AWS End User Messaging SMS when
You already run on AWS and want the BAA, DPA and CloudTrail under your AWS account, with SMS on your AWS invoice.

Entry price

Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.

AWS End User Messaging SMS
10DLC phone number
$1/mo
Per number; charged while the registration is pending
- Brand registration $4.50 one-time; brand vetting $41.50 optional
- Campaign $2/mo low-volume or $10/mo regular
- $12.50 extra for public for-profit brands
- $50 T-Mobile campaign activation fee postponed until further notice
Sinch SMS API
Local number (10DLC)
$1.00/mo
Plus $1.00 one-time setup
- 10DLC fees (fee article, updated Sep 17, 2026): brand $4, campaign review $15 per submission, low-volume mixed campaign $1.50/mo (under 10k SMS a month), most other campaigns $10/mo
- Campaign fees billed 3 months up front
Telnyx Messaging API
Local number (10DLC)
$1.10/mo
$1/mo per local number plus $0.10/mo to add SMS and MMS; no setup fee listed
- 10DLC fees passed through at cost: brand $4.50, campaign review $15
- Low-volume mixed campaign $1.50/mo; standard campaign $10/mo

Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: AWS End User Messaging SMS 2026-10-15, Sinch SMS API 2026-10-15, Telnyx Messaging API 2026-10-15.

Which one fits

If you need to start today without a sales call: Telnyx Messaging APISelf-serve sign-up, no card needed; the highest score of the 2 self-serve products here (8.2/10).
If you want to try it without entering a card: Telnyx Messaging APIFree trial, no card needed, and the highest score of the 2 that skip the card (8.2/10).
Lowest starter price: AWS End User Messaging SMS and Sinch SMS API$0.00774/US SMS + carrier fee for the Pay as you go plan each.
Highest overall score: Telnyx Messaging API8.2/10 (Excellent). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.

Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score

Full reviews

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