by TelnyxSMS and messaging APIs
A pay-as-you-go SMS and MMS API on a carrier network Telnyx says it owns, at $0.004 per US message part with carrier and 10DLC fees passed through at cost.
US 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.
Telnyx prices a US 10DLC message part at $0.004 each way and lists carrier fees per carrier, passed through without markup, so the bill is the rate plus the carrier’s own fee. Messaging rates for every country are on a public USD rate sheet, and volume tiers are published. Opt-outs, 10DLC registration through the API, delivery and inbound webhooks and a choice of data region for message records are part of the platform, so a team pays mostly for the messages themselves. Our 10,000-text scenario comes to $85.89 a month, the lowest of the five APIs here.
Against 3 other products we reviewed in SMS and messaging APIs: what you pay for with each, the five access facts, the plan limits we recorded and each review's bottom line. The note under the table says how each one was checked.
| Metric | Telnyx Messaging API | Sinch SMS API | Twilio Programmable Messaging | AWS End User Messaging SMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | 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. | 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. | Compliance includedUS texting with every fee and the compliance paperwork on public pages, plus opt-outs and 10DLC registration handled through the API. | 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. |
| Overall score | 8.2Best | 7.6 | 7.2 | 6.9 |
| Free option | Free trial | Free trial | 30-day free trial | Paid only |
| Card to start | No card needed | No card needed | No card needed | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve | Approval wait |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $0.004/SMS part | $0.0078/message | $0.0083/SMS segment | $0.00774/US SMS + carrier fee |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| US SMS rate (10DLC) | $0.004 per part, outbound or inbound | $0.0078 per message, outbound or inbound | $0.0083 per segment, outbound or inbound | $0.00774 per message part, outbound; inbound $0.0075 |
| US carrier fees | Per carrier, no markup: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.0045 (outbound) | Per carrier: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.0050 (outbound; carrier fee article of Oct 1, 2026) | Per carrier: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.005 (outbound) | One all-network fee: $0.00421 (10DLC, long code, toll-free) |
| Local number | $1.00/mo plus $0.10/mo for SMS and MMS | $1.00/mo plus $1.00 setup | $1.15/mo | $1/mo (10DLC) |
| 10DLC registration fees | Passed through: brand $4.50, campaign review $15, $1.50/mo low-volume mixed | 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 vetting $15, $1.50/mo low-volume mixed | Brand $4.50, optional brand vetting $41.50, campaign $2/mo low-volume or $10/mo; no campaign vetting fee listed |
| Reference scenario (10,000 US texts/mo) | $85.89, computed | $134.00, computed | $130.61, computed | $122.88, computed |
| Free option | $5 testing credit after a fraud review, no card; texts only to your own verified number | Trial credit, no card ($2 for US accounts per archived help); texting sandbox | 30-day trial: 100 SMS to up to 5 verified numbers, no card | None for SMS; sandbox sends billed texts to up to 10 verified numbers |
| Volume discounts | Published tiers, from 100M parts/mo on local numbers | Not published; contact sales | Mentioned but not published; committed use by sales | None listed for SMS |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2; ISO 27001:2013 (scope not stated) | SOC 2 Type II naming the SMS API; group ISO 27001 certificate | SOC 2 Type 2 (all services) and ISO 27001 | Listed in AWS SOC 1/2/3 and ISO 27001 scope |
| HIPAA BAA | Yes, US messaging traffic only; rate sheet lists $2,500/mo | Product-level BAAs offered; SMS API not named | Yes, SMS eligible; needs Security or Enterprise Edition | HIPAA eligible under the AWS BAA (voice and WhatsApp excluded) |
| Non-US data region | EU (Germany), Australia, UAE or Canada, chosen once | EU (Ireland, Sweden), Australia, Brazil, Canada through the account manager | Ireland (IE1) for SMS; no +1 numbers there | The AWS Region you pick, EU Regions included |
| Opt-out handling | Automatic STOP and similar keywords; AI detection $0.002 per message | Automatic STOP blocking once consent management is switched on (Conversation API) | Automatic STOP/HELP on long code and toll-free | Automatic STOP/HELP by default; self-managed optional |
| SSO | SAML through Organizations; no plan gate stated | SAML in Sinch Build; no plan condition stated | SAML 2.0 in Twilio Editions, by sales | SAML 2.0 through IAM Identity Center, no extra charge |
| Bottom line | 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. | 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, Twilio publishes every US fee and a full set of compliance documents for SMS, with opt-outs and 10DLC registration handled by the platform. Our scenario costs more than at Telnyx or AWS, volume tiers are not published, and a few pages disagree on fees. | 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. |
Evidence: Telnyx Messaging API: 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; Twilio Programmable Messaging: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; AWS End User Messaging SMS: 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.
Review from public pages
Written from Telnyx Messaging API's public pages (pricing, security or privacy, and docs) as read on Oct 15, 2026. We did not sign up, and no hands-on run is published yet.
We read Telnyx's messaging pricing page, its full rate sheet (telnyx.com/pricing.md), the numbers and Verify pricing pages, the SMS product page, the help center article "10DLC Fees and Charges", the developer docs (send a message, account levels, opt-outs, webhooks, 10DLC registration, data locality), the Data & Privacy page, the HIPAA architecture guide, the terms of service and the help articles on Organizations and SAML SSO on Oct 15, 2026; we did not sign up, send a message or call the public pricing API for this review. The trust center at trust.telnyx.com returned a bot challenge, so compliance facts come from the Data & Privacy page. The country links on the pricing page all lead to the US rates today, so other countries' rates were read from the rate sheet.
The pages make the US cost clear. A message part costs $0.004 each way on a local or 10DLC number, carrier fees are listed per carrier and passed through without markup, a local number is $1.00 a month plus $0.10 for SMS, and the 10DLC article lists the brand, campaign review and monthly campaign fees. The account level docs make the path clear too: a Trial account, which needs a fraud review, gets $5 of testing credit for texts to your own verified number, and the Paid tier lists "No access to 10DLC", so US A2P sending needs the Verified tier with KYC.
A few things need a question. The 10DLC fee article lists $0.003 carrier fees for AT&T and T-Mobile, the pricing page $0.0035 and $0.0045. The pricing page shows "$0 support · HIPAA", while the rate sheet lists a $2,500/mo BAA charge and "Community support" for pay-as-you-go. The pricing page names a $2,000/mo Growth plan where the rate sheet names a $500/mo Committed plan. And the rate sheet lists one-time T-Mobile campaign fees of $50 that the fee article does not explain.
A part costs $0.004 each way on local and 10DLC numbers, and our 10,000-text scenario comes to $85.89 a month (computed), about half of it carrier fees.
Compared: Plivo lists $0.0077, AWS $0.00774, Sinch $0.0078 and Twilio $0.0083 per segment before carrier fees.
Carrier fees are listed per carrier for outbound and inbound traffic, 10DLC fees are passed through at cost, and the rate sheet adds messaging rates for every country in USD.
Compared: Sinch’s carrier fees are in a help article that calls them "only indications", and AWS gives one all-network carrier fee.
Local SMS drops to $0.0020 for the next 150M parts above 100M a month and down to $0.0005; short codes have tiers from 500K parts.
Compared: Twilio, Plivo, Sinch and AWS publish no SMS volume tiers.
STOP and similar keywords create a block rule by default and START or UNSTOP removes it. Brands and campaigns register through the API, and delivery and inbound events arrive by signed webhook with retries.
The Okta SAML guide enables SSO from an Organization in the portal, with no plan gate stated; permission groups and an audit log API are documented. Message records can be kept in the EU, Australia, the UAE or Canada.
Compared: Twilio and Plivo sell SSO through sales-priced plans, and Plivo lists no non-US region for SMS.
The account level docs list "No access to 10DLC" on the Paid tier; the Verified tier adds a KYC review and an AI agent evaluation. Some accounts use a separate Level 1 / Level 2 framework instead.
Workaround: Plan the KYC review before US A2P sending; the quickstart tests between two Telnyx numbers without carrier registration.
The $5 testing credit sends only to your own verified number, up to 100 messages a day, with one local number reclaimed within 30 days unless the account upgrades. The docs describe no test credentials or sandbox that does not bill; the Trial tier they call a sandbox uses the $5 credit.
Workaround: Test between two purchased Telnyx numbers, which are billed at normal rates.
Carrier fees differ between the 10DLC article and the pricing page, the pricing page shows "$0 support · HIPAA" while the rate sheet lists a $2,500/mo BAA charge, and the plan names and minimums differ between the pricing page and the rate sheet.
Workaround: The rate sheet says its rates are read live from the same pricing API the /pricing pages render; ask for the BAA and plan terms in writing.
The DPA is available on request and signed electronically, and the ISO certificate copy is on request. The terms run one year and renew for 12-month periods unless you give 90 days’ notice.
Workaround: Terms 6.4 let you deactivate the account once the balance owed is $2 or less and no commitment applies; the agreement’s term keeps running while the account is deactivated.
You pay per message part, sent or received, plus a carrier fee per part, number rental and 10DLC registration, with no platform fee. For our scenario: 10,000 × $0.004 = $40.00, carrier fees averaging $0.004167 add $41.67, a local number with SMS $1.10, a low-volume mixed campaign $1.50, and the $4.50 brand plus $15 campaign review spread over 12 months $1.63, for $85.89 a month (computed). With the fee article’s $0.003 for AT&T and T-Mobile it would be $79.23. Campaign fees are billed three months up front, and the article says a campaign may be submitted for review more than once at $15 each unless you give advance notice. Volume tiers start above 100M parts a month; below that, the Growth plan’s 15% discount needs a $2,000/mo minimum spend. Taxes are extra.
The terms (11.4) let numbers be ported out with Telnyx’s written consent, with port-out fees paid in advance (the amount is not stated); trial numbers cannot be ported out. Message detail records give status and cost per message, with MDR reports for messages older than 10 days, and the opt-out list can be read through the API. The agreement renews yearly unless you give 90 days’ notice.
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.
| Limit | As recorded |
|---|---|
| US SMS rate (10DLC) | $0.004 per part, outbound or inbound |
| US carrier fees | Per carrier, no markup: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.0045 (outbound) |
| Local number | $1.00/mo plus $0.10/mo for SMS and MMS |
| 10DLC registration fees | Passed through: brand $4.50, campaign review $15, $1.50/mo low-volume mixed |
| Reference scenario (10,000 US texts/mo) | $85.89, computed |
| Free option | $5 testing credit after a fraud review, no card; texts only to your own verified number |
| Volume discounts | Published tiers, from 100M parts/mo on local numbers |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2; ISO 27001:2013 (scope not stated) |
| HIPAA BAA | Yes, US messaging traffic only; rate sheet lists $2,500/mo |
| Non-US data region | EU (Germany), Australia, UAE or Canada, chosen once |
| Opt-out handling | Automatic STOP and similar keywords; AI detection $0.002 per message |
| SSO | SAML through Organizations; no plan gate stated |
Read from the vendor's public pages on Oct 15, 2026. No hands-on run is published yet. How we check
We have not published a sign-up run for Telnyx Messaging API yet. The access facts above were read from its sign-up and pricing pages on Oct 15, 2026.
We have not published API calls for Telnyx Messaging API yet.
Telnyx Messaging API lists 6 plans. The cheapest paid plan, Pay as you go, costs $0.004/SMS part.
Prices as listed, USD, excluding tax; observed 2026-10-15.
Source: telnyx.com pricing page. Prices change; the observed date above is when our agent read them.
We read the pricing pages, fee articles, security, legal and docs pages of three SMS APIs on the same day and scored them on the same six indicators. What 10,000 US texts a month cost with carrier and 10DLC fees, and who should pick which.
