Amazon SNS vs MessageBird
Compare Amazon SNS and MessageBird based on observed SMS API performance, features, and pricing
Live performance comparison
Real-world performance data from messages sent through Knock
| Provider | Message volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25M–100M | 2nd of 7 → | 0 | 0 |
| <1M | 5th of 7 → | 4 | 12 |
From February 13th to May 14th, Knock routed 25M–100M messages through Amazon SNS and <1M through MessageBird. Amazon SNS reported 0 status page updates over the last 90 days, while MessageBird reported 12.
Response time
Response time measures how long each provider takes to accept an SMS API request from Knock, including connection overhead and any automatic retries. Lower values mean faster message hand-off.
| Provider | Median (p50) | p90 | p95 | p99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79ms | 382ms | 779ms | 803ms |
| 328ms | 429ms | 454ms | 552ms |
The chart above shows each provider's daily median response time (p50) from February 13th to May 14th. The top-line number is an average of these daily values: Amazon SNS averaged 79ms compared to 328ms for MessageBird. Amazon SNS's highest daily p50 was 86ms; MessageBird's was 519ms. Amazon SNS is 249ms faster at the median, which can add up at high volumes.
The 90th percentile (p90) captures the slowest 10% of requests, revealing how each provider handles moderate stress. Averaged across all days, Amazon SNS has a p90 of 382ms compared to 429ms for MessageBird. The highest daily p90 was 775ms for Amazon SNS and 862ms for MessageBird. Amazon SNS handles these slower requests 47ms faster, suggesting more consistent performance across the board.
The 99th percentile (p99) represents the long tail — the slowest 1% of requests. Averaged across all days, Amazon SNS reached 803ms at p99 while MessageBird reached 552ms. The highest daily p99 was 865ms for Amazon SNS and 7528ms for MessageBird, indicating the worst-case response time during spikes or provider-side congestion. MessageBird shows a tighter tail, which may matter for time-sensitive SMS notifications like one-time passwords or real-time alerts where even rare delays can impact user experience.
Error rate
Error rate tracks the ratio of 5xx responses and timeouts to total SMS API requests. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
| Provider | Avg. daily error rate | Highest daily rate | Peak error date | Zero-error days | Days above 0.01% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00% | 0.00% | Feb 13 | 91 | 0 |
| 0.00% | 0.00% | Feb 15 | 80 | 0 |
Averaged across the date range, Amazon SNS shows a 0.00% daily error rate compared to 0.00% for MessageBird. The highest single-day error rate was 0.00% for Amazon SNS and 0.00% for MessageBird This peak coincided with a major incident reported on MessageBird's status page (Data Platform Degraded Performance - US-WEST region).. Both providers show similar reliability levels, with error rates well within acceptable thresholds. Knock automatically retries failed requests to both providers, minimizing the impact of transient errors on end-user delivery.
About these metrics: Data represents messages sent through Knock during the specified period. Response time measures time from Knock to provider acceptance. Error rate includes only provider 5xx responses and timeouts.
Recent Amazon SNS incidents
Recent status page incidents for Amazon SNS
No incidents reported in the last 90 days
Recent MessageBird incidents
Recent status page incidents for MessageBird
Started May 13, 2026 — Resolved May 13, 2026
May 13, 15:33 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved.May 13, 14:25 CEST Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.May 13, 14:16 CEST Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented.May 13, 13:33 CEST Investigating - We are currently experiencing an issue where journeys are not displaying in the user interface. Journey runs are not affected and continue to execute normally. At this time, the issue is limited to the listing/viewin
Started May 12, 2026 — Resolved May 12, 2026
May 12, 16:16 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved.May 12, 15:58 CEST Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.May 12, 15:41 CEST Investigating - We are currently experiencing delays in processing journeys. The team is actively working to increase processing speed and reduce delays.
Started May 8, 2026 — Resolved May 8, 2026
May 8, 12:55 CEST Identified - KPN Netherlands has reported issues with A2P delivery to a small subset of their customer base, which may cause messages to be delivered with a delay or not at all. We are working closely with their engineering teams to have this resolved.
Started May 1, 2026 — Resolved May 1, 2026
May 1, 23:37 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved.May 1, 23:14 CEST Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented.May 1, 22:06 CEST Investigating - We are seeing elevated errors with conversations involving bots in the EU region and we are currently investigating this issue.
Started Apr 7, 2026 — Resolved Apr 7, 2026
Apr 7, 10:32 CEST Resolved - All backlog fully processed.Apr 7, 09:28 CEST Monitoring - We've identified the cause of the issue affecting wait steps in automations. A rapid spike in automation activity outpaced our infrastructure's autoscaling response, leading to a temporary processing backlog. Our systems have since scaled to meet demand and the backlog is expected to clear completely in 30mins.Apr 7, 07:49 CEST Investigating - We are currently investigating this issue.
Pricing comparison
| Provider | Plan | Per message | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon SNS | Pay-as-you-go | $0.007 | $700 |
| MessageBird | Local number | $0.0003 | $31 |
Amazon SNS
US outbound SMS costs $0.007 per message. Origination numbers are billed separately. Amazon SNS charges a flat $0.00302 carrier fee per message, regardless of destination carrier.
MessageBird
Bird (formerly MessageBird) publishes per-country rate cards rather than a single headline price. US outbound SMS via local numbers costs $0.00031 per message, with short codes at $0.0009 and toll-free at $0.00147. Carrier surcharges apply on top. International rates vary widely by destination.
US carrier surcharges
All US A2P SMS sent via 10DLC incurs mandatory carrier fees on top of the provider base rate. Most providers pass these through at cost.
| Carrier | Outbound SMS | Inbound SMS |
|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | $0.0045 | $0.0025 |
| AT&T | $0.003 | $0.003 |
| Verizon | $0.004 | $0.00 |
| US Cellular | $0.005 | $0.00 |
Amazon SNS flat carrier fee. Amazon SNS charges a flat $0.00302 carrier fee per message, regardless of destination carrier. This makes costs more predictable compared to providers that pass through variable per-carrier fees.
Pros and cons
Amazon SNS
MessageBird
Pros
- Among the lowest per-message costs for US domestic SMS
- Deep integration with the AWS ecosystem and IAM permissions
- Reliable infrastructure backed by Amazon's global network
- Supports 200+ countries and regions
Pros
- Strong global coverage with direct carrier connections in 190+ countries
- Unified API across SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, and other channels
- Visual flow builder enables non-technical users to create messaging workflows
- Now part of Bird, offering an expanded platform for customer engagement
Cons
- New accounts are sandboxed and require a support request to go to production
- SMS features are a subset of the broader SNS pub/sub service, which can be confusing
- Limited built-in analytics compared to dedicated SMS platforms
Cons
- Pricing is published as per-country rate cards rather than simple headline rates, making comparison harder
- Rebranding to Bird has caused some confusion in documentation and branding
- Smaller developer community compared to Twilio
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Amazon SNS and MessageBird?
Amazon SNS is a cost-effective SMS service built on AWS infrastructure, ideal for applications already in the AWS ecosystem. MessageBird (now Bird) is an omnichannel communications platform with global SMS coverage and a unified messaging API. Amazon SNS is best suited for aws-native applications, while MessageBird is geared toward global omnichannel messaging.
Which is cheaper, Amazon SNS or MessageBird?
US outbound SMS costs $0.007 per message. Origination numbers are billed separately. Amazon SNS charges a flat $0.00302 carrier fee per message, regardless of destination carrier. Bird (formerly MessageBird) publishes per-country rate cards rather than a single headline price. US outbound SMS via local numbers costs $0.00031 per message, with short codes at $0.0009 and toll-free at $0.00147. Carrier surcharges apply on top. International rates vary widely by destination. The best value depends on your sending volume and destination countries.
Which is faster, Amazon SNS or MessageBird?
Based on real-world data from Knock, Amazon SNS has a median SMS API response time (p50) of 79ms compared to 328ms for MessageBird.
Which is more reliable, Amazon SNS or MessageBird?
From February 13th to May 14th, Amazon SNS showed an error rate of 0.00% while MessageBird showed 0.00%. Both rates are within acceptable thresholds for production SMS delivery, and Knock automatically retries failed requests to minimize the impact of transient errors.
Which is more popular, Amazon SNS or MessageBird?
On the Knock platform, Amazon SNS handled 25M–100M messages from February 13th to May 14th compared to <1M for MessageBird. Amazon SNS volume has remained stable, while MessageBird volume has remained stable.
Can I use both Amazon SNS and MessageBird together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple SMS providers into a single notification workflow. You can use Amazon SNS and MessageBird side by side, route traffic between them, or migrate from one to the other without changing your application code.
What are the main pros and cons of Amazon SNS vs MessageBird?
Amazon SNS strengths include among the lowest per-message costs for us domestic sms and deep integration with the aws ecosystem and iam permissions. MessageBird strengths include strong global coverage with direct carrier connections in 190+ countries and unified api across sms, whatsapp, telegram, and other channels. On the other hand, Amazon SNS drawbacks include new accounts are sandboxed and require a support request to go to production, while MessageBird drawbacks include pricing is published as per-country rate cards rather than simple headline rates, making comparison harder.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Amazon SNS, MessageBird, or any combination of SMS providers into a single notification workflow. Manage templates, orchestrate cross-channel delivery, and switch providers without changing your code.