Amazon SNS vs Telnyx
Compare Amazon SNS and Telnyx 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–10M | 3rd of 7 → | 72 | 172 |
From May 8th to August 6th, Knock routed 25M–100M messages through Amazon SNS and 1M–10M through Telnyx. Amazon SNS reported 0 status page updates over the last 90 days, while Telnyx reported 172.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82ms | 405ms | 782ms | 809ms |
| 287ms | 608ms | 766ms | 1182ms |
The chart above shows each provider's daily median response time (p50) from May 8th to August 6th. The top-line number is an average of these daily values: Amazon SNS averaged 82ms compared to 287ms for Telnyx. Amazon SNS's highest daily p50 was 95ms; Telnyx's was 743ms. Amazon SNS is 205ms 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 405ms compared to 608ms for Telnyx. The highest daily p90 was 775ms for Amazon SNS and 2295ms for Telnyx. Amazon SNS handles these slower requests 203ms 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 809ms at p99 while Telnyx reached 1182ms. The highest daily p99 was 861ms for Amazon SNS and 10116ms for Telnyx, indicating the worst-case response time during spikes or provider-side congestion. Amazon SNS 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% | May 8 | 91 | 0 |
| 0.17% | 6.47% | Aug 5 | 20 | 43 |
Averaged across the date range, Amazon SNS shows a 0.00% daily error rate compared to 0.17% for Telnyx. The highest single-day error rate was 0.00% for Amazon SNS and 6.47% for Telnyx. Amazon SNS demonstrates a lower error rate, indicating slightly more consistent availability during this period. 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 Telnyx incidents
Recent status page incidents for Telnyx
Ongoing since Aug 7, 2026
Status: Monitoring We continue to monitor following the earlier mitigation. Services remain stable and no new reports of impact have been received. A final update will follow once resolution is confirmed. Affected components Australia (Partial outage) Asia (Beta) (Partial outage) Middle East (Partial outage) Europe (Partial outage) Canada (Partial outage) US (Partial outage)
Started Aug 7, 2026 — Resolved Aug 7, 2026
Status: Resolved This issue is now confirmed resolved as of 13.25 UTC by our engineering team. We continue to monitor traffic signs. Affected components Europe (Operational)
Ongoing since Aug 7, 2026
Status: Scheduled Telnyx will be applying software patches on network nodes in the European Pop. No impact to service is expected as this will be done on a rolling basis across redundant nodes. Affected components Programmable Wireless (Under maintenance)
Started Aug 7, 2026 — Resolved Aug 7, 2026
Status: Complete Maintenance has completed Affected components Programmable Wireless (Under maintenance)
Started Aug 6, 2026 — Resolved Aug 6, 2026
Status: Resolved This incident has been resolved. All services are operating normally Affected components API V1 (Operational) US (Operational) API V2 (Operational) US (Operational) API V2 (Operational) API V1 (Operational)
Pricing comparison
| Provider | Plan | Per message | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon SNS | Pay-as-you-go | $0.007 | $700 |
| Telnyx | Pay-as-you-go | $0.004 | $400 |
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.
Telnyx
No free tier. Outbound SMS to US numbers costs $0.004 per message. Inbound messages are $0.004 each. Phone numbers start at $1.00/month for local numbers. Carrier surcharges are passed through at cost with no markup.
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
Telnyx
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
- Among the lowest per-message rates for US domestic SMS
- Private IP network provides lower latency than providers using the public internet
- Transparent, pay-as-you-go pricing with no monthly minimums
- Strong developer experience with well-documented APIs and SDKs
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
- Smaller community and ecosystem compared to Twilio
- No free trial credits for new accounts
- Feature set is narrower than full-suite platforms like Twilio
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Amazon SNS and Telnyx?
Amazon SNS is a cost-effective SMS service built on AWS infrastructure, ideal for applications already in the AWS ecosystem. Telnyx is a developer-first communications platform with competitive pricing and a private IP network for reliable SMS delivery. Amazon SNS is best suited for aws-native applications, while Telnyx is geared toward cost-effective developer sms.
Which is cheaper, Amazon SNS or Telnyx?
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. No free tier. Outbound SMS to US numbers costs $0.004 per message. Inbound messages are $0.004 each. Phone numbers start at $1.00/month for local numbers. Carrier surcharges are passed through at cost with no markup. The best value depends on your sending volume and destination countries.
Which is faster, Amazon SNS or Telnyx?
Based on real-world data from Knock, Amazon SNS has a median SMS API response time (p50) of 82ms compared to 287ms for Telnyx.
Which is more reliable, Amazon SNS or Telnyx?
From May 8th to August 6th, Amazon SNS showed an error rate of 0.00% while Telnyx showed 0.17%. 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 Telnyx?
On the Knock platform, Amazon SNS handled 25M–100M messages from May 8th to August 6th compared to 1M–10M for Telnyx. Amazon SNS volume has remained stable, while Telnyx volume has remained stable.
Can I use both Amazon SNS and Telnyx together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple SMS providers into a single notification workflow. You can use Amazon SNS and Telnyx 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 Telnyx?
Amazon SNS strengths include among the lowest per-message costs for us domestic sms and deep integration with the aws ecosystem and iam permissions. Telnyx strengths include among the lowest per-message rates for us domestic sms and private ip network provides lower latency than providers using the public internet. On the other hand, Amazon SNS drawbacks include new accounts are sandboxed and require a support request to go to production, while Telnyx drawbacks include smaller community and ecosystem compared to twilio.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Amazon SNS, Telnyx, or any combination of SMS providers into a single notification workflow. Manage templates, orchestrate cross-channel delivery, and switch providers without changing your code.