MessageBird vs Telnyx
Compare MessageBird 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <1M | 5th of 7 → | 7 | 13 |
| <1M | 3rd of 7 → | 58 | 159 |
From March 5th to June 3rd, Knock routed <1M messages through MessageBird and <1M through Telnyx. MessageBird reported 13 status page updates over the last 90 days, while Telnyx reported 159.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 332ms | 433ms | 457ms | 553ms |
| 272ms | 371ms | 482ms | 655ms |
The chart above shows each provider's daily median response time (p50) from March 5th to June 3rd. The top-line number is an average of these daily values: MessageBird averaged 332ms compared to 272ms for Telnyx. MessageBird's highest daily p50 was 519ms; Telnyx's was 324ms. Telnyx is 60ms 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, MessageBird has a p90 of 433ms compared to 371ms for Telnyx. The highest daily p90 was 862ms for MessageBird and 543ms for Telnyx. Telnyx handles these slower requests 62ms 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, MessageBird reached 553ms at p99 while Telnyx reached 655ms. The highest daily p99 was 7528ms for MessageBird and 5216ms for Telnyx, 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% | Mar 5 | 80 | 0 |
| 0.03% | 0.32% | May 28 | 44 | 31 |
Averaged across the date range, MessageBird shows a 0.00% daily error rate compared to 0.03% for Telnyx. The highest single-day error rate was 0.00% for MessageBird and 0.32% for Telnyx. 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 MessageBird incidents
Recent status page incidents for MessageBird
Started Jun 4, 2026 — Resolved Jun 4, 2026
Jun 4, 14:02 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jun 4, 13:13 CEST Investigating - Flows and Journeys are unable to retrieve the Message Body property for Conversation Messages. We are investigating the issue.
Started Jun 4, 2026 — Resolved Jun 4, 2026
Jun 4, 13:42 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jun 4, 11:57 CEST Monitoring - Between 9:30 AM and 9:34 AM UTC, there has been an intermittent increase in delivery latency for messages sent. The issue has been resolved. We are monitoring the situation.
Started Jun 1, 2026 — Resolved Jun 1, 2026
Jun 1, 19:22 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jun 1, 18:51 CEST Monitoring - The processing has caught up and we are monitoring to ensure it doesn't get behind again. Jun 1, 18:33 CEST Investigating - We are currently looking into an issue where processing conversations date is running behind in our US West cluster. This is causing the reporting to be behind.
Started May 20, 2026 — Resolved May 20, 2026
May 20, 12:16 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. May 20, 12:06 CEST Investigating - We are currently investigating an issue where the overview pages for Journeys, Flows, Search and other products are down and unavailable.
Started May 16, 2026 — Resolved May 16, 2026
May 16, 09:43 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. 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.
Recent Telnyx incidents
Recent status page incidents for Telnyx
Started Jun 4, 2026 — Resolved Jun 4, 2026
Status: Complete Maintenance has completed Affected components US (Under maintenance)
Ongoing since Jun 3, 2026
Status: Scheduled We will be migrating Wireguard servers in the London (LD6) region from Equinix infrastructure. The same IP addresses will be used, so impact should be limited to client re-handshake with the new server. No customer action required. Affected components Cloud VPN (Under maintenance) Programmable Wireless (Under maintenance)
Started Jun 2, 2026 — Resolved Jun 2, 2026
Status: Complete Maintenance has completed Affected components Europe (Under maintenance)
Started Jun 2, 2026 — Resolved Jun 2, 2026
Status: Complete Maintenance has completed Affected components Cloud VPN (Under maintenance)
Started Jun 2, 2026 — Resolved Jun 2, 2026
Status: Complete Maintenance has completed Affected components Europe (Under maintenance) US (Under maintenance) Europe (Under maintenance) US (Under maintenance)
Pricing comparison
| Provider | Plan | Per message | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| MessageBird | Local number | $0.0003 | $31 |
| Telnyx | Pay-as-you-go | $0.004 | $400 |
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.
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 |
Pros and cons
MessageBird
Telnyx
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
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
- 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
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 MessageBird and Telnyx?
MessageBird (now Bird) is an omnichannel communications platform with global SMS coverage and a unified messaging API. Telnyx is a developer-first communications platform with competitive pricing and a private IP network for reliable SMS delivery. MessageBird is best suited for global omnichannel messaging, while Telnyx is geared toward cost-effective developer sms.
Which is cheaper, MessageBird or Telnyx?
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. 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, MessageBird or Telnyx?
Based on real-world data from Knock, MessageBird has a median SMS API response time (p50) of 332ms compared to 272ms for Telnyx.
Which is more reliable, MessageBird or Telnyx?
From March 5th to June 3rd, MessageBird showed an error rate of 0.00% while Telnyx showed 0.03%. 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, MessageBird or Telnyx?
On the Knock platform, MessageBird handled <1M messages from March 5th to June 3rd compared to <1M for Telnyx. MessageBird volume has remained stable, while Telnyx volume has remained stable.
Can I use both MessageBird and Telnyx together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple SMS providers into a single notification workflow. You can use MessageBird 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 MessageBird vs Telnyx?
MessageBird strengths include strong global coverage with direct carrier connections in 190+ countries and unified api across sms, whatsapp, telegram, and other channels. 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, MessageBird drawbacks include pricing is published as per-country rate cards rather than simple headline rates, making comparison harder, while Telnyx drawbacks include smaller community and ecosystem compared to twilio.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate MessageBird, 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.