Plivo vs Telnyx
Compare Plivo and Telnyx based on observed SMS API performance, features, and pricing
Live performance comparison
Real-world performance data from messages sent through Knock
We don't have enough message volume through Knock for Plivo to publish statistically meaningful benchmarks yet. The data below reflects Telnyx only. Comparison charts will appear once both providers have sufficient data.
| Provider | Message volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 6 | 15 |
| 1M–10M | 3rd of 7 ↑ | 65 | 162 |
From April 18th to July 17th, Knock routed 1M–10M messages through Telnyx. Telnyx reported 162 status page updates over the last 90 days, while Plivo reported 15.
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.
Telnyx has a median response time (p50) of 280ms, a p90 of 498ms, and a p99 of 1037ms from April 18th to July 17th. Comparison charts for Plivo will appear once enough data is available.
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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 0.03% | 0.32% | May 28 | 30 | 34 |
Averaged across April 18th to July 17th, Telnyx shows a 0.03% daily error rate. Comparison data for Plivo will appear once enough message volume is available. Knock automatically retries failed requests to minimize 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 Plivo incidents
Recent status page incidents for Plivo
Ongoing since Jul 17, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Jul 17, 18:30 - 20:30 UTC Jul 16, 11:41 UTC Scheduled - Dear Valued Customer, One of our carrier partners will be performing planned maintenance on their network infrastructure. During the maintenance window, customers may experience intermittent call failures for voice calls terminating to India. When is the maintenance? 17th July 2026 18:30 - 17th July 2026 20:30 UTC 17th July 2026 11:30 - 17th July 2026 13:30 PDT What services will be affected? Voice calls te
Started Jul 16, 2026 — Resolved Jul 16, 2026
Jul 16, 20:30 UTC Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed. Jul 16, 18:30 UTC In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary. Jul 16, 03:15 UTC Scheduled - Dear Valued Customer, One of our carrier partners will be performing planned maintenance on their network infrastructure. During the maintenance window, customers may experience intermittent call failures for voice calls terminating to India. When is the maintenance?
Started Jul 11, 2026 — Resolved Jul 11, 2026
Jul 11, 09:57 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jul 11, 09:32 UTC Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jul 11, 07:47 UTC Investigating - Dear Valued Customer, We have identified an issue causing failures for outbound MMS messages sent from Toll-Free numbers (US & Canada). The failures are due to a connectivity issue with an upstream carrier partner, and affected messages are failing to be delivered. SMS traffic and MMS sent over other r
Started Jul 2, 2026 — Resolved Jul 2, 2026
Jul 2, 16:29 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jul 2, 13:45 UTC Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jul 2, 13:40 UTC Investigating - Dear Valued Customer, We are currently experiencing a full outbound call outage. Our team is actively engaged and working to identify the root cause and restore service as quickly as possible. We will share our next update within 30 minutes, or sooner if there is a material change. For urgent concern
Started Jun 30, 2026 — Resolved Jun 30, 2026
Jun 30, 09:45 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jun 30, 09:38 UTC Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jun 30, 08:00 UTC Investigating - Dear Valued Customer, We are observing outbound call failures in the India region. Calls from 9180 caller IDs are impacted. All other services are operating normally. We are working with out carrier partners to restore the service.
Recent Telnyx incidents
Recent status page incidents for Telnyx
Ongoing since Jul 17, 2026
Status: In progress Maintenance has started Affected components Programmable Wireless (Under maintenance)
Ongoing since Jul 17, 2026
Status: Scheduled The Wireless team will be performing maintenance on core wireless nodes in the Europe region. Devices in in the EMEA region and continental Asia may experience a brief (Affected components Programmable Wireless (Under maintenance)
Ongoing since Jul 17, 2026
Status: Scheduled The wireless team will be performing non service impacting maintenance on redundant nodes in the Europe region. No service impact is expected. Affected components Programmable Wireless (Under maintenance)
Ongoing since Jul 17, 2026
Status: In progress Our Telephony Engineers will be performing an update on our Voice Services across all regions Impact: This update is not expected to disrupt service. Action Required: If you experience any audio issues or dropped calls during this maintenance window, please report them immediately to Telnyx Support. Affected components San Jose, CA (Under maintenance) Ashburn, VA (Under maintenance) Ashburn, VA (Under maintenance) London, UK (Under maintenance) Chicago,
Started Jul 17, 2026 — Resolved Jul 17, 2026
Status: Complete Maintenance has completed Affected components US (Under maintenance) Europe (Under maintenance)
Pricing comparison
| Provider | Plan | Per message | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plivo | Pay-as-you-go | $0.0077 | $770 |
| Telnyx | Pay-as-you-go | $0.004 | $400 |
Plivo
Pay-as-you-go with no minimums or monthly fees. US outbound SMS costs $0.0077 per message. Inbound messages are $0.0055 each. Volume discounts available for high monthly usage. Carrier surcharges apply on top of the base rate.
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
Plivo
Telnyx
Pros
- Among the lowest per-message rates with automatic volume discounts
- Familiar API design modeled after Twilio, making migration straightforward
- 99.99% uptime SLA with direct carrier connections to 190+ countries
- Free inbound messages and no monthly minimums or base fees
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
- Narrower feature set with no native support for WhatsApp or other messaging channels
- Smaller community and fewer third-party tutorials compared to Twilio
- Web dashboard is functional but not polished for managing large number inventories
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 Plivo and Telnyx?
Plivo is a cost-effective communications platform with direct carrier connections, a Twilio-compatible API design, and a 99.99% uptime SLA. Telnyx is a developer-first communications platform with competitive pricing and a private IP network for reliable SMS delivery. Plivo is best suited for cost-effective high-volume sms, while Telnyx is geared toward cost-effective developer sms.
Which is cheaper, Plivo or Telnyx?
Pay-as-you-go with no minimums or monthly fees. US outbound SMS costs $0.0077 per message. Inbound messages are $0.0055 each. Volume discounts available for high monthly usage. Carrier surcharges apply on top of the base rate. 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, Plivo or Telnyx?
Based on real-world data from Knock, Telnyx has a median SMS API response time (p50) of 280ms. We don't yet have enough data for Plivo to make a direct comparison.
Which is more reliable, Plivo or Telnyx?
From April 18th to July 17th, Telnyx showed an error rate of 0.03%. We don't yet have enough data for Plivo to compare reliability directly. Knock automatically retries failed requests to minimize the impact of transient errors.
Which is more popular, Plivo or Telnyx?
On the Knock platform, Telnyx handled 1M–10M messages from April 18th to July 17th. Telnyx is currently trending upward in adoption. We don't yet have enough data for Plivo to compare popularity.
Can I use both Plivo and Telnyx together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple SMS providers into a single notification workflow. You can use Plivo 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 Plivo vs Telnyx?
Plivo strengths include among the lowest per-message rates with automatic volume discounts and familiar api design modeled after twilio, making migration straightforward. 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, Plivo drawbacks include narrower feature set with no native support for whatsapp or other messaging channels, while Telnyx drawbacks include smaller community and ecosystem compared to twilio.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Plivo, 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.