Plivo vs Twilio
Compare Plivo and Twilio 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 Twilio only. Comparison charts will appear once both providers have sufficient data.
| Provider | Message volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 7 | 17 |
| 100M–500M | 1st of 7 → | 25 | 25 |
From May 8th to August 6th, Knock routed 100M–500M messages through Twilio. Twilio reported 25 status page updates over the last 90 days, while Plivo reported 17.
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.
Twilio has a median response time (p50) of 55ms, a p90 of 120ms, and a p99 of 157ms from May 8th to August 6th. 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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 0.00% | 0.00% | May 8 | 91 | 0 |
Averaged across May 8th to August 6th, Twilio shows a 0.00% 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 Aug 13, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Aug 13, 22:30 UTC - Aug 14, 00:30 UTC Aug 5, 05:57 UTC Scheduled - Dear Valued Customer, We will be performing planned maintenance on our carrier layer to improve the overall reliability and resilience of our network infrastructure. Maintenance Window 2026-08-13 22:30 UTC to 2026-08-14 00:30 UTC 2026-08 14 04:00 IST to 2026-08-14 06:00 IST Impact During the maintenance window, customers may experience intermittent call failures or brief connectivity di
Started Aug 5, 2026 — Resolved Aug 5, 2026
Aug 5, 20:30 UTC Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed. Aug 5, 18:30 UTC In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary. Aug 5, 05:55 UTC Scheduled - Dear Valued Customer, We will be performing planned maintenance on our carrier layer to improve the overall reliability and resilience of our network infrastructure. Maintenance Window 2026-08-05 18:30 UTC to 2026-08-05 20:30 UTC 2026-08 06 00:00 IST to 2026-08-06 02
Started Aug 1, 2026 — Resolved Aug 1, 2026
Aug 1, 03:37 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jul 31, 18:36 UTC Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jul 31, 17:45 UTC Identified - We have identified the issue with our cloud service provider. Our team is working closely with them to resolve the issue, and we will provide another update as soon as more information becomes available. Jul 31, 17:01 UTC Investigating - Dear Valued Customer, We are observing outbound call failures in
Started Jul 20, 2026 — Resolved Jul 20, 2026
Jul 20, 09:15 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jul 20, 06:15 UTC Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jul 20, 06:05 UTC Investigating - Dear Valued Customers, We are currently observing intermittent call failures affecting both inbound and outbound calls to India. Our team is actively working with our carrier partner to identify the root cause and restore service as quickly as possible. We will provide our next update within the next
Started Jul 17, 2026 — Resolved Jul 17, 2026
Jul 17, 20:30 UTC Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed. Jul 17, 18:30 UTC In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary. 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?
Recent Twilio incidents
Recent status page incidents for Twilio
Ongoing since Oct 16, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Oct 16, 14:00 - 22:00 PDT Jul 29, 00:27 PDT Scheduled - Twilio will perform scheduled network maintenance in our IE1 region during an 8-hour window from 16 October 2026 at 14:00 PDT to 16 October 2026 at 22:00 PDT. During this window, customers may experience a brief service interruption of up to 90 seconds affecting the following: Interconnected Customers: All IE1 interconnected customers will experience a brief interconnection service interruption of up to 90 seco
Ongoing since Sep 18, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Sep 18, 08:00 - 11:00 PDT Aug 6, 03:33 PDT Scheduled - Twilio will perform a scheduled maintenance in our SG1 region during a 3-hour window on 18 September 2026 from 08:00 PDT to 11:00 PDT. During this maintenance, we will perform a Junos OS software upgrade of the SG1 QFX10K Edge1 Switch in the TNX Production SG1 environment. This maintenance represents the second phase of a two-part infrastructure upgrade. During this time, Voice, Interconnect, and Flex customers
Ongoing since Sep 4, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Sep 4, 08:00 - 11:00 PDT Aug 6, 05:04 PDT Scheduled - Twilio will perform a scheduled maintenance in our SG1 region during a 3-hour window on 4 September 2026 from 08:00 PDT to 11:00 PDT. During this maintenance, we will perform a Junos OS software upgrade of the SG1 QFX10K Edge2 Switch in the TNX Production SG1 environment. During this time, Voice, Interconnect, and Flex customers with SG1 interconnections may experience a brief interconnection service interruptio
Ongoing since Aug 31, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Aug 31, 13:00 - 17:00 PDT Jul 31, 08:38 PDT Scheduled - The Tele2 network in Russia is conducting a planned maintenance from 31 August 2026 at 13:00 PDT until 31 August 2026 at 17:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to Tele2 Russia handsets.
Ongoing since Aug 30, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Aug 30, 12:00 - 14:00 PDT Jul 30, 14:53 PDT Scheduled - The Globe Telecom network in the Philippines is conducting a planned maintenance from 30 August 2026 at 12:00 PDT until 30 August 2026 at 14:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to Globe Telecom Philippines handsets.
Pricing comparison
| Provider | Plan | Per message | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plivo | Pay-as-you-go | $0.0077 | $770 |
| Twilio | Pay-as-you-go | $0.0083 | $830 |
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.
Twilio
Outbound SMS to US numbers costs $0.0083 per message. Inbound messages are $0.0075 each. Phone numbers start at $1.15/month for local numbers. Carrier surcharges of ~$0.003–$0.005 per message apply on top of the base rate.
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
Twilio
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
- Largest ecosystem of SDKs, tutorials, and community resources for SMS
- Trusted by Airbnb, Uber, and Netflix for mission-critical messaging
- Comprehensive compliance tooling with opt-out management and content filtering
- Supports SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, and voice in a single platform
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
- Per-message pricing can add up at high volumes without committed-use discounts
- Phone number provisioning and compliance setup can be complex for new users
- Support response times vary by plan tier
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Plivo and Twilio?
Plivo is a cost-effective communications platform with direct carrier connections, a Twilio-compatible API design, and a 99.99% uptime SLA. Twilio is the most widely adopted cloud communications platform, offering SMS, MMS, voice, and WhatsApp through a unified API. Plivo is best suited for cost-effective high-volume sms, while Twilio is geared toward full-featured sms at scale.
Which is cheaper, Plivo or Twilio?
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. Outbound SMS to US numbers costs $0.0083 per message. Inbound messages are $0.0075 each. Phone numbers start at $1.15/month for local numbers. Carrier surcharges of ~$0.003–$0.005 per message apply on top of the base rate. The best value depends on your sending volume and destination countries.
Which is faster, Plivo or Twilio?
Based on real-world data from Knock, Twilio has a median SMS API response time (p50) of 55ms. We don't yet have enough data for Plivo to make a direct comparison.
Which is more reliable, Plivo or Twilio?
From May 8th to August 6th, Twilio showed an error rate of 0.00%. 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 Twilio?
On the Knock platform, Twilio handled 100M–500M messages from May 8th to August 6th. Twilio volume has remained stable. We don't yet have enough data for Plivo to compare popularity.
Can I use both Plivo and Twilio together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple SMS providers into a single notification workflow. You can use Plivo and Twilio 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 Twilio?
Plivo strengths include among the lowest per-message rates with automatic volume discounts and familiar api design modeled after twilio, making migration straightforward. Twilio strengths include largest ecosystem of sdks, tutorials, and community resources for sms and trusted by airbnb, uber, and netflix for mission-critical messaging. On the other hand, Plivo drawbacks include narrower feature set with no native support for whatsapp or other messaging channels, while Twilio drawbacks include per-message pricing can add up at high volumes without committed-use discounts.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Plivo, Twilio, or any combination of SMS providers into a single notification workflow. Manage templates, orchestrate cross-channel delivery, and switch providers without changing your code.