MessageBird
performance benchmarks
Browse MessageBird's observed SMS API response time, error rates, and incident history over the last 90 days.
Live performance metrics
Real-world performance data from messages sent through Knock
| Message volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|
<1M | 7th of 7 → | 8 | 12 |
From July 9th to October 7th, Knock routed <1M messages through MessageBird. For adoption, MessageBird ranks 7th of 7 providers based on new channel connections, with adoption holding steady over the period. MessageBird reported 12 status page updates over the last 90 days, 8 of which were in the last 30 days.
Response time
Response time measures how long MessageBird takes to accept an SMS API request from Knock, including connection overhead and any automatic retries. Lower values mean faster message hand-off.
| Median (p50) | p90 | p95 | p99 |
|---|---|---|---|
249ms | 324ms | 345ms | 374ms |
From July 9th to October 7th, MessageBird averaged a daily median response time (p50) of 249ms across all days in the range, meaning half of all SMS API requests on a typical day complete in under 249ms. The 99th percentile averaged 374ms, with a peak daily p99 of 502ms. This is slightly higher than some providers, which may reflect additional processing MessageBird performs on message acceptance.
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.
| Avg. daily error rate | Highest daily rate | Peak error date | Zero-error days | Days above 0.01% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0.00% | 0.00% | Jul 9 | 80 | 0 |
From July 9th to October 7th, MessageBird averaged a 0.00% daily error rate for 5xx responses and timeouts, with the highest single-day error rate reaching 0.00%. This is one of the lowest error rates among providers on Knock, indicating strong reliability and consistent uptime. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
About these metrics: Data represents messages sent through Knock to MessageBird 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 Oct 5, 2026 — Resolved Oct 5, 2026
Oct 5, 21:12 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Oct 5, 21:11 CEST Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Oct 5, 20:40 CEST Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented. Oct 5, 20:18 CEST Investigating - We are currently investigating an increase in 5xx errors and delayed email deliveries. Please note: There is no impact to our Marketing Platform or SparkPost APIs.
Started Oct 4, 2026 — Resolved Oct 4, 2026
Oct 4, 18:13 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Oct 4, 17:41 CEST Monitoring - The situation has improved since 3:30 PM UTC. We are monitoring the services. Oct 4, 17:27 CEST Investigating - Since 2:55 PM UTC, we are experiencing increased latency with our SMS service (API, SMPP, Mail to SMS). We are investigating the issue and will provide an update as soon as we have more information.
Started Sep 26, 2026 — Resolved Sep 26, 2026
Sep 26, 18:17 CEST Resolved - Thank you for your patience. We are seeing a full recovery. No more errors are being returned, and all queues have caught up. Sep 26, 18:11 CEST Monitoring - We are monitoring the systems while they recover. All errors have stopped and all queues are recovering. Sep 26, 18:06 CEST Identified - We have found the cause of the issue cycling the bad instances. Recovery expected soon. Sep 26, 17:59 CEST Investigating - We are investigating an issue with the US
Started Sep 21, 2026 — Resolved Sep 21, 2026
Sep 21, 23:36 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Sep 21, 23:30 CEST Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Sep 21, 21:09 CEST Identified - We have identified the issue and are testing a fix. We expect logs to be available again with in an hour. Sep 21, 20:13 CEST Update - The current failure is in log retrieval not flow runs. Flows are running with out impact. Logs are failing to load upon request. Sep 21, 20:12 CEST Update - We are
Started Sep 18, 2026 — Resolved Sep 18, 2026
Sep 19, 01:23 CEST Resolved - This incident is resolved. Processing has returned to normal latency across affected services in our US region, and operations that did not complete during the affected window have been replayed. Sep 19, 00:40 CEST Monitoring - The upstream fault has cleared and processing has returned to normal latency across affected services in our US region. A subset of operations did not complete during the affected window, and we are replaying those now. We are continuing
Pricing calculator
| Plan | Per message | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Local number | $0.0003 | $31 |
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 |
Compare MessageBird with other providers
About MessageBird
MessageBird (now Bird) is an omnichannel communications platform with global SMS coverage and a unified messaging API.
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
- 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 MessageBird?
MessageBird is an SMS provider commonly used for omnichannel customer communications, global transactional sms, marketing campaigns across channels. MessageBird (now Bird) is an omnichannel communications platform with global SMS coverage and a unified messaging API.
How much does MessageBird cost?
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. MessageBird does not offer a permanent free tier.
How fast is MessageBird?
Based on real-world data from messages sent through Knock, MessageBird accepts SMS API requests with a median response time of 249ms (p50) and 374ms at the 99th percentile.
How reliable is MessageBird?
From July 9th to October 7th, MessageBird showed an error rate of 0.00% for 5xx responses and timeouts across <1M messages sent through Knock. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
What are the pros and cons of MessageBird?
Key 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, pricing is published as per-country rate cards rather than simple headline rates, making comparison harder and rebranding to bird has caused some confusion in documentation and branding.
Does MessageBird work with Knock?
Yes. Knock has a native MessageBird integration that enables you to send SMS notifications through MessageBird as part of a cross-channel workflow. You can combine MessageBird with other channels like in-app feeds, push, email, and Slack from a single API call.
Use MessageBird with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate MessageBird alongside other notification channels, manage templates, and orchestrate cross-channel workflows from a single platform.