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 → | 3 | 10 |
From May 31st to August 28th, 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 10 status page updates over the last 90 days, 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
309ms | 416ms | 439ms | 528ms |
From May 31st to August 28th, MessageBird averaged a daily median response time (p50) of 309ms across all days in the range, meaning half of all SMS API requests on a typical day complete in under 309ms. The 99th percentile averaged 528ms, with a peak daily p99 of 2317ms. 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% | May 31 | 80 | 0 |
From May 31st to August 28th, 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 Aug 19, 2026 — Resolved Aug 19, 2026
Aug 20, 00:23 CEST Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed. Aug 19, 22:00 CEST In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary. Aug 19, 15:53 CEST Scheduled - We will perform an unexpected maintenance in order to assure continuity of our services. During the time window short delays and intermittent unavailability may occur. This maintenance doesn't impact SMS or Voice services.
Started Aug 13, 2026 — Resolved Aug 13, 2026
Aug 14, 00:17 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Aug 13, 19:21 CEST Update - We are seeing stabilization of Inbox availability. Users should now be able to access conversations. We are continuing to monitor closely to confirm the issue is fully resolved before closing this incident. We will provide a further update within 60 minutes. Aug 13, 19:10 CEST Monitoring - We have confirmed that our hosting provider is currently experiencing capacity issues which are affecting the a
Started Aug 6, 2026 — Resolved Aug 6, 2026
Aug 7, 00:08 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Aug 7, 00:02 CEST Update - We are continuing to monitor for any further issues. Aug 7, 00:02 CEST Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Aug 6, 22:49 CEST Update - We identified the root cause and continuing to work on a fix for this issue. Aug 6, 20:46 CEST Update - We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue. Aug 6, 19:48 CEST Identified - The issue has been identified
Started Jul 22, 2026 — Resolved Jul 22, 2026
Jul 22, 16:54 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jul 22, 15:58 CEST Update - The fix has been deployed, and dashboard search functionality has been restored. We are replaying events from the incident period to refresh the search index and ensure all affected items are available in search results. Jul 22, 14:54 CEST Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jul 22, 14:16 CEST Identified - We've identified an issue affecting search functiona
Started Jul 8, 2026 — Resolved Jul 8, 2026
Jul 9, 00:28 CEST Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jul 9, 00:10 CEST Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented. Jul 8, 22:12 CEST Investigating - We are observing delays in processing of Message & Contact Objects. We are actively investigating the issue The impact is limited to Customers in Bird Box platform, hosted in the us-west-1 region.
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 309ms (p50) and 528ms at the 99th percentile.
How reliable is MessageBird?
From May 31st to August 28th, 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.