BulkSMS vs Twilio
Twilio scores 7.42 out of 10 against 5.17 for BulkSMS, and is higher on value for money, reliability, compliance and customer service. BulkSMS is higher on features and reputation. At 1,000 texts a month, message charges come to $8.30 on Twilio against $36.50 on BulkSMS, before number rental and carrier fees.
Alain Grossbard OAM, with Justin Grossbard Updated How we rate Reader supported, we may earn a commission Reader supported. We may earn a commission when you sign up through a link on this page, and it never changes a score. How we make money.
Compare costs at your volume
| Provider | What applies | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| BulkSMS | 3.65c, 1000 Credits bundle | $36.50Message charges |
| Twilio | 0.83c, long code (10DLC) | $8.30Message charges |
At 1,000 texts a month on a long code, Twilio costs $28.20 less in message charges.
Message charges exclude number rental and carrier fees. Plan months include only captured plan fees. Number type applies to message rates, not plan eligibility. Registration, setup, inbound SMS, MMS and tax excluded. Unknown fees are not zero.
BulkSMS and Twilio side by side
| What we compared | BulkSMS | Twilio | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our scores | |||
| Overall score | 5.17 | 7.42 | Twilio higher |
| Value for money | 4 | 7 | Twilio higher |
| Features | 10 | 8 | BulkSMS higher |
| Reliability | 1 | 8 | Twilio higher |
| Reputation | 7 | 4.5 | BulkSMS higher |
| Compliance | 3 | 10 | Twilio higher |
| Customer service | 6 | 7 | Twilio higher |
| US prices | |||
| How the rate is published | By credit bundle | By number type | Different basis |
| Published reference rate per SMS | 3.21c | 0.83c | Twilio lower |
| Rate per SMS, long code (10DLC) | Same rate on every number type | 0.83c | Not comparable |
| Rate per SMS, toll-free number | Same rate on every number type | 0.83c | Not comparable |
| Rate per SMS, short code | Same rate on every number type | 0.83c | Not comparable |
| Message charges, 1,000 SMS a month | $36.50 | $8.30 | Twilio cheaper |
| Long code rental | Not captured | $1.15 a month | Not comparable |
| Toll-free number rental | Not published | $2.15 a month | Not comparable |
| Carrier fees on top | Not captured | Billed per message on top, by carrier: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.005, US Cellular $0.005, all other carriers $0.0042 (long code outbound) | Read each |
| Numbers and sending | |||
| 10DLC long codes | Yes | Yes | Both |
| Toll-free numbers | Not published | Yes | Only Twilio states it |
| Short codes | Not published | Yes | Only Twilio states it |
| REST API for sending | Yes | Yes | Both |
| Send to a whole list from the web app | Yes | No | Only BulkSMS |
| Two-way SMS | Yes | Yes | Both |
| Email to SMS | Yes | Not published | Only BulkSMS states it |
| Trial and reputation | |||
| Free trial | Not captured | Free 30 day trial, no credit card, 100 free SMS; trial accounts text only verified numbers | Read each |
| Trustpilot | 2.6 out of 5 from 1,567 reviews (21 September 2026) | 1.1 out of 5 from 965 reviews (21 September 2026) | BulkSMS higher |
Every row names the winner in words. Scores are out of 10 on the six equally weighted criteria; Rate, volume-band and fee read dates are listed in the pricing evidence above. Not captured means our capture holds no value for that field, which is not the same as the provider lacking it. Not published means the provider's own pages were checked and state no figure.
Message charges at your volume
Both providers priced by the same rule from their own published rates: the band, top-up or number type your volume reaches. Number rental and carrier fees are billed on top and are listed in the table above.
Read the two reviews
Each review carries the scores behind this table and the dated quotes they come from: the BulkSMS review and the Twilio review. Both are ranked with the other 43 providers: where BulkSMS and Twilio rank among the best SMS gateway providers.
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