ClickSend vs Twilio
ClickSend scores 7.58 out of 10 against 7.42 for Twilio, and is higher on features and reputation. Twilio is higher on value for money and compliance. At 1,000 texts a month, message charges come to $8.30 on Twilio against $29.20 on ClickSend, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| ClickSend | 2.92c, Boost (when you top-up from: $20) | $29.20Message charges |
| Twilio | 0.83c, long code (10DLC) | $8.30Message charges |
At 1,000 texts a month on a long code, Twilio costs $20.90 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.
ClickSend and Twilio side by side
| What we compared | ClickSend | Twilio | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our scores | |||
| Overall score | 7.58 | 7.42 | ClickSend higher |
| Value for money | 4 | 7 | Twilio higher |
| Features | 10 | 8 | ClickSend higher |
| Reliability | 8 | 8 | Tie |
| Reputation | 9.5 | 4.5 | ClickSend higher |
| Compliance | 7 | 10 | Twilio higher |
| Customer service | 7 | 7 | Tie |
| US prices | |||
| How the rate is published | By top-up amount | By number type | Different basis |
| Published reference rate per SMS | 0.96c | 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 | $29.20 | $8.30 | Twilio cheaper |
| Long code rental | Not published | $1.15 a month | Not comparable |
| Toll-free number rental | $3.57 a month | $2.15 a month | Twilio cheaper |
| Carrier fees on top | One flat average of $0.0042 per SMS billed on top, for toll-free, 10DLC and short code | Billed per message on top, by carrier: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.0045, US Cellular $0.005, all other carriers $0.004 (long code outbound) | Read each |
| Numbers and sending | |||
| 10DLC long codes | Yes | Yes | Both |
| Toll-free numbers | Yes | Yes | Both |
| Short codes | Yes | Yes | Both |
| REST API for sending | Yes | Yes | Both |
| Send to a whole list from the web app | Yes | No | Only ClickSend |
| Two-way SMS | Yes | Yes | Both |
| Email to SMS | Yes | Not published | Only ClickSend states it |
| Trial and reputation | |||
| Free trial | 14 day trial, no credit card; first 25 messages free | Free 30 day trial, no credit card, 100 free SMS; trial accounts text only verified numbers | Read each |
| Trustpilot | 4.1 out of 5 from 3,572 reviews (21 September 2026) | 1.1 out of 5 from 965 reviews (21 September 2026) | ClickSend 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 ClickSend review and the Twilio review. Both are ranked with the other 43 providers: where ClickSend and Twilio rank among the best SMS gateway providers.
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