Plivo review
Plivo is an SMS API and gateway. US message rates start at 0.77c per message on long codes and short codes (read September 9, 2026), but SMS is available only on the Enterprise plan, which starts at $1,000 a month (read September 22, 2026). The free trial gives $10 in credits with no card required. We score Plivo 6.25 out of 10.
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.
Plivo cost at your volume
$7.70 in message charges a month, at 0.77c (long code (10DLC))
The same rule prices Plivo on the versus pages and the price guides: the band, top-up or number type your volume reaches, from Plivo's own US rates read 9 September 2026. Number rental and carrier fees are billed on top and sit in the tables below.
Plivo scores
| Value for money | 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 6 | |
| Reliability | 3.5 | |
| Reputation | 4.5 | |
| Compliance | 9.5 | |
| Customer service | 7 | |
| Gateway fit | 8.75 |
Six criteria, equally weighted, each scored out of 10 from Plivo's own published pages (how we rate). The gateway fit score counts eight published API features and is not part of the overall score.
Plivo US rates
| As published | Price | How it compares |
|---|---|---|
| Long Codes | 0.77c | Lower than 25 of 32 other providers' lowest US rates |
| Short Code | 0.77c | Lower than 25 of 32 other providers' lowest US rates |
| Toll-Free | 0.79c | Lower than 24 of 32 other providers' lowest US rates |
| Long code rental | $0.50 a month | Billed on top of message charges |
| Toll-free number rental | $1.00 a month | Billed on top of message charges |
Read from Plivo's own US pricing page on 9 September 2026. By number type. Each row is read against the lowest published US rate of every other provider we price. Source.
Plivo fees, trial and support
| What | Plivo | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 10DLC registration fees | Brand registration $4.50 one time; optional brand vetting $41.50 one time; brand appeal $11 one time; campaign vetting $15 one time; campaign fee $10 a month (a lower rate for low volume mixed campaigns exists but was not fully captured); Authentication Plus $12.50 one time | Read Source 1 |
| Toll-free verification | Required before a toll-free number can send A2P messages in the US and Canada. No fee for verification is published. | Read Source 1 |
| Carrier fees | Billed on top per SMS. Outbound: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045, Verizon $0.0045, US Cellular and other carriers $0.0050. Inbound: AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0025, US Cellular and other $0.0025, Verizon none listed. | Read Source 1 |
| MMS rate | $0.0180 per MMS on long codes, $0.0200 on toll-free and short codes, plus carrier surcharges | Read Source 1 |
| Free trial | $10 in free credits, no credit card required; the credits cover the first 3 weeks, after which a payment card is needed to continue on the Professional plan, which does not include SMS | Read Source 1 Source 2 |
| Minimum plan or spend | SMS is available only on the Enterprise plan, which starts at $1,000 a month in the US data region. The self-serve Professional plan (pay as you go, up to $2,500 a month of usage) does not include SMS, MMS or RCS. Volume discounts are Enterprise only. | Read Source 1 Source 2 |
| Credit expiry | Not published | Read Source 1 |
| API and SDKs | HTTP REST Messages API for SMS, MMS and WhatsApp, with two-way messaging by webhook to a Message URL and multiple recipients in one request; code samples in curl, Python, Node, Ruby, PHP, Java, C# and Go, plus a CLI and a Postman collection | Read Source 1 |
| Smpp | Not published | Read Source 1 |
| Scheduling | Not published | Read Source 1 |
| Sms templates | Not published | Read Source 1 |
| Number pooling | Powerpack spreads traffic over a pool of numbers, with sticky sender, local area code matching, automatic pool refresh and fallback across short code, toll-free and long code in a set priority order | Read Source 1 |
| Web app | Web console with SMS logs under Messaging > Logs; message details and summaries download as CSV; logs viewable for 90 days, message content stored 7 days. No campaign sender for contact lists is documented. | Read Source 1 |
| Email to SMS | Not published | Read Source 1 |
| Integrations named | Zapier, Microsoft Power Automate, Integromat, n8n, Pipedream, Integrately, Tray, GitHub Actions, Auth0, Agno, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, EngageBay, Shopify, WooCommerce | Read Source 1 |
| Support channels | Issues are reported by online ticket through the support portal; also support@plivo.com and an in-console chat agent. Enterprise onboarding adds a dedicated Slack channel. No US support phone number is published, and the help center now sits behind a login. | Read Source 1 Source 2 |
| Support hours | Priority 1 business-critical incidents handled around the clock, 365 days a year; no response-time targets are published for other priorities | Read Source 1 |
| SOC 2 | Plivo's security page says it is SOC 2 certified and audited annually by an independent auditor | Read Source 1 |
| ISO 27001 | Not published | Read Source 1 |
| HIPAA | Plivo's security page lists HIPAA/HITECH and says Plivo will sign a Business Associate Agreement; the plan table makes BAA and HIPAA an Enterprise-only entitlement | Read Source 1 Source 2 |
| Compliance pci csa | Security page states PCI DSS Level 1, audited annually, and a completed CSA STAR Level 1 self-assessment (a self-assessment, not a third party certification) | Read Source 1 |
| GDPR | Plivo's security page says its systems comply with GDPR data protection principles and that it participates in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework | Read Source 1 |
| Opt-out handling (TCPA) | Automatic opt-out handling for keywords such as Stop, Cancel, End, Quit and Unsubscribe; SMS data redaction; the contract places TCPA consent on the customer. No TCPA-specific tool is named. | Read Source 1 |
| 10DLC registration | 10DLC registration is required for US long codes; messages from numbers not linked to a registered campaign are not delivered. Brand, campaign and number linking are done through Plivo's 10DLC API. | Read Source 1 |
| Founded | 2011 | Read Source 1 |
| Head office | Austin, Texas (6001 W Parmer Ln, STE 370, Austin, Texas 78727); engineering and operations in Bengaluru, India | Read Source 1 |
| Ownership | Privately held and venture backed; the About page names Y Combinator, Battery Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Qualcomm Ventures as investors. No acquisition or public listing is stated. Plivo says it has been profitable since 2015. | Read Source 1 |
| US contracting entity | Plivo, Inc., the party named in Plivo's SLA | Read Source 1 |
| Coverage | Plivo's site description gives messaging coverage in 226 countries and voice coverage in 190+ countries; the SMS product page also claims 1,600+ carriers. The security page says Plivo connects to at least two local carriers in each country. | Read Source 1 Source 2 |
| Uptime or SLA | Not contractual. The SMS product page shows a '99.99% Platform Uptime' tile and the site description calls it a 99.99% platform uptime SLA, but Plivo's SLA document states no uptime percentage and no service credits. | Read Source 1 Source 2 |
| Trustpilot | 1.2 out of 5 from 87 reviews | Read Source 1 |
Not published means Plivo's own pages were checked on that day and state no figure. Nothing here is carried over from the earlier version of this review.
When Plivo fits
Plivo fits a US business building SMS into its own software through the HTTP REST Messages API, with code samples in eight languages plus a CLI and a Postman collection (read September 9, 2026). You send at 0.77c per message with a $1,000 a month minimum (Enterprise plan), rent a long code for $0.50 a month, and use Powerpack to spread traffic over a pool of numbers with sticky sender and fallback. Enterprise buyers gain HIPAA with a signed BAA, volume discounts, and a dedicated Slack channel. Plivo lists the BAA as an Enterprise plan compliance feature, read September 28, 2026, which our HIPAA compliant texting providers page records.
When to look elsewhere
Plivo does not fit a business without a $1,000 a month Enterprise budget, because the self-serve Professional plan excludes SMS, MMS and RCS (read September 22, 2026). The SMS page shows a 99.99% uptime tile, but the SLA states no uptime percentage and no service credits (read September 9, 2026). Plivo does not publish SMPP support, message scheduling, SMS templates or email to SMS (checked September 9, 2026).
Plivo compared
Plivo is ranked against the rest of its category: where Plivo ranks among the best SMS gateway providers in the USA.
Plivo questions
How much does Plivo SMS cost?
Plivo SMS cost starts at 0.77c per message on US long codes and short codes, with toll-free at 0.79c (read September 9, 2026), with a $1,000 a month minimum (Enterprise plan). Carrier fees are billed on top per SMS.
Does Plivo have a free trial?
Plivo has a free trial: $10 in credits with no card required (read September 22, 2026). The credits cover the first 3 weeks, after which a payment card is needed to continue on the Professional plan, which excludes SMS.
What is Plivo?
Plivo is an SMS API and gateway founded in 2011 and headquartered in Austin, Texas (read September 9, 2026). It offers a REST Messages API for SMS, MMS and WhatsApp. We score it 6.25 out of 10.