Turn your Android phone into an SMS gateway.No gateway fees, no new hardware.
textbee is the open-source Twilio alternative. Send and receive SMS from your applications through your own Android device. No gateway fees, no per-message charges, live in minutes. Perfect for OTPs, notifications, and two-way messaging.
Watch the 2-minute demo
- 98%
- Cost savings vs. traditional SMS gateways
- 3 min
- Average setup time
- 1M+
- Messages sent per month
- Open source
- Transparent and self-hostable
Everything you need to send & receive SMS
Send and receive SMS online with your Android phone. Simple API, webhooks, and bulk messaging. Learn how to send SMS or receive SMS in the docs, or try our SMS tools.
SMS API
Send SMS from any app with a single REST call. No SDKs to wrestle, no vendor lock-in, and it works with Node, Python, cURL, or anything that speaks HTTP.
Read the send docsReceive SMS Online
Receive inbound texts via webhooks or the API. Build OTP verification, support inboxes, and true two-way messaging.
Read the receive docsBulk Messaging
Reach many recipients in a single API call: campaigns, alerts, and broadcasts without writing loops.
SMS Templates
Reusable templates with dynamic variables so your team ships consistent messages faster.
Advanced Analytics
See delivery, volume, and performance at a glance with detailed reports.
Multi-Device Support
Connect up to 5 Android phones to spread load and stay reliable at higher volume.
Open Source
The whole stack is on GitHub: audit it, self-host it, and trust exactly what you run.
Message Scheduling
Queue messages for a specific time or on a recurring schedule and let textbee send them.
Live in under 5 minutes
Install the app to turn your Android device into an SMS gateway, then call the API from your own applications. No carrier contracts, no hardware.
- 130 seconds
Download the Android app
Install the free, open-source textbee app on any Android phone.
Get the app - 21 minute
Generate an API key
Create a secure API key from your dashboard. Unlimited keys per account.
Open dashboard - 31 minute
Scan the QR code
Scan the code in the app (or paste the key) and enable the gateway.
- 4Instant
Start sending
Fire your first SMS from the dashboard or the API. You are live.
View API docs
From OTPs to two-way support
One API, many jobs. Developers use textbee anywhere SMS needs to reach a real phone.
OTP and 2FA
Send time-sensitive verification codes to secure logins and accounts.
Order notifications
Confirmations, shipping updates, and delivery alerts your customers actually read.
Appointment reminders
Cut no-shows with automated reminders for clinics, salons, and services.
Alerts and monitoring
Push critical system, weather, and on-call alerts the moment they happen.
Marketing and reminders
Run opt-in promotions, offers, and bulk campaigns from your own number.
Two-way support
Receive replies over webhooks and hold real conversations with customers.
Watch the demo
See how TextBee turns an Android phone into an SMS gateway in minutes.
Simple Integration in Minutes
Our REST API makes it easy to integrate SMS capabilities into any application. Just a few lines of code is all you need.
Send an SMS message
Choose your preferred language
1import axios from 'axios'
2
3const API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY'
4const DEVICE_ID = 'YOUR_DEVICE_ID'
5
6const response = await axios.post(`https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/devices/${DEVICE_ID}/send-sms`, {
7 recipients: [ '+1234567890' ],
8 message: 'Hello from textbee.dev!',
9}, {
10 headers: {
11 'x-api-key': API_KEY,
12 },
13})
14
15console.log(response.data)Same SMS, different bill
Twilio is carrier-grade throughput you rent. textbee is the phone you already own. Here is the honest trade-off.
Twilio figures are approximate US list prices and change over time. If you send millions of messages a month, Twilio is the right tool. For everything below that, keep the money.
Simple, transparent pricing
Flat pricing with no per-message fees. Plans that grow with you, cancel anytime. Save 17% with annual billing.
You're saving 17% with annual billing (2 months free)
Free
Get started with basic SMS gateway features
No credit card required
- Send and receive SMS Messages
- Register 1 active device
- Max 50 messages per day
- Up to 300 messages per month
- Up to 50 recipients in bulk
- Webhook notifications
- Basic support
Pro
Perfect for businesses and serious users
- Everything in Free plan
- Register up to 5 active devices
- Unlimited daily messages
- Up to 5,000 messages per month
- No bulk SMS recipient limits
- Message templates with variables
- Priority support
Scale
For growing teams sending at volume
- Everything in Pro plan
- Register up to 15 active devices
- Unlimited daily messages
- Up to 25,000 messages per month
- No bulk SMS recipient limits
- Message templates with variables
- Priority support
Custom
Let's talk about your needs
Tailored solutions for high-volume needs and specific requirements.
- Everything in Pro plan
- Custom message volume limits
- White-labeled solution
- Custom integrations
- SLA with uptime guarantees
- Dedicated account manager
- Volume discounts
Frequently Asked Questions
Old phones, real workloads
Real answers from our 10,000-developer milestone survey. Nonprofits, salons, universities, and indie builders running production SMS on hardware they already had.
We are a small construction company and we send messages to our team of 12. It works better than group messaging for announcements and notifications, with no off-topic replies.
We send a notification SMS after each successful donation, wired up through the API and make.com. It just works for our small two-person team.
We built a student and alumni document-request system for a university. textbee handles the automated notifications: verification codes, request updates, and approval messages.
We use the API to send SMS through our clients and agents, including notifying an agent the moment a new lead is assigned to them.
It powers the SMS in our booking system for beauty salons.
Réviscool is a new online learning platform for Haitian students to review their lessons with quizzes and flashcards. We were looking for a free SMS provider to receive OTP codes and secure access to our data. textbee was the answer.
Need more than the platform?
From self-hosting to bespoke integrations, our team helps you ship textbee.dev your way, and tackle development projects beyond it.
Self-Hosting Setup
Get assistance deploying textbee.dev on your own infrastructure with secure configuration and optimization.
- Complete control
- Custom configuration
Custom Integrations
Integrate textbee.dev seamlessly with your existing applications, APIs, and business workflows.
- Streamlined processes
- Data synchronization
- Automation
Development Projects
Collaborate with our team on your software development needs beyond textbee.dev.
- Expert consultancy
- Tailored solutions
- Ongoing support
Download the textbee.dev App and Get Started in Minutes
Transform your Android device into a powerful SMS gateway with our easy-to-use application. Install, connect, and start sending messages programmatically.
- Free and open-source Android application
- Works with any SMS-capable Android phone
- Send and receive SMS messages
- Secure API communication
- Multiple device support with Pro plan
