textbee vs Plivo: pricing, own number, self-hosting (2026)
Published and updated
Plivo charges per message on numbers you rent inside its platform, while textbee is a flat monthly plan that includes 5,000 messages on Pro and sends from the SIM already in your phone. Pick Plivo when you want an SMPP binding next to the REST API for legacy messaging stacks. Pick textbee when you send moderate volume from a number you own and want the option to self-host the gateway.
Side by side
| Provider | Pricing model | Free tier | Self-host | Own number | API | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plivo | Per message, plus number rental | Trial credit on signup, sending limited to verified numbers | No, cloud only | No, virtual numbers only | REST and SMPP and webhooks | 190+ countries |
| textbee | Flat monthly plan, messages included, no per message fee | 300 messages a month on the Free plan; Pro includes 5,000 for $9.99 | Yes, MIT licensed | Yes, your own SIM | REST and webhooks | Any country where your Android phone has a SIM |
Monthly cost at 1K, 5K and 25K messages
At 5,000 messages a month, Plivo costs $38.50 for messages and $0.50 for the number, about $39.00; textbee Pro is $9.99 flat.
At 25,000 messages a month, Plivo costs $192.50 for messages and $0.50 for the number, about $193.00; textbee Scale is $29.99 flat.
| Provider | 1K messages | 5K messages | 25K messages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plivo | $8.20$7.70 messages, $0.50 number | $39.00$38.50 messages, $0.50 number | $193.00$192.50 messages, $0.50 number |
| textbee | $9.99Pro plan, up to 5,000 messages included | $9.99Pro plan, up to 5,000 messages included | $29.99Scale plan, up to 25,000 messages included |
textbee plans include the messages shown. There is no per message fee, number rental or carrier surcharge.
Provider prices checked on September 4, 2026
Plivo lists $0.0077 per outbound SMS segment to the United States, checked on September 4, 2026. Carrier fees and number rental are billed on top of that rate.
Inbound: Inbound SMS on a US long code costs $0.0077 a message, with a carrier surcharge added on top.
Number rental: A Plivo US long code costs $0.50 a month on top of the per message rate.
When to choose Plivo
- You want an SMPP binding next to the REST API for legacy messaging stacks.
- You send enough volume to negotiate a committed rate below list price.
- You need global coverage without holding a SIM in each country.
When to choose textbee
- You own the number and the SIM, so the recipient sees a number they can reply to.
- A flat monthly plan covers the messages, with no per message fee on top.
- You can self-host the gateway or use the hosted app, on the same MIT licensed code.
The limits are worth stating plainly. One phone sends roughly 10 to 15 messages a minute, so a large blast takes time to drain. Carriers can filter bulk patterns on consumer SIMs, which makes textbee a poor fit for campaign traffic. Marketing messages still need consent from the recipient, whichever gateway sends them.
Migrating from Plivo
curl -X POST "https://api.plivo.com/v1/Account/$PLIVO_AUTH_ID/Message/" \
-u "$PLIVO_AUTH_ID:$PLIVO_AUTH_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"src": "+15550101", "dst": "+15550100", "text": "Hello from Plivo"}'curl -X POST https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/send-sms \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"recipients": ["+12015550123"], "message": "Hello from textbee"}'textbee sends from the SIM in your phone, so the sender is your own number and there is no From number to rent or pass in the request.
Frequently asked questions
Does Plivo let me send from a number I already own?
Only if you port that number into Plivo. Day to day sending happens from numbers rented inside your Plivo account.
Is there a Plivo plan without per message fees?
No. Every Plivo plan bills per message segment, plus number rental and US carrier fees.
Can I run Plivo on my own servers?
No. Plivo is a hosted service. Self hosting is not offered, so message data stays in Plivo infrastructure.
Sources
- Plivo SMS pricing, United States, checked on September 4, 2026