What is Azure Communication Services used for?

Azure Communication Services is Microsoft's cloud API set for adding chat, voice, video and SMS to web and mobile applications. It is a good fit for telehealth and virtual appointment apps, adding live chat to customer portals, and embedded video calls in business software.

How much does Azure Communication Services cost?

Azure Communication Services is a paid product with no free plan.

Is Azure Communication Services open source?

No. Azure Communication Services is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Azure Communication Services include LiveKit, OpenIM and Fonoster.

What are some alternatives to Azure Communication Services?

Azure Communication Services competes with Twilio, Agora and Vonage API. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Azure Communication Services alternatives.

Azure Communication Services: pricing and alternatives

About Azure Communication Services

Azure Communication Services is a Microsoft Azure service that gives developers communication building blocks they can embed in their own applications. The platform exposes APIs for chat, voice and video calling, and SMS, so an app can offer messaging or calls without running its own telephony or media infrastructure.

Because it is part of Azure, the service is managed through the same portal, billing and identity tooling as other Azure resources, and it can be combined with products such as Azure Functions or Azure AI services. Client SDKs are provided for common web and mobile platforms.

It is a commercial, cloud-only product with no self-hosted edition. Teams already invested in Microsoft's cloud, such as those building telehealth, customer service or virtual appointment experiences, are the natural audience. Rates are listed on Microsoft's Azure pricing pages.

Key features

Chat APIs for in-app messaging
Voice and video calling APIs
SMS sending and receiving
Client SDKs for web and mobile
Managed through the Azure portal

Good fit for

→Telehealth and virtual appointment apps
→Adding live chat to customer portals
→Embedded video calls in business software

Tags: azure; communications-api; chat; voice; video; sms; microsoft; cloud

Azure Communication Services: questions and answers

What is Azure Communication Services used for?: Azure Communication Services is Microsoft's cloud API set for adding chat, voice, video and SMS to web and mobile applications. It is a good fit for telehealth and virtual appointment apps, adding live chat to customer portals, and embedded video calls in business software.
How much does Azure Communication Services cost?: Azure Communication Services is a paid product with no free plan.
Is Azure Communication Services open source?: No. Azure Communication Services is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Azure Communication Services include LiveKit, OpenIM and Fonoster.
What are some alternatives to Azure Communication Services?: Azure Communication Services competes with Twilio, Agora and Vonage API. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Azure Communication Services alternatives.