What is Twilio used for?

Twilio provides communications APIs for SMS, voice, video, email and identity verification, used by developers to build customer messaging and calling into their products. It is a good fit for appointment reminders and alerts by text, two-factor authentication flows, and customer support calling and messaging.

How much does Twilio cost?

Paid plans for Twilio start at $15 per seat per month, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.

Is Twilio open source?

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

What are some alternatives to Twilio?

Twilio competes with Vonage API, Sinch and Bird. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Twilio alternatives.

Twilio: features, pricing and alternatives

About Twilio

Twilio is a commercial cloud communications platform that exposes telephony and messaging as programmable APIs. Developers use it to send text messages, place and receive voice calls, run video sessions, send email and verify user identities, without negotiating with carriers or operating telecom infrastructure.

The platform has grown to include conversational and AI features aimed at customer engagement, alongside related products such as the SendGrid email service and the Segment customer data platform. Helper libraries cover most common programming languages, and a web console manages numbers and usage. Twilio is a hosted service billed on usage, which suits companies from startups to large enterprises that need dependable customer communication.

Key features

SMS and messaging APIs
Programmable voice calls
Email delivery through SendGrid
Video session APIs
User verification and one-time passcodes
Helper libraries for many languages

Good fit for

→Appointment reminders and alerts by text
→Two-factor authentication flows
→Customer support calling and messaging

Tags: sms; voice; email; video; verification; communications-api; messaging

Twilio: questions and answers

What is Twilio used for?: Twilio provides communications APIs for SMS, voice, video, email and identity verification, used by developers to build customer messaging and calling into their products. It is a good fit for appointment reminders and alerts by text, two-factor authentication flows, and customer support calling and messaging.
How much does Twilio cost?: Paid plans for Twilio start at $15 per seat per month, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.
Is Twilio open source?: No. Twilio is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Twilio include LiveKit, Fonoster and OpenWA.
What are some alternatives to Twilio?: Twilio competes with Vonage API, Sinch and Bird. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Twilio alternatives.