Twilio vs AWS SNS vs SMSCountry: Which is The Best One For Your Business?

Are you torn between SMSCountry or Twilio for your bulk SMS needs? Or you’re also considering Amazon Web Services Simple Notification Service (AWS SNS).

In this article, we’ll compare Twilio vs AWS SNS vs SMSCountry by analysing publicly available resources and our experience trying to use the tools.

By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly which SMS gateway to go for.

Also, read:

• Twilio vs SMSCountry: Which is the best bulk SMS platform Right Now?
• The Best 4 Twilio Alternatives For SMS: A Comparison Guide

So let’s see how Twilio vs AWS SNS vs SMSCountry stack up against each other.

What is SMSCountry and what does it do?

SMSCountry is a reliable and trusted partner in helping your business communicate via SMS, voice, and WhatsApp.

One of SMSCountry’s key strengths lies in its seamless API integration (similar to services like AWS SNS and Twilio). This makes it easy to send messages from any application. In addition to their SMS and WhatsApp API, you can use the SMSCountry SMS web platform, SMS plugin, WhatsApp chat interface, and chatbot builder (called Social Connect) in your business messaging. 

You can use SMSCountry SMS, voice and WhatsApp solutions for OTP, transactional, promotional, and customer support messaging. 

Use our dev-friendly and secure WhatsApp API to delight your customers with fast OTP. See how it works with a FREE demo.

And as for features, you get a robust suite of tools and functionalities that elevate your SMS campaigns. 

This includes

• 24/7 customer support for prompt assistance
• International coverage for global reach,
• Scalable group SMS to efficiently engage with large audiences.
• A flexible dashboard that makes managing communications easier
• E-commerce, excel and CRM plug-ins.
• Seamless API integrations that flow with your business needs

And more.

And here’s the sweet spot. With SMSCountry, you can efficiently message your customers without breaking the bank.

Learn more about how SMSCountry can help you delight your customers.

Now, let’s shift our attention to Twilio.

What is Twilio and what does it do?

Twilio provides various tools to integrate SMS, voice, and video capabilities into your applications.

It has programmable SMS APIs to add messaging capabilities to your application.

Twilio only provides you with an API that you can use to integrate their features into your application. No web messaging interface and no plugins. 

This means you may be unable to use Twilio if you’re not a developer. So if you want to send OTP, promotional or support messages using the Twilio gateway, you need to build a messaging software and integrate their API before you can send messages to your customers. 

Let’s find out about AWS SNS.

What is AWS SNS and what does it do?

AWS SNS, or Simple Notification Service, is a fully managed serverless messaging service offered by Amazon Web Services. It enables app-to-app and app-to-person communication, allowing microservices to communicate using publish-subscribe messaging.

With SNS topics, you can easily send messages to many subscribers.

Key features include:

• Application-to-person notifications
• Standard and FIFO topics for message ordering
• Message durability
• Message attributes for metadata, and
• Message security with server-side encryption.

AWS SNS provides efficient and secure communication.

What is the price for SMSCountry, Twilio and AWS SNS?

We’ve explored what SMSCountry, Twilio, and AWS SNS do. Let’s quickly shift our focus to an equally crucial aspect – pricing.

How are they priced?

Let’s find out.

SMSCountry pricing

SMSCountry offers transparent and flexible pricing that suits your business needs.

Here are the key aspects of SMSCountry’s pricing:

• Country-specific rates: How much you pay per SMS depends on the destination country. Check out SMSCountry’s pricing page to see the rates for different countries.
• Pay-as-you-go: SMSCountry follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model. This means that you only pay for the messages you send. This flexibility allows you to scale your SMS campaigns according to your business needs.
• No hidden charges: With SMSCountry, bid farewell to unexpected or hidden fees. The transparent pricing gives you full control over your SMS marketing budget.
• Volume discounts: Does your business have high-volume messaging requirements? Then SMSCountry offers you discounts. The more you send, the less you pay.
• Custom pricing: If you have specific requirements or need a tailored pricing plan, SMSCountry’s dedicated support team can work with you to create a customised package that aligns with your business goals.
• Free SMS credit on trial: When you sign up with SMSCountry, you receive free SMS credits to test the platform.

Let’s see how Twilio is priced.

Twilio pricing

Twilio offers a good pricing model that caters to businesses of all sizes. Here’s what you need to know about Twilio’s pricing:

• Pay-as-you-go: With Twilio, you only pay for the text messages you send. 
• Message-based pricing: The cost per SMS varies depending on the number of messages you send. Twilio’s pricing structure accommodates different volumes of SMS usage.
• Starting price: The starting price for sending SMS through Twilio is 0.0079 USD per message
• Additional features: Twilio offers various additional features, such as two-way and media messaging. These features may have separate pricing, so exploring Twilio’s pricing page to understand the specifics is important.
• Transparent pricing: Twilio’s website says their pricing is transparent. However, most customers complained of hidden fees they couldn’t explain or get refunds for.

Now, let’s examine the pricing details of AWS SNS.

AWS SNS pricing

AWS SNS comes in pricing plans, and here are the key aspects of AWS SNS pricing:

• SMS pricing: The cost of sending an SMS with AWS SNS varies depending on the destination country and network. The base price is 0.0075 USD per SMS. However, additional charges may apply to certain countries.
• No minimum fee: AWS SNS eliminates the need for a minimum fee, ensuring you are not charged for services you don’t use. 
• Free notifications: SMS users can enjoy 100 free notifications, allowing you to get started without any upfront cost. 
• Country-specific charges: While the base price is consistent, charges for additional messages may vary depending on the destination country.
• AWS ecosystem integration: As part of the larger AWS ecosystem, AWS SNS pricing is tightly integrated with other AWS services.

We recommend you review the detailed pricing information on the AWS website to ensure accuracy and get a clear understanding of the charges for your specific use cases.

Moving on, we’ve explored the pricing models of SMSCountry, Twilio, and AWS SNS. 

Now, let’s dive deeper.

How much does it cost to send 5000 SMS?

We’ll break down the numbers for you.

Cost of sending 5000 SMS using SMSCountry

How much does it cost to send 5000 SMS messages?

First of all, the actual cost depends on

• The pricing plan you choose
• The number of bulk SMS messages you want to send
• The receiver’s location, and
• The features you need.

For the cost of sending 5,000 SMS, see our pricing page to request a customized quote.

The more bulk SMSes you send, the lower the price. And the least you can buy is 5000 units.

Cost of sending 5000 SMS using Twilio

Sending 5000 SMS messages using Twilio depends on the pricing plan you choose, plus any additional fees involved.

However, pricing depends on 

• Receiver’s destination,
• Type of message, and
• Carrier to which the SMS is sent.

Is there an expected range? Yes. Prices range from $0.0025 to $0.0073 per segment, depending on the carrier and volume of messages.

However, note that there may be other fees involved, like carrier fees, setup fees, monthly fees, or fees for additional features.

That said, here’s a breakdown of Twilio pricing per 5000 SMS messages for these countries:

Country	Price per 5000 SMS in USD$
United States	$0.00645 × 5000 = $32.25
Canada	$0.0085 × 5000 = $42.50
United Kingdom	$0.055 × 5000 = $275.00
India	$0.0085 × 5000 = $42.50
China	$0.075 × 5000 = $375.00
Australia	$0.091 × 5000 = $455.00

It’s vital you understand the total fees involved before signing up for a plan. 

And, how do you send 5000 messages using Twilio?

Cost of sending 5000 SMS using AWS SNS

Billing for SMS messages on Amazon SNS is on a per-message-part basis. This also varies based on the recipient’s country or region.

Here is AWS SNS SMS pricing per country:

Country	Price per 5000 SMS in USD$
India	All networks: $0.00278 ​​× 5000 = $13.90
	All networks – International: $0.0413 ​​× 5000 = $206.50
United States	Toll-free number: $0.0025
	First 100 SMS per month (US numbers): Free
	After 100 SMS (US numbers): $0.0025 × 4900 = $12.25
Other Countries	$0.0075 × 5000 = $37.50

Bear in mind that there are additional fees associated with AWS SNS pricing.

Now, let’s delve deeper into the exciting details as we break everything down for you.

What are users saying?

Curious to know what users have to say about these bulk SMS services?

What users have to say about using SMSCountry

What users have to say about using AWS SNS

See what businesses like you love and hate about AWS SNS.

What users have to say about using Twilio

See what businesses like you love and hate about Twilio.

In the next section, we dive deep into how SMSCountry, Twilio and AWS SNS compare against different features.

Features of SMSCountry, Twilio and AWS SNS

In this section, we dive deep into how SMSCountry, Twilio and AWS SNS compare against different features.

1. Delivery speed of SMSes

• SMSCountry’s SMS messages are delivered within 3 seconds.
• Twilio boasts fast delivery speeds, with messages typically delivered within seconds.
• AWS SNS also offers fast delivery speeds.

2. All-in-one platform

• SMSCountry combines the power of SMS API and ease of integration, SMS plugins and a web platform.
• Twilio offers its messaging solutions only as APIs.
• AWS SNS offers APIs for developers.

3. Power of SMS API and ease of integration

• SMSCountry’s API is easy to integrate with any IT application. It’s robust, dev-friendly, and always online.
• Twilio provides an API platform with which you can build web-based applications that use voice, video, chat, and SMS to communicate with end-users.
• AWS SNS delivers notifications by SMS message or email, to Simple Queue Service (SQS), or to any HTTP endpoint. AWS SNS can be integrated with other AWS services

4. Availability of plugins and web platform

• SMSCountry provides Excel, CRM, e-commerce and tally plugins so you can send SMS personalised messages from anywhere.
• Twilio does not provide any plugins. You can only use their API.
• AWS SNS provides a plugin for notifications.

5. Ease of use and adoption

• SMSCountry’s API is dev-friendly and integrates in a matter of minutes. With comprehensive API documentation that covers everything you’d use API for. Also, the SMSCountry plugin and the web interface are super easy to use.
• Twilio’s APIs support various programming languages and are easy to use.
• AWS SNS has a developer-friendly API and is easy to use.

6. Scalability

• SMSCountry’s APIs, solutions, and pricing are designed to cater for your business as you scale up or down. No matter your size.
• Twilio is scalable and can handle large volumes of SMS messages.
• AWS SNS is scalable and can handle large volumes of messages.

7. Multilingual support

• SMSCountry offers robust multilingual support spanning over 180 countries. You can effortlessly deliver impactful messages in multiple languages.
• Twilio provides multilingual support for its SMS services
• AWS SNS provides features and APIs that support the handling of messages in different languages.

8. Customer support

• SMSCountry prides itself on providing exceptional customer support to ensure a seamless experience for you and your customers. Their dedicated support team is readily available to address any queries or issues that may arise, offering timely and personalised assistance.
• Twilio claims they offer comprehensive assistance at every step of your journey. But customer reviews on sites like G2 say the direct opposite.
• AWS SNS also places significant emphasis on customer support. Their support channels include documentation, forums, and direct assistance.

9. Reliability

• SMSCountry ensures a reliable SMS delivery service with a 99.9% uptime.
• Twilio maintains a high level of reliability, ensuring your messages are delivered consistently.
• AWS SNS offers reliable SMS delivery with a robust infrastructure.

10. Security

• SMSCountry prioritises the security of your SMS communications with encryption and security protocols.
• Twilio implements security measures to protect your SMS data and prevent unauthorised access.
• AWS SNS provides secure SMS delivery with built-in encryption and access control.

11. User-friendliness

• SMSCountry has a user-friendly interface and an easy-to-navigate platform for seamless SMS management.
• Twilio provides a user-friendly experience with intuitive tools for managing your SMS campaigns.
• AWS SNS offers a user-friendly platform with simplified workflows for sending and managing SMS messages.

12. Analytics and reporting capabilities

• SMSCountry provides comprehensive analytics and reporting tools to track and measure the performance of your SMS communications.
• Twilio offers analytics and reporting features to gain insights into your SMS messaging performance.
• AWS SNS provides basic analytics and reporting capabilities to monitor SMS usage and delivery.

13. Customisation options

• SMSCountry enables you to customise your messages using your customers’ information and data.
• Twilio provides customisation options that allow you to tailor your SMS messages to your specific needs.
• AWS SNS offers limited customisation options, primarily focusing on message content and delivery settings.

14. Scheduled SMS

• SMSCountry allows you to schedule SMS messages in advance, ensuring timely delivery to your recipients.
• Twilio offers scheduling capabilities to send SMS messages at specific times or dates as per your requirements.
• AWS SNS provides scheduling options for SMS messages, allowing you to automate the delivery process.

15. Email-2-SMS

• SMSCountry’s Email to SMS service allows you to send SMSes from your email inbox. Whether it’s promotional, transactional, or 2-way messages right from your email.
• Twilio gives you Email-2-SMS integration, allowing you to send SMS messages through your email platform.
• AWS SNS also provides native Email-2-SMS functionality.

16. 2-way SMS

• SMSCountry’s 2-way messaging service in the USA allows you to conduct surveys, confirm bookings, receive feedback, and set auto-responses. 
• Twilio offers 2-way SMS capabilities, allowing smooth communication via SMS.
• AWS SNS supports 2-way SMS communication for interactive messaging with your recipients.

17. Global coverage

• SMSCountry’s Text Messaging Service helps deliver text messages to more than 180 countries.
• Twilio offers global coverage with a wide reach, allowing you to send SMS messages to recipients worldwide.
• AWS SNS offers global coverage for SMS messaging.

18. Voice service

• SMSCountry’s Voice SMS services allow you to send recorded voice messages or convert your SMS to a voice message.
• Twilio provides voice services for sending automated voice messages to your recipients.
• AWS SNS also offers voice services for automated voice messages.

19. Reseller program

• You can partner with SMSCountry as a reseller or aggregator and make money selling SMS services to businesses.
• Twilio’s Build Partner Program is specifically designed for Technology and Consulting partners. This program offers valuable resources to enhance their offerings and cater to the needs of their customers.
• AWS SNS doesn’t offer a publicly available reseller program for SMS services.

Comparing Twilio, AWS SNS, and SMSCountry

As we wrap up this guide, the comparison table below will give you a quick look at how Twilio, AWS SNS, and SMSCountry compare with one another.

	SMSCountry	AWS SNS	Twilio
Pricing Model	Flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model	Per 1 million deliveries (with free tier)	Pay-as-you-go  Base price: $0.0075
Global Reach	Yes (over 200 countries)	Yes (global coverage)	Yes, over 180 countries (5/5)
Ease of Use (Setup Time)	Easy, less than 30 min	Moderate (30 min – 1 hour)	Easy (30 min – 1 hour)
Code Examples	✅ Extensive with various languages	✅ Comprehensive with code samples	N/A
Documentation	✅ Well-detailed with code samples, active community	✅ Detailed with code samples, active community	✅ Detailed with quick start tutorials
Management Dashboard	✅ Manage all aspects, reporting, active community	✅ Manage configurations, reports, active community	N/A
API Structure	✅ Consistent and intuitive	✅ Consistent and intuitive	✅ Well-structured and intuitive
Real-time Features	✅ Pub/Sub messaging, message queues, presence, message history	❌ Limited (Pub/Sub with SQS integration)	✅ Message queues, presence, message history
Connection State Recovery	✅ Stream resume, connection state recovery	❌ Not supported	✅ Stream resume, connection state recovery
Guaranteed Message Ordering	✅ Supported	✅ Supported via FIFO topics	✅ Supported
Exactly-once Delivery Semantics	✅ Supported	✅ Supported via FIFO topics	✅ Supported
Message Delta Compression	✅ Supported	❌ Not supported	N/A
Native Push Notifications	✅ Supported	❌ Requires SQS integration	N/A
Webhooks	✅ Supported	✅ Supported	✅ Supported
Serverless Functions Integration	✅ Supported via Functions	✅ Supported via Lambda	✅ Supported
Built-in Integrations	✅ Wide range of integrations	❌ Limited	✅ Extensive integrations
Known Limits & Constraints	✅ Extensive documentation	✅ Practical limits documented	✅ Comprehensive documentation
Supported Platforms & Languages (Examples)	✅ Wide range (Python, Java, Node.js, etc.)	❌ Limited (Java, Python)	❌ Limited (Java, PHP)
Global & Reliable Edge Service	✅ Latency-based routing, multi-region data replication	✅ Latency-based routing, multi-region data replication	✅ Latency-based routing, multi-region data replication
Uptime SLAs	✅ 99.99% uptime for SMSCountry	✅ 99.99%	✅ 99.99%
Quality of Service (QoS)	✅ Multi-region data replication, guaranteed ordering/delivery, connection recovery	✅ Multi-region data replication, guaranteed ordering/delivery (FIFO topics), connection recovery	✅ Multi-region data replication, guaranteed ordering/delivery, connection recovery
Security	✅ Multi-factor authentication, configurable access controls, message encryption, certifications	✅ API key & token authentication, access control, encryption, certifications	✅ Multi-factor authentication, access controls, message encryption, certifications
Pricing & Support	✅ Usage-based, enterprise support available	✅ Plan-based, enterprise support available	✅ Usage-based, enterprise support available

We’ve taken you on this comprehensive journey to help you choose the best SMS provider for your business. So which one should you choose?

We recommend SMSCountry. It’s the most reliable SMS provider on the globe.

If you are already using Twilio or AWS SNS, switching to SMSCountry is easy.

Switching from Twilio or AWS SNS to SMSCountry

SMSCountry is the best alternative for Amazon SNS and Twilio. Switching from Twilio or AWS SNS to SMSCountry is straightforward and easy. 

Here are five steps to follow:

1. Sign up on SMSCountry and get free SMS credits
2. Export your contact list from Twilio or AWS SNS
3. Import your contact list into SMSCountry
4. Update your SMS API to use SMSCountry’s API instead, and
5. Test your SMS messaging using your free credits to ensure it is working correctly.

Overall, the process of switching from Twilio or AWS SNS to SMSCountry is relatively easy.

Need help? 

Contact our team ASAP.

What customers of SMSCountry are saying

SMSCountry leaves customers happy and satisfied with their service and customer love.

So, join SMSCountry and experience satisfying services firsthand. 

Don’t wait, schedule a free demo now.

Ready to opt for the best SMS provider? 

Each SMS service provider we discussed in this article has its strengths and weaknesses based on what your business is looking for.

But only one comes out on top – SMSCountry

SMSCountry helps you to easily communicate with your customers at every step of their journey.

You can use SMSCountry to send OTPs, transactional SMS, 2-way SMS, and promotional SMS.

Learn more about SMSCountry, contact us to ask any questions that you may have. Or request a demo.

You can also sign up for free and test SMSCountry with SMS credits.