Choosing an SMS provider is harder than it sounds.
You must determine which SMS provider has the best features, offers more value, and fits your budget.
This article will compare Twilio, MSG91, nd SMSCountry based on key features, benefits, pricing, and uniqueness.
At the end of the article, you’ll be able to make a truly informed decision about your next SMS provider.
This blog is only a 7-minute read, but your chosen SMS provider stays with your business for years.
So read attentively, and let’s dive in.
What does SMSCountry do?
SMSCountry equips businesses of all sizes with a fast, secure, & reliable bulk SMS gateway.
Also, check out : The Best OTP Service Providers
This allows businesses to:
- Attain new users via promotional SMS
- Retain existing ones via transactional SMS.
- Improve website or app security via OTP SMS
- Improve customer service via 2-way SMS
- Engage customers via WhatsApp and Voice Messaging
Use our dev-friendly and secure WhatsApp API to delight your customers with fast OTP. See how it works with a FREE demo. |
In short, SMSCountry is a one-stop solution for businesses for everything related to business SMS.
SMSCountry also stands out from other SMS providers in the following areas:
- Free lifetime 1-on-1 support
- Free SMS credits when you signup
- Personalised demo
- Free SMS templates tailored to customer’s industry
- Dedicated account manager
What does Twilio do?
Twilio is a communication service provider whose target audience is mainly developers worldwide. The company provides various programmable tools to its users to build a platform for enhanced customer engagement.
Using their web service APIs, developers can build platforms that help businesses engage with customers via voice, chat, video conferencing, or email.
What does msg91 do?
MSG91 is a cloud communication platform that provides its customers with various messaging solutions to support their business communications.
The communications solutions of MSG91 allow users to maintain a presence over email, voice, and text messaging channels.
Msg91 has a ” DND ” feature that allows users to send transactional SMS to DND (Do not disturb) users in their contact list.
How are they priced?
Here’s a quick breakdown of the pricing policy of each SMS provider.
SMSCountry pricing
Registering on SMSCountry with a free trial account gives you 10 Free SMS credits to test the platform.
Once your free trial is over, SMSCountry offers you two different pay-as-you-go pricing plans:
- SMS pricing plan for local SMS
- SMS pricing plan for international SMS
Now, the pricing for the local SMS differs based on which country you’re in. For international SMS, the pricing depends on the destination of your SMS.
But one thing is common for both the plans, i.e. the volume discount.
The higher the volume of SMS credits you buy, the lower the price per SMS for both local and international SMS.
If you need a custom quote for your business, you can visit the SMSCountry pricing page, and they will instantly get back to you.
Use our dev-friendly and secure WhatsApp API to delight your customers with fast OTP. See how it works with a FREE demo. |
Twilio pricing
Just like SMSCountry, Twilio also offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model.
The pricing also depends on the country you’re in, and the discounts triggers as your SMS volume increases.
But compared to SMSCountry, Twilio’s lowest SMS price is 4X higher at $0.0079.
On their website, Twilio has a clear disclaimer that they may change prices from time to time without any notice.
Along with that, they may also charge additional carrier fees apart from regular prices.
MSG91 pricing
The pricing strategy of msg91 is similar to SMSCountry and Twilio.
You pay for your SMS based on your country of residence and the destination of your SMS.
Also, MSG91 pushes their customers to request a customised pricing plan through their sales team.
Their sales team considers your usage requirements and offers you the pricing that suits you best.
How much does it cost to send 1000 SMS?
Considering a resembling pricing model, Let’s discover how the pricing differs for 1000 SMS for all three SMS providers.
Cost of sending 1000 SMS using SMSCountry
As previously mentioned, the cost of the first 1000 SMS messages through SMSCountry will depend on the chosen route.
To know exactly how much you’ll pay, you can contact SMSCountry’s sales team, and they’ll let you know. See our pricing page.
Cost of sending 1000 SMS using Twilio
According to Twilio’s pricing information, sending 1000 SMS messages will cost between $7.9 and $709.6.
However, when considering carrier fees, these figures increase to $12.9 and $714.6, respectively.
But you cannot be 100% sure what you’ll be charged with Twilio as they themself claim on their website that they can increase prices any time without notice to customers.
Cost of sending 1000 SMS using MSG91
The cost of sending 1000 SMS varies based on the country of residence. Through our research, we have found India to have a low SMS rate of $3.2 for 1000 SMS and Azerbaijan to have a high SMS rate of $1270.
Cost of sending 1000 SMS
Here’s a comparison table of the costs for sending 1000 SMS for all three SMS providers.
SMSCountry | msg91 | Twilio | |
Base price | See our pricing page. | Local – $3.2 – $1270Intl. Customised pricing | $7.9 – $709.6 (140 characters per SMS) |
Carrier fees | Carrier-dependent | Carrier-dependent | Carrier-dependent |
Long code | N/A | $13- $61 | $0.5 – $1.15 monthly |
Random shortcode | N/A | Discontinued providing the shortcode | $1000 quarterly |
What users are saying
Here’s what customers of each SMS service provider are saying.
What users have to say about using SMSCountry
What users have to say about using Twilio
What users have to say about using MSG91
Here’s another customer review.
Functionalities of each product
You can’t choose an SMS provider if it doesn’t have the features you need.
So, let’s review the features and capabilities of all three SMS providers.
Delivery speed
SMSCountry: SMSCountry delivers SMS in 5 seconds. 5 seconds is a benchmark for SMS delivery speed for an SMS provider.
Twilio: Twilio delivers text messages in 5-10 seconds based on carrier and country.
MSG91: SMS delivered with MSG91 do get delivered fast but can take minutes sometimes.
All-in-one platform
SMSCountry: SMSCountry is an all-in-one SMS platform that delivers all types of SMS.
Here’s a short list of the type of SMS you can deliver via SMSCountry:
Check on How to send your first SMS marketing campaign on SMSCountry
Twilio: Twilio is more of a communication platform for big enterprises. Although you can send a variety of SMS through Twilio, SMS is not the focus of attention for Twilio.
MSG91: MSG91 does not support 2-way text messages like Twilio and SMSCountry.
This is a small drawback as 2-way SMS is key to collecting customer feedback and improving customer satisfaction/
Power of SMS API and ease of integration
SMSCountry: SMSCountry API integrates into your website, mobile app, or software in less than 30 minutes.
Designed for non-technical users, SMSCountry is simple and easy to use.
You don’t need a programming background to use their API.
And even if you need help, SMSCountry’s customer support team gives you 1-on-1 support to integrate the API.
Twilio: Twilio is a platform designed primarily for developers.
Twilio API is powerful enough for your SMS needs.
But you’ll need to put some effort into integrating the Twilio API into your platform.
MSG91: MSG91 SMS API is simple and powerful.
The ease of use of msg91 SMS API depends on how well you understand their API documentation.
You can easily access their API documentation as soon as you log in to their platform.
Availability of plugins and web platform
SMSCountry: SMSCountry makes it really easy for you to integrate your plugins with the platform.
And it doesn’t matter the size of the business you have.
If you’re a small business owner using SMSCountry, you can send SMS via MS Excel, Google Sheets, Tally Software or even your email account.
If you have a big business, you can find integrations for your CRM.
SMSCountry also offers plugins specifically for eCommerce platforms like:
- WooCommerce
- Magneto
- X-cart
- NopCommerce
- Prestashop
There are many more integrations that SMSCountry offers, and you can access them easily.
Twilio: Since Twilio is not just an SMS provider, they’ve invested heavily in the integrations department.
Twilio offers integrations for thousands of platforms, including leading CRMs, spreadsheets, and software used by big companies.
MSG91: The number of integrations offered by msg91 is really basic.
When you sign up to msg91, you’d discover that msg91 limits itself to 9 integrations.
Now, if you want to send SMS via Google Sheets or your Tally software, you’re in luck with MSG91.
But if you’re looking to integrate your CRM with MSG91, you might be out of luck
Ease of use and adoption
SMSCountry: Since SMSCountry is made for non-technical people, it’s really easy to adapt and use.
The API integrates in only 30 minutes, making it super easy to adapt to the platform.
You’ll love the intuitive interface and ease of navigating to different features.
Twilio: Since Twilio is made primarily for developers, it’s hard to use compared to SMSCOuntry and MSG91.
You’ll need to put in some work trying to understand the platform before you can leverage it properly.
MSG91: The ease of use and adoption for msg91 might not be better than SMSCountry, but is definitely better than Twilio.
Although, a frustrating problem with msg91 is the lag on their platform.
Even when you’re trying to sign up, your sign-up page will take a while before it loads.
Scalability
SMSCountry: Built for businesses of all sizes, SMSCountry allows you to scale your SMS usage as your business grows.
With its pay-as-you-go model, you can initially choose a low volume of SMS credits and upgrade as your business grows.
The best thing about SMSCountry is that it doesn’t restrict its features and offers the same quality of customer support no matter what your business size is.
Even if you’re a small business owner, you’ll get a free demo with a real human and customer support with a dedicated account manager when you need it.
Twilio: Twilio does have a pay-as-you-go pricing model.
But the scalability of Twilio is questionable.
Because if you’re a small business, they’ll restrict your access to certain perks.
For instance, you aren’t eligible for phone support if you don’t spend at least 1500$ monthly.
You don’t get a dedicated account manager if you don’t spend at least 5000$ monthly.
Customer support
SMSCountry: SMSCountry provides customer support via live chat, phone, and personalised 1-on-1 video calls before you even become their customer.
In fact, SMSCountry is a platform renowned for its customer support.
Here’s a part of what a SMSCountry customer said about their swift customer support:
“Service was excellent. Very fast and quick response. As soon as we send mail, we get a call or a reply which is highly appreciated.” – Shailesh Mota, Netcom Solutions
For instance, SMSCountry has a dedicated team of DLT experts who help customers in India get registered on DLT.
And the best part? It’s completely free.
You don’t have to pay extra for this expert support if you’re a SMSCountry customer.
Twilio: Twilio’s customer support is one of its weakest areas. If you’re just getting started, the only support you’ll have is their documentation and blogs.
You must spend at least $ 1500$ monthly if you need phone support. If you want a dedicated account manager, you must spend at least 5000$ monthly.
MSG91: The customer support team of MSG91 is probably better and more responsive than Twilio. But they’d have to go a long mile to match the support standards set by SMSCountry.
Reliability
SMSCountry: SMSCountry has an uptime of 99.99%. This makes it one of the most reliable platforms out there.
Twilio: Twilio is generally considered a fairly reliable platform. But even then, you’ll find users complaining about their delivery failures.
MSG91: The reliability of MSG91 is questionable, with their website and platform experiencing frequent downtimes randomly.
Security
SMSCountry: Your business is 100% secure with SMSCountry. The customer conversations and customer data are protected by enterprise-grade encryption.
SMSCountry also complies with all the privacy and security requirements. Safe to say, you don’t have to worry about scammers and competitors stealing your data on SMSCountry.
Twilio: Twilio also complies with all the privacy and security requirements and is considered a safe platform.
MSG91: Just like Twilio and SMSCountry, msg91 is safe to use.
User-Friendliness
SMSCountry: SMSCountry is made for the everyday consumer. So even if you don’t have a dev background, you can easily use the platform.
Twilio: Twilio is primarily designed for developers, and average users find it hard to leverage the platform properly.
Here’s a screenshot of a customer review of their experience using Twilio:
MSG91: The MSG91 platform is easy enough for developers and average users.
Analytics and reporting capabilities
SMSCountry: When it comes to analytics and reporting capabilities, users consider SMSCountry one of the industry’s best.
Here’s a screenshot of one such user review about SMSCountry.
Twilio: Twilio does have analytics capabilities to support their users. You can track the performance of your SMS campaigns and make adjustments accordingly.
MSG91: You can get insights using MSG91 as you can with Twilio and SMSCountry. You can track how many SMS are delivered and opened. You can also track how many links have been clicked via SMS.
Customisation options
SMSCountry: The customisation options for SMSCountry include:
- Sender ID
- Text Message
For the sender ID, you can choose a short or a long code or set up your brand name as the sender ID.
For text message customisation, you can add variables to personalise the name, location, or any other variable for the text message customisation.
Twilio: The customisation options offered by Twilio are the same as SMSCountry.
MSG91: You can do the same customisations as with other SMS providers with MSG91. But the support offered by MSG91 in getting the sender ID registered doesn’t match that of SMSCountry.
Scheduled SMS
SMSCountry: SMSCountry offers the following options for SMS scheduling:
- Schedule an SMS
- Edit a scheduled SMS
- Cancel a scheduled SMS
Using SMSCountry API, plugin or web platform.
With these three options, you can plan and get creative with your campaigns.
All the scheduled SMS get delivered on time.
Twilio: The scheduling options offered by Twilio are similar to those of SMSCountry.
MSG91: You can schedule messages by date, hour, and minute using either their API or web platform.
Email-2-SMS
SMSCountry: You can deliver text messages from your mailbox using SMSCountry’s Email-2-SMS gateway.
This is key for businesses that leverage email marketing to contact their leads.
When a lead goes cold, you can skip their cluttered email inbox and show up in their SMS inbox.
SMS has a 98% open rate, so your chances of converting that lead increase when you use the SMS gateway of SMSCountry.
Also Read: What Are The Best Email to SMS Providers in 2022?
Twilio: It’s not clear whether you can send SMS via email through Twilio.
You can find articles showing a workaround for connecting Twilio with SendGrid and Heroku and Heroku toolbelt to deliver SMS from email.
But for that, you’ll need:
- An account with Twilio
- An account with Sendgrid
- An account with Heroku
- An account with Heroku
That’s too much of a hassle and simply not worth it for simple text messaging.
MSG91: Although MSG91 has a transactional email API, you cannot find an Email-2-SMS gateway to deliver SMS from your mailbox.
2-way SMS
SMSCountry: You can easily engage in 2-way text messaging with SMSCountry.
This is key for consumer-oriented businesses because it offers them the easiest way to get to know their customer.
You can click here to read more about SMSCountry’s 2-way SMS service,
Here’s a short list of how businesses use SMSCountry’s 2-way SMS service:
- Provide customer support via SMS
- Organise polls and customer surveys
- Collect feedback from customers
- Appointment reminders and confirmations
See: 10 Top SMS Survey Tools to Try Right Now
Twilio: If you’re a developer, you can build 2-way app functionality using Twilio.
MSG91: Unlike SMSCountry and Twilio, msg91 doesn’t support 2-way SMS.
Global coverage
SMSCountry: SMSCountries is available in 200+ countries and allows texting in native languages in a lot of them.
Twilio: Twilio is also available globally, but it’s not clear whether they support texting in native languages.
MSG91: You can send SMS globally via MSG91. But beware of their confusing pricing pages and ensure you understand the costs first.
Voice service
SMSCountry: SMSCountry has a stellar voice text messaging service. Here are the prominent options available for SMSCountry voice service:
- Outbound dialer IVR
- Text to Voice
- Missed Call Number
- Voice Broadcast
The text-to-speech feature supports 20 languages. Along with that, you can receive the voice text delivery reports on your email.
SMSCountry has a dedicated website page about their voice services.
You can click here to read more about SMSCountry’s voice SMS services.
Twilio: Twilio does have a programmable voice API equipped with IVR and speech recognition capability. But it’s not clear whether Twilio can translate texts into native languages like SMSCountry.
MSG91: You can send voice messages and set up intelligent IVR flow with msg91.
Reseller Program
SMSCountry: With SMSCountry’s reseller program, you can fulfil any client’s SMS needs and enjoy a piece of the pie from the business deal. You can also start your bulk SMS business using SMSCountry.
You can click here to check out SMSCountry’s reseller program.
Twilio: Twilio’s reseller programmes include a technology partner program and a consulting partner program. As a technology partner, you can sell Twilio products. As a consulting partner, you resell Twilio products and consult with their customers.
MSG91: You can Whitelabel MSG91 and sell their products using their reseller program. But you’ll be the one responsible for sales.
Comparing Twilio vs Msg91 vs SMSCountry
Until now, this blog has explained every little detail about the different features and capabilities of Twilio, SMSCountry, and MSG91.
You can easily compare all three and select the one that suits you best.
But, to make the comparison easier and to give you a holistic view of what each SMS provider offers, we created a comparison table.
Let’s have a look at it.
Key features | |||
Text messaging | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Chat/Two-way conversations | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Automated responses | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Personalised SMS | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Schedule SMS | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
SMS shortcodes | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Custom sender ID | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
OTP/Verify SMS | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
WhatsApp business API | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Email to SMS | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Excel to SMS | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Voice SMS | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Outbound dialer-IVR | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
Missed call number | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
Text-to-voice | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
Dedicated Account manager | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
Integrations/plugins | CRM & e-Commerce integrations | CRM & e-Commerce integrations | CRM, eCommerce, Tally & MS Excel Integrations |
Supported platforms | Web-based application | WindowsLinuxWeb-basedMobile App | WindowsLinuxWeb-basedMobile App |
Free trial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pricing | See our pricing page. | Starts at $0.0032/message(location-based) | Starts at $0.0026/message (location-based) |
Switching from Twilio or MSG91 to SMSCountry
If you’re already using Twilio or MSG91, switching to SMSCountry is an easy process that takes only 3 simple steps.
Step 1: Sign up to SMSCountry at www.smscountry.com.
Step 2: Verify your email and phone number.
Step 3: Set Up your SMSCountry API in your preferred code language using SMSCountry’s API documentation.
And that’s it.
In just 3 simple steps, you’re ready to start delivering SMS using SMSCountry.
Why don’t you book a free demo or sign up for free?
Alternatively, you can contact us if you still have questions.
What customers of SMSCountry are saying
Have a look at what customers like you are saying about SMSCountry.
“When we were shifting to SMSCountry, I was concerned about the API integration process. However, with the help of SMSCountry’s customer support team, we completed the integration process within 20 minutes – which was much faster than I had anticipated.” – Sharath Kumar, Backend Developer at Zettarime Technologies.
See how SMSCountry compares with other SMS service providers
- Attentive vs Twilio vs SMSCountry
- SMSCountry Vs Twilio Vs Vonage
- Twilio vs SMSCountry
- Bandwidth vs Twilio vs SMSCountry
- Kaleyra vs Twilio vs SMSCountry
- Twilio vs AWS SNS vs SMSCountry
- Nexmo vs Twilio vs SMSCountry
Final verdict: The best choice between Msg91 vs Twilio vs SMSCountry
It’s clear that when you pit Twilio Vs Msg91 Vs SMSCountry, the latter comes out as a clear winner.
Not only does SMSCountry have better pricing plans, you can also send text and voice messages from an email account.
On SMSCountry you’ll get a dedicated account manager to manage your SMS campaigns, and offer you 24/7 support.
Also, SMSCountry’s integrations enable you to send SMS from any device or location.
Why don’t you book a free demo or signup for free?
Alternatively, you can contact us if you still have questions.