
The Bottom Line
Entry price
Paid plans only
Biggest pro
Pay-as-you-go pricing keeps costs low for startups and scaling teams
Biggest con
Self-service plan limited to $2,500 monthly usage
TL;DR - Plivo
- Cloud communications platform with voice, SMS, WhatsApp, and AI agent APIs
- No-code AI agent builder deploys conversational agents in under 30 minutes
- Pay-as-you-go pricing starting at $0.01/min with global phone number coverage
What is Plivo?
Available on: Web
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Pay-as-you-go pricing keeps costs low for startups and scaling teams
- AI agent builder enables deployment without engineering resources
- Global coverage with phone numbers in 190+ countries
- Reliable infrastructure trusted by Fortune 500 companies
- Comprehensive API documentation with SDKs for major languages
- Supports voice, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat from one platform
Cons
- Self-service plan limited to $2,500 monthly usage
- Enterprise features like HIPAA compliance require higher-tier plans
- AI agent builder is newer and less mature than dedicated CCaaS platforms
- No built-in contact center UI-requires custom development or integration
- Pricing complexity with per-minute and per-message rates
Ratings Across the Web
Plivo holds an aggregate rating of 4.4 out of 5 from 830 reviews across G2 and Capterra, last checked September 17, 2026.
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Preview
Key Features
Pricing Plans
Pricing checked Sep 8, 2026
US long code / short code SMS
$0.008
- $0.0077 to send or receive
- Plus carrier surcharge
- Official US table on plivo.com/sms/pricing/us
US toll-free SMS
$0.008
- $0.0079 in and out
- Plus carrier surcharge
US MMS
$0.018
- Long code $0.0180
- Toll-free and short code $0.0200
- Plus MMS carrier surcharge
Number rental
$0.5/month
- Long code $0.50/month
- Toll-free $1.00/month
- Short code $500/month billed quarterly plus $1,500 setup
Is Plivo worth the price?
Plivo US SMS is pay-as-you-go.
Official table: long code and short code SMS are $0.0077 in and out. Toll-free SMS is $0.0079.
MMS starts at $0.0180. Carrier surcharges sit on top (AT&T SMS $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045 out).
A long code number is $0.50/month. Short codes are $500/month plus $1,500 setup.
This is best for a US sender who will add the carrier line, not stop at $0.0077.
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Carrier surcharges are extra. Official SMS
AT&T $0.0035, T-Mobile $0.0045 out / $0.0025 in, Verizon $0.0045 out.
MMS surcharges
AT&T $0.009, T-Mobile $0.010, Verizon $0.007 outbound.
RCS rich $0.0077, rich media $0.018, plus RCS passthrough fees on the same page.
The Twilio comparison widget is marketing. Use the rate table, not the $528 example.
How Plivo's pricing compares
At $0.5/mo, Plivo is the most affordable of its 2 direct competitors.
Entry paid plan, monthly. Pricing checked Sep 8, 2026.
Reviews

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Plivo FAQ
How does Plivo support businesses in automating customer interactions?
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How does Plivo's pricing compare to a competitor like Twilio?
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How is Plivo priced?
Can developers integrate Plivo into existing applications?
Does Plivo provide global coverage for communication services?
Source: plivo.com