SMS / OTP verification pricing compared
Sending a code costs one fee; managing the verification can add another. Carrier fees and retries also count.
11 services · sources last checked 2026-10-06 · how we compare
What the most-compared services cost
Estimated yearly bill at 100K verifications / month, US numbers. Enter your own usage below.
Enter your usage to estimate each bill. Services differ in what they include; check the rates, assumptions and extra charges below.
The estimates below use the default usage. Choose your current provider to compare costs.
| Provider | Parent jurisdiction | Features / pricing source | Est. monthly | Est. yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird Verify (MessageBird)Bird's verification API with no separate verify fee; pay the channel rate, $0.0035 per US SMS plus carrier fees. | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | GDPR DPAPublished rates | $770$0.0077 per verification | $9,240 |
| Infobip 2FACroatian CPaaS provider's 2FA/OTP API, billed at Infobip SMS rates; enterprise-oriented with pay-as-you-go entry. | 🇭🇷 Croatia | GDPR DPAEstimated ratesAssumes 2FA bills at the SMS rate with no separate verification fee. US pass-through and registration fees are excluded. | $820$0.0082 per verification | $9,840 |
| Firebase Phone Auth / Google Identity PlatformGoogle's phone sign-in for Firebase Auth / Identity Platform, billed per SMS sent; needs the Blaze pay-as-you-go plan. | 🇺🇸 United States | GDPR DPAPublished rates | $1,000$0.0100 per verification | $12,000 |
| AWS End User Messaging SMSAWS SMS API (formerly Pinpoint SMS): pay per message plus carrier fees; you build the OTP flow and register 10DLC numbers. | 🇺🇸 United States | EU residencyGDPR DPAPublished rates | $1,195$0.0120 per verification | $14,340 |
| Plivo VerifyOTP API with no verification fee: pay only the SMS channel rate, sent from Plivo's pre-registered numbers. | 🇺🇸 United States | GDPR DPAPublished rates | $1,200$0.0120 per verification | $14,400 |
| Sinch VerificationSinch's SMS, flash-call and voice verification API; SMS verifications billed per message at Sinch SMS rates. | 🇸🇪 Sweden | GDPR DPAEstimated ratesUses an approximate US carrier-average SMS rate. Confirm verification and carrier charges in the dashboard. | $1,200$0.0120 per verification | $14,400 |
| Twilio Programmable Messaging (DIY OTP)Raw Twilio SMS API used to send your own OTP codes: $0.0083 per US segment plus carrier fees and 10DLC registration. | 🇺🇸 United States | GDPR DPAPublished rates | $1,260$0.0126 per verification | $15,120 |
| Telnyx VerifyVerification API on Telnyx's own network: $0.03 per successful verification plus Telnyx SMS and carrier fees. | 🇺🇸 United States | GDPR DPAPublished rates | $3,820$0.0382 per verification | $45,840 |
| PreludeFrench verification API charging per verification with SMS passed through at carrier cost; EU-hosted. | 🇫🇷 France | EU residencyPublished rates | $4,060$0.0406 per verification | $48,720 |
| Twilio VerifyManaged OTP API: $0.05 per successful verification plus Twilio SMS and carrier fees; no 10DLC registration needed. | 🇺🇸 United States | GDPR DPAPublished rates | $6,260$0.0626 per verification | $75,120 |
| Vonage VerifyEricsson-owned Vonage verification API: per-successful-verification fee plus SMS rates, sent from a pre-approved short code. | 🇸🇪 Sweden | GDPR DPAModeled ratesAssumes verification attempts use the standard US SMS rate and one attempt succeeds. Retries and channel fallbacks add cost. | $7,310$0.0731 per verification | $87,720 |
US rates, one SMS per verification. International rates vary 10×+; carrier fees and SMS pumping fraud aren’t included.
Need EU residency? Turn on the EU filter to pick a plan that includes it, which may cost more. “EU plan available” alone does not mean the price shown includes residency. Shared links save your inputs and filters, but prices can change.
Looking for a European-owned provider? See European SMS / OTP verification providers.
Head-to-head comparisons
SMS / OTP verification pricing explained
What drives the bill
Verification APIs charge a fee per successful verification on top of the cost of each SMS. Sending the same one-time code through a plain SMS API, with your own code generation and checking, avoids the verification fee. In return, you handle retries, rate limits and fraud yourself.
Costs the calculator leaves out
- International rates. They vary by country and are often 10× or more the US rate.
- Carrier and registration fees, such as A2P 10DLC brand and campaign registration in the US.
- SMS pumping (toll fraud), where attackers trigger codes to premium-rate numbers. It can dwarf normal spend without rate limits or fraud protection.
- Fallback channels (voice, WhatsApp, email), which are priced differently.
When paying more makes sense
Managed verification can be worth paying for when you send internationally, need fraud protection or can’t maintain the flow yourself. Consider whether you need SMS at all. TOTP apps and passkeys avoid per-message fees; passkeys also resist phishing. Email codes avoid SMS charges, but depend on the security of the user’s mailbox.