Bird
Messaging APIs for email, SMS, WhatsApp, voice and verification, formerly known as MessageBird.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web
Is Bird free?
Free plan, plus paid plans
- SMS price:
- $0.0035 per US segment + carrier fees
Checked on Bird's site Nov 8, 2026
Full Bird pricing and plansSwitch from Bird to
All 5- Verified facts
- 5 of 5
- Alternatives ranked
- 5
- Approved reviews
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About Bird
Bird is the company founded in 2011 as MessageBird, which started with SMS and grew into a broad communications platform. Today it presents itself mainly as a set of developer APIs: transactional and marketing email, SMS, WhatsApp, Apple Messages for Business, voice and SIP trunking, OTP verification, phone and email lookup, a mailbox API for AI agents, eSIM data and realtime pub/sub over WebSockets. It also offers a free shared inbox for customer service, workflow automations, an MCP server and CLI for connecting AI coding assistants, and email deliverability tools. Pricing is pay as you go from a shared prepaid balance, with usage rates by channel and destination, optional monthly plans that raise limits, and some free tiers; carrier and Meta fees are extra. It suits developers and product teams that want one account for email, SMS and WhatsApp sending instead of stitching several providers together. It is a hosted service only.
Best for: Developers who want email, SMS, WhatsApp and voice sending from one API account.
Bird pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Each line is quoted from Bird's own site, with the page it came from.
| Plan or term | What it says | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMS price | $0.0035 per US segment + carrier fees | Nov 8, 2026 | bird.com |
| WhatsApp price | $0.005 per US marketing message + Meta fees | Nov 8, 2026 | bird.com |
| US phone number | $0.50 per month | Nov 8, 2026 | bird.com |
Pros and cons
What works
- Email, SMS, WhatsApp, voice and verification under one balance
- Pay-as-you-go usage without a required monthly plan
- Free shared inbox for customer service
- MCP server and CLI for AI coding tools
Why people leave
- Carrier and Meta fees sit on top of Bird's own rates
- Push and RCS are still in private beta
- Product range has shifted a lot since the MessageBird rebrand
Bird vs Twilio, Sinch and Vonage
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
Top Bird alternatives
See all 5- 1
Twilio68.8The largest messaging and voice API provider, with more SDKs and community examples.
- 2
Sinch64.8Global carrier-grade SMS, voice and verification with direct operator connections.
- 3
Vonage59.6Long-standing communications APIs with strong voice and video options.
- 4
Plivo59.4Lower-cost SMS and voice API focused on straightforward per-message pricing.
- 5
Twilio SendGrid50.0Specialist transactional email service if email is the main channel you need.
Why people left Bird
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
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Reviews
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Bird: common questions
What is Bird?
Bird: Messaging APIs for email, SMS, WhatsApp, voice and verification, formerly known as MessageBird. Best for developers who want email, SMS, WhatsApp and voice sending from one API account. Available for Web.
Is Bird free?
Bird has a free plan and paid plans.
How much does Bird cost?
Bird is free with paid plans. SMS price: $0.0035 per US segment + carrier fees; WhatsApp price: $0.005 per US marketing message + Meta fees; US phone number: $0.50 per month. Checked on Bird's own site, November 2026.
Is Bird open source?
No, Bird is not open source.
What platforms does Bird run on?
Bird is available for Web.
What are the best alternatives to Bird?
The highest-ranked Bird alternatives right now are Twilio, Sinch and Vonage. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
Bird vs Twilio: what's the difference?
Bird is free with paid plans; Twilio is a paid product. Verified prices: Bird $0.0035 per US segment + carrier fees, Twilio From $0.0083 per message. Both run on Web.