Top Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) Providers
A CPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service) is a cloud-based platform that allows organizations to add real-time communication features like voice, video, and messaging in their applications by deploying application program interfaces (APIs) without needing to build backend infrastructure and interfaces.
You don’t need to spend time or money on infrastructure to enable this feature, because CPaaS is scalable and is provider-held and cloud-based.
Until the advent of CPaaS, building apps that facilitate certain types of communication was usually not feasible. For example, a CPaaS provider enables you to use their API’s in your web apps or mobile apps to request reviews via text message SMS when someone submits a form via your website or your mobile app. Another example is that you can send automated SMS to your customers to remind/confirm their appointment.
Features Comparison
Below you will find a feature comparison of what we believe are the best CPaaS providers on the market today.
| S.No | Features | Twilio | Bandwidth | CallRail | Nexmo | Plivo | SMSGlobal | CALLTRACKINGMETRICS |
| 1 | Programmable SMS Send and receive SMS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | Programmable Voice Make, receive and monitor calls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| 3 | Group Messaging | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | SIP Trunking Enables the end point’s PBX to send and receive calls via the Internet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 5 | Programmable Chat Add Chat to any website or mobile app | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| 6 | Programmable Video Build real-time video and HD audio applications using WebRTC and cloud infrastructure | Yes | No | No | Yes (tokbox) |
Yes | No | No |
| 7 | Dedicated or Virtual Number Can be used for SMS or MMS messaging | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Cost Comparison – for Voice
| S.No | Voice related features | Twilio | Bandwidth | CallRail | Nexmo | Plivo | SMSGlobal | CALLTRACKINGMETRICS |
| 1 | Outgoing Calls | Starting at $0.013/min | $0.01/min | Service plan starts from $30 per month | $0.0106/min | $0.012/min | NA. Only SMS |
From $0.026 /min to $0.050 /min |
| 2 | Incoming Calls | Starting at $0.0085/min | $0.0055/min | $0.0054/min | $0.0085/min | From $0.035 /min to $0.045 /min | ||
| 3 | Outgoing Toll Free Calls | $0.013/min | Not listed | From $0.0041 to $0.0167/min | $0.003/min | N/A | ||
| 4 | Incoming Toll Free Calls | $0.022/min | $0.0195/min | Varies on plan | $0.021/min | From $0.050 /min to $0.065 /min | ||
| For more info | Website | Website | Website | Website | Website | Website | Website |
* Details as on 01-Jan-2019 and as mentioned in the respective websites
Cost Comparison – for SMS
| S.No | SMS related features | Twilio | Bandwidth | CallRail | Nexmo | Plivo | SMSGlobal | CALLTRACKINGMETRICS | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Dedicated Number | $1 per month | $0.35 per month | Service plan starts from $30 per month | $0.81 per month | $0.80 per month | Wholesale pricing starts from $0.014 (for USA)
|
From $1.25 per month to $2.50 per mon | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Incoming SMS | Starting at $0.0075 per message | Free | Free | Free | $0.014 per text | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Outgoing SMS | Starting at $0.0075 per message | $0.005 per message | $0.0069 per message | $0.0035 per message | $0.014 per text | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Shortcode | $3,000 for 3 months | N/A | $1,000 for 1 month | $3,000 for 3 months | N/A | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Shortcode Message Incoming | Starting at $0.0075 per message/td> | N/A | $0.0057 per message | Free | N/A | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | Shortcode Message Outgoing | Starting at $0.0075 per message | N/A | $0.0069 per message | 0.004 | N/A | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | Toll Free #s | $1.5 per month | $0.75 per month | $0.75-$1.95 per month | NA | From $2.00 per month to $3.50 per month | ||||||||||||||
| For more info | Website | Website | Website | Website | Website | Website | Website | |||||||||||||
* Details as on 01-Jan-2019 and as mentioned in the respective websites
Some of the key features of SMS to keep an eye while choosing a CPaaS are:
- Persistent Sender ID: This will enable all the outbound calls or SMS from a single number which will increase customer familiarity and trust
- Two-way SMS: The customers can reply to messages if a two-way messaging feature is available. Incoming and outgoing SMS price is applicable here.
- With a Two-way SMS & Voice system, CPaaS also allows customers to reply/contact us through the same number
- You can send or receive text messages with a toll-free phone number but standard rates will apply for this service
Each CPaaS provider has their own pros and cons. You can choose the right CPaaS provider, based on your business needs. If you want to develop your own CPaaS, you can use Restcomm, which is a popular open source platform to leverage your own network. It provides developers with the tools to integrate fax, voice, and SMS functionality into their own applications.
Which CPaaS provider are you using? Do you recommend another provider that didn’t make our list? We would love to hear your views in the comments section below.
Nice Article! i have heard a lot about nexmo and mobtextingdotcom for bulk SMS service, could you please help me with your input in this regard?
Hello Zak, we have not heard about Mobtexting, I checked it out quickly and see a support number from India. There are many CPaaS providers, we list some of the leaders in the World in our article here. Let us know what you think of them if you decide to go with them. Thanks