Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | Clickatell | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Cloud messaging and chat-commerce platform offering SMS, WhatsApp, RCS and Apple Messages for Business APIs for businesses. | Customer engagement platform with communications APIs for SMS, voice, email, and more |
| Founded | 2000 | 2008 |
| Ownership | private | public |
| Employees | 250-500 | 5,000-6,000 |
| HQ city | Redwood City | San Francisco |
| HQ country | USA | USA |
What's the differenceTwilio edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (88 vs 61). Clickatell is private and headquartered in Redwood City, USA; Twilio is public and based in San Francisco, USA.
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | Clickatell | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | No | Yes |
| RCS | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Viber | No | No |
| Facebook Messenger | No | No |
| Telegram | No | No |
| Apple Messages for Business | Yes | No |
| Voice | No | Yes |
| No | Yes |
What's the differenceThey share 3 channels. Clickatell additionally offers Apple Messages for Business, while Twilio additionally offers MMS, Voice, Email.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | Clickatell | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| Free developer credit | No | $15 trial credit |
| Docs quality | high | high |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | Python, PHP, Java, Node.js, C# | Node.js, Python, PHP, Java, C#, Ruby, Go |
| Sandbox / test env | Yes | Yes |
| API types | REST, SMPP | REST, SMTP |
What's the differenceOn SDKs, Twilio adds Ruby, Go; on API types, Clickatell adds SMPP; Twilio adds SMTP.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | Clickatell | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes |
| US data residency | No | Yes |
| Choose region | No | Yes |
| GDPR | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | Yes | Yes |
| SOC 2 | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA | No | Yes |
What's the differenceTwilio offers US data residency, while Clickatell does not; Twilio offers Choose region, while Clickatell does not; Twilio offers HIPAA, while Clickatell does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | Clickatell | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| Retention policy | Not publicly documented in detail. Clickatell states it moved its data infrastructure to Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Ireland (EU) in 2018 and directs GDPR/data-protection queries to dataprotection@clickatell.com; specific message content or metadata retention periods are not published. | Twilio stores message and call records by default; customers can enable message body redaction and configure data retention/deletion for message content. Some metadata is retained for a required period for billing and compliance. |
What's the differenceClickatell: Not publicly documented in detail. Clickatell states it moved its data infrastructure to Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Ireland (EU) in 2018 and directs GDPR/data-protection queries to dataprotection@clickatell.com; specific message content or metadata retention periods are not published. Twilio: Twilio stores message and call records by default; customers can enable message body redaction and configure data retention/deletion for message content. Some metadata is retained for a required period for billing and compliance.
Pricing & Credits
Pricing model and the cost of a first message.
| Field | Clickatell | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Self-service prepaid pay-as-you-go credits, with quote-based enterprise plans (Connect, Interact, Transact) requiring sales contact. | Pay-as-you-go per message/minute with volume and committed-use discounts |
| SMS starting price | $0.008 per SMS to the USA (published rate) | $0.0079 per US SMS segment (plus carrier fees) |
| Free developer credit | No | $15 trial credit |
What's the differenceClickatell and Twilio are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | Clickatell | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 190 | 180 |
| Direct operator connections | Yes | Yes |
| Published uptime SLA | 99.90%–99.98% uptime (SLA, varies by plan) | 99.95% (Enterprise Edition) |
What's the differenceClickatell leads on Countries covered (190 vs 180 for Twilio).
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | Clickatell | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.3 | 4.2 |
| G2 reviews | 2 | 700 |
| Ownership | private | public |
| Employees | 250-500 | 5,000-6,000 |
What's the differenceClickatell leads on G2 rating (4.3 vs 4.2 for Twilio); Twilio leads on G2 reviews (700 vs 2 for Clickatell).
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