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Plivo

Cloud communications API platform — SMS, MMS, voice, WhatsApp. Direct Twilio competitor with similar pricing and developer-first positioning.

Capabilities

Integration Available Notes
API ✓ REST API
MCP - Not available
CLI - None official
SDK ✓ Node, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, Go, .NET

Authentication

  • Type: Basic auth with Auth ID + Auth Token
  • Header: Authorization: Basic base64(AuthID:AuthToken)
  • Get credentials: https://console.plivo.com → Account → Account Settings
  • Note: Subaccounts available for isolating environments or customers

Common Agent Operations

Send SMS

POST https://api.plivo.com/v1/Account/{AuthID}/Message/

{
  "src": "+15559876543",
  "dst": "+15551234567",
  "text": "Hello from Plivo"
}

Send MMS

POST https://api.plivo.com/v1/Account/{AuthID}/Message/

{
  "src": "+15559876543",
  "dst": "+15551234567",
  "text": "Check this out",
  "type": "mms",
  "media_urls": ["https://example.com/image.jpg"]
}

Bulk send (powerpack)

Use Plivo's Powerpack feature to send from a pool of numbers with sticky sender + automatic A2P registration. Configured in console; messages then sent with powerpack_uuid instead of src.

POST https://api.plivo.com/v1/Account/{AuthID}/Message/

{
  "powerpack_uuid": "...",
  "dst": "+15551234567",
  "text": "Hello"
}

Get message details

GET https://api.plivo.com/v1/Account/{AuthID}/Message/{MessageUUID}/

List messages

GET https://api.plivo.com/v1/Account/{AuthID}/Message/?limit=20&offset=0

Rent a phone number

# Search available
GET https://api.plivo.com/v1/Account/{AuthID}/PhoneNumber/?country_iso=US&type=local

# Rent
POST https://api.plivo.com/v1/Account/{AuthID}/PhoneNumber/{NumberID}/

Configure inbound message webhook on an Application

POST https://api.plivo.com/v1/Account/{AuthID}/Application/

{
  "app_name": "SMS Receiver",
  "message_url": "https://your-app.com/sms-webhook",
  "message_method": "POST"
}

Then assign the application to the phone number.

A2P 10DLC registration (US)

Configured through console UI under Compliance. Programmatic registration available for high-volume customers via dedicated API endpoints (request access).

API Pattern

REST + JSON. Pagination via limit + offset. Webhook callbacks for inbound messages and delivery status (configured per-application).

Pricing

  • US 10DLC SMS: $0.0055/msg (typically lower than Twilio)
  • US toll-free SMS: $0.0055/msg
  • US short code SMS: similar + monthly lease
  • MMS: ~$0.02
  • Carrier surcharges layered on top
  • Phone number rental: ~$0.80/mo local, ~$1/mo toll-free

Plivo typically prices 5–20% under Twilio at the per-send level. Less of an ecosystem advantage but real cost savings at high volume.

Rate Limits

  • Default: 1 msg/sec
  • Powerpacks scale throughput based on number pool size and A2P trust
  • Short codes: 100+ msg/sec

When to Use

  • Custom SMS build, want a Twilio-like API with lower cost
  • High-volume sending where the per-message delta matters
  • Want bulk sending with sticky sender via Powerpack
  • B2B SaaS embedding SMS or transactional/auth at scale

When NOT to Use

  • DTC ecom marketing flows — Klaviyo, Postscript, Attentive
  • Ecosystem matters more than price — Twilio's broader product surface (Voice, Studio, SendGrid, Segment, etc.) wins
  • Need mature WhatsApp Business — Twilio has deeper WhatsApp tooling

Relevant Skills

  • sms
  • onboarding (post-signup notifications)