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Communication · head to head

Gupshup vs Twist

Gupshup logo

Gupshup

Communication

Conversational messaging and CPaaS with a flat platform fee stacked on top of Meta per-message rates

From
$0.001/message
Rated
-
Twist logo

Twist

Communication

Distraction-free team communication

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Twist has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Gupshup the Gupshup platform fee of about 0.001 dollars per message is negligible next to Meta pass-through rates, so comparing providers on their own fee is misleading, and the country and category mix of your traffic determines almost the entire bill.; Twist the free plan only exposes the last 1 month of comments and messages; older history is hidden until you upgrade
  • They diverge on capability: Gupshup covers WhatsApp Business API, Twist covers Topic-based chat.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gupshup and Twist actually diverge.

Attributes where Gupshup and Twist differ
AttributeGupshupTwist
Starting price$0.001/messageFree
Pricing modelPer message sentfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Communication).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Gupshup

  • WhatsApp Business API
  • Flat platform fee
  • RCS messaging
  • SMS and voice
  • Bot Studio
  • Agent inbox
  • Campaign manager
  • Emerging market reach

Only in Twist

  • Topic-based chat
  • Threading
  • File attachments
  • Search
  • Notifications control
  • Integrations
  • Mobile apps
  • Slack

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Gupshup

  • An e-commerce brand sending order and delivery notifications over WhatsApp to customers across India and Southeast Asianot Twist
  • A bank or fintech running one-time passcodes and transactional alerts with fallback from WhatsApp to SMSnot Twist
  • A company deploying a WhatsApp chatbot for tier one support with handover to human agents for anything it cannot resolvenot Twist
  • A marketing team running WhatsApp template campaigns to opted-in lists in markets where email engagement is lownot Twist

Twist

  • Asynchronous team communication and project collaborationnot Gupshup
  • Teams requiring unlimited message history and integrationsnot Gupshup
  • Remote-first organizations minimizing synchronous meetingsnot Gupshup
  • Distributed teams across multiple time zonesnot Gupshup

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Gupshup

  • The Gupshup platform fee of about 0.001 dollars per message is negligible next to Meta pass-through rates, so comparing providers on their own fee is misleading, and the country and category mix of your traffic determines almost the entire bill.
  • Gupshup publishes no single flat rate for a full send, so accurate cost modelling requires you to build a country by country and category by category forecast before any provider comparison is meaningful.
  • Meta moved from conversation-based to per message billing in July 2025, which materially changed the economics of high-frequency messaging, and any budget or ROI model built on the old conversation pricing is now wrong.
  • Template approval sits with Meta rather than Gupshup, so rejections and category reclassifications can stall a campaign regardless of provider, and support quality on chasing them is a common complaint.
  • The product surface is broad, spanning CPaaS APIs, bot building and campaign tooling, and the non-API tools are less refined than dedicated conversational marketing platforms, so many buyers use Gupshup purely as a pipe.

Twist

  • The free plan only exposes the last 1 month of comments and messages; older history is hidden until you upgrade
  • The free plan caps integrations at 5 and file storage at 5 GB
  • Full message history, unlimited integrations, unlimited storage and priority support all require the Unlimited plan at US$6 per user per month
  • Both plans cap the workspace at 500 internal member accounts and 500 external guest accounts

Pricing, plan by plan

Gupshup

$0.001/message
  • Messaging$0.001/message
    • About 0.001 USD Gupshup platform fee per outgoing template message
    • Same fee on outgoing and incoming session messages
    • Meta per-message charges passed through on top, varying by country and category

Twist

Free
  • Free PlanFree
    • Access up to 1 month of comments and messages
    • Up to 5 integrations
    • 5 GB storage
  • Unlimited Plan$6/month
    • Full history of comments and messages
    • Unlimited integrations
    • Unlimited file storage

Which should you pick?

Choose Gupshup if

  • You need whatsapp business api.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want flat platform fee.

Choose Twist if

  • You need topic-based chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
  • You also want threading.

Questions people ask

Is Gupshup or Twist better?
Neither clearly leads. Gupshup starts at $0.001/message and Twist at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gupshup or Twist?
Twist has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.001/message for Gupshup and Free for Twist.
Does Gupshup or Twist run on more platforms?
Gupshup runs on Web, API. Twist runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
Can I use Twist for free?
Yes. Twist has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Gupshup starts at $0.001/message.
What is Gupshup best used for?
Gupshup is most often used for an e-commerce brand sending order and delivery notifications over whatsapp to customers across india and southeast asia, a bank or fintech running one-time passcodes and transactional alerts with fallback from whatsapp to sms, a company deploying a whatsapp chatbot for tier one support with handover to human agents for anything it cannot resolve, a marketing team running whatsapp template campaigns to opted-in lists in markets where email engagement is low. Of those, an e-commerce brand sending order and delivery notifications over whatsapp to customers across india and southeast asia and a bank or fintech running one-time passcodes and transactional alerts with fallback from whatsapp to sms are not what Twist is typically brought in for.
What can Gupshup do that Twist cannot?
Gupshup covers WhatsApp Business API, Flat platform fee, RCS messaging, SMS and voice. Twist covers Topic-based chat, Threading, File attachments, Search.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Gupshup: What does Gupshup charge?

About 0.001 USD per outgoing template message and per session message in each direction, plus roughly 0.0001 USD per second on voice. Meta per-message charges are passed through on top.

Twist: How much does Twist cost?

Twist offers a free plan with access to 1 month of message history and 5 GB storage. The Unlimited plan costs $6 per user per month with full message history and unlimited storage.

Source
Gupshup: Is Gupshup cheaper than other WhatsApp providers?

On its own platform fee it is competitive, but that fee is a small fraction of the total. Meta pass-through rates dominate, so provider choice rarely changes your bill much.

Twist: What is included in Twist's free plan?

The free plan includes access to up to one month of comments and messages, up to 5 integrations, 5 GB storage, and standard support.

Source
Gupshup: Did WhatsApp pricing change?

Yes. Meta retired per 24-hour conversation pricing on 1 July 2025 and moved to per message billing, and Gupshup followed.

Twist: How is Twist priced for large teams?

Organizations with 200+ employees should contact [email protected] for custom enterprise pricing. Single-channel guests remain free on both tiers, while multi-channel guests on Unlimited are billed as regular members.

Source
Gupshup: Is it only for India?

No, but its strongest carrier and operator reach is in India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

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