Softwr

Telecommunications · head to head

OneSignal vs Telesign

OneSignal logo

OneSignal

Telecommunications

Customer engagement and messaging, without the complexity

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Telesign logo

Telesign

Telecommunications

Phone number verification and fraud scoring rather than general purpose messaging

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OneSignal has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: OneSignal free plan email sends cap at 10,000 per month and web push is capped at 10,000 subscribers per send, per onesignal.com/pricing (Aug 2026); Telesign risk scoring is probabilistic, so tuning thresholds trades fraud caught against genuine users blocked, and somebody has to own that trade-off continuously.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OneSignal and Telesign actually diverge.

Attributes where OneSignal and Telesign differ
AttributeOneSignalTelesign
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumPer message and per verification, priced by destination country
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, APIs, Java, Python, JavaScript, PHP, C#

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

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 OneSignal

Nothing recorded that Telesign does not also cover.

Only in Telesign

  • Phone number verification
  • Phone number intelligence
  • Risk scoring
  • Published SMS rate card
  • Delivery routing

What people use each for

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

OneSignal

  • Sending push notifications to mobile app users when orders shipnot Telesign
  • Triggering email confirmations based on form submission eventsnot Telesign
  • Creating multi-step SMS and email journeys for onboarding usersnot Telesign
  • Sending in-app messages to users abandoning checkout flowsnot Telesign

Telesign

  • Consumer platforms blocking fake account creation at signupnot OneSignal
  • Fintechs and marketplaces checking SIM swap history before a high value actionnot OneSignal
  • Businesses suffering promotion and free trial abuse from disposable numbersnot OneSignal
  • Products needing passcode delivery optimised for completion rather than lowest costnot OneSignal

Where each one falls short

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

OneSignal

  • Free plan email sends cap at 10,000 per month and web push is capped at 10,000 subscribers per send, per onesignal.com/pricing (Aug 2026)
  • Professional and Enterprise plans require custom annual contracts with no published rate, per onesignal.com; SMS/RCS messaging and dedicated IPs are gated behind the Professional tier

Telesign

  • Risk scoring is probabilistic, so tuning thresholds trades fraud caught against genuine users blocked, and somebody has to own that trade-off continuously.
  • No voice pricing is published at all: every one of the 233 destinations in its public rate card lists voice as quote only, so voice cost cannot be modelled in advance.
  • It is a verification and risk product, so a business that also needs general purpose messaging will run a second vendor for that traffic.
  • Number intelligence quality varies by country because it depends on operator data availability, and coverage in some markets is thinner than the global claim implies.
  • The underlying carrier assets belong to its sibling companies rather than to Telesign, so network questions route back to a parent whose principal business is not developer APIs.

Pricing, plan by plan

OneSignal

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10,000 free email sends/month
    • Unlimited mobile push
    • Basic analytics and automation
  • Growth$19/month
    • Base platform fee plus usage costs
    • Mobile push: $0.012 per monthly active user
    • Web push: $0.004 per subscriber
  • Professional$undefined/mo
    • Custom annual pricing
    • All Growth features plus SMS/RCS messaging
    • 24/7 prioritized support
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Custom annual pricing
    • Unlimited personalization
    • Dedicated success manager

Telesign

On request
  • Telesign$undefined/month
    • SMS prices published for 233 destination countries
    • Every voice destination listed as quote only
    • Enterprise agreements normally tied to volume commitments

Which should you pick?

Choose OneSignal if

  • You want to start without paying.
OneSignal review

Choose Telesign if

  • You need phone number verification.
  • You work on Web, APIs, Java, Python, JavaScript, PHP, C#.
  • You also want phone number intelligence.
Telesign review

Questions people ask

Is OneSignal or Telesign better?
Neither clearly leads. OneSignal starts at Free and Telesign at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OneSignal or Telesign?
OneSignal has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for OneSignal and On request for Telesign.
Does OneSignal or Telesign run on more platforms?
OneSignal runs on Web. Telesign runs on Web, APIs, Java, Python, JavaScript, PHP, C#.
Can I use OneSignal for free?
Yes. OneSignal has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Telesign starts at On request.
What is OneSignal best used for?
OneSignal is most often used for sending push notifications to mobile app users when orders ship, triggering email confirmations based on form submission events, creating multi-step sms and email journeys for onboarding users, sending in-app messages to users abandoning checkout flows. Of those, sending push notifications to mobile app users when orders ship and triggering email confirmations based on form submission events are not what Telesign is typically brought in for.
What can OneSignal do that Telesign cannot?
Telesign covers Phone number verification, Phone number intelligence, Risk scoring, Published SMS rate card.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OneSignal: How much does OneSignal cost?

OneSignal offers a free tier with 10,000 free email sends/month and unlimited mobile push. Growth plan starts at $19/month plus usage-based charges for mobile push ($0.012 per monthly active user) and web push ($0.004 per subscriber).

Source
Telesign: Who owns Telesign?

Proximus, the Belgian telecommunications operator. It acquired Telesign in 2017 through its subsidiary BICS and has owned it outright since February 2021. Telesign now sits in Proximus Global alongside BICS and Route Mobile.

OneSignal: Does OneSignal offer a free version?

Yes, OneSignal's free plan includes 10,000 free email sends per month, unlimited mobile push, basic analytics and automation, with up to 1 active journey and 2 message steps.

Source
Telesign: Did Telesign go public?

No. A merger with the North Atlantic Acquisition Corporation special purpose vehicle was announced in December 2021 at around 1.3 billion dollars and terminated on 1 July 2022, so it remained within Proximus.

OneSignal: What are OneSignal's email costs beyond the free tier?

After the 20,000 free email sends/month included in the Growth plan, OneSignal charges $1.50 per 1,000 additional emails.

Source
Telesign: Is Telesign a cheaper way to send one-time passcodes?

No, and that is not its purpose. It routes for verification completion and adds a risk judgement about the number. If you only need cheap message delivery, compare rate card vendors instead.

OneSignal: What is included in the Professional plan?

OneSignal's Professional plan includes custom annual pricing, all Growth features plus SMS/RCS messaging, 24/7 prioritized support, and optional dedicated IP for email.

Source
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