Is Twilio or Aircall better?

Neither clearly leads. Twilio starts at Free and Aircall at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Twilio or Aircall?

Twilio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Twilio and $30/month for Aircall.

Does Twilio or Aircall run on more platforms?

Twilio runs on Web, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, Java, PHP, C#. Aircall runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.

Can I use Twilio for free?

Yes. Twilio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Aircall starts at $30/month.

What is Twilio best used for?

Twilio is most often used for customer engagement, lead generation, customer support, sales automation. Of those, customer engagement and lead generation are not what Aircall is typically brought in for.

What can Twilio do that Aircall cannot?

Twilio covers SMS messaging, Voice calls, Video conferencing, Programmable communication. Aircall covers Cloud phone, IVR, Call routing, Power dialer. Both handle Salesforce, HubSpot, Web support.

Telecommunications · head to head

Twilio vs Aircall

Twilio

Telecommunications

Cloud communications platform for SMS, voice, and video

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Aircall

Telecommunications

Cloud phone system for modern business

From: $30/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Twilio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Twilio pricing becomes unpredictable with carrier fees and additional charges for compliance, recordings, and phone number rentals; Aircall a minimum of 3 users on the published plans, rising to 25 on the Custom tier
They diverge on capability: Twilio covers SMS messaging, Aircall covers Cloud phone.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Twilio and Aircall actually diverge.

Attributes where Twilio and Aircall differ
Attribute	Twilio	Aircall
Starting price	Free	$30/month
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Web, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, Java, PHP, C#	Web, Ios, Android, Desktop
Founded	2008	2014

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), 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 Twilio

SMS messaging
Voice calls
Video conferencing
Programmable communication
Slack
Zapier
Mobile support
API support

Only in Aircall

Cloud phone
IVR
Call routing
Power dialer
Analytics
Call recording
Integrations
Zendesk

Both cover

Salesforce
HubSpot
Web support

What people use each for

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

Twilio

Customer engagementnot Aircall
Lead generationnot Aircall
Customer supportnot Aircall
Sales automationnot Aircall

Aircall

Cloud phone system for sales and support teamsnot Twilio
Call routing, IVR and shared numbersnot Twilio
Logging calls against CRM records through integrationsnot Twilio
Power dialling outbound lists on the Professional tiernot Twilio
SMS and MMS alongside voicenot Twilio

Where each one falls short

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

Twilio

Pricing becomes unpredictable with carrier fees and additional charges for compliance, recordings, and phone number rentals
Phone number rentals are required for every number used, with carrier fees varying by region and billed separately
Dashboard is not optimized for mobile use and logs are difficult to access

Aircall

A minimum of 3 users on the published plans, rising to 25 on the Custom tier
Essentials is limited to 3 teams; unlimited teams need Professional
Salesforce CTI, the power dialer and advanced analytics all require Professional
SSO, API support and an SLA are Custom tier only
AI voice and messaging agents are separate add-ons billed per minute or per conversation on top of the seat price

Pricing, plan by plan

Twilio

Free

Pay-as-You-Go$undefined/mo
- Usage-based pricing
- No monthly minimum
- SMS, voice, video, messaging

Aircall

$30/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Aircall review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Twilio if

You need sms messaging.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, Java, PHP, C#.
You also want voice calls.

Twilio review

Choose Aircall if

You need cloud phone.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
You also want ivr.

Aircall review

Questions people ask

Is Twilio or Aircall better?: Neither clearly leads. Twilio starts at Free and Aircall at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Twilio or Aircall?: Twilio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Twilio and $30/month for Aircall.
Does Twilio or Aircall run on more platforms?: Twilio runs on Web, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, Java, PHP, C#. Aircall runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
Can I use Twilio for free?: Yes. Twilio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Aircall starts at $30/month.
What is Twilio best used for?: Twilio is most often used for customer engagement, lead generation, customer support, sales automation. Of those, customer engagement and lead generation are not what Aircall is typically brought in for.
What can Twilio do that Aircall cannot?: Twilio covers SMS messaging, Voice calls, Video conferencing, Programmable communication. Aircall covers Cloud phone, IVR, Call routing, Power dialer. Both handle Salesforce, HubSpot, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Twilio: What is Twilio's pricing model?

Twilio uses pay-as-you-go usage-based pricing with no monthly minimums or contracts. SMS costs $0.0083 per US message, voice calls cost $0.014 per minute, phone numbers cost $1.15 per month.

Source

Aircall: What is the minimum cost to start with Aircall?

Aircall requires a 3-license minimum on annual billing, making the real entry price $90 per month ($30 per user times 3 users) for the Essentials plan, not the advertised $30 per user.

Source

Twilio: Does Twilio offer a free tier?

Yes, Twilio offers a free trial indefinitely with no credit card required for limited usage, plus a 7-14 day free trial period on paid plans.

Source

Aircall: Does Aircall include AI call features in base plans?

No, AI Voice Agents and AI Assist Pro are separate add-ons billed on top of base plans. The Essentials and Professional plans include call recording and analytics but not AI features.

Source

Twilio: What communication channels does Twilio support?

Twilio supports SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, MMS for messaging; Voice API and SIP Trunking for voice; Email via Twilio SendGrid; Video API; and Chat via Conversations API.

Source

Aircall: How many countries can I create phone numbers in?

Aircall supports creating local phone numbers in 100 or more countries, enabling businesses to appear local to customers regardless of location.

Source

Aircall: What is Aircall's uptime guarantee?

Aircall guarantees 99.95 percent uptime with seven global data centers and system redundancy on every level.

Source

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Twilio vs Aircall

Twilio

Aircall

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Twilio

Only in Aircall

Both cover

What people use each for

Twilio

Aircall

Where each one falls short

Twilio

Aircall

Pricing, plan by plan

Twilio

Aircall

Which should you pick?

Choose Twilio if

Choose Aircall if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Twilio

More on Aircall

Keep looking

Other head to heads