TL;DR
Bird SMS API starts at $0.00331 per outbound US message and $0.003 per inbound US message. That makes it one of the cheapest entry-level prices among major SMS API providers. You also get a free plan with 5 SMS/day to test before you commit. The Pro plan at $49/month includes 1,000 SMS credits.
Introduction
MessageBird rebranded to Bird in 2023. Along with the new name came a sharper focus on AI-powered omnichannel communication: SMS, WhatsApp, email, and voice all under one roof. The pricing model changed too, shifting to transparent pay-as-you-go rates that put Bird's base SMS cost below Twilio, Vonage, and most other major providers.
This article breaks down exactly what Bird SMS costs in 2025 and 2026, what can drive your bill up, and how Bird compares to the alternatives.
Bird SMS pricing overview
Bird uses a two-part pricing structure for SMS:
- Platform plan fee (monthly subscription)
- Per-message fee (pay-as-you-go on top of your plan)
Here's how the plans break down:
| Plan | Monthly cost | SMS included |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5 SMS/day |
| Pro | $49 | 1,000 SMS/month |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom volume |
Once you exceed your plan's included SMS, you pay per message. For US numbers, those rates are:
- Outbound SMS: $0.00331 per message
- Inbound SMS: $0.003 per message
Bird displays its CRM/Marketing Automation pricing in EUR on the detailed rate page, so USD figures shown here apply to the API/developer tier. Always check the current rate sheet at bird.com/en/pricing/sms because carrier fees and exchange rates can shift the final number.
Pricing breakdown: SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, and email
SMS
US outbound SMS sits at $0.00331 per message. That's the base rate from Bird's carrier-grade infrastructure, which connects directly to carriers in 150+ countries. Rates vary significantly by country. Here are a few examples from Bird's published rate sheet (in EUR, approximate):
| Country | Outbound rate (approx.) |
|---|---|
| United States | ~$0.00331 |
| United Kingdom | ~€0.036 |
| Australia | ~€0.009 |
| Germany | ~€0.056 |
| India | varies by route |
| Brazil | ~€0.047 |
Note: Additional carrier fees apply for US and Canada messages. Those 10DLC and toll-free carrier fees are separate from the base per-message rate. More on that in the hidden costs section.
MMS
MMS (picture messages) costs more than SMS. Bird supports MMS for US and Canada numbers. Expect MMS to run roughly 3x to 5x the SMS rate, though the exact figure depends on your plan tier. Check bird.com/en/pricing/sms for the current MMS rates by country.
Bird's WhatsApp pricing has two components:
- Bird processing fee (per 1,000 messages):
| Volume | Fee per 1,000 messages |
|---|---|
| 1 to 1,000 | $0.001 |
| 1,001 to 100,000 | $0.005 |
| 100,001 to 500,000 | $0.0045 |
| 500,001+ | $0.004 |
- Meta passthrough fee (conversation-based, varies by country and type):
For US numbers, Meta charges: - Marketing conversations: $0.0250 - Utility conversations: $0.0034 - Authentication conversations: $0.0034
Bird passes through Meta's fees at cost with no markup.
Bird's email pricing through its API tier starts at $0.001 per email for low volumes and drops as volume increases. The Pro plan includes 10,000 emails/month. Email is one of the cheapest channels on the platform.
Voice
Bird's Voice API pricing is usage-based and varies by country. US outbound calls typically run around $0.013 to $0.015 per minute. Inbound US calls are slightly cheaper. Contact Bird sales for high-volume voice rates.
What affects your Bird bill
Several factors can push your costs higher than the base rate.
1. Country and carrier routing
US SMS at $0.00331 is a standout rate. But if you're sending to Germany (~€0.056), Bangladesh (~€0.208), or Burundi (~€0.269), your per-message cost can be 10x to 80x the US price. Always check Bird's per-country rate sheet before projecting international costs.
2. Number type
The type of phone number you use changes your cost:
- Long codes (10DLC): Standard US numbers. Require brand and campaign registration through The Campaign Registry (TCR).
- Short codes: 5-6 digit numbers with higher throughput. Higher monthly rental fee (usually $500 to $1,000/month from Bird or the carrier).
- Toll-free numbers: Middle ground between long codes and short codes. Lower monthly cost, moderate throughput.
Monthly number rental fees are charged on top of per-message rates.
3. Message length and encoding
A standard SMS is 160 characters using GSM-7 encoding. Go over 160 characters and your message splits into multiple segments, each billed separately. Unicode characters (emoji, accented letters, non-Latin scripts) reduce the per-segment limit to 70 characters. A single emoji in a 200-character message could turn it from 2 billed segments into 3.
4. Channel mix
Bird is an omnichannel platform. If your workflows route some messages through WhatsApp when SMS fails, you'll see WhatsApp conversation charges on your bill. Building workflows in Bird's Flow Builder (drag-and-drop automation) makes it easy to set up those fallback routes, but you should model the cost impact before activating them.
5. Volume
Bird doesn't publish a public tiered discount schedule for SMS volume the way some providers do. For high-volume senders (millions of messages per month), Bird's Enterprise plan offers custom rates. Contact sales to negotiate.
Hidden costs and fees
Bird markets transparent pricing, and they're more upfront than many competitors. But there are still line items that can surprise you.
US carrier fees (10DLC)
10DLC is the US carrier system that requires brand registration and campaign vetting for A2P (application-to-person) SMS. Bird passes through carrier fees for US numbers:
- Brand registration: One-time fee (~$4 to $44 depending on brand type)
- Campaign registration: Monthly fee (~$10/month per campaign, set by carriers)
- Per-message carrier surcharge: Additional cents per message on top of Bird's base rate
These fees are set by US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon), not Bird. Bird charges them at cost.
Phone number rental
US long code numbers typically cost $1 to $2/month. Toll-free numbers run $2 to $3/month. Short codes are $500 to $1,000/month depending on shared vs. dedicated and carrier rates.
Inbound webhooks and processing
Receiving inbound SMS triggers Bird's inbound rate ($0.003/message for US). If you run keyword-based opt-out or help flows, those inbound replies add up.
Platform subscription
The $49/month Pro fee is fixed overhead. If you send low volumes, the per-message overage rate is what matters. If you send high volumes, the included 1,000 SMS may cover a small fraction of your needs.
How Bird compares to alternatives
Here's a direct comparison of US outbound SMS rates for major API providers:
| Provider | US outbound SMS | US inbound SMS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird | $0.00331 | $0.003 | Lowest base rate; omnichannel platform |
| Twilio | $0.0079 | $0.0079 | Higher base rate; huge ecosystem |
| Telnyx | ~$0.004 | ~$0.001 | Competitive; carrier-direct model |
| Plivo | $0.0055 | $0.0005 | Lower inbound rate; simpler platform |
Bird wins on raw per-message cost for US outbound. Twilio charges more than double Bird's rate at the entry level, though Twilio's volume discounts close the gap for enterprise senders. Telnyx is competitive and also follows a carrier-direct model similar to Bird.
The trade-off with Bird is that it bundles SMS into a full CRM and marketing automation platform. If you want a bare-bones SMS API with no platform overhead, providers like Telnyx or Plivo offer simpler pricing structures. If you need SMS plus WhatsApp plus email under one platform with Flow Builder automation, Bird is hard to beat on price.
How to get started with Bird
- Create a free account at bird.com. The free plan gives you 5 SMS/day with no credit card required.
- Register your brand and campaign through Bird's dashboard for US 10DLC compliance. This takes 1 to 3 business days for standard registration.
- Get a phone number. You can provision a US long code number from Bird's Numbers API or dashboard.
- Make your first API call. Bird uses REST API with JSON. Your first send looks like this:
Bird's documentation at docs.bird.com covers authentication, SDKs (Node.js, Python, PHP, Go, Java, Ruby), and webhook setup.
Conclusion
Bird SMS API offers the lowest base rate among major providers at $0.00331 per outbound US message. The free plan lets you test the API without a credit card. The Pro plan at $49/month covers teams getting started with 1,000 SMS/month included.
Watch out for the costs that don't show up in the headline number: US 10DLC carrier fees, phone number rental, and international rates that can be 50x the US price. Build those into your cost model early.
If you're evaluating Bird, use Apidog to test your integration end-to-end before you go live. It handles request building, environment variables, test chaining, and delivery assertions all in one place.
FAQ
What is the Bird SMS API price per message in the US?Bird charges $0.00331 per outbound US SMS and $0.003 per inbound US SMS. These are the base rates for the developer API tier. Additional carrier fees (10DLC) apply on top.
Is Bird the same as MessageBird?Yes. MessageBird rebranded to Bird in 2023. The company was founded in 2011 in the Netherlands and serves clients including Heineken, Booking.com, Uber, and eBay. The API endpoints and some legacy integrations still reference MessageBird in their documentation.
Does Bird charge for inbound SMS?Yes. Bird charges $0.003 per inbound US message. Opt-out replies and help keyword responses count as inbound messages.
What is the Bird free plan?Bird's free plan includes 5 SMS/day, 10 emails/day, and 15 AI agent messages/day. It includes public API access with no credit card required. It's a good way to test the API before upgrading to Pro.
How does Bird SMS pricing compare to Twilio?Bird's US outbound SMS rate ($0.00331) is lower than Twilio's standard rate ($0.0079). For 100,000 messages per month, Bird costs about $331 versus Twilio's $790 at base rates. Twilio offers volume discounts for high-volume senders that can narrow this gap.
Are there hidden fees with Bird SMS?There are fees that aren't included in the base per-message rate. US senders face 10DLC brand registration fees, campaign registration fees (~$10/month per campaign), and per-message carrier surcharges. Phone number rental adds $1 to $2/month for long codes. International messages carry much higher per-message rates than US messages.
How do I test the Bird SMS API without sending real messages?Use Apidog's Smart Mock feature to simulate Bird API responses during development. You can also send test messages to your own verified number using Bird's sandbox tools. Apidog's test scenarios let you chain requests and assert on response fields without touching production infrastructure.
