Direct answer: for US local numbers, 60% outbound/40% inbound, 10 numbers and 50% call recording, 2026 monthly voice-API bills at 100k minutes are roughly: Twilio 1,341.50, Telnyx 738 and Plivo 915; at 10k minutes: Twilio 144.50, Telnyx 82.80, Plivo 96; at 1M minutes: Twilio 13,311.50, Telnyx 7,290, Plivo 9,105 (about 9,305 if Plivo recording storage exceeds 90 days). Telnyx splits “API + SIP transport” into two lines and is lowest at 1M minutes; Plivo has the cheapest recording/storage and $0.50 numbers; Twilio has the highest rates but the broadest ecosystem/features. Comparing only “per minute” misses numbers, recording, storage, ASR/TTS and minimum commitments.
This guide is for engineering, platform and procurement teams choosing a voice API or connecting call centers/voice OTP/voice bots to PSTN. Data cut-off: 5 November 2026; prices are the three vendors’ public US list prices, in USD, excluding tax, with no FX conversion; the TCO is an editorial calculation, not a vendor quote. All three bill “minutes + numbers + features”, but the split differs: Twilio separates local inbound/outbound, numbers and recording; Telnyx separates Voice API and SIP transport; Plivo separates local/toll-free numbers, recording and ASR/transcription.
US local minutes: Twilio outbound 0.0140/inbound 0.0085; Telnyx 0.002 API + 0.005 outbound SIP/0.0032 inbound SIP, or 0.0070/0.0052 all-in; Plivo 0.0115/0.0055. Numbers: Twilio 1.15/month, Telnyx 1.00, Plivo 0.50. Recording: Twilio 0.0025/minute + 0.0005/minute/month storage; Telnyx 0.002/minute, storage 0; Plivo recording 0, storage after 90 days 0.0004/minute/month. Low volume/long recordings favor Telnyx/Plivo; ecosystem/features favor Twilio.
Three billing models: minutes, numbers, features
Twilio: US local outbound 0.0140/minute, inbound 0.0085/minute + 1.15/month; toll-free 0.0140/0.0220 + 2.15/month; Browser/app and SIP 0.0040/minute; recording 0.0025/minute with 0.0005/minute/month storage; transcription/ASR/TTS/Conversation Relay are separate. Telnyx: Voice API 0.002/minute + SIP transport 0.005 outbound/0.0032 inbound; numbers 1.00/month; recording 0.002/minute, storage 0; Growth has a 2,000/month minimum with 15% discount, Enterprise 5,000/month minimum. Plivo: local 0.0115 outbound/0.0055 inbound; toll-free 0.0060/0.0180; Browser/SIP 0.0033; numbers 0.50/month; recording 0, storage after 90 days 0.0004/minute/month; ASR 0.02/15 seconds, transcription 0.0095/minute.
| Platform | Billing unit | Number/month | Recording | Minimum/contract | Main boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twilio | Minutes + numbers + features | Local 1.15; toll-free 2.15 | 0.0025/minute + 0.0005/minute/month storage | Usage-based; volume/commitment separate | Broadest features, highest rates |
| Telnyx | API minutes + SIP minutes + numbers | 1.00 | 0.002/minute; storage 0 | Growth 2,000/month; Enterprise 5,000/month | Two line items; minimum spend for discounts |
| Plivo | Minutes + numbers + features | 0.50 | 0; after 90 days 0.0004/minute/month | Usage-based; $10 trial | Free recording; long-term storage separate |
Sources: Twilio Voice Pricing US, Telnyx Voice API Pricing and Plivo Voice Pricing (all accessed 5 November 2026). This is editorial grouping, not a vendor taxonomy; “minimum/contract” covers only public terms and does not judge call quality, coverage, latency or support response.
The 2026 US local minute and number rates
Twilio: local outbound 0.0140, inbound 0.0085 + 1.15/month; toll-free 0.0140/0.0220 + 2.15/month; recording 0.0025 + storage 0.0005/minute/month; application connect free, SIP/Browser 0.0040. Telnyx: Voice API 0.002 + SIP outbound 0.005/inbound 0.0032; local/toll-free numbers 1.00/month; recording 0.002, storage 0; Browser/app 0.002; SIP interface 0.002; call transfer 0.10/invocation. Plivo: local 0.0115/0.0055; toll-free 0.0060/0.0180; Browser/SIP 0.0033; numbers 0.50/1.00; recording 0, storage after 90 days 0.0004; ASR 0.02/15 seconds, transcription 0.0095/minute.
| Item | Twilio | Telnyx | Plivo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local outbound/minute | 0.0140 | 0.002 + 0.005 SIP = 0.0070 | 0.0115 |
| Local inbound/minute | 0.0085 | 0.002 + 0.0032 SIP = 0.0052 | 0.0055 |
| Toll-free outbound/inbound | 0.0140 / 0.0220 | 0.002 + SIP (by number type) | 0.0060 / 0.0180 |
| Browser/SIP/minute | 0.0040 | 0.002 + SIP | 0.0033 |
| Local number/month | 1.15 | 1.00 | 0.50 |
| Recording/storage | 0.0025/minute + 0.0005/minute/month | 0.002/minute; storage 0 | 0; after 90 days 0.0004/minute/month |
Sources: Twilio Voice Pricing US (local 0.0140/0.0085, number 1.15, recording 0.0025/storage 0.0005, SIP 0.0040), Telnyx Voice API Pricing (0.002 API + 0.005/0.0032 SIP, number 1.00, recording 0.002/storage 0, Browser 0.002, transfer 0.10) and Plivo Voice Pricing (0.0115/0.0055, number 0.50, recording 0, after 90 days 0.0004, ASR/transcription). Accessed 5 November 2026; USD, excluding tax; Twilio’s page marks pricing current as of August 2026; Telnyx’s 0.0070/0.0052 are editorial sums and vary by number type/destination/SIP rate.
100k minutes: 60% outbound / 40% inbound / 10 numbers / 50% recording
For 100k minutes, 60% outbound, 40% inbound, 10 local numbers and 50% recording (50k minutes): Twilio 60,000×0.0140=840, 40,000×0.0085=340, numbers 11.50, recording 125, storage 25, total 1,341.50; Telnyx 60,000×0.005=300, 40,000×0.0032=128, API 100,000×0.002=200, numbers 10, recording 100, total 738; Plivo 60,000×0.0115=690, 40,000×0.0055=220, numbers 5, recording 0, total 915. Telnyx is lowest, about 45% below Twilio; Plivo is about 32% below Twilio.
| 100k-minute line item | Twilio | Telnyx | Plivo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60,000 outbound minutes | 840.00 | 300.00 (SIP) | 690.00 |
| 40,000 inbound minutes | 340.00 | 128.00 (SIP) | 220.00 |
| Voice API 0.002/minute | — | 200.00 | — |
| 10 numbers | 11.50 | 10.00 | 5.00 |
| 50k recorded minutes | 125.00 + 25.00 storage | 100.00 | 0 (within 90 days) |
| Total | 1,341.50 | 738.00 | 915.00 |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Assumes 100k minutes, 60% outbound/40% inbound, 10 local numbers, 50% recording (50k minutes) and one month of recording storage; excludes tax, ASR/TTS/transcription, special number types, commitment discounts, minimums, carrier passthrough and migration. Twilio storage is 0.0005/minute/month; Plivo storage is 0 within 90 days and 0.0004/minute/month after.
10k / 100k / 1M minutes: scale TCO
Under the same assumptions: 10k minutes, Twilio 144.50, Telnyx 82.80, Plivo 96; 100k minutes, 1,341.50/738/915; 1M minutes, 13,311.50/7,290/9,105 (Plivo about 9,305 if recording storage exceeds 90 days). As volume grows, Telnyx’s API+SIP split stays lower; Twilio’s unit gap widens; Plivo’s free recording helps long-recording workloads, but its minute rate is above Telnyx.
| Monthly minutes | Twilio | Telnyx | Plivo | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10k | 144.50 | 82.80 | 96.00 | Telnyx |
| 100k | 1,341.50 | 738.00 | 915.00 | Telnyx |
| 1M | 13,311.50 | 7,290.00 | 9,105.00 (about 9,305 with long-term storage) | Telnyx |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Same 60% outbound/40% inbound, 10 local numbers, 50% recording and one month of storage; excludes tax, ASR/TTS/transcription, special number types, commitment discounts/minimums, carrier passthrough, egress and migration. At 1M minutes real volume/commitment discounts would apply and are not modelled.
Hidden costs: recording storage, ASR/TTS, numbers, commitments
Recording is not just the “record minute”: Twilio also charges 0.0005/minute/month storage, so 1M recorded minutes retained for 12 months keeps billing; Plivo charges 0 after 90 days at 0.0004/minute/month; Telnyx storage is 0. ASR/TTS/transcription are separate: Twilio transcription 0.0500/minute, real-time 0.027/minute, TTS per character; Plivo ASR 0.02/15 seconds, transcription 0.0095/minute; Telnyx STT from 0.015/minute, TTS separate. Number rental, CPS, E911, CNAM, SIP/BYOC, transfer, conferencing, media streams and carrier passthrough all add cost. Telnyx Growth/Enterprise have 2,000/5,000 monthly minimums; Twilio volume/commitment is separate; Plivo is usage-based.
| Item | Twilio | Telnyx | Plivo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recording storage | 0.0005/minute/month | 0 | After 90 days 0.0004/minute/month |
| Transcription/ASR | Batch 0.0500/minute; real-time 0.027/minute | STT from 0.015/minute | ASR 0.02/15 seconds; transcription 0.0095/minute |
| TTS | Standard 0.0008/100 chars, neural 0.0032/100 chars, generative 0.0130/100 chars | Separate product page | Multilingual TTS 0 (page) |
| Numbers/conference/transfer | Number 1.15/month; conference from 0.0018/participant/minute; recording 0.0025/minute | Number 1.00/month; conference 0.002/participant/minute; transfer 0.10/invocation | Number 0.50/month; conference 0; recording 0 |
| Minimum/contract | Usage-based; volume/commitment separate | Growth 2,000/month; Enterprise 5,000/month | Usage-based; $10 trial |
Sources: Twilio Voice Pricing US (recording storage, transcription, TTS, conferencing), Telnyx Voice API Pricing (storage 0, STT, conferencing, transfer, Growth/Enterprise minimums) and Plivo Voice Pricing (recording 0, storage after 90 days, ASR/transcription, multilingual TTS 0). Accessed 5 November 2026; USD, excluding tax; “separate/separate product page” means no single public price and is not guessed here.
Which option fits which scenario?
Low volume/many numbers/long recording: Telnyx or Plivo; full features/ecosystem/global coverage: Twilio; free recording and 0.50/month numbers: Plivo; API + SIP two-line detail and lowest at 1M minutes: Telnyx. If calls are mostly Browser/SIP (not PSTN), Twilio 0.0040, Telnyx 0.002 + SIP and Plivo 0.0033 change the ranking; if ASR/TTS is heavy, add transcription/TTS, and Plivo’s 15-second ASR billing may not fit very short utterances.
| Scenario | First choice | Why | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low volume/many numbers | Telnyx / Plivo | Telnyx low minutes; Plivo 0.50 numbers | Telnyx two line items; Plivo 90-day storage |
| Long recording/compliance | Plivo / Telnyx | Recording 0; Telnyx storage 0 | Plivo storage after 90 days; Twilio storage ongoing |
| Full features/ecosystem | Twilio | Voice+AI+messaging+numbers in one | Highest rates; features separate |
| 1M+ minutes | Telnyx | Low API+SIP split | Growth 2,000/month minimum |
| ASR/TTS-heavy | Compare all | Transcription/TTS separate | Plivo 15-second ASR; Twilio TTS per character |
Sources: Twilio/Telnyx/Plivo official pricing pages (accessed 5 November 2026). This is an editorial decision matrix, not vendor advice; actual call quality, latency, coverage, number inventory, compliance or support response were not tested.
What should procurement and acceptance specify?
At least eight things: monthly/peak minutes, outbound/inbound mix, local/toll-free/short numbers, recording ratio/retention, ASR/TTS/transcription, SIP/Browser/conferencing, commitment/minimums and carrier passthrough/tax. Use a 2–4 week POC with real destinations/number types and record answer rate, P95 latency, recording/transcription, failures/retries, numbers and the bill; do not compare only the “per minute” rate.
- Minute mix: outbound/inbound, destination, local/toll-free, short-call ratio; per-second vs per-minute billing differs.
- Numbers: count/type/monthly fee, CPS, E911, CNAM, porting/migration.
- Recording: ratio, retention, storage; Twilio/Plivo long-term storage accumulates.
- ASR/TTS: transcription/TTS/virtual agents; per-minute/15-second/character billing differs.
- SIP/Browser: whether calls use PSTN; SIP/BYOC rates differ.
- Commitment/minimum: Telnyx Growth/Enterprise; Twilio volume; Plivo usage-based.
- Compliance: recording notice/consent, data residency, HIPAA/PCI; pricing pages do not replace compliance review.
- POC: 2–4 weeks of real destinations/number types; record answer, latency, recording, failures and the bill.
FAQ
100k minutes: what is cheapest?
At 60% outbound/40% inbound, 10 numbers and 50% recording: Twilio 1,341.50, Telnyx 738, Plivo 915. Telnyx is lowest; Plivo has free recording but higher minute rates; Twilio has the broadest features.
What about 1M minutes?
Twilio 13,311.50, Telnyx 7,290, Plivo 9,105 (about 9,305 with long-term recording storage). Telnyx is lowest, but check the Growth 2,000/month minimum/15% discount terms; volume/commitment pricing is separate.
Why is Telnyx so much cheaper than Twilio?
Telnyx splits Voice API 0.002/minute and SIP transport 0.005/0.0032, or 0.0070/0.0052 all-in; Twilio local is 0.0140/0.0085. Telnyx owns the network/transport, while Twilio is a CPaaS aggregator; the rate gap reflects positioning, not the same bill structure.
Plivo has free recording; why is it not lowest?
Plivo recording is 0 and numbers are 0.50/month, but local minutes are 0.0115/0.0055, above Telnyx’s 0.0070/0.0052; at 1M minutes the minute gap exceeds the recording saving. For long recordings/many numbers, Plivo can be better.
How is recording storage calculated?
Twilio is 0.0005/minute/month, so 1M recorded minutes retained for one month is 500 and continues monthly; Plivo is 0 within 90 days, then 0.0004/minute/month; Telnyx storage is 0. Calculate by retention and recording ratio, not just the recording fee.
How much do ASR/TTS add?
Twilio batch transcription 0.0500/minute, real-time 0.027/minute and TTS 0.0008–0.0130/100 characters; Telnyx STT from 0.015/minute; Plivo ASR 0.02/15 seconds and transcription 0.0095/minute. Voice bots must add these to the per-minute cost.
Are Browser/SIP calls cheaper?
They are a different rate: Twilio 0.0040/minute, Telnyx 0.002 + SIP, Plivo 0.0033. If calls do not use PSTN, the ranking changes; SIP/BYOC still carries transport/number/compliance costs.
What other hidden costs exist?
Number rental/CPS/E911/CNAM, recording storage, ASR/TTS/transcription, conferencing/transfer/media streams, SIP/BYOC, carrier passthrough, tax, commitment minimums and migration. This article counts minutes+numbers+recording+one month of storage only.
Research method and limitations
This article separates “official facts” from “editorial modelling”: minute, number, recording, storage and ASR/TTS prices come from the Twilio/Telnyx/Plivo official US pricing pages; the 10k/100k/1M-minute TCO is arithmetic under 60% outbound/40% inbound, 10 local numbers, 50% recording and one month of storage, not a vendor quote. It does not compare actual answer rate, latency, coverage, number inventory, compliance or support response.
Eight limitations: (1) only US public list prices are used, excluding tax, volume/commitment discounts, private pricing and carrier passthrough; (2) only local numbers are counted, while toll-free/short-code/international/special numbers differ; (3) only 60/40 outbound/inbound and 50% recording are modelled, and the mix changes the ranking; (4) only one month of recording storage is counted, while long retention increases Twilio/Plivo storage; (5) ASR/TTS/transcription/conferencing/transfer/media streams are excluded; (6) Telnyx Growth/Enterprise minimums, Twilio volume pricing and Plivo usage pricing are not modelled; (7) actual answer rate, latency, coverage, number inventory and recording compliance were not tested; (8) Vonage/AWS Connect/other CPaaS were not compared. Treat this as a unit-alignment template and replace assumptions with a 2–4 week real-destination/number-type POC.
Sources and basis
- Twilio, Voice Pricing US: twilio.com/en-us/voice/pricing/us. Local outbound 0.0140, inbound 0.0085; number 1.15/month; recording 0.0025/minute, storage 0.0005/minute/month; SIP/Browser 0.0040; transcription/TTS separate. Accessed 5 November 2026.
- Telnyx, Voice API Pricing: telnyx.com/pricing/voice. Voice API 0.002/minute + SIP outbound 0.005/inbound 0.0032; number 1.00/month; recording 0.002/minute, storage 0; Growth 2,000/month, Enterprise 5,000/month. Accessed 5 November 2026.
- Plivo, Voice Pricing: plivo.com/voice/pricing. Local 0.0115/0.0055; number 0.50/month; recording 0, storage after 90 days 0.0004/minute/month; ASR 0.02/15 seconds, transcription 0.0095/minute. Accessed 5 November 2026.
Data cut-off 5 November 2026; prices are public list prices excluding tax; all models are editorial calculations. This is not procurement advice.