Sendbird vs Twilio vs CONTUS MirrorFly : 10 Key Feature Comparison

Richard
8 min readApr 9, 2021
sendbird vs twilio comparison

Today almost the entire industry relies upon in-app chat applications as it has become an essential one in the growth of a business.

And if you are a developer, then it is necessary to have an extreme understanding about the best real time chat application providers.

Mostly for you, when it’s about building a good chat communication application that too with powerful APIs and SDKs.

In this article let’s have a disclosure about the market’s top three in-app chat API & SDK providers with feature comparison.

And if in case you are interested in any of them, then most probably this comparison article is meant for you to have a better understanding before choosing the one.

What’s Sendbird all about?

Sendbird is a leading chat solution that specializes in real time chat and messaging platforms for mobile and web applications.

It offers the most scalable chat backend, customizable user friendly UI with client-side SDKs.

It also provides a reliable infrastructure that can be built on Websocket servers with a custom protocol.

Other than this, it has always grabbed the attention of users with its premium messaging experience using advanced moderation tools and dashboard.

→ Visit Website: Sendbird.com

What’s Twilio all about?

Twilio is the popular cloud communication service that allows to make and receive phone calls, and also send and receive text messages using web service APIs.

Twilio is all about SMS and whatsapp messaging that hosts a telephony infrastructure web service in the cloud. And can integrate the phone calls and SMS messages into their applications.

It is a business communication that enables phones, VoIP, and messaging to be implanted into web and mobile applications.

→ Visit Website: Twilio.com

What’s CONTUS MirrorFly all about?

CONTUS MirrorFly is the best communication API & SDK for mobile and web application that is available at one time license cost with an end-to-end customization.

It offers an easy approach for it’s app to be integrated into any existing application including iOS, Android, and web applications.

Being enhanced with high end scalability and security, CONTUS MirrorFly offers a perfect hosting infrastructure with an on-premises and on-cloud option as per client’s business need.

→ Visit Website: MirrorFly.com

Sendbird vs Twilio vs CONTUS MirrorFly : A head-to-head comparison

Let’s have some comparison among these three giant in-app chat API and SDK providers.

1. Pricing do Makes the difference

Sendbird :

Sendbird pricing listing varies as per starters and Pro plans as per platforms.

  • For starter’s plan, it starts from $399 for 5K MAU that may extend up to $4,999 for 100K MAU
  • For Pro plans, the same 5K MAU is available at $799 that may extend for up to $7,599 for 100K MAU

Twilio :

When compared to other in-app chat providers, Twilio is the new rising bud among others. Still it has been defined as a much costlier one where the pricing differs as per platforms.

  • Its pricing starts around $1.00 for phone numbers (per line per month), and the rest of the service cost is also high but it does vary as inbound calls ($0.0085), outbound calls ($0.0130), inbound text messages ($0.0075), and so on.

CONTUS MirrorFly :

CONTUS MirrorFly has marked its uniqueness with it’s one time license cost trait.Well, this feature has been designed as per SaaP model with a clear vision and understanding about the pain points that the businesses confront.

Thus, this one time license cost feature can help the businesses to have their own brand forever as per their business requirements.

Looking for an Alternative to twilio ? click here

2. Customization and Integration

Sendbird:

When it comes to customization, it provides a perfect customization with regards to chat features but, in the case of voice and video it is available with certain limitations.

Although, can be integrated into existing software for web and mobile applications.

Twilio :

When it comes to customization it is available with certain restrictions or limitations but can be integrated into an existing application.

CONTUS MirrorFly :

CONTUS MirrorFly is an end-to-end customizable solution that can be integrated into any existing application.

When it comes to integration it provides a clear vision with the documentation related to the profound feature with an undeniable 24/7 support throughout.

Since it’s a real time communication solution it has the capability to enhance any business with the powerful tool of voice, video, and messaging solution.

3. Market Experience

Need to choose for a in-app chat solution, market experience is very important to withstand the ground for the long run,

Sendbird :

Sendbird has been there in the field for quite a long period of time but, we can consider this as an exception only when it comes to chat API.

Now, as it has stretched its wings to voice and video calling API for the past few years, it’s still struggling a lot to stand alone among other real time communication API competitors, which can be noticed with the lack of features capability.

Twilio :

Twilio is all about SMS and messaging as it has made a lot with that and recently has taken a baby step when it comes to audio and video chat platforms.

Even here, it has not committed strongly with the solution as instead of investing in the newly introduced Conversation API, they have just decided to do an upgrade with their existing Programmable chat API applications, which has really created a restless atmosphere across their customers.

CONTUS MirrorFly :

CONTUS MirrorFly is the all-in-one real time chat API & SDK solution that is in this industry for the past 10 years and has marked its appearance to the core when it comes to messaging, voice calling, and video calling applications.

It has grabbed the attention across the globe and has successfully served around 40 + use cases with flying colors.

4. Hosting Services

Sendbird :

Sendbird provides cloud services alone where it leverages AWS for their clients engagement platforms. It also supports some of the largest chat deployments.

Twilio :

Twilio being a cloud communication platform uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for hosting purposes i.e., to have their customer’s data stored.

CONTUS MirrorFly :

CONTUS MirrorFly provides an easily approachable hosting to their customers with on-premises and on-cloud hosting infrastructure.

Where the client can decide upon the hosting service as per their business needs.

5. Video Calling

Sendbird :

Sendbird is mostly known for the chat API platform, and it has started over with voice and video applications, but is still not that experienced as it has a lot to move on with.

However, it still provides a video calling API platform but with a limited number of user engagement.

Twilio :

Twilio programmable video is the cloud platform that provides multi-party rooms, data tracks, screen sharing, compositions, recording, but as a drawback it provides all this with a limited number of user engagement.

CONTUS MirrorFly :

With CONTUS MirrorFly, the one and only in-app communication solution that allows you to get connected with unlimited number of users across the globe experiencing a high end video quality.

It has a scalable peer-to-peer video chat video room that allows you to create several groups as per your needs.

6. Limitations in Usage — Internationally

Sendbird :

Sendbird provides no limitations to be in with around the countries but, it still manages to provide the data storage space to their customers with AWS cloud communication.

Twilio :

Twilio has been restricted in the regions of European Union when it comes to data exchange with the US.

CONTUS MirrorFly :

CONTUS MirrorFly travels in all the countries globally with no restriction when it’s about global user engagement.

Henceforth, it has created a trust over their worldwide customers by providing them with an open data storage facility — on cloud/on premises hosting infrastructure, that moves along with almost all kinds of industries.

7. Security

Sendbird :

Sendbird server uses two layers of security: Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

Mostly all the communications to and from the server make use of TLS/SSL encryption with both server-side and client-side authentication for devices.

Alongside, the server is safely managed in ISO 27001, SSAE-16, SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 certified data centers.

Twilio :

Twilio security is based on the ISO 27001 framework which allows it to have a safe mode of moving the data to the cloud providing protection over sensitive issues such as HIPAA compliance, etc.

CONTUS MirrorFly :

CONTUS MirrorFly provides a high-end security when it’s about practice and compliance with E2E encryption, 256-bit SSL, AES.

It’s end-to-end encryption ensures a clear and sealed conversation that is fortified with fingerprint security, that too with an extra layer of password to tighten the application process.

It also ensures proactive monitor profanity in the conversation by it’s filtering protocol. It safeguards the entire data in the cloud assuring the access restrictions. It ensures HIPAA compatibility protecting every piece of health related details of the patient.

8. Scalability

Sendbird :

Sendbird provides a good level of scalability when it comes to group chat and super group chat. It does this by providing a space and allowing up to 300 to 2000 users. Its open channels support over thousands of users.

Twilio :

Twilio ensures a scalability that acts well when it comes to voice response systems. It does this by providing a system that reacts to both voice and digital typing.

CONTUS MirrorFly :

CONTUS MirrorFly ensures a high end of scalability with regards to everything related to real time communication.

It can be identified in terms that includes,

  • Flexible deployment of chat applications over the on-cloud or on-premises,
  • 1 million + concurrent user engagement of users across the globe,
  • File sharing after high end accurate compression,
  • Minimizing the massive incoming of messages queuing with a quicker transmission, etc.

It also ensures a safe and complete access to all the functionalities and features of chat applications regardless of low network bandwidth

9. Data Moderation Analysis Data

Sendbird :

Sendbird provides a dashboard to explore chat and protect integrity by managing the conversation with proactive monitoring of user engagements.

This feature allows to have a track over temporarily freezing of channels to stop user activities, even can ban the users profanity, etc.

Twilio :

Twilio provides moderation over chat conversation on the platform by building admin moderation functionality.

CONTUS MirrorFly :

This feature provides support towards chat analytics, reporting, backup storage, active directory, and centralized administration.

All this is tracked over the chat apps to have access over concurrent user engagement, data usage with active users including the volume of data storage, and much more.

This provides a better clarity upon the business modules to mark a conclusion in terms of monthly and annual statistics.

10. Public Group Chat

Sendbird :

Sendbird provides a feature of public group chat where the users can join without invitations from others.

It allows the user engagement for about one to hundred members as a default setting. But sometimes it can be increased but with restrictions in user engagement.

Twilio :

Twilio does not provide this option of public group chat.

CONTUS MirrorFly :

CONTUS MirrorFly provides this group chat feature with an Unlimited user engagement wherein, the people can engage by themselves across the world.

Here, they can receive all messages from the group channel that they are members with.

Verdict : Sendbird vs Twilio vs CONTUS MirrorFly

Last but not least, the entire article has shed some light over certain feature comparison of these three top rated real time communication providers.

But, still if you are eager to know more about before getting into your own business application then join us and get more clarity.

→ Further Readings: Sendbird vs Twilio Feature Comparison

--

--

Richard

Richard is Marketing analyst and technical blogger .He contributes to prestigious blogs like DZone, Habr, and Medium.you can find him on