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Plivo vs Twilio pricing (2026)

Short answer. Plivo costs less on list price. A US local inbound minute is $0.0055 on Plivo and $0.0085 on Twilio. A local number is $0.50 a month on Plivo and $1.15 on Twilio. For voice AI, Plivo sells a $0.03 a minute agent and Twilio sells Conversation Relay at $0.07 a minute. Telephony is extra on both. We read both pricing pages on October 27, 2026.

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Call rates, US

Route	Plivo	Twilio
Local outbound	$0.0115 a minute	$0.0140 a minute
Local inbound	$0.0055 a minute	$0.0085 a minute
Toll-free outbound	$0.0060 a minute	$0.0140 a minute
Toll-free inbound	$0.0180 a minute	$0.0220 a minute
Browser, app, or SIP	$0.0033 a minute	$0.0040 a minute
Alaska outbound	$0.0850 a minute	$0.0945 a minute

Sources: Plivo US voice pricing, Plivo pricing, Twilio US voice pricing, checked October 27, 2026.

Numbers and add-ons

Item	Plivo	Twilio
Local number	$0.50 a month	$1.15 a month
Toll-free number	$1.00 a month	$2.15 a month
Call recording	$0.0000 a minute	$0.0025 a minute
Recording storage	Free 90 days, then $0.0004 a minute per month	$0.0005 a minute per month
Transcription	$0.0095 a minute	$0.0500 a minute
Answering machine detection	$0.0000 a minute	$0.0075 per call
Free trial	$10 in credits, no card	$15 to buy a number and test, no card

Voice AI

Item	Plivo	Twilio
Product	Voice AI Agent	Conversation Relay
Rate	$0.03 a minute	$0.07 a minute
What the page says it covers	Voice models, transcription, orchestration	No bundle listed on the pricing page
Telephony	Billed on its own	Billed on its own
With a local inbound minute	$0.0355 a minute	$0.0785 a minute

By our math, 1,000 voice AI minutes on local inbound calls cost $35.50 on Plivo and $78.50 on Twilio before numbers. Twilio's pricing page does not say what the $0.07 covers, so check the LLM cost before you compare.

A 1,000-minute month

Setup	Plivo	Twilio
1,000 local inbound minutes plus one local number	$6	$9.65
1,000 local outbound minutes	$11.50	$14

Our math, from list prices. For a shop answering a few hundred calls a month, both bills stay small.

Conflict: Plivo's chart vs Twilio's page

Plivo's voice page has a SIP trunking chart. At 100K minutes each way, it shows Plivo at $740 and Twilio at $1,340. Plivo labels the rates "as of May 2026." By our math, the chart uses $0.0100 a minute for Twilio outbound and $0.0034 for Twilio inbound. Twilio's voice page lists BYOC trunking at $0.0040 a minute each way. Twilio prices Elastic SIP Trunking on a page we did not read, so we withhold a verdict on the chart. The chart's Plivo outbound rate works out to $0.0046 a minute, which is above the $0.0010 "start at" rate on Plivo's pricing page.

Which one fits a trades business?

Neither is a finished receptionist. Both are carriers that a developer or a voice AI platform plugs into. Plivo costs less per minute and per number. Tool support differs. Vapi's pricing page lists Twilio, Vonage, and Telnyx as transports and does not list Plivo. Plivo's page says its SIP trunking works with LiveKit and Pipecat. If your AI receptionist vendor lets you bring a carrier, ask which ones it supports first.

Compare carriers: Plivo pricing · Twilio voice pricing · Twilio vs Telnyx · SignalWire vs Twilio

FAQ

Is Plivo cheaper than Twilio? On list price, yes. A US local inbound minute is $0.0055 on Plivo and $0.0085 on Twilio. A local number is $0.50 a month on Plivo and $1.15 on Twilio.

What do 1,000 inbound minutes cost on Plivo vs Twilio? By our math, $6 on Plivo and $9.65 on Twilio, with one local number each.

Which is cheaper for voice AI, Plivo or Twilio? Plivo's Voice AI Agent is $0.03 a minute. Twilio's Conversation Relay is $0.07 a minute. Add telephony to both, and check what each rate covers.

Do Plivo and Twilio have free trials? Yes. Plivo gives $10 in credits. Twilio gives $15 to buy a number and test. Neither asks for a card.

Checked 2026-10-27. Prices and policies change. Confirm on the source before you buy.