SignalWire vs Twilio pricing (2026)
Short answer. SignalWire costs less per call minute and per number. A US local inbound minute is $0.0066 on SignalWire and $0.0085 on Twilio. A local number is $0.50 a month on SignalWire and $1.15 on Twilio. For voice AI, the two are not priced the same way. SignalWire's $0.16 a minute runtime lists the LLM, speech to text, and standard text to speech as included. Twilio's Conversation Relay is $0.07 a minute, and its pricing page does not list an LLM in that rate. We read both pages on October 27, 2026.
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Call rates, US
| Route | SignalWire | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| Local inbound | $0.0066 a minute | $0.0085 a minute |
| Local outbound | $0.0080 a minute | $0.0140 a minute |
| Toll-free inbound | $0.0147 a minute | $0.0220 a minute |
| Toll-free outbound | $0.0069 a minute | $0.0140 a minute |
| SIP | $0.00300 a minute | $0.0040 a minute |
Sources: SignalWire pricing, Twilio US voice pricing, checked October 27, 2026.
Numbers and add-ons
| Item | SignalWire | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| Local number | $0.50 a month | $1.15 a month |
| Toll-free number | $0.80 a month | $2.15 a month |
| Call recording | $0.00200 a minute | $0.0025 a minute |
| Answering machine detection | $0.00600 per call | $0.0075 per call |
| Emergency calling (E911) | $0.75000 a month | $0.75 a month per number |
| Free trial | Not listed on the pricing page | $15 to buy a number and test, no card |
Voice AI
| Item | SignalWire | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| Product | AI Agent runtime | Conversation Relay |
| Rate | $0.16 a minute | $0.07 a minute |
| What the page lists | STT, LLM, standard TTS, orchestration | No bundle listed on the pricing page |
| Telephony | Billed at standard rates | Billed on its own |
| With a local inbound minute | $0.1666 a minute | $0.0785 a minute, LLM not counted |
By our math, 1,000 voice AI minutes on local inbound calls cost $166.60 on SignalWire and $78.50 on Twilio before numbers. The Twilio figure leaves out any LLM, so the two numbers are not a fair match. SignalWire says most customers pay about $0.163 to $0.168 a minute all in.
SignalWire's page has a TTS conflict. One footnote says standard TTS is in the $0.16 rate. Another line says TTS playback is billed at cost. See SignalWire pricing for the detail.
A 1,000-minute month
| Setup | SignalWire | Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 local inbound minutes plus one local number | $7.10 | $9.65 |
| 1,000 local outbound minutes | $8 | $14 |
Our math, from list prices.
Which one fits a trades business?
Both are developer platforms. Neither is a finished receptionist for a plumbing or HVAC shop. SignalWire bundles the AI pieces into one rate. Twilio sells the parts, and you or your vendor pick the LLM. If you want a ready-made answering service, see AI receptionist cost.
Compare carriers: Plivo vs Twilio · Twilio vs Telnyx · Twilio voice pricing
Related: SignalWire pricing, Vapi vs Twilio, Bland AI vs Twilio.
FAQ
Is SignalWire cheaper than Twilio? On call rates and numbers, yes. A US local inbound minute is $0.0066 on SignalWire and $0.0085 on Twilio. A local number is $0.50 a month on SignalWire and $1.15 on Twilio.
What do 1,000 inbound minutes cost on SignalWire vs Twilio? By our math, $7.10 on SignalWire and $9.65 on Twilio, with one local number each.
How do SignalWire and Twilio price voice AI? SignalWire charges $0.16 a minute and lists the LLM, speech to text, and standard text to speech as included. Twilio's Conversation Relay is $0.07 a minute with no bundle listed. Add telephony to both.
Does SignalWire cost the same as Twilio for E911? Yes. Both list $0.75 a month.
Checked 2026-10-27. Prices and policies change. Confirm on the source before you buy.
Sources
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