Bandwidth

Overview

Bandwidth is a US communications platform (CPaaS) that runs its own carrier network. Its APIs cover SMS and MMS, RCS for Business, voice calling, SIP trunking and 911. It has no iMessage. Messaging runs on 10DLC, toll-free, short code, alphanumeric and global numbers, and Bandwidth says it reaches more than 120 countries.

Key features

• Messaging API for SMS, MMS and group MMS, with inbound and delivery webhooks
• RCS with rich cards, suggested replies and read receipts, sent through a Multi-Channel endpoint (beta) that falls back to SMS or MMS
• Voice API with media streaming and guides for OpenAI Realtime, Pipecat, Deepgram and ElevenLabs
• APIs for 10DLC campaigns, toll-free verification, porting and number lookup
• SDKs for Node, Python, Java, PHP, Ruby and C#, plus a CLI and an MCP server, both in beta
• SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022

Pricing

Pay as you go, with US rates on the pricing page:

• 10DLC SMS: $0.004 outbound, MMS $0.015
• Toll-free SMS: $0.007, short code SMS: $0.008
• Voice: $0.0100 a minute outbound and $0.0055 inbound

Full pricing is on request. The Bandwidth Build free trial gives 30 days of credits, with SMS only to your own verified mobile.

How it compares to Linq

Bandwidth has no iMessage; Linq sends iMessage and falls back to RCS and SMS. Bandwidth bills per message, while Linq charges a flat monthly fee (Pro from $260 a month) with no per-message fees. Bandwidth's Voice API places and answers calls; Linq's API only forwards inbound calls. Both publish an MCP server (Bandwidth's is in beta) and both report SOC 2 Type II.

Best for

Teams sending high-volume US SMS, MMS or RCS that also want voice and 911 from a carrier that owns its network.

Sources

• bandwidth.com/pricing
• bandwidth.com/products/rcs
• bandwidth.com/products/messaging-apis
• bandwidth.com/security
• bandwidth.com/legal/data-protection-and-privacy
• bandwidth.com/products/conversational-ai
• dev.bandwidth.com/llms.txt
• dev.bandwidth.com/docs/messaging
• dev.bandwidth.com/docs/messaging/createMessage
• dev.bandwidth.com/docs/messaging/webhooks
• dev.bandwidth.com/docs/messaging/build-free-trial
• dev.bandwidth.com/docs/account/app-setup
• dev.bandwidth.com/docs/tools/mcp
• dev.bandwidth.com/tools/cli
• dev.bandwidth.com/tools/sdks
• dev.bandwidth.com/docs/numbers/porting
• dev.bandwidth.com/docs/messaging/integrations/salesforce
• github.com/Bandwidth/node-sdk/blob/main/bandwidth.yml
• github.com/Bandwidth/mcp-server
• github.com/Bandwidth/cli