CouriervsTwilio

Courier vs Twilio

Notification orchestration vs communication API platform

TL;DR

Twilio is a massive communication API platform for SMS, voice, video, and email (via SendGrid). Courier is notification orchestration that can route through Twilio for SMS. Twilio wins on communication breadth. Courier wins on notification routing abstraction.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Provider vs Orchestrator

Twilio IS a communication provider — it sends SMS, voice, video directly at massive scale. Courier orchestrates THROUGH providers like Twilio. Different layers of the stack.

Communication Breadth
Twilio wins

Twilio handles SMS, voice, video, WhatsApp, and email (SendGrid) with best-in-class APIs. Courier handles routing notifications but relies on providers like Twilio for actual delivery.

Notification Logic
Courier wins

Courier provides routing logic, user preferences, and provider abstraction out of the box. With Twilio, you'd build all notification routing logic yourself. Courier saves development time.

Common Pattern

Many teams use Courier with Twilio as the SMS provider. Courier handles routing decisions, Twilio handles SMS delivery. Complementary, not competitive.

Pricing Comparison

SMS pricing

Courier
$0-99+/month

Free up to 10k notifications/month. Business from $99/mo. Plus provider costs.

Visit Courier
Twilio
Pay-as-you-go

SMS from $0.0079/msg. Email via SendGrid. Voice, video, WhatsApp available.

Visit Twilio
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k subscribers, unlimited emails, transactional + marketing, Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Courier
Twilio
Sequenzy
Communication
SMS
Via providers (Twilio, Vonage, etc.)
Direct (massive scale)
Voice
Programmable voice
Video
Programmable video
WhatsApp
Via providers
Direct
Notification
Multi-channel Routing
Intelligent fallback routing
Build-it-yourself
User Preferences
Preference center
Build-it-yourself
Email preferences
Template Management
Multi-channel templates
Per-channel templates
Email templates
Provider Abstraction
Yes (swap providers)
No (you ARE the provider)
Platform
Email
Via providers
Via SendGrid (owned by Twilio)
Direct
Free Tier
10k notifications/month
Trial credits
100 subscribers
Ease of Use
Visual routing designer
Low-level APIs (complex)
Simple dashboard
Scale
Growing
Enterprise-grade (massive)
Growing

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Courier if you...
  • Teams wanting notification routing without building it
  • Apps needing provider abstraction across channels
  • Products wanting pre-built preference management
Choose Twilio if you...
  • Apps needing SMS, voice, or video APIs
  • Teams building custom communication solutions
  • Enterprise-scale messaging infrastructure
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing email (not SMS/voice)
  • Teams wanting Stripe-integrated email automation

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

Email-focused SaaS

Neither Courier nor Twilio excels at email marketing for SaaS. Sequenzy combines transactional + marketing email with Stripe integration at $49/month.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Courier and Twilio are at different layers of the messaging stack. Twilio is a massive communication API platform. Courier is notification orchestration that can route through Twilio. For our take on each, see our Courier comparison.

Twilio's Communication Empire

Twilio handles SMS, voice, video, WhatsApp, and email (via SendGrid) at enterprise scale. It's the standard communication API platform. Courier is a much smaller company focused specifically on notification routing — a different and narrower problem.

Courier's Orchestration Value

Courier's value is in the routing layer — try push first, fall back to SMS via Twilio, then email via SendGrid. Manage user preferences. Switch providers without code changes. Without Courier, you'd build this routing logic yourself on top of Twilio.

The Sequenzy Alternative

For SaaS founders who need email (not SMS or voice), Sequenzy combines transactional email and marketing campaigns with Stripe integration at $49/month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 3k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (2,500 emails/month)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com