| SimplyRCS | Plivo | |
|---|---|---|
| Per-message price | $0.0039 per RCS text segment, $0.0150 per card or media message, carrier fees at cost (pricing) | RCS rich $0.00770 per segment, rich media $0.01800 per message (Plivo US pricing, checked 7 October 2026) |
| Go-live time | First verified US send targeted in 2 to 4 weeks | Not published; RCS is offered as "Request early access" (Plivo US pricing, checked 7 October 2026) |
| Who files verification | SimplyRCS files the brand, 10DLC campaigns and RCS sender for you | Not published (Plivo US pricing, checked 7 October 2026) |
Competitor figures are taken from Plivo's own pages, linked in each cell, and were checked on 7 October 2026.
Plivo is a developer-first communications API for SMS, voice and RCS. It publishes its US rates: $0.00770 per RCS rich text segment, $0.01800 per rich media message and $0.0077 per SMS on a 10DLC long code. Its RCS page asks new customers to request early access, and it publishes no RCS onboarding timeline or setup fee. Campaigns, templates and an inbox are built by the customer against the API. SimplyRCS is a US-only RCS platform with the no-code builder, shared inbox and analytics included at no monthly fee. It bills $0.0039 per RCS text or SMS segment and $0.0150 per card or media message, files the brand, 10DLC campaigns and RCS sender for you, and targets a first verified US send in 2 to 4 weeks.
No card. Your brand on a real handset in days. US Tier-1 carrier delivery through Signalmash, on published rates.
Plivo is a developer-friendly CPaaS billed pay as you go. It publishes its US rates openly, at $0.0077 for SMS on a 10DLC long code and $0.00770 per segment for RCS rich text, with rich media at $0.01800 per message. RCS itself is offered as early access: Plivo's RCS page asks new customers to request it, and no RCS onboarding timeline or setup fee is published. It supports RCS properly, including rich cards, carousels, suggested replies and actions, verified sender and two-way flows. What it does not offer is a no-code campaign builder, a shared inbox, or visual workflow tooling: RCS on Plivo is something you build against the API.
SimplyRCS vs Plivo, line by line.
Every row, both sides. Search to jump to what matters, hover a row to focus it.
| Feature | SimplyRCS | Plivo |
|---|---|---|
| SimplyRCS US-only; direct to AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile | Plivo Global | |
| SimplyRCS RCS, SMS, MMS, short code, toll-free, 10DLC, two-way | Plivo RCS, SMS, MMS, voice; API only | |
| SimplyRCS Yes, bot canvas, blasts, templates, assets | Plivo Limited | |
| SimplyRCS Yes, renders as Google Messages before send | Plivo - | |
| SimplyRCS Yes, shared inbox with routable queues | Plivo No | |
| SimplyRCS Yes, application and full API, one price | Plivo API-first | |
| SimplyRCS REST API, signed webhooks, OpenAPI, self-serve keys | Plivo APIs; transparent rates | |
| SimplyRCS Yes, we prep & submit brand + campaigns for you | Plivo Self-serve | |
| SimplyRCS Yes, unified queue with audit trail | Plivo Self-managed | |
| SimplyRCS 2-4 weeks (target) | Plivo Not published; RCS in early access | |
| SimplyRCS Yes, on the website | Plivo Yes, on its US pricing page | |
| SimplyRCS $0.0039 text segment, $0.0150 card or media, no monthly platform fee | Plivo Pay as you go, no platform fee; $0.0077 SMS and RCS text, $0.01800 rich media | |
| SimplyRCS $0.0039 per segment, carrier fees at cost | Plivo $0.0077 per segment, carrier fees on top | |
| SimplyRCS Yes, itemized at checkout, carrier fees on their own line | Plivo Transparent | |
| SimplyRCS $0.0039 text segment; $0.0150 card or media | Plivo Rich media $0.01800 per message vs $0.00770 per rich text segment | |
| SimplyRCS $250 one-time RCS Sender ID setup and review (support; waived with Premium Support) / $0 to change | Plivo No RCS setup fee published | |
| SimplyRCS $0 a month, software free; email support free, Premium Support optional at $250/mo | Plivo Pay as you go, no platform fee |
Where the two differ.
Weigh both sides. The bar shows how the reasons stack up.
- A lower published rate on both classes, $0.0039 against Plivo’s $0.00770 per text segment, and $0.0150 against $0.01800 per rich media message.
- A no-code builder and two-way inbox, not just APIs.
- White-glove carrier approval included.
- RCS-led product with SMS/MMS fallback built in.
- Free email support on every account, and an optional dedicated expert through Premium Support.
A comparison that only lists our strengths is not worth reading. These are things Plivo offers that SimplyRCS does not, stated as facts.
- A voice API on the same account as SMS and RCS; SimplyRCS does not offer voice.
- Messaging coverage beyond the US; SimplyRCS is US-only.
- An API-only product with no app layer, billed pay as you go, for teams that build their own campaign tooling and inbox.
Plivo RCS pricing in 2026
Plivo publishes its RCS rates openly, which most of this category does not, so this is a comparison of two published rate cards rather than a guess against a quote. Plivo bills rich text per segment and rich media per message, and adds carrier surcharges on top from separate per-carrier tables.
| What you are billed for | Plivo, published rate | SimplyRCS |
|---|---|---|
| RCS rich text, sent or received | $0.00770 per segment | $0.0039 per segment |
| RCS rich media, sent or received | $0.01800 per message | $0.0150 per message |
| SMS on a 10DLC long code, sent or received | $0.0077 per message | $0.0039 per segment |
| Platform fee | None, pay as you go | None; software free, no monthly agent fee |
| Carrier fees | Passed through, separate RCS surcharge tables | Passed through at cost, on their own line |
| No-code builder, inbox, approvals | Build your own | Included |
Rates above are Plivo's published US figures, read from Plivo's US pricing page on 7 October 2026.
Where the rates differ
Neither of us charges a monthly platform fee, so the comparison comes down to the published rates and to what you have to build.
On rich text we are about half the price at every volume. Plivo bills $0.00770 per segment and we bill $0.0039 per segment, a gap of $0.0038, or $380 on 100,000 single-segment messages. Both of us bill rich text by segment, so the gap grows in step with length.
On rich media we are lower by $0.0030 a message. Plivo bills $0.01800 and our published RCS multimedia rate is $0.0150. At 100,000 rich media sends Plivo is roughly $1,800 in message charges against roughly $1,500 for us.
Where the class boundary falls. A text with suggested replies, a Call button or a browser link bills at our $0.0039 text rate, against $0.00770 per segment on Plivo. Any rich card or carousel, with or without an image, bills at our $0.0150 rich media rate.
Both figures exclude carrier surcharges, which both companies pass through. Neither counts the campaign builder, shared inbox and approval workflow that Plivo expects you to build against its API, which is the real variable and appears on neither rate card. Our rates are on the pricing page and the method is written out in billing transparency; for the category-wide breakdown see RCS pricing by provider.
What migration involves
Moving off Plivo starts with the numbers. SimplyRCS ports the long codes, toll-free numbers and short codes you hold at Plivo, so customers keep texting the same numbers. What does not move with a number is its paperwork: 10DLC brand and campaign registrations are tied to the provider that filed them, and so is a verified RCS agent, including any agent set up through Plivo's early-access RCS programme. SimplyRCS re-files the brand, the campaigns and the RCS sender for you, so nobody on your side rebuilds the filings against Plivo's API.
Plivo and SimplyRCS can run side by side during cutover, with no overlap charge from SimplyRCS, so traffic moves to the new registrations as they clear rather than on a fixed date. Long codes and toll-free numbers carry no carrier migration fee. Short-code migrations carry carrier-set fees, passed through at cost: $500 T-Mobile, $250 Verizon, $150 Claro.
A US business that wants genuine RCS, branded, rich, two-way, with a no-code app and approval handled, rather than an SMS API with RCS in early access. Common in US retail and e-commerce. Prefer a developer-first comparison? See SimplyRCS vs Twilio.
SimplyRCS vs Plivo, answered.
Is Plivo cheaper than SimplyRCS for SMS?
No, not per segment. Plivo publishes US SMS at $0.0077 on a 10DLC long code; our published rate is $0.0039. Neither of us charges a monthly platform fee, so the lower rate holds at any volume.
Does Plivo do rich RCS campaigns?
Yes. Plivo supports rich cards, carousels, suggested replies and actions, and two-way RCS through its API. The difference is tooling: campaigns, templates and a shared inbox are yours to build on Plivo and included with SimplyRCS.
Does Plivo include an inbox?
No. SimplyRCS includes a two-way inbox and no-code builder.
Is SimplyRCS worth more than Plivo's low SMS rates?
On rate alone we are lower on both classes, $0.0039 against $0.00770 per text segment, and $0.0150 against $0.01800 per rich media message. Neither charges a monthly platform fee, so we are cheaper on messages at any volume, and you also get the no-code builder, inbox and white-glove approval rather than building them.
How long does it take to launch RCS on SimplyRCS versus Plivo?
SimplyRCS targets a first verified US RCS send in 2-4 weeks and files your brand, campaign, and agent for you. Plivo publishes no RCS onboarding timeline, and its RCS page asks new customers to request early access; the integration is built against its API.
How does Plivo SMS pricing compare with SimplyRCS?
Plivo pricing for SMS on a US 10DLC long code is $0.0077 a message, the same as its RCS rich text rate of $0.00770 per segment, with carrier fees on top. SimplyRCS lists SMS and RCS text at $0.0039 and passes carrier surcharges through at cost, so the per-segment rate is roughly half, and neither charges a monthly platform fee.
Compare SimplyRCS with someone else.
Every head-to-head we publish, including the one you are reading. Weighing the whole field rather than one rival? SimplyRCS alternatives puts all ten providers on one page.
SimplyRCS vs. other providers
All competitor names are trademarks of their respective owners. Competitor figures come from each provider's own published pages, with the date each was checked beside it; verify current details with the provider.
Plivo is a fine platform. If you want it handled for you, that’s SimplyRCS.
Verified RCS live in weeks, with the app, API, and carrier approval handled for you, at published rates. Pick where you want to start.
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A line-for-line quote against your current Plivo bill. We port your numbers and re-file your registrations, you keep both running until you cut over.