Sendbird vs Vonage
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Sendbird | Vonage |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $399/mo | From $40/seat/mo |
| Best For | Developers building custom in-app messaging experiences | Developers and enterprises building custom communication solutions |
| Standout Feature | Comprehensive SDK with voice, video, and messaging | Comprehensive communication APIs with global reach |
| Free Plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| G2 Rating | 4.3 | 4.1 |
Sendbird and Vonage represent different approaches to customer communication technology. Sendbird offers chat and messaging APIs from free to $999 monthly, while Vonage provides comprehensive communications APIs with usage-based to custom pricing.
Both platforms serve developers building communication features, but Sendbird specializes in chat experiences while Vonage offers broader communications infrastructure including voice, video, and messaging.
Feature Comparison
Sendbird excels in chat and messaging with real-time messaging, group chat, push notifications, and moderation tools. It includes advanced features like message translation, file sharing, and custom UI components.
Vonage offers comprehensive communications APIs including voice calling, video conferencing, SMS, WhatsApp Business API, and verification services. It provides global connectivity with carrier-grade reliability and extensive developer tools.
Sendbird wins for chat-focused applications, while Vonage dominates in full-stack communications infrastructure.
Pricing Comparison
Sendbird offers transparent pricing from free (up to 100 MAU) to $999 monthly for enterprise features. Pricing scales with monthly active users and includes predictable tier-based costs.
Vonage uses usage-based pricing for voice minutes, SMS messages, and API calls, with custom enterprise pricing for large volumes. Costs vary significantly based on usage patterns and geographic regions.
Sendbird provides more predictable costs for chat applications, while Vonage offers pay-as-you-use flexibility for diverse communication needs.
Sendbird
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive SDK suite
- ✓ Excellent developer documentation
- ✓ Scalable infrastructure
Cons
- ✗ Expensive for small businesses
- ✗ Complex pricing structure
- ✗ Limited social media integrations
Vonage
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive API portfolio
- ✓ Good global coverage
- ✓ Reliable infrastructure
Cons
- ✗ Complex pricing structure
- ✗ Requires technical integration
- ✗ No unified interface for messaging
Verdict
Choose Sendbird if you need specialized chat and messaging APIs with transparent pricing and G2 rating of 4.3/5. Choose Vonage if you require comprehensive communications infrastructure with usage-based pricing and 4.1/5 G2 rating.
Choose Sendbird if: You're building chat-focused applications, need predictable pricing from free to $999 monthly, and want specialized messaging features.
Choose Vonage if: You need comprehensive communications APIs, prefer usage-based pricing, and require voice, video, and global messaging capabilities.
Consider Converge at $49/month flat rate for ready-to-use customer support without the complexity of building custom communication solutions.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Sendbird comparisons and all Vonage comparisons.