Sendbird vs Textline

Sendbird and Textline represent two different approaches to customer messaging. Sendbird is a developer-focused chat API platform that powers in-app messaging for mobile and web applications, while Textline specializes in business SMS and text messaging for customer support teams.

With Sendbird's G2 rating of 4.3/5 and Textline's 4.2/5, both platforms have proven track records, but they serve distinctly different use cases in the messaging ecosystem.

Sendbird excels as a chat SDK and API platform, offering real-time messaging, voice/video calls, and extensive customization options for developers building chat into their applications. It provides robust moderation tools, message threading, and supports both 1:1 and group conversations.

Textline focuses specifically on business SMS, offering shared inbox management, automated responses, and integration with existing customer support workflows. It includes features like message templates, team collaboration tools, and detailed SMS analytics.

The fundamental difference is that Sendbird requires development work to implement, while Textline is a plug-and-play SMS solution for support teams.

Sendbird offers a freemium model starting at $0 for up to 1,000 monthly active users, scaling up to $999/month for enterprise features. Pricing is based on monthly active users and feature tiers rather than per-agent costs.

Textline uses a per-user pricing model ranging from $39 to $149 per month per user, making it more predictable for support teams but potentially expensive as teams grow.

For small development teams, Sendbird's free tier provides significant value, while Textline's pricing is more straightforward for support operations but can become costly with larger teams.

Choose Sendbird if you're building custom chat experiences within your application and have development resources. Choose Textline if you need a ready-to-use SMS customer support solution without technical complexity.

Choose Sendbird if: You're building custom chat features into your app, have development resources, and want extensive customization options with scalable usage-based pricing.

Choose Textline if: You need immediate SMS customer support capabilities without development work and prefer predictable per-user pricing.

For teams seeking a middle ground with comprehensive messaging features at a flat rate, Converge offers a compelling alternative at $49/month with no per-user fees, combining ease of use with cost predictability.