Sinch

What is sinch

Sinch is a cloud communications platform that provides programmable messaging, voice, video, verification, and conversational channels for businesses and developers. The platform connects applications to global carriers and over-the-top channels so teams can send SMS, RCS, MMS, WhatsApp messages, and make/receive voice and video calls via APIs and SDKs. Sinch is used by marketing teams, customer service centers, two-factor authentication (2FA) systems, and any product that needs reliable customer reach across many countries.

Sinch operates both as a self-service API provider for engineering teams and as an enterprise vendor offering managed services and direct carrier relationships. Its technical stack focuses on per-message and per-call routing, number provisioning, delivery reporting, and compliance with carrier regulations and local messaging rules in many regions.

The platform emphasizes global scale and local carrier connectivity: customers can route messages through the best-performing carrier paths, provision short codes and virtual numbers, and apply automated fallback logic for delivery. For developers and architects, Sinch exposes REST APIs and SDKs to embed communications into mobile apps, web apps, and backend systems.

Sinch features

Sinch groups its capabilities into channel and platform features that support both transactional and conversational use cases.

• Messaging: SMS, MMS, RCS, WhatsApp Business API, and other OTT channels with delivery receipts, concatenation, and message template management.
• Voice: SIP trunking, programmable voice calls, interactive voice response (IVR) flows, and call recording/analytics.
• Verification and Authentication: Phone number verification, one-time passcodes (OTP), and number intelligence to detect roaming and line type.
• Number Management: Local numbers, toll-free numbers, short codes, long codes, and number provisioning for many countries.
• Conversations and Chat: Tools for conversational messaging, message threading, unified inbox for multi-channel conversations, and bot handoffs.
• Developer Tools: REST APIs, SDKs for major platforms, webhooks for event delivery, and a developer portal with sample code and SDKs.

Sinch also provides compliance and carrier-facing features such as message queuing and retry logic, content filtering, delivery analytics, and regional routing policies. On the enterprise side, there are account management, SLA options, and professional services for integration and onboarding.

What does sinch do?

Sinch enables applications to send and receive messages and calls programmatically at scale. Typical developer workflows include sending transactional SMS for order confirmations, delivering OTPs for authentication, running marketing SMS campaigns, and powering omnichannel customer service through WhatsApp and voice.

For contact centers, Sinch supplies voice SIP connectivity, programmable IVRs, and tools to integrate voice channels with CRM systems. This allows customer support teams to orchestrate voice and messaging flows from the same underlying account and apply routing, recording, and analytics consistently.

For product teams, the platform provides SDKs and APIs that make it practical to embed voice, SMS, and verification directly into mobile and web applications, plus dashboards and logs to monitor performance and troubleshoot delivery issues.

Sinch pricing

Sinch offers flexible pricing models: pay-as-you-go usage, monthly committed-volume contracts, and custom enterprise agreements depending on channel, region, and features.

Sinch provides these pricing plans:

• Pay-as-you-go: Usage billed per message, per call minute, or per verification attempt; rates vary by country and channel
• Starter: Entry-level volume commitments and support suitable for small teams and pilots
• Professional: Mid-tier committed-volume pricing with enhanced SLAs and account support
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for large volumes, dedicated account management, and compliance features

Because Sinch’s charges differ substantially between SMS, WhatsApp, voice minutes, and verification, most customers receive a tailored quote. Check Sinch's pricing overview for channel-specific rate cards and options for short codes, virtual numbers, and WhatsApp template pricing.

How much is sinch per month

Sinch starts at pay-as-you-go rates rather than a single monthly subscription, so monthly cost depends on usage and channels. For small proof-of-concepts, monthly spend can be under $50/month for a low volume of SMS and voice minutes; for production deployments with thousands of monthly messages the bill typically runs into the hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on destination countries and features like short codes or dedicated numbers.

If you choose a committed monthly package, vendors often offer discounted per-message or per-minute rates in exchange for a minimum monthly spend. Contact Sinch sales or request pricing through their developer portal to obtain accurate monthly estimates tied to your use case.

How much is sinch per year

Sinch costs depend on volume and agreement type; enterprise contracts commonly start in the low thousands per year. Annual spend scales with channels, volume, and services used. Small business usage might total $1,200/year or less, while medium to large enterprise deployments often reach $10,000/year or much higher for global messaging, dedicated short codes, and premium carrier routing.

Many customers negotiate multi-year discounts, volume tiers, and enterprise SLAs. For exact annual pricing for your deployment, consult Sinch sales or view channel price references on the Sinch pricing pages.

How much is sinch in general

Sinch pricing ranges from pay-as-you-go per-message or per-minute charges (fractions of a cent to a few cents) up to enterprise-level contracts costing tens or hundreds of thousands per year. SMS rates vary by country and volume—lower-cost markets may be priced under $0.01 per SMS, while high-cost destinations or premium channels like WhatsApp template messages and short codes add additional fees.

Voice charges are typically billed per minute and vary by origination/termination region; verification attempts (OTP) are often charged per verification with volume discounts available. Always review the channel-specific pricing and number provisioning costs in Sinch’s published guidance and request a custom quote for predictable budgeting.

What is sinch used for

Sinch is used for transactional messaging (order confirmations, shipping alerts), user authentication (2FA via SMS/voice/verification), conversational customer support (WhatsApp, SMS, chat), and application-level voice/video features (in-app voice calls, click-to-call). Its carrier relationships and global coverage make it suitable for companies that must reach customers in multiple countries while complying with local rules.

Marketing and engagement teams use Sinch for campaign delivery and two-way messaging workflows where delivery tracking and opt-out handling are required. For security teams, Sinch’s verification services are commonly used to reduce fraud and automate phone number checks.

Product teams embed Sinch SDKs to add voice and video calling to mobile apps, or to provide user-to-user calling with call control, recording, and diagnostics. Contact centers connect to Sinch for SIP trunking and programmable IVR to centralize multi-channel customer interactions.

Pros and cons of sinch

Sinch strengths include wide global carrier connectivity, support for multiple messaging channels (SMS, RCS, WhatsApp), and mature developer tooling for APIs and SDKs. The platform’s carrier relationships and routing capability reduce delivery failures in challenging regions and help with number provisioning and regulatory compliance.

Common limitations are pricing variability across countries (which requires careful rate management), potential complexity of carrier rules for high-volume senders, and the need for configuration and integration work to optimize deliverability. Enterprises with highly specialized compliance needs may require custom agreements.

Operational pros: good analytics and delivery reporting, enterprise support options, and professional services for onboarding. Operational cons: channel-specific requirements (e.g., WhatsApp templates, A2P registration) can lengthen the setup time for some markets.

Sinch free trial

Sinch typically offers a developer sandbox and limited free credits through its developer portal to test APIs and SDKs without an immediate commercial commitment. The sandbox allows sending test messages to verified numbers, exercising webhooks, and trying basic verification and voice features.

The free testing tier is designed for development and integration work rather than production messaging. To move to production you will need to add billing details and provision numbers or short codes appropriate to your use case and region.

For current terms and to sign up for developer access, consult the Sinch developer portal which lists available test credits and onboarding instructions.

Is sinch free

No, Sinch is not free for production usage; the platform provides free developer credits and sandbox access for testing. Production messaging, voice minutes, number provisioning, and verification attempts are chargeable according to channel-specific rates. Small test projects can remain low cost if volumes are limited.

Sinch API

Sinch exposes a set of RESTful APIs and SDKs for messaging, voice, conversations, verification, and phone number management. APIs support sending messages, receiving delivery receipts via webhooks, making and receiving voice calls, controlling IVR flows, and provisioning numbers.

Key API capabilities include: message batching and scheduling, delivery status callbacks, media messaging for MMS and WhatsApp, two-way conversational state, and number lookup/insight services to detect line type and roaming. SDKs are available for mobile platforms and server-side languages, with sample code for common integration scenarios.

Developers can find API reference, SDK downloads, and code samples in the Sinch developer documentation. The docs include authentication mechanisms, rate limits, example webhook flows, and best practices for retry and error handling.

10 Sinch alternatives

Below are ten alternatives to Sinch that teams commonly evaluate for global messaging, voice, and verification.

• Twilio — Wide global reach, mature APIs for voice, SMS, and WhatsApp with an extensive developer ecosystem.
• Vonage (formerly Nexmo) — Programmable SMS and voice, strong in programmable communications and contact center integrations.
• MessageBird — Omnichannel messaging (SMS, WhatsApp, RCS) with regional carrier coverage and conversational APIs.
• Infobip — Carrier-level coverage with omnichannel messaging and enterprise services for global messaging.
• Bandwidth — Strong SIP trunking and voice services with number provisioning and calling APIs.
• Telnyx — SIP trunking, messaging, and programmable voice with self-service portal and competitive pricing.
• 360dialog — Focused on WhatsApp Business API connectivity and conversational tooling for enterprises.
• Sinch Mobile Engagement — (Sinch’s own bundled offering) for campaign and engagement management built on core Sinch APIs.
• Telesign — Verification-first provider specializing in phone number intelligence and fraud prevention.
• Plivo — SMS and voice APIs aimed at developers with predictable pricing and global reach.

Paid alternatives to sinch

• Twilio: Broadest set of programmable communications products, large ecosystem of add-ons and marketplace integrations.
• Infobip: Enterprise-grade global messaging with managed services and compliance support for large carriers.
• MessageBird: Strong omnichannel messaging and contact center integrations with regional presence.
• Vonage: Traditional telephony strengths combined with modern APIs for messaging and voice.
• Bandwidth: Cost-effective voice and number provisioning with wholesale carrier relationships.

Each paid alternative offers different strengths—Twilio for developer breadth, Infobip and MessageBird for regional carrier relationships, and Bandwidth for cost-efficient voice.

Open source alternatives to sinch

• Asterisk: Open source telephony platform for building SIP PBX, IVR, and voice services; requires self-hosting and carrier connections.
• Kamailio: High-performance SIP server for routing voice traffic; used in large-scale telecom applications.
• OpenSIPS: SIP signaling server used for building custom voice architectures and SIP-based messaging gateways.
• FreeSWITCH: Real-time communications platform for voice, video and conferencing with programmable control.
• Matrix (with bridges): Open standard for real-time communication that can be bridged to SMS/voice with additional components.

Open source options require engineering and carrier integration work but can be cost-effective for teams that want full control and self-hosting.

Frequently asked questions about Sinch

What is Sinch used for?

Sinch is used for cloud-based messaging, voice, verification, and conversational channels. Organizations use Sinch to send transactional SMS, deliver OTPs for authentication, run WhatsApp and RCS campaigns, and provide programmable voice and video in applications. The platform is suitable for enterprises that need multi-channel reach and carrier-grade delivery.

Does Sinch offer WhatsApp Business API access?

Yes, Sinch supports WhatsApp Business API connectivity. Sinch helps with WhatsApp onboarding, template management, and message delivery while integrating WhatsApp into conversational inboxes and automation flows.

How does Sinch handle global carrier compliance?

Sinch maintains direct carrier relationships and regional routing rules to meet local regulations. The platform provides registration support, content filtering, and delivery compliance to reduce blocking and ensure correct origination for high-volume senders.

Can I send transactional and marketing SMS with Sinch?

Yes, Sinch supports both transactional and marketing messages but enforces channel-specific rules. Transactional messages typically use dedicated numbers or short codes, while marketing campaigns may require opt-in management, sender registration, and template approvals in some countries.

How does Sinch charge for SMS and voice?

Sinch charges on pay-as-you-go rates or via committed contracts depending on volume and channel. SMS is billed per message (rates vary by destination), voice is billed per minute, and verification attempts are billed per transaction; discounts are available for committed volume.

Does Sinch provide SDKs and developer tools?

Yes, Sinch provides REST APIs, SDKs for common platforms, and developer documentation. The developer portal contains API reference, code samples, and sandbox access to test messaging and voice features before moving to production.

Is there a trial or developer sandbox for Sinch?

Yes, Sinch offers sandbox accounts and limited free credits for development. The sandbox is intended for testing integrations and APIs; production usage requires billing and number provisioning.

Can Sinch integrate with CRM and contact center software?

Yes, Sinch can integrate with CRMs and contact center platforms via APIs and connectors. Many customers link Sinch to platforms like Salesforce, Zendesk, or custom CRMs to sync messages, logs, and call metadata into support workflows.

What security and compliance features does Sinch provide?

Sinch provides enterprise security features and compliance controls appropriate to telecommunications. These include encrypted transport (TLS), access controls, and options for contractual compliance; enterprise customers can negotiate SLAs and specific data handling terms.

How do I provision numbers and short codes with Sinch?

Sinch supports provisioning local numbers, toll-free numbers, and short codes in many countries. Provisioning timelines and approval requirements vary by country; Sinch’s onboarding and support teams guide customers through registration, compliance, and the technical steps to provision numbers for production use.

sinch careers

Sinch maintains global engineering, product, sales, and operations teams and regularly posts job openings for developers, security engineers, product managers, and carrier relations specialists. Roles often require telecom, cloud, or software engineering experience and familiarity with large-scale distributed systems.

Career listings, office locations, and specific role requirements are available on Sinch’s corporate careers pages, which describe the recruiting process and benefits for employees.

sinch affiliate

Sinch supports partner and reseller relationships for companies that want to resell messaging, voice or verification services. Affiliate and partner programs often include referral commissions, reseller pricing, and technical onboarding support to integrate Sinch services into a partner’s offerings.

For details on partner programs and application criteria, consult Sinch’s partner pages or contact their channel sales team for program documentation and eligibility requirements.

Where to find sinch reviews

You can find user reviews and evaluations on industry review sites and app marketplaces. Check independent comparison platforms and enterprise software review sites for user feedback on reliability, support, pricing, and feature parity. For benchmark information and case studies, see Sinch’s published customer stories and third-party reviews that discuss integration experience and delivery performance.

For the most current product information, pricing, and developer resources visit the official Sinch pages: the Sinch pricing overview and the Sinch developer documentation.