MessageBird is an enterprise-grade communications platform as a service (CPaaS) solution that facilitates omnichannel connections between companies and their customers.
This MessageBird review covers what it is, how it works, top features, pricing, pros and cons, user tips, leading alternatives, and an overall verdict.
With AI-powered capabilities, seamless integrations, robust developer APIs, and multi-channel messaging support, MessageBird aims to streamline and enhance business-to customer interactions in the digital era.
Read our comprehensive review to learn if MessageBird is the right fit for your communication needs.
What is MessageBird?
MessageBird is an Amsterdam-based technology company that provides a cloud communications platform to help businesses engage with customers across preferred channels. Founded in 2011, the SaaS provider has raised over $400 million in funding.
Key capabilities offered by MessageBird include:
- Cloud-based infrastructure for scaling communication workflows
- Omnichannel connectivity over SMS, voice, push notifications, email, and messaging apps
- Automation of communication processes with AI tools
- Analytics dashboards providing insights into customer interactions
- Flexible APIs and SDKs for easy integration with internal systems
- White-labeled messaging to maintain brand identity
- Security measures like SSO authentication and 256-bit encryption
In short, MessageBird aims to be an all-in-one cloud communications hub for seamless, intelligent interactions through the customer journey.
Over 15,000 customers use MessageBird, including major brands like Lufthansa, Heineken, Hugo Boss, Rituals Cosmetics.
Also Read: Brainfever AI Review 2024
How MessageBird Works
The MessageBird platform is cloud-based with servers distributed globally to enable the scale and speed necessary for enterprises. The workflow is as follows:
- Set up communication channels – Connect your messaging channels via APIs or SDKs. Add emails, SMS numbers, chat app accounts. Enable features like chatbots.
- Build customer journeys – Craft automated communication flows using the Flow Builder tool with chatbots, triggers, conditions and actions.
- Analyze performance – Access real-time analytics on conversations, open rates, delivery receipts and more to iterate messaging strategy.
- Integrate systems – Sync MessageBird with your CRM, cloud storage, help desk and other critical software with 250+ integrations.
- Pay only for usage – No fixed contracts. Pay per communication channel added and messages sent based on usage. Volume pricing applies.
With this infrastructure, MessageBird customers can orchestrate interactive dialogues with customers at global scale across the channels they already use daily.
Features of MessageBird
MessageBird offers a robust cloud platform with capabilities like:
Omnichannel Messaging
Send and receive messages over customers’ preferred communication modes:
- SMS – Reach users worldwide via text messaging with two-way conversations.
- Voice – Make and receive calls through virtual numbers to interact via voice calls or voicemail.
- Email – Send high-volume transactional, promotional or personalized emails.
- Push Notifications – Send push alerts to web/mobile to re-engage users.
- Live Chat – Chat directly with customers from your website or app interface.
- Social Media – Manage social profiles and messaging across Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, Line and more.
- WhatsApp Business API– Run AI-powered chats on the popular messaging platform.
Customer Engagement Tools
Streamline how you interact with customers:
- Conversation Builder – Visually map out communication flows with an easy drag-and-drop workflow builder.
- Chatbot Studio – Create and train chatbots with or without code to automate conversations.
- AI-Suggested Responses – MessageBird will suggest responses based on message history to streamline agent conversations.
- Customer Profiles – Sync conversations to profiles in your CRM to provide contextualized, personalized messaging.
Analytics & Insights
Understand your audience and fine-tune strategies with data like:
- Conversation metrics on messages sent, agent response times, resolution rates.
- Delivery receipts, open rates and click tracking data.
- Source analysis on activities driving conversations – ads, landings pages etc.
- Custom dashboards to monitor KPIs.
- Export reports to optimize campaigns.
Integrations
MessageBird seamlessly connects with essential business software like:
- CRMs – Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk etc
- Cloud Storage – AWS S3, Google Cloud, Azure etc
- Payments – Stripe, Square, PayPal
- Ecommerce – WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento
- Marketing Automation – MailChimp, Customer.io
- 250+ other integrations
Security
MessageBird utilizes secure cloud infrastructure and follows privacy frameworks like GDPR to ensure safety:
- ISO 27001 certified, 256-bit encryption.
- Role-based access control and SSO authentication.
- Managed IPs, whitelisted SIMs, and blacklists to mitigate spam and fraud.
- Sensitive data masking capability.
- Follows regulatory guidelines like CCPA and has dedicated global compliance team.
This combination of omnichannel messaging, automation tools, analytics, tight integrations, and security make MessageBird an appealing CPaaS platform for most enterprises.
How much does MessageBird cost?
MessageBird runs on a flexible pay-as-you-go model based on usage – there are no rigid monthly contracts or commitments required. Volume discounts apply for high usage.
Here is an overview of the pricing structure:
| Message Type | Cost Per Message |
|---|---|
| SMS | $0.0065 to $0.011 |
| Voice Calls | $0.006 to $0.019 |
| Emails | $0.0010 |
| $0.042 |
Note prices may vary by country, phone type and other factors. Visit MessageBird Pricing for specifics.
You only pay for what communication channels are enabled and what messages are sent out. So costs scale linearly alongside your messaging volumes.
MessageBird does not charge extra for the platform itself or tooling around analytics, automation, conversations builder etc. There are also no monthly minimum commitments.
Volume discounts of up to 85% off apply for very high usage customers sending 100M+ messages a month. Custom pricing plans also available.
Overall, MessageBird aims to provide enterprise-grade capabilities to organizations of any size at affordable usage based pricing.
Pros of MessageBird
Here are the key advantages and strengths of the MessageBird platform based on our evaluation:
| Pros |
|---|
| Provides 15+ channels including SMS, social apps, email, voice & chat in one platform |
| Automates communication workflows with flexible drag-and-drop Conversation Builder and AI chatbots |
| Offers real-time analytics & reporting on campaign performance |
| Seamless CRM integrations with 250+ other software tools |
| Fast self-serve onboarding, with scale-on-demand cloud infrastructure |
| GDPR and CCPA compliant with focus on safety & message deliverability |
| No long contracts or monthly minimum commitments |
Essentially, MessageBird makes it fast and affordable for businesses to connect with customers on their preferred channels – with powerful tools to automate outreach and optimize it based on data.
Cons of MessageBird
Despite the many strengths, some drawbacks exist as outlined below:
| Cons |
|---|
| Steeper learning curve than competitors for less technical users |
| BYOC (Bring your own carrier) model passes GSMA compliance complexities to business |
| Upfront spend on integrations like WhatsApp Business API |
| Occasional delays in support response due to rapid growth |
| Lack of channel support in certain emerging market countries |
While the platform is enterprise-ready, small businesses with simpler use cases may prefer simpler alternatives with lower barriers to get started. Support delays can occur during periods of peak demand.
WhatsApp Business API requires a slow verification process and has expensive upfront annual fee ($5000). This can deter smaller customers.
Overall though, MessageBird still proves highly capable for even the largest brands managing worldwide communication at scale.
How to Use MessageBird: Complete Overview
Here is a step-by-step overview of key tasks to get started with MessageBird:
Signup & Configure Account
- Navigate to MessageBird.com to create a free account
- Add business details like name, email, location
- Configure sending channels like SMS, WhatsApp, Email
Set Up Communication Flows
- Design customer journeys with the Conversation Flow Builder
- Leverage 300+ templates for common use cases
- Build chatbots without code using the Chatbot Creator
Integrate Internal Software
- Install plugins to connect systems like Stripe, Slack, Zendesk etc
- Leverage webhooks, callbacks and APIs in the Developer Dashboard
- Sync SMS conversations to CRM profiles
Analyze Performance
- Check overall account analytics for top metrics
- Drill down by channel, campaign, or other filters
- Build dashboard views to track KPIs
- Export reports to share insights with stakeholders
Manage Contacts
- Upload customers in bulk via CSV files
- Group contacts into segments for targeted messaging
- Comply with data regulations like GDPR
With these steps, you can start sending multi-channel messages leveraging automation and analyze results – all on enterprise-grade infrastructure.
MessageBird Alternatives
While MessageBird is uniquely positioned as an enterprise CPaaS leader, alternatives exist in the market with varying strengths.
| Tool | Overview | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Twilio | Pioneer CPaaS provider with strong brand recognition. More developer focus than MessageBird | 4.6/5 |
| Sinch | Specializes in voice, video & messaging communication infrastructure at global scale. | 4.5/5 |
| Vonage Communications | Offers programmable voice, video and messaging minus the enterprise orientation. | 4.2/5 |
| Plivo | Voice and SMS API platform built for developers. Lacks automation features. | 4.0/5 |
| Bandwidth Communications | A developer friendly platform providing voice, messaging and emergency communication APIs. | 3.9/5 |
Twilio pioneered the CPaaS space, leading in technical flexibility and mindshare – but the extensive scope results in complexity. Sinch comes closest to MessageBird in terms of positioning and capability.
Overall, for most large enterprises optimizing customer engagement, MessageBird strikes the right balance of usability and robust infrastructure.
Conclusion and Verdict: MessageBird Review
After conducting an extensive evaluation, our recommendation is:
For large enterprises seeking a reliable, secure and vertically integrated CPaaS platform spanning engagement channels, MessageBird is a superb choice enabling world-class customer experiences.
The combination of omnichannel messaging, automation tools, AI-capabilities, tight integrations with business software, robust infrastructure and competitive usage-based pricing makes MessageBird suitable for even the most demanding brands.
Smaller businesses with more basic needs or developer teams seeking maximal programmability may opt for more code-centric platforms like Twilio or alternative providers.
But for enterprise marketing and customer service leaders overseeing global communication Initiatives, few rivals match MessageBird end-to-end.
Overall Rating: 4.7 / 5
So if you are leading customer engagement for a sizable brand, include MessageBird on your shortlist to drive ROI across digital communication efforts.
FAQs: MessageBird
What does MessageBird do?
MessageBird provides a cloud-based communication platform to connect enterprises with customers via omnichannel messaging spanning SMS, email, messaging apps, voice calls etc.
Does MessageBird offer a free trial?
Yes, MessageBird offers a free trial account with $15 credit to experience capabilities firsthand without commitment.
Can MessageBird handle communication for large enterprises?
Yes, MessageBird is built specifically for the needs of large enterprises managing high message volumes. It powers communication for recognizable global brands.
What integrations does MessageBird support?
MessageBird seamlessly integrates with 250+ software tools including leading CRM, payments, cloud storage, marketing, and service desk platforms via plugins, APIs etc.
How does MessageBird pricing work?
MessageBird follows a pay-as-you-go model based on your account usage and messaging volumes without fixed monthly contracts. Volume discounts apply for high usage accounts.