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Twilio vs Oxtro: which fits your WhatsApp messaging?
Twilio and Oxtro can both send WhatsApp messages from your code, but they reach WhatsApp in completely different ways. That one difference decides setup time, cost, what you can send and how much risk you carry. We make Oxtro, so we have tried to state Twilio's strengths as plainly as our own.
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The difference that matters
Twilio is a communications platform with APIs for SMS, voice, email, video and WhatsApp. For WhatsApp, Twilio is a provider of Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform. Your number becomes a WhatsApp Business Platform sender, registered under your Meta business account.
Oxtro connects to a WhatsApp number you already use, through a linked-device session, the same way WhatsApp Web does. You scan a QR code and the number is connected. Oxtro is not the official WhatsApp Business Platform and is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta.
Everything below follows from that.
Side by side
| Twilio (WhatsApp Business Platform) | Oxtro (linked device) | |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | SMS, voice, WhatsApp, email and more | WhatsApp only |
| Setup | Meta business account, sender registration and review | Scan a QR code with the phone that owns the number |
| Number | Registered as a Business Platform sender | The number you already use, which keeps working in the WhatsApp app |
| Messages you start | Must use a template approved by Meta, outside the 24-hour window after the customer's last message | Free text or your own templates, with no approval step |
| Cost model | Twilio's fee per message, plus Meta's charge for template messages | A plan with monthly limits on numbers, messages, recipients and codes |
| Team inbox and campaigns | Build them yourself, or use another Twilio product | Included in the app |
| OTP | Twilio Verify, across many channels | OTP API over WhatsApp, with expiry, attempt limits and cooldowns |
| Official status | Official, with Meta's policies and support behind it | Not official: WhatsApp can restrict or ban a number |
| Scale | Built for very high volume | Paced per number, at the volume a single number can sensibly send |
Where Twilio is the better choice
- You need more than WhatsApp. SMS fallback, voice calls, email or global phone numbers from one vendor.
- You send at high volume or to people who have not written to you recently. The official platform, with approved templates, is the only sanctioned way to do this at scale.
- You cannot accept the risk of a ban. For banks, healthcare, or any message that must arrive, the official platform is the safer route.
- You need compliance paperwork. Large organisations often require contracts, certifications and a vendor with an established track record.
Where Oxtro is the better choice
- You want to start today. No business verification, no sender review and no template approval. Link the number and send.
- You want to keep your number as it is. It keeps working in the WhatsApp app on the phone while your team uses it from Oxtro.
- Your team answers customers on WhatsApp. Shared inbox, contacts, tags, templates and paced campaigns come with the product, not as a separate project.
- You want predictable costs. A plan with monthly limits instead of a charge for every message.
- You need WhatsApp OTP without the template process. Two endpoints, with the code generated, hashed and checked for you.
- You are a small or medium business, or a developer building order updates, appointment reminders or login codes for people who expect to hear from you.
The risk you take with Oxtro
We would rather you hear this from us. Because Oxtro uses a linked-device session, WhatsApp's normal rules apply to your number. If WhatsApp decides the number is sending spam or unwanted automated messages, it can restrict or ban it, and neither Oxtro nor you can reverse that. Message people who expect to hear from you, warm up new numbers slowly, and keep a fallback for anything critical. Our number safety guide explains what lowers the risk.
For developers
Both offer a REST API with webhooks for incoming messages and delivery status. With Oxtro:
- one request to
POST /v1/messagessends text, media or a saved template with variables; - an
Idempotency-Keyheader stops a retried request from sending twice; - webhooks are signed and retried, and cover messages, delivery status, connection changes and OTP events;
- API keys are scoped, so a key can be limited to sending messages or verifying codes.
The quickstart sends a first message in a few minutes, and examples are available for Node.js, PHP, Laravel, Python and curl.
Can you use both?
Yes, and many teams should. A common split is Oxtro for conversations, order updates and codes on the number customers already know, and an official provider such as Twilio for SMS fallback and anything high volume or critical.
Summary
Choose Twilio when you need several channels, official status, very high volume or certainty of delivery. Choose Oxtro when you want your own WhatsApp number working for a team and from code today, with an inbox and campaigns included, and you accept the risk that comes with not being the official platform. See what Oxtro includes, or read the quickstart to try it on your own number.