Twilio is a cloud communications platform as a service provider with a fully customizable user experience. Twilio is most known for its ability to help businesses interact with their customers on their preferred platform, but they are far from alone. Here are some of Twilio’s main competitors:
#1. Vonage
- Founded: January 2001
- Headquarters: Holmdel, New Jersey, United States
Need to know
Vonage (https://www.vonage.com) was established in 2001 by Jeff Pulver . Min-X.com, which began as a voice over IP provider in 1998, was the original name of the company. He enlisted the help of Jeffrey A. Citron and Carlos Bhola, who each put in $1 million and joined the board of directoelrs. Citron and Bhola subsequently raised an additional $11 million in finance, rebranded the company as a VOIP service provider, and Citron was named CEO and Bhola was named President. In 2001, the corporation was renamed Vonage Holdings Corp.
It helps businesses, including small and medium-sized organizations, mid-market firms, and enterprises, with cloud communications and calling services. Through middleware technology, cloud communications services enable business customers to connect with a variety of corporate applications and customer relationship management solutions.
#2. Vidyo
- Founded: 2005
- Headquarters: Hackensack, New Jersey
Need to know
Vidyo (https://www.vidyo.com) was established in 2005 by Ofer Shapiro. He created the first IP video conferencing bridge as well as programmable gatekeeper technology. In early 2004, he departed Radvision to focus on better video conferencing networks. In early 2005, Shapiro received support from Avery More, and by October 2005, he had secured seed money from Sevin Rosen Funds, led by Bayless. Vidyo’s annual revenue is at over $60 million. Vidyo, Inc. was purchased by Enghouse Systems Limited for a purchase price of about $40 million on May 15th, 2019.
It provides visual communication tools as well as software-based collaborative technology. It’s product include: VidyoRouter, VidyoDesktop, VidyoPortal, VidyoHealth, VidyoGateway, VidyoCampus program, and vidyo conferencing system.
#3. Infobip
- Founded: 2006
- Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Need to know
Infobip (https://www.infobip.com) was established in 2006 by Silvio Kutic . The company has been hosting Infodip Dev Days, an annual developers conference for both internal and external developers attendees since 2015. In 2020, Infobip secured $200 million in funding from One Equity Partners. As a result, Infobip’s market capitalization has exceeded $1 billion, making it the first Croatian unicorn firm.
It provides a Communications Platform as a Service with private cloud architecture and zero-hop connectivity to telecommunications throughout the world. It provides A2P SMS messaging, A2P voice, A2P RCS, app alerts, email, chat app messaging, and carrier billing services. It caters to both mobile network providers and businesses, such as banks, social networks, and corporations as well as non-profit organisations and public institutions.
#4. Plum Voice
- Founded: 2000
- Headquarters: New York
Need to know
Plum Voice (https://www.plumvoice.com) was established in 2000 by Matt Ervin. It was initially named ‘The Plum Group, Inc.,’ with the goal of developing technologies for individualized audio communication. Plum commercialized the open-standard Plum VoiceXML IVR platform in 2001, which allows for the development of dynamic telecom applications. Plum has continued to improve this product over time by adding new tools and applications, all while being a certified supporter of the open-standard VoiceXML 2.0 specification.
It uses intelligent virtual speech assistants to increase consumer engagement. Plum Voice provides companies with virtual voice agents that are constantly ready, consistently engaging, quick, and even proactive in their outreach, allowing them to optimize traditional IVR and agent operations.
#5. Bandwidth
- Founded: 1999
- Headquarters: Raleigh, North Carolina
Need to know
Bandwidth (https://www.bandwidth.com) was founded in 1999 by David Morken. In 2001, he was joined by Henry Kaestner as a co-founder, and Bandwidth International became Bandwidth.com. Bandwidth has a workforce of about 700 people as of December 31, 2018. Bandwidth revealed in August 2020 that it had teamed up with NC State University for a study that lasted from February 2019 to January 2020 and looked into fraudulent traffic patterns related to robocalling. Bandwidth announced on October 12th, 2020 that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Voxbone.
They use IP voice network to sell software application programming interfaces for voice and messaging. By integrating dependable Voice and SMS APIs directly into your product or service, you can improve the client experience.
#6. RingCentral
- Founded: 1999
- Headquarters: Belmont, California, United States
Need to know
RingCentral (https://www.ringcentral.com) was established in 1999 by Vlad Shmunis and Vlad Vendrow. They had worked together at RingZero Systems, where Vlad Shmunis was the founder and CEO and Vlad Vendrow was the Director of Engineering. RingZero was designed for Microsoft Windows-based small business communications. Motorola purchased the company for “double-digit millions. RingCentral was launched after Motorola decided to focus on mobile platforms.
RingCentral provides a cloud-based business phone system. Multiple extensions, call control, Outlook, Salesforce, Google Docs, DropBox, and Box integration, SMS, video conferencing and web conferencing, fax, auto-receptionist, call logging, and rule-based call routing and answering are some of the PBX features available. Customers do not need to invest in capital or sign maintenance contracts, which reduces their costs.
#7. Microsoft
- Founded: April 4, 1975
- Headquarters: Redmond, Washington
Need to know
Microsoft (https://www.microsoft.com) was established in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, with Gates as CEO. Allen suggested the name “Micro-Soft” (meaning micro-computer software). The company struck a partnership with ASCII Magazine in Japan in August 1977, resulting in the establishment of ASCII Microsoft’s first foreign office. It is one of the first 5 information technology firms in the United States.
They produce computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and other services. Their software products includes; Microsoft Windows operating system, Microsoft Office suite, Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers. The Microsoft Surface range of touchscreen personal computers is the company’s major hardware offerings.
#8. Gupshup
- Founded: 2004
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Need to know
Gupshup (https://www.gupshup.io) was established in 2004 by Beerud Sheth. It was founded as an SMS network in India. It is a firm that provides conversational messaging services with headquarters in India, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Fidelity Management, Tiger Global, and others helped the company raise $240 million in a Series F fundraising round in July 2021. Gupshup bought Dotgo, a New Jersey-based rich communications system (RCS) and business messaging (RBM) player, in September 2021.
It offers SMS, email, voice, USSD and IP messaging. It also offers chatbot development services to banking, retail, and e-commerce companies.
#9. Podium
- Founded: 2014
- Headquarters: Lehi, Utah, United States
Need to know
Podium (https://www.podium.com) was established in 2014 by Eric Rea and Dennis Steele. Rea received a call from his father regarding the online reviews for his tire shop not reflecting the conversational feedback he receives from clients. Rea discovered that most existing options were archaic, email-based technologies after doing some preliminary research. Dennis Steele was working for a public relations firm that specialized in helping firms improve their internet reputation at the time. Rea and Steele teamed up to create a solution that would help small businesses enhance their internet reputation through online reviews, determined to provide a better service. Before rebranding as Podium in 2015, Podium was known as RepDrive. Podium introduced payments technology to their product line in March 2020.
It enables organizations to improve their online reputations by modernizing client interactions such as messaging and customer feedback.