Google Cloud Messaging vs Twilio

Overview

Twilio

Stacks11.5K

Followers8.8K

Votes521

Google Cloud Messaging

Stacks88

Followers247

Votes22

Google Cloud Messaging vs Twilio: What are the differences?

1. Scalability: Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) and Twilio differ in terms of their scalability. GCM is highly scalable and can handle a large number of concurrent requests, making it suitable for applications with a massive user base. Twilio, on the other hand, also has good scalability but may have some limitations in handling extremely high volumes of messages or calls.
2. Messaging Channels: Another key difference between GCM and Twilio is the range of messaging channels they support. GCM is primarily focused on push notifications and messaging services for Android devices, while Twilio offers a broader range of communication channels including SMS, voice calls, video calls, email, and chat. This makes Twilio more versatile for applications that require multiple modes of communication.
3. Platform Dependency: GCM is tightly integrated with Google Play Services and primarily designed for Android devices. It provides features specific to the Android ecosystem such as deep linking, app indexing, and in-app messaging. On the other hand, Twilio is platform-independent and can be used with any operating system or device, making it more suitable for cross-platform applications.
4. Pricing Model: The pricing models for GCM and Twilio also differ. GCM offers a free basic tier for sending push notifications, but additional features such as Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) may incur costs based on the number of messages or data transferred. Twilio, on the other hand, follows a pay-as-you-go model, where costs depend on factors such as the number of messages, calls, or media used.
5. Integration with APIs: GCM integrates seamlessly with other Google services and APIs such as Firebase Analytics and Firestore, allowing developers to leverage a comprehensive ecosystem of tools for app development and analysis. Twilio also offers integrations with various APIs and services but may require additional configuration and setup.
6. Global Reach: In terms of global reach, GCM is available in most countries but may have some restrictions in regions where Google services are limited or restricted. Twilio, on the other hand, has a broader global reach and can be used in multiple countries, making it suitable for applications with an international user base.

In Summary, Google Cloud Messaging and Twilio differ in terms of scalability, messaging channels, platform dependency, pricing model, integration with APIs, and global reach.

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Advice on Twilio, Google Cloud Messaging

Finch

Ops at SLS

Jul 23, 2020

Needs adviceon

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Salesforce

Hey! We need an omnichannel inbox that's housed within Salesforce Sales Cloud that makes it super easy for our reps to respond to inbound communication (needs: clean inbox, provides historical context, etc.). We're a high-volume call center, and we get a ton of incoming SMS and email every day. We'd love a solution that lets us view all of that in one place — ideally Salesforce, as that's where our reps work, and we want to avoid needing them to switch between windows. Thanks!

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Dainis

Marketing project manager at Colortime

Jan 31, 2020

Needs advice

Hello! We need to integrate an SMS gateway into our app for user phone verification. As we are just starting, we are searching for the most affordable/best price/performance option for SMS gateway to verify client phone numbers with the code, maybe you can suggest something between those two or maybe something else. We are planning to do business in Europe

135k views135k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Twilio	Google Cloud Messaging
Twilio offers developers a powerful API for phone services to make and receive phone calls, and send and receive text messages. Their product allows programmers to more easily integrate various communication methods into their software and programs.	Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) is a free service that enables developers to send messages between servers and client apps. This includes downstream messages from servers to client apps, and upstream messages from client apps to servers.
Phone- Phone Numbers API;Phone- Convert Text to Speech and Play Audio;Phone- Record Calls and Store Them;Phone- Create Conferences;Phone- API Queueing;Phone- Call Queues;Phone- Convert Speech to Text;Phone- Usage API;Phone- Status Callbacks and Logs;Phone- Global Reach;SMS- Supports Unicode;SMS- Message Queueing;SMS- Realtime API;SMS- Global Reach;SMS- Status Callbacks and Logs;SMS- Usage metering & API triggers;SMS- Voice Enabled Numbers;SMS- Short Codes;Two-factor authentication;Call tracking;Voice broadcasting;Cloud IVR;Mobile app distribution	Versatile Messaging Targets: Distribute messages to your client app in any of three ways — to single devices, to groups of devices, or to devices subscribed to topics.; Downstream Messaging: For purposes such as alerting users, chat messaging or kicking off background processing before the user opens the client app, GCM provides a reliable and battery-efficient connection between your server and devices.; Upstream Messaging: Send acknowledgments, chats, and other messages from devices back to your server over GCM’s reliable and battery-efficient connection channel.;
Statistics
Stacks 11.5K	Stacks 88
Followers 8.8K	Followers 247
Votes 521	Votes 22
Pros & Cons
Pros 148 Powerful, simple, and well documented api 88 RESTful API 66 Clear pricing 61 Great sms services 58 Low cost of entry Cons 4 Predictable pricing 2 Expensive	Pros 9 Free 6 Scalable 4 Easy setup 2 Easy iOS setup 1 IOS Support Cons 1 Reliability
Integrations
Google App Engine Bugsnag Zendesk Twilio SendGrid Parse	No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Twilio, Google Cloud Messaging?

OneSignal

OneSignal is a high volume push notification service for websites and mobile applications. OneSignal supports all major native and mobile platforms by providing dedicated SDKs for each platform, a RESTful server API, and a dashboard.

Nexmo

Nexmo connects your apps directly to carriers around the world. Integrate SMS and Voice messages using one simple API. Use Nexmo Verity to register users, verify transactions, and implement two factor authentication.

Urban Airship

We’ve built the smartest, most aware, precise, easy-to-use, scalable, secure and powerful push messaging platform on the planet. Our Push messaging platform leverages all that is unique about mobile as a channel, and that lights the spark to create meaningful and valuable mobile experiences. We help put your app in front of your users at the right time, and in the right place to drive usage and brand engagement.

Plivo

Plivo provides basic building block APIs in the form of Plivo XML and HTTP API, to create telephony apps, so developers can completely do away with learning the nitty-gritty of the telephony plumbing.

Amazon SNS

Amazon Simple Notification Service makes it simple and cost-effective to push to mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, and internet connected smart devices, as well as pushing to other distributed services. Besides pushing cloud notifications directly to mobile devices, SNS can also deliver notifications by SMS text message or email, to Simple Queue Service (SQS) queues, or to any HTTP endpoint.

Firebase Cloud Messaging

It is a cross-platform messaging solution that lets you reliably deliver messages at no cost. You can notify a client app that new email or other data is available to sync. You can send notification messages to drive user re-engagement and retention. For use cases such as instant messaging, a message can transfer a payload of up to 4KB to a client app.

Agora

Agora.io provides building blocks for you to add real-time voice and video communications through a simple and powerful SDK. You can integrate the Agora SDK to enable real-time communications in your own application quickly.

Amazon Pinpoint

Amazon Pinpoint makes it easy to run targeted campaigns to drive user engagement in mobile apps. Amazon Pinpoint helps you understand user behavior, define which users to target, determine which messages to send, schedule the best time to deliver the messages, and then track the results of your campaign.

Pusher Mobile Push Notifications API

Send push notifications to iOS and Android devices through one unified Push Notifications API for Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) and Apple Push Notification Service (APNS).

OpenTok

It adds the clarity and emotion of face-to-face communication to your brand whether you're developing for the web, iOS, or Android. We make the integration of high-quality live video a breeze so that you can focus on building a great product.

Related Comparisons

Google Cloud Messaging vs Twilio: What are the differences?

1. Scalability: Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) and Twilio differ in terms of their scalability. GCM is highly scalable and can handle a large number of concurrent requests, making it suitable for applications with a massive user base. Twilio, on the other hand, also has good scalability but may have some limitations in handling extremely high volumes of messages or calls.
2. Messaging Channels: Another key difference between GCM and Twilio is the range of messaging channels they support. GCM is primarily focused on push notifications and messaging services for Android devices, while Twilio offers a broader range of communication channels including SMS, voice calls, video calls, email, and chat. This makes Twilio more versatile for applications that require multiple modes of communication.
3. Platform Dependency: GCM is tightly integrated with Google Play Services and primarily designed for Android devices. It provides features specific to the Android ecosystem such as deep linking, app indexing, and in-app messaging. On the other hand, Twilio is platform-independent and can be used with any operating system or device, making it more suitable for cross-platform applications.
4. Pricing Model: The pricing models for GCM and Twilio also differ. GCM offers a free basic tier for sending push notifications, but additional features such as Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) may incur costs based on the number of messages or data transferred. Twilio, on the other hand, follows a pay-as-you-go model, where costs depend on factors such as the number of messages, calls, or media used.
5. Integration with APIs: GCM integrates seamlessly with other Google services and APIs such as Firebase Analytics and Firestore, allowing developers to leverage a comprehensive ecosystem of tools for app development and analysis. Twilio also offers integrations with various APIs and services but may require additional configuration and setup.
6. Global Reach: In terms of global reach, GCM is available in most countries but may have some restrictions in regions where Google services are limited or restricted. Twilio, on the other hand, has a broader global reach and can be used in multiple countries, making it suitable for applications with an international user base.

In Summary, Google Cloud Messaging and Twilio differ in terms of scalability, messaging channels, platform dependency, pricing model, integration with APIs, and global reach.

Google Cloud Messaging vs Twilio

Overview