Google Cloud Messaging vs Twilio

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Google Cloud Messaging

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Twilio

11.1K
8.5K
+ 1
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Google Cloud Messaging vs Twilio: What are the differences?

  1. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Advice on Google Cloud Messaging and Twilio
Needs advice
on
MessageBirdMessageBird
and
TwilioTwilio

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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Replies (2)
Recommends

if the inbound SMS are sales rep specific you could potentially have twilio fwd that msg to a google voice phone number which will in turn put an email in their inbox (so they're looking at 1 inbox instead of multiple places) Just an idea. Probably way off in left field compared to what you're thinking and I also invision. I'm not all familiar with MessageBird nor am I at all familiar w/ your data flow / business process. Would be happy to help brainstorm anytime! 10+ years experience on the sfdc platform

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Ryan Hitchler
CEO & Co-founder at Centro · | 1 upvotes · 105.7K views
Recommends
on
TwilioTwilio
at

Check out Centro. We built this to solve this exact problem! We used tools like Twilio but wrapped it up in a application that runs on Slack.

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Dainis Duļbinskis
Marketing project manager at Colortime · | 2 upvotes · 112.6K views
Needs advice
on
PlivoPlivo
and
TwilioTwilio

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

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Replies (4)
Recommends
on
NexmoNexmo

Twilio is the leader. Strong API, excellent documentation and reliable service. I suggest Nexmo since their API has smaller learning curve, offering better prices and also reliable solution. Also Nexmo offers more call per sec. 3 vs 2 and 2, out of the box. Good luck

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Recommends
on
TwilioTwilio
at

Twilio documentation is very good and as a platform it just works. It's robust and reliable. We road-tested plivo and it wasn't anywhere near in terms of docs or support. In fact their support was terrible at replying to us. 48 hours to answer basic questions.

That's said, were also using sendgrid by twilio and that's not been pleasant . Their email builder appears to be react based but written by a team who don't understand react very well. That's a nightmare as yet

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Recommends
on
TwilioTwilio

Twilio might be not cheapest, but they have awesome documentation (a lot of examples), easy to use API and libraries. I think it's a very good product to start. If the bill will become too heavy, you can shop around for economical options.

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Andrew Voirol
Founder at The Social Diner · | 1 upvotes · 112.1K views
Recommends
on
PlivoPlivo

stackshare doesn't seem to have this in the stack list yet, but in my experience Twillio is attractive. It's good for basics, their acquisition of SendGrid gives them a bit more market share.. They are stronger at marketing to those that benefit them. That said from my understanding SendGrid leases the networks, channels, and lines. While their interface is friendly, their pricing suited for lower volume, you want to look at what they are using via an API, a contract, etc. Is it a more friend UI to a combination of others. What redunancies do to they have, try their support. It's not that Twillio is bad, it's about the volume, the use case, the liabiitlies you might have to your end-users if Twillio isn't the right choice. Another option is Bandwidth. You ask for affordable, Twillio is an option, but front end costs v/s the costs of support you'll need to consider. Bandwidth has more reliability but requires more engineering and more skillset. Another option that is worth considering, not the most affordable, but https://www.zipwhip.com/ have perhaps options that might be higher and the cost is relative. Wight costs, of support costs of integration, cost of scale, costs of a volume..

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Pros of Google Cloud Messaging
Pros of Twilio
  • 9
    Free
  • 6
    Scalable
  • 4
    Easy setup
  • 2
    Easy iOS setup
  • 1
    IOS Support
  • 148
    Powerful, simple, and well documented api
  • 88
    RESTful API
  • 66
    Clear pricing
  • 61
    Great sms services
  • 58
    Low cost of entry
  • 29
    Global SMS Gateway
  • 14
    Good value
  • 12
    Cloud IVR
  • 11
    Simple
  • 11
    Extremely simple to integrate with rails
  • 6
    Great for startups
  • 5
    SMS
  • 3
    Great developer program
  • 3
    Hassle free
  • 2
    Text me the app pages
  • 1
    New Features constantly rolling out
  • 1
    Many deployment options, from build from scratch to buy
  • 1
    Easy integration
  • 1
    Two factor authentication

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Cons of Google Cloud Messaging
Cons of Twilio
  • 1
    Reliability
  • 4
    Predictable pricing
  • 2
    Expensive

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What is Google Cloud Messaging?

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.

What is Twilio?

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.

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Jul 2 2019 at 9:34PM

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What are some alternatives to Google Cloud Messaging and Twilio?
Firebase
Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications. Simply add the Firebase library to your application to gain access to a shared data structure; any changes you make to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.
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.
RabbitMQ
RabbitMQ gives your applications a common platform to send and receive messages, and your messages a safe place to live until received.
Apple Push Notification Service
It is the centerpiece of the remote notifications feature. It is a robust, secure, and highly efficient service for app developers to propagate information to iOS (and, indirectly, watchOS), tvOS, and macOS devices.
MQTT
It was designed as an extremely lightweight publish/subscribe messaging transport. It is useful for connections with remote locations where a small code footprint is required and/or network bandwidth is at a premium.
See all alternatives