---
title: Bird
slug: bird
url: "https://toolweight.com/options/bird"
homepage: "https://bird.com/"
categories: sms-api-providers-australia
last_verified: 2026-07-23
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

# Bird

> MessageBird rebuilt as a CRM-first platform; SMS is now a channel inside it.

Bird is the former MessageBird, repositioned from a messaging API company into a marketing and CRM platform where SMS is one channel among many. The API remains capable and global channel coverage is broad, but pricing has moved toward platform contracts and the product's centre of gravity is no longer the developer. Australian data residency is not its strength; the infrastructure story is European.

## Identity

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Name | Bird |
| Company | Bird (formerly MessageBird) |
| One-liner | MessageBird rebuilt as a CRM-first platform; SMS is now a channel inside it. |
| Site | https://bird.com/ |
| Docs | https://docs.bird.com/ |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Compared in | 1 |

## Where it is compared

### [AU SMS APIs](https://toolweight.com/compare/sms-api-providers-australia)
Ranked **#13 of 13** on default weights.
| Field | Value | Confidence | Verified | Source | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Price /SMS @ 1k | A$0.075 /SMS | Inferred | - | - | Approximate. Bird's pricing has moved toward platform contracts and public per-country rates are less reliable than they were. |
| Price /SMS @ 10k | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Price /SMS @ 100k | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Dedicated number | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Min top-up | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Billing model | contract-required | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Self-serve API key | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | Signup is self-serve, but the product funnels toward platform onboarding and volume sending is contract-gated. |
| Alphanumeric sender | ● | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Two-way messaging | ● | Inferred | - | - | - |
| MMS to AU | ● | Inferred | - | - | - |
| RCS | ● | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Delivery receipts | ● | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Unicode billing doc | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| API style | rest-json | Inferred | - | - | - |
| SDK languages | node, python, php, java, go | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Public status page | ● | Inferred | - | - | - |
| AU legal entity | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | Netherlands-headquartered; an Australian contracting entity is not clearly established. |
| ACMA Sender ID | - | Unknown | - | - | Deliberately unrecorded. Australia's SMS Sender ID Register obligations changed recently and vendor documentation lags the regulator. Pending verification against ACMA directly, do not rely on this for compliance. |
| AU data residency | ○ | Inferred | - | - | Infrastructure story is European; no Australian residency position documented. |
| Opt-out built in | ● | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Carrier route | international-aggregator | Inferred | - | - | - |
| MCP server | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Agent-ready docs | 3 | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Operating since | 2011 | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Ownership | global-private | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Positioning | A CRM platform that happens to send SMS. The API is no longer the product. | Inferred | - | - | - |

**Verdict.** The MessageBird API many Australian teams integrated years ago is now a channel inside a marketing platform, and pricing and support have followed. Hard to recommend for a new Australian-only integration when the residency story is European and the commercial motion is contract-first.

## Alternatives

- [AWS End User Messaging](https://toolweight.com/options/aws-end-user-messaging), SMS as an AWS primitive: no vendor relationship, but registration is a support ticket.
- [Cellcast](https://toolweight.com/options/cellcast), Australian-owned SMS provider competing mainly on published per-message price.
- [ClickSend](https://toolweight.com/options/clicksend), Perth-based multichannel API with a public rate table and no sales gate.
- [Esendex AU](https://toolweight.com/options/esendex), Commify's Australian business messaging arm, sold through account management.
- [Kudosity](https://toolweight.com/options/kudosity), Burst SMS rebuilt as a customer-engagement platform, with the original API still underneath.
- [MessageMedia](https://toolweight.com/options/messagemedia), Long-established Australian A2P provider, now inside Sinch, sold through a sales team.
- [Sinch](https://toolweight.com/options/sinch), Global tier-one aggregator that owns MessageMedia and sells Australia through both brands.
- [SMS Broadcast](https://toolweight.com/options/sms-broadcast), The cheapest credible Australian bulk SMS API, with a deliberately minimal interface.
- [SMSGlobal](https://toolweight.com/options/smsglobal), Melbourne-based provider offering both REST and a direct SMPP bind for high throughput.
- [Telstra Messaging API](https://toolweight.com/options/telstra-messaging), The only provider on this list that owns the Australian network your message lands on.
- [Twilio](https://toolweight.com/options/twilio), The default global messaging API, with the best docs and Australia's least competitive rates.
- [Vonage](https://toolweight.com/options/vonage), Ericsson-owned CPaaS with clean self-serve access and no Australian entity story.

## Licence and attribution

Data from toolweight (https://toolweight.com), licensed CC-BY-4.0.

- Licence: [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- Canonical HTML: https://toolweight.com/options/bird
- Machine-readable: https://toolweight.com/options/bird.md · https://toolweight.com/api/v1 · https://toolweight.com/mcp
- toolweight takes no affiliate revenue and sells no placements. Corrections: https://toolweight.com/suggest