TWILIO ALTERNATIVE FOR NEW ZEALAND

An affordable New Zealand SMS, Voice and Email alternative to Twilio - TNZ

Skip dedicated short-code provisioning, US-dollar billing, and a stack of separate messaging products. TNZ includes a built-in New Zealand short codes, transparent NZD pricing, local onboarding, and SMS, email, voice, and fax through one API.

START FREE TRIAL → VIEW API DOCUMENTATION
Woman on the phone at her desk in an office
PRICING

How much does TNZ cost compared to Twilio?

TwilioTNZ
Per Text (to NZ)US$0.105 per segment (about NZ$0.176)NZ$0.10 per SMS segment
Monthly PlanNo monthly fee for pay-as-you-go messagingNZ$20 per month (Starter Plan)
NZ SMS SendingDedicated short code arranged separatelyEnabled by default
EmailSendgrid (a second product)NZ$0.05
Link tracking, scheduling, other featuresUS$0.015 per segment (after 1,000)Included
Billing CurrencyUSDNZD

TNZ's $20 monthly Starter Plan covers the platform, dashboard, the APIs, integrations, link tracking, scheduling, delivery reports and local support. An all-inclusive option.

SMS Comparison

1,000 SMS segments per month

Twilio

About NZ$176

Excludes compliance/short code costs

TNZ

NZ$120

Includes the Starter Plan

10,000 SMS parts per month

Twilio

About NZ$1,760

Excludes compliance/short code costs

TNZ

NZ$1,020

Includes the Starter Plan

Illustrations use Twilio's published US$0.105 outbound rate and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand rate of NZ$1 = US$0.59675 on 21 August 2026. They exclude taxes, optional features, Twilio sender costs and fees, and TNZ dedicated short codes. Prices can change. Check Twilio's current NZ pricing, the current exchange rate, and TNZ pricing before making a purchasing decision.

NEW ZEALAND ONBOARDING

What about New Zealand Short Codes?

New Zealand mobile operators require business SMS to use an approved short code. The practical difference between providers is how that sender is provisioned, how long it takes, and what it costs.

With Twilio

Twilio's published New Zealand guidance says operators mandate dedicated short codes and lists a provisioning time of 5-6 weeks. Customers are directed to contact Twilio to arrange one. Costs are unclear.

VIEW TWILIO'S NZ GUIDANCE

With TNZ

A built-in short code is assigned automatically based on your message type. It is included in the Starter Plan and can be ready in minutes. Choose a dedicated short code when you need an exclusive number, full inbound messaging, or keyword campaigns.

COMPARE TNZ SENDING NUMBERS
MIGRATION

How do the APIs compare?

Minor tweaks to the endpoint, authentication and parameter names. Your surrounding application logic can remain in place.

Twilio SMS request
curl --request POST \
'https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACCOUNT_SID/Messages.json' \
-u 'ACCOUNT_SID:AUTH_TOKEN' \
--data-urlencode 'To=+6421000001' \
--data-urlencode 'From=YOUR_SHORT_CODE' \
--data-urlencode 'Body=Hello from Twilio'
TNZ SMS request
curl --request POST \
'https://api.tnz.co.nz/api/v3.00/sms' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{
  "Destination": "+6421000001",
  "Message": "Hello from TNZ"
}'

One API instead of a product stack

Start with SMS, then add other channels and operational tools without creating a separate account structure for each service.

Messaging channels

Send SMS, email, voice, text-to-speech, and fax through a single API.

Delivery automation

Receive delivery results and inbound replies through webhooks, or retrieve them through the API.

Account separation

Use API users, SubAccount, and Department values to separate clients and applications.

Cost allocation

Use message prices in delivery results plus itemised invoices and reports for allocation or rebilling.

Built around New Zealand delivery and support

Data location

TNZ hosts data in New Zealand or Australia. Twilio's default region is in the United States, with other regions available for supported products and configurations.

Carrier relationships

TNZ works directly with New Zealand and Australian carriers and helps select the right sender type for your use case.

Included local support

Work with a New Zealand-based team during onboarding and when delivery, sender, or integration questions arise.

Woman working on a laptop with a city view behind her
USING GOHIGHLEVEL?

Use TNZ messaging inside HighLevel

TNZ provides purpose-built HighLevel integrations for conversations, workflow-triggered messages, bulk sends, replies, and client usage reporting. Keep this as an integration choice for agencies rather than treating it as part of every Twilio migration.

VIEW GOHIGHLEVEL INTEGRATION →

Twilio vs. TNZ FAQs

Existing Twilio clients can update their API endpoint to use TNZ's REST API. Once the endpoint, auth and parameter names are updated, messages will flow as normal (from a different short code number).

Send your TNZ Auth Token in the Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN header instead of using Twilio's Account SID and Basic authentication. The TNZ Auth Token is long-lived.

Twilio helper-library calls are not drop-in compatible with the TNZ request contract. Call TNZ REST API v3.00 directly or use a TNZ library for .NET, Python, or Node.js/TypeScript. A public Postman collection is also available for testing requests.

Change the endpoint and authentication, then map Twilio's To and Body fields to TNZ's Destination and Message fields. A built-in TNZ sender is applied automatically, so you can omit Twilio's From field. Update your response parsing, message-status handling, and webhook mappings before moving production traffic. See the TNZ SMS endpoint.

TNZ automatically assigns a built-in short code based on your message type and includes it in your plan. It supports replies associated with recently sent messages. You do not need to set FromNumber when using this sender.

Choose a dedicated short code if you require an exclusive number, inbound SMS at any time, or keyword campaigns.

TNZ returns its own MessageID and delivery-result schema.

TNZ can post delivery results and inbound replies to your application using webhooks.

If webhooks do not suit your environment, poll for results using the SMS Details endpoint.

See the webhook documentation.

The webhook includes Authorization and X-Sender headers, and Sender and APIKey values in the payload body.

The webhook also includes an X-Timestamp header to protect against replay attacks.

Yes. Set Mode to Test to exercise the TNZ request flow without sending a live message. You can then route a controlled portion of production traffic through TNZ while Twilio remains active. Test authentication, error handling, delivery webhooks, and inbound replies before increasing traffic.

TNZ provides automated unsubscribe tools and an Opt-Out API. Do not assume suppression or consent data held in Twilio will move automatically. Contact TNZ if you need migration assistance.

A Twilio segment and a TNZ SMS part represent the same billing concept: one long message may use multiple billable units. Emojis, macrons, and other Unicode characters reduce the available characters per part. TNZ's optional CharacterConversion setting can reduce some messages, but it removes emojis, macrons, and other special characters. See TNZ's message-length guide.

The TNZ API supports SubAccount and Department values, which carry through in reporting and billing data. Delivery webhooks include the message price, while invoices and reports itemise usage for cost allocation and rebilling.

Yes. Use the Destinations array to submit multiple recipients, or send to a TNZ Address Book contact or group using ContactID or GroupID. The API result contains delivery information for each recipient.

TNZ hosts data in New Zealand or Australia.

TNZ REST API v3.00 includes SMS, email, voice, text-to-speech, and fax endpoints using the same Bearer-token authentication and TNZ subscription.

Contact TNZ before changing traffic or cancelling your Twilio sender. The local team will review the short code, carrier arrangement, ownership, timing, and continuity requirements, then advise whether and how it can be moved. Availability and timing depend on the existing short-code arrangement.

Interested? Start your free trial today!

Work with a messaging partner who understands your region and your goals.

20 credits over 14-days. No obligation. No credit card required.