Why Tambua. Advanta is a Kenyan SMS provider with branding, shortcodes and USSD. Tambua is an OTP API; it can send through local SMS providers such as Advanta.
Why teams choose Tambua over Advanta SMS
- No Sender ID, shortcode or phone number to buy: you share Tambua's, so you can send on day one
- You want OTP generation, verification and fallback handled for you
- You want public per-country pricing and free test keys
Pricing: Tambua vs Advanta SMS
| Topic | Tambua | Advanta SMS |
|---|---|---|
| How you are charged | KES 0.50 per SMS OTP in Kenya, with no separate verification fee | Graduated per-SMS rates on request, plus one-off KES fees for branding and shortcodes (from its price page). |
| Failed attempts | Free | See Advanta SMS's pricing page |
| Sender ID and numbers | Shared Tambua sender included, nothing to buy | Advanta publishes one-off fees in KES to set up your own branded sender or shortcode. |
| Fallback to another channel | A setting, not an add-on fee | See Advanta SMS's pricing page |
See Tambua's full per-country rates, or check Advanta SMS's own pricing for your destination before you compare.
Tambua at a glance
| Topic | Tambua |
|---|---|
| Focus | OTP generation, delivery and verification API for Africa |
| Channels | SMS, WhatsApp, voice, email, M-PESA, Reverse OTP (Telegram, USSD and shortcode are coming soon) |
| Sender ID and numbers | Shared Tambua sender ID and numbers included. Nothing to buy, lease or register |
| Channel fallback | Ordered journey of up to three channels per app, on failure or after a timer; one code across attempts |
| Failed attempts | Not billed; only carrier-accepted attempts are charged |
| Pricing | Public per-country rates on the pricing page |
| Free testing | Test keys return the code in the API response, no messages sent |
| Webhooks | Signed webhooks for sent, delivered, verified and fallback events |
What Advanta SMS publishes
| Topic | Advanta SMS |
|---|---|
| Products | SMS, shortcodes, USSD and airtime source |
| Fees | It publishes one-off branding and shortcode fees in KES and offers graduated SMS rates on request source |
| OTP | It describes OTP and two-factor authentication as an SMS use case source |
| Sender ID | Advanta publishes one-off fees in KES to set up your own branded sender or shortcode. |
Frequently asked questions
Why choose Tambua over Advanta SMS for OTP?
You want OTP generation, verification and fallback handled for you. You want public per-country pricing and free test keys. Tambua is built only for sending and verifying one-time codes across Africa, so you integrate in two calls and start free with test keys.
Do I need to buy a Sender ID or phone number with Tambua?
No. Tambua sends from its own shared sender ID and numbers, so there is nothing to buy, lease or register. Advanta publishes one-off fees in KES to set up your own branded sender or shortcode, which adds cost and waiting time before your first message.
How do I switch from Advanta SMS to Tambua?
Create a free test key, call send to deliver a code and verify to check it. Most teams replace their existing send and check logic in an afternoon, then swap to a live key.