Why Tambua. Infobip is a large omnichannel messaging provider with an authentication product, fraud signals and SIM-swap checks. Tambua is smaller and narrower: a self-serve OTP API with public pricing, aimed at developers shipping in Africa.
Why teams choose Tambua over Infobip
- You want to sign up, get a key and send in minutes without contacting sales
- You want published per-country prices in local currency
- You want a focused OTP API instead of a broad platform
Pricing: Tambua vs Infobip
| Topic | Tambua | Infobip |
|---|---|---|
| How you are charged | KES 0.50 per SMS OTP in Kenya, with no separate verification fee | Pricing is arranged through sales rather than published per country. |
| Failed attempts | Free | See Infobip's pricing page |
| Sender ID and numbers | Shared Tambua sender included, nothing to buy | See Infobip's pricing page |
| Fallback to another channel | A setting, not an add-on fee | See Infobip's pricing page |
See Tambua's full per-country rates, or check Infobip'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 Infobip publishes
| Topic | Infobip |
|---|---|
| Authentication product | Infobip lists an authentication product alongside fraud signals, SIM-swap checks and number lookup source |
| Channels | SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, Viber, voice, email and silent mobile verification source |
| Failover | Its authentication page describes multi-step failover across channels source |
| Africa guidance | It documents sender ID registration for Africa, including Kenya letter-of-authorization guidelines source |
Frequently asked questions
Why choose Tambua over Infobip for OTP?
You want to sign up, get a key and send in minutes without contacting sales. You want published per-country prices in local currency. You want a focused OTP API instead of a broad platform. 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.
How do I switch from Infobip 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.