Why Tambua. You can buy application-to-person SMS from an operator directly. That works for one operator in one country, but an OTP product needs more: verification, expiry, retries, several operators and channel fallback. Tambua packages that.
Why teams choose Tambua over Going direct to MTN, Safaricom or Airtel
- No Sender ID, shortcode or phone number to buy: you share Tambua's, so you can send on day one
- You serve several operators or countries and want one API
- You want fallback and verification handled for you
Pricing: Tambua vs Going direct to MTN, Safaricom or Airtel
| Topic | Tambua | Going direct to MTN, Safaricom or Airtel |
|---|---|---|
| How you are charged | KES 0.50 per SMS OTP in Kenya, with no separate verification fee | Operator rates per message, plus the cost and time of integrating and registering with each operator. |
| Failed attempts | Free | See Going direct to MTN, Safaricom or Airtel's pricing page |
| Sender ID and numbers | Shared Tambua sender included, nothing to buy | Going direct means registering your own Sender ID or shortcode with each operator, country by country. |
| Fallback to another channel | A setting, not an add-on fee | See Going direct to MTN, Safaricom or Airtel's pricing page |
See Tambua's full per-country rates, or check Going direct to MTN, Safaricom or Airtel'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 Going direct to MTN, Safaricom or Airtel publishes
| Topic | Going direct to MTN, Safaricom or Airtel |
|---|---|
| Sender ID registration | Sender ID registration in Kenya is described by third-party guides as handled via licensed content service providers source |
| Nigeria DND | Nigeria's regulator documents a Do-Not-Disturb service for subscribers source |
| Sender ID | Going direct means registering your own Sender ID or shortcode with each operator, country by country. |
Frequently asked questions
Why choose Tambua over Going direct to MTN, Safaricom or Airtel for OTP?
You serve several operators or countries and want one API. You want fallback and verification handled for you. 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. Going direct means registering your own Sender ID or shortcode with each operator, country by country, which adds cost and waiting time before your first message.
How do I switch from Going direct to MTN, Safaricom or Airtel 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.