Why Tambua. Telesign is a verification and fraud-prevention company with a Verify API across many channels and policy-based fallback. Tambua is smaller, Africa-focused and self-serve with public pricing.
Why teams choose Tambua over Telesign
- You want an Africa-first OTP API with M-PESA
- You want to start free with test keys and public rates
Pricing: Tambua vs Telesign
| Topic | Tambua | Telesign |
|---|---|---|
| How you are charged | KES 0.50 per SMS OTP in Kenya, with no separate verification fee | Per-verification and per-message pricing through sales. |
| Failed attempts | Free | See Telesign's pricing page |
| Sender ID and numbers | Shared Tambua sender included, nothing to buy | See Telesign's pricing page |
| Fallback to another channel | A setting, not an add-on fee | See Telesign's pricing page |
See Tambua's full per-country rates, or check Telesign'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 Telesign publishes
| Topic | Telesign |
|---|---|
| Verification product | Verify API with seven channels source |
| Channels | SMS, silent verify, push verify, email, WhatsApp, RCS and Viber source |
| Fallback | Policy-based fallback and per-region method selection source |
Frequently asked questions
Why choose Tambua over Telesign for OTP?
You want an Africa-first OTP API with M-PESA. You want to start free with test keys and public rates. 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 Telesign 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.
Start free with a test key and send your first OTP in minutes. Get an API key, read the docs or see more comparisons.