Why Tambua. Termii offers a token (OTP) API with send and verify, plus voice and WhatsApp token options, widely used in Nigeria. Tambua covers more channels in one API, including a per-app fallback journey and M-PESA for Kenya.
Why teams choose Tambua over Termii
- No Sender ID, shortcode or phone number to buy: you share Tambua's, so you can send on day one
- You serve several African markets and want M-PESA for Kenya
- You want fallback configured as an ordered journey per app
- You want published per-country rates in local currency
Pricing: Tambua vs Termii
| Topic | Tambua | Termii |
|---|---|---|
| How you are charged | KES 0.50 per SMS OTP in Kenya, with no separate verification fee | Usage-based, with a separate auto-failover fee per failover and a monthly fee for a WhatsApp business account (from its pricing page). |
| Failed attempts | Free | See Termii's pricing page |
| Sender ID and numbers | Shared Tambua sender included, nothing to buy | Termii typically requires you to register your own Sender ID, and Nigerian sender IDs go through an approval process. |
| Fallback to another channel | A setting, not an add-on fee | See Termii's pricing page |
See Tambua's full per-country rates, or check Termii'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 Termii publishes
| Topic | Termii |
|---|---|
| Token API | A send-token and verify-token API with configurable attempts, lifetime and length source |
| Channels | SMS, voice, WhatsApp and email source |
| Pricing model | Usage-based with no subscription; its page lists an auto-failover fee per failover and a monthly WhatsApp business account fee source |
| Reach claim | It states it reaches many countries; no African country list was visible source |
| Sender ID | Termii typically requires you to register your own Sender ID, and Nigerian sender IDs go through an approval process. |
Frequently asked questions
Why choose Tambua over Termii for OTP?
You serve several African markets and want M-PESA for Kenya. You want fallback configured as an ordered journey per app. You want published per-country rates in local currency. 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. Termii typically requires you to register your own Sender ID, and Nigerian sender IDs go through an approval process, which adds cost and waiting time before your first message.
How do I switch from Termii 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.