Twilio Flex is Twilio’s “Customizable cloud contact center platform”.[5] Flex is unusual among contact center products because it is assembled from Twilio’s own APIs, including TaskRouter, Studio, Functions, Programmable Voice and Conversations. Its licence therefore has two layers. The first is a fee for Flex users. The second is the use of the underlying APIs, which is either bundled with the user fee up to limits or metered.[2][1] The governing documents are the Flex price list, the Twilio Flex Fair Usage Policy (last updated 2026-01-28), the requirements for Flex on non-Flex accounts and the Twilio Terms of Service.[1][2][3]
Editions
Flex has no feature editions. It is sold under three pricing models, plus a free trial.[1]
| Model | Unit | Starting price | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named User | Agent, supervisor or administrator per month | USD 150 per named user | Contracted (“per-month pricing”) |
| Active User Hour | Hour a user is logged in | USD 1 per active user hour | Pay for what you use |
| User + usage | Monthly active user, plus metered usage | USD 35 per monthly active user | Only for Flex on an existing Twilio account |
The overview page states the first two models in one line: “Start with 5,000 hours free. $1/active user hour or $150/named user per month.”[5] The price list adds Agent Copilot, an AI feature in public beta, at USD 0.035 per voice minute and USD 0.005 per digital message. Beta prices are subject to change.[1] Catalog proof: Flex list prices: USD 1 per active user hour or USD 150 per named user.
Metrics
Named User
The Fair Usage Policy defines the model this way: “If you purchase Twilio Flex under a Named User model, that means you pay for a maximum number of users that are provisioned in Twilio Flex at any time during a calendar month.”[2] The price list FAQ adds who counts and how changes are billed:
- Named seats include “admins, supervisors, agents, and developers (e.g. any TaskRouter worker)”.[1]
- Twilio charges for the maximum number of named users on the account in the month.
- Mid-month additions and deletions are not prorated. The one exception is the transition from a starter Flex project to the named seat model.
Twilio’s example: a customer starting the month with 50 users, removing 25 and adding 25 replacements is charged for 50 named users.[1] Catalog rows: Flex Named User; Flex Named Users billed on the monthly peak, without proration.
Developers and TaskRouter workers count as named seats. A provisioned workforce in TaskRouter that includes bots, test users or developers therefore inflates the peak.
Active User Hour
Under the Active User Hour model “you pay for the time period that any user is logged into Twilio Flex in any activity status each calendar month, other than the Logout Activity status, which, by default, is called Offline status.”[2] Admins, agents and supervisors are all users, and Twilio does “not charge for users who have not logged into Flex”. In Twilio’s example, 500 provisioned users of whom 20 log in during a month are charged only for those 20 users’ hours.[1] Because any status other than Offline accrues hours, agents left in a break or unavailable status are billed. Catalog rows: Flex Active User Hour; Active User Hours count all logged-in time except Logout.
Monthly active user (User + usage)
User + usage has two layers. The first is “A Flex user Fee: $35 per monthly active user (defined as any user who logs into Flex at least once a month)”. The second is the underlying Twilio services: “There are no free quotas; all underlying services like Conversations, TaskRouter, Studio, and Functions are charged by individual usage.” The model is “Only available for Flex deployments on an existing Twilio account and not available for Flex Accounts.”[1] Catalog rows: Flex monthly active user; Flex User + usage counts users who log in at least once a month.
Counting / floors
Standard Products and usage limits
Under the Named User and Active User Hour models, each user includes Standard Products. The list includes Agent Conference, Answering Machine Detection, Call Recordings, Channel Messages, Email in Flex, Flex Conversations, the Flex Insights licence, Programmable Voice Platform, SIP Interface, Studio, Functions, Sync, TaskRouter, Video Participant Minutes and Voice Insights.[2] These are “subject to certain usage limits, as determined by Twilio in its sole discretion, and not available on an unlimited basis”. Excess use “will automatically be charged” at the current rates on twilio.com/pricing. Unused units “may not be transferred” between users.[2] Twilio does not publish the limits; it directs customers to their account team or support. Several items are excluded and billed separately: recording storage, PSTN connectivity for voice and messaging, and fees of third-party messaging apps or virtual agent providers.[2] Catalog proof: Flex Standard Products have usage limits; overage billed at list.
On messaging channels, the price list FAQ says WhatsApp session messages are included in the Flex licence, while WhatsApp template messages are charged separately. Facebook Messenger messages are included, but any Meta fee for Messenger must be bought from Meta directly.[1]
Use restrictions
- Contact center only. Standard Products “may only be used for end-to-end contact center use cases under a Twilio Project that is for Twilio Flex”. Other use cases need a separate, non-Flex project. Mass marketing notifications and authentication such as one-time passcodes “are not considered end-to-end contact center use cases”.[2] Catalog proof: Flex Standard Products only for end-to-end contact center use.
- No seat sharing. “Each Named User may only have one (1) user assigned to it.” Multiple users may not share one Named User.[2] The non-Flex-account requirements carry the same one-user rule.[3] Catalog proof: One person per Flex Named User; no seat sharing.
- Flex Insights data. Flex Insights may not process listed sensitive data, including HIPAA protected health information and financial account identifiers. Twilio may delete Flex Insights data after six months of non-use.[2]
If a customer breaches these restrictions, “Twilio may automatically charge you at the then-current applicable rate” and/or suspend Flex. Twilio will use commercially reasonable efforts to give notice and help remediate.[2] Seat sharing is therefore not only a contract breach. It can be re-billed at list.
Choosing and switching models
“No, we do not mix and match pricing plans.” Twilio recommends choosing a model based on expected use.[1] Per-user and named-user pricing is under contract.[1] Flex enabled on an account SID that is not limited to Flex use cases follows the “Flex via a Non-Twilio Flex Account” requirements instead of the Fair Usage Policy. Such a customer “is prohibited from switching to a Named User or Active User Hour model”.[3] Catalog proof: Flex pricing models cannot be mixed.
The Named User model suits a stable, full-time agent population, because a peak that is reused all month is cheaper than paying for hours. The Active User Hour model suits seasonal or part-time staffing. This is commentary drawn from the published definitions, not a Twilio recommendation beyond “choose the pricing plan based on their expected use”.[1]
Virtualization & partitioning
Not applicable. The relevant partition is the Twilio Project or account. Flex Standard Products are tied to the Flex project, and the Fair Usage Policy evaluates “consumption of its underlying products … under a particular Twilio Project”.[2]
Cloud / BYOL
Not applicable. Flex runs in Twilio’s cloud. Contact Center Workforce Management, provided by Calabrio, is listed as a Third-Party Service under Calabrio’s end-user licence agreement, not as a Twilio Service.[7] Starter code supplied with an open source licence is owned by Twilio but licensed under that open source licence.[2]
Programs
Free trial hours. New Flex accounts can try Flex “with 5,000 free active user hours”. The hours are granted when a trial Flex project is upgraded to a starter Flex project. They “do not expire, unless a customer selects a billing model”. Once a model is selected, “your remaining free hours are forfeited”. Hours cannot be added to an existing Flex account.[1] Catalog rows: Flex 5,000 free active user hours; Flex free hours are forfeited when a billing model is selected.
Contracts. Named-user pricing is contracted and recorded in an Order Form. Under the Terms of Service an Order Form ranks first and survives a termination for convenience until it expires.[6] See Twilio Terms of Service and Order Forms.
Service level
The Flex Critical Scenarios SLA covers six functions: agent login, incoming customer voice call, incoming customer message, outgoing agent voice call, call transfer and completion of assigned tasks. The threshold is 99.99% of monthly time, measured in five-minute intervals.[4] Service credits are 5% below 99.99%, 15% below 99.0% and 100% below 95.0% of the fees “solely for access to Twilio Flex” in the month. Credits must be claimed through support within 30 days after the month ends.[4]
Out of scope
Flex UI versions, plugins, the Flex Insights product itself and third-party workforce management are not covered. General voice and messaging rates are in Twilio messaging and voice pricing.