The Twilio Terms of Service are the standard contract between Twilio and its customers for Twilio and Twilio Segment services. They were last updated on 2026-07-16.[1] The Agreement “consists of these Twilio Terms of Service, terms referenced in these Twilio Terms of Service which are available at hyperlinks, and any applicable Order Form(s)”.[1] If a customer has a separate written agreement with Twilio, the Terms of Service do not apply. The exception is any Service that agreement does not cover, for which the Terms of Service still apply.[1] The Services “are intended for business use” only.[1]
The page has an unusual layout. A left column gives plain-language explanations, and the right column holds the binding text: “ONLY THE TERMS IN THIS RIGHT COLUMN ARE LEGALLY BINDING.”[1] Quotations in this article come from the binding column unless stated otherwise.
Editions
The contract set is layered. The order of precedence in s.9.9 is:
- the applicable Order Form(s);
- the Twilio Data Protection Addendum;
- the body of the Terms of Service;
- the Twilio Acceptable Use Policy, which includes the Service and Country Specific Requirements;
- any other incorporated terms or exhibits;
- the Documentation.[1]
Terms in customer purchase orders or vendor portals “will be void and have no effect”, even if accepted or executed by Twilio.[1] Service-specific documents such as the Flex Fair Usage Policy sit in the Service and Country Specific Requirements, which “are part of the AUP”.[3] Catalog proof: Order Form prevails over DPA, ToS, AUP and documentation.
The contracting entity depends on where the customer is registered. Twilio Inc. is the default. Mexican and Brazilian customers were assigned to local affiliates in the April 2026 update.[1][2] Regulated communications services may be provided by other local Twilio entities, such as Twilio Ireland Limited for most EU countries.[3] Governing law follows the same split: California for most countries, England and Wales for the EEA, the UK and some others, Singapore for most of Asia-Pacific, and local law for Mexico, Brazil and Japan.[1]
Metrics
The Terms define no licence metric of their own. Fees are “either outlined in a signed order form or on our list of fees on our website” (plain-language column). In the binding text of s.3.1, the customer pays the Order Form fees, and “If you use any Services not set forth in the applicable Order Form(s), you will be charged the applicable rates available at https://www.twilio.com/pricing.”[[1]](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/legal/tos) Product metrics are therefore those of each price list: segments, minutes, numbers, Flex users or hours, Segment MTUs. Catalog proof: Services outside an Order Form are charged at list rates.
Order Forms
An Order Form is “(a) ordering document between you and Twilio, or any of their Affiliates, or (b) online order that you or your Affiliates place through its account via a self-service purchasing workflow”. In either case it “specifies mutually agreed upon rates for certain Services and any commercial terms related thereto”.[1] The self-service limb was added in the April 2026 update: “We updated the definition of “Order Form” to include any online orders you or your affiliates place self-service via your Twilio account.”[2] Purchases made in the Console can therefore carry Order Form status, and with it first place in the precedence list. Catalog rows: Order Form; Self-service online orders are Order Forms.
Counting / floors
Committed spend
Twilio publishes no standard commitment terms. The SMS and voice price lists offer “Committed-use discounts”: “Enterprise pricing is available to customers with use cases that exceed our volume discounts. Commit to annual message volumes and receive a discount beyond standard volume tiers.”[9][10] Any such commitment lives in an Order Form, and the Terms set its edges:
- products outside the Order Form are billed at list (s.3.1);
- the Order Form survives a 30-day termination for convenience until it expires (s.8.2.1);
- paid fees are non-refundable (s.3.3).[1]
A customer that under-consumes a committed volume therefore cannot recover the difference under the standard Terms, unless its Order Form provides for it. This is an inference from the cited clauses. Catalog rows: Committed-use discounts; Terms end on 30 days' notice, but Order Forms run to term; Fees are non-cancelable and non-refundable once paid.
Taxes and communications surcharges
“All fees are exclusive” of taxes (s.3.2.1) and of carrier fees or surcharges, defined as “Communications Surcharges” (s.3.2.2). Both are shown as separate invoice lines. The customer also pays “all costs, fines, or penalties” imposed on Twilio by a government, regulator or telecommunications provider because of its or its End Users’ use.[1] Catalog proof: Carrier fees and communications surcharges are extra.
Payment
| Method | Rule (s.3.3) |
|---|---|
| Credit card (prepaid funds) | Customer must keep enough funds; on a shortfall or decline Twilio may suspend all accounts; card not accepted once fees exceed USD 8,000 in a single month, after which all payments must be by bank transfer |
| Invoice (approved accounts) | Monthly invoices by email; payment within 30 days by ACH, wire or other bank transfer, in USD unless the Order Form says otherwise; late fee of the lesser of 1.5% per month or the legal maximum, and suspension, if not remedied within 15 days of notice |
| Disputes | Written notice within 60 days of the billing date; disputed amounts may be withheld while resolved in good faith |
| All | Payment obligations non-cancelable; Fees non-refundable once paid; no new accounts while fees are unpaid |
Source: Terms of Service s.3.3.[1] The USD 8,000 card threshold and the bank-transfer rule for invoices were added in the April 2026 update.[2] Catalog proof: Credit cards not accepted above USD 8,000 of fees in a month; Invoices due in 30 days; late fee and suspension after 15 days' notice; Billing disputes must be raised within 60 days.
Use rights and restrictions
Section 2.2 makes the customer “solely responsible for all use of the Services and Documentation under your account”. The customer must not “transfer, resell, lease, license, or otherwise make available the Services to third parties (except to make the Services available to your End Users) or offer them on a standalone basis”.[1] Independent software vendors may embed Twilio in their own products. Reselling raw Twilio services is not allowed. The customer is also responsible for its End Users’ compliance with the Terms and the Acceptable Use Policy.[1] Catalog proof: No resale except to the customer's own End Users.
Twilio may suspend the Services on written notice for material AUP breaches, fraudulent or harmful traffic spikes, legal prohibition, security threats, or inaccurate account information. During suspension, “You remain responsible for the Fees” (s.2.3).[1] Catalog proof: Fees remain payable during suspension.
Term, termination and changes
The Agreement runs until terminated. Either party may terminate for convenience on 30 days’ written notice, but “if there are any Order Form(s) in effect, this Agreement will not terminate until all such Order Form(s) have expired or have been terminated”. Material breach not remedied within 15 days of notice allows termination, and a breach of the AUP counts as a material breach (s.8).[1]
Twilio notifies material updates “at least thirty (30) days prior to the date the updated version of this Agreement is effective”, unless the change results from law or telecommunications provider requirements. Continued use after that date is acceptance.[1] The April 9, 2026 notice, for example, said the updated terms “will be effective and binding as of May 15, 2026” for accounts created on or before April 14, 2026.[2] Twilio also aims to give 60 days’ notice of non-backwards-compatible service changes (s.2.4).[1] Catalog proof: Twilio gives 30 days' notice of material term updates.
Liability
Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential damages. Aggregate liability is capped at the amounts paid or payable “FOR THE SERVICES GIVING RISE TO THE LIABILITY DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTH PERIOD PRECEDING THE FIRST INCIDENT”. The cap excludes the customer’s s.2.2 responsibilities, its payment obligations and both parties’ indemnities (s.7).[1] Catalog proof: Liability capped at 12 months of fees for the Services at issue.
Virtualization & partitioning
Not applicable. For billing scope, Twilio groups accounts and subaccounts with Billing Groups, which provide “shared pricing, a single invoice, and unified payment methods”.[8] Catalog proof: Billing Groups consolidate accounts with shared pricing.
Cloud / BYOL
Not applicable. Third-Party Services that Twilio resells, such as the WhatsApp Business Platform, Google RCS Business Messaging and Calabrio workforce management, are provided by their providers under the providers’ own terms. “Third-Party Services are not considered Services.”[3] Catalog proof: Third-Party Services resold by Twilio follow the provider's terms.
Programs
Fulfillment Resellers
A customer may buy through a “Fulfillment Reseller” that is “solely responsible for facilitating payments to Twilio”. The customer pays the reseller under its Fulfillment Agreement. If it fails to pay and does not cure the failure, the reseller or Twilio may suspend the Services (s.3.4).[1] If the customer that accepted the Terms reassigns its account to a reseller for administration, “such account reassignment will not excuse your obligations under this Agreement”.[1] Catalog rows: Fulfillment Reseller purchases; Reassigning an account to a reseller does not end the customer's obligations.
Support plans
Every account has the free Developer plan. Paid plans are priced on spend:
| Plan | Price per month |
|---|---|
| Production | Greater of USD 250 or 4% of monthly spend |
| Business | Greater of USD 1,500 or 6% of monthly spend |
| Personalized | Greater of USD 5,000 or 8% of monthly spend |
Source: support plans page.[6] Plans can normally be upgraded or downgraded, but “Support plans purchased via an order form cannot be upgraded or downgraded.”[6] If Twilio’s average response time for a priority level misses the guarantee in a month, the customer can claim a support credit within 30 days.[6] A percentage-of-spend support fee rises automatically with usage, so it should be budgeted alongside usage forecasts. Catalog rows: Twilio Production support plan; Paid support plans cost a percentage of monthly spend.
Twilio Editions
Twilio Editions (Administration, Security and Enterprise) package SSO, Advanced Audit Insights and Bulk Export Automation. With an Editions purchase, audit log retention rises “from 30 days to 400 days”. Security and Enterprise add encryption features. Editions are bought through Twilio sales.[7] Catalog rows: Twilio Editions; Editions extend audit log retention from 30 to 400 days.
Service level agreements
Twilio publishes three SLAs: Twilio APIs (including the SendGrid Mail Send API), Flex Critical Scenarios and the Segment Data Ingestion API.[4] Under the Twilio APIs SLA, the monthly availability threshold is 99.95%. It rises to 99.99% in months when the customer has Enterprise Edition, or Administration Edition if bought before 2024-10-24.[5] A miss earns a 10% API Service Credit on the fees for the affected APIs. The credit base excludes taxes, carrier fees and other third-party charges.[5] Catalog proof: Twilio API availability 99.95%, or 99.99% with Enterprise Edition; Three Twilio SLAs: APIs, Flex critical scenarios and Segment ingestion.
Out of scope
The Data Protection Addendum, the AI/ML Features Addendum, the Professional Services Terms, Twilio Marketplace terms, country-specific telecommunications requirements and public-sector terms in s.10 are not summarized here.