Compare Your Options: Build, Buy, or Sent?

Choosing the right messaging infrastructure is a critical decision that impacts your engineering resources, time to market, and ongoing operational costs. This guide compares Sent with the main alternatives to help you make an informed choice.

The Options

Comparison Matrix

Detailed Comparison

Sent vs Direct Provider Integration

Direct Integration Approach:

// SMS provider
if (useSMS) {
  await smsProvider.messages.create({
    body: message,
    from: smsNumber,
    to: phoneNumber
  });
}

// WhatsApp Business API for WhatsApp
if (useWhatsApp && await checkWhatsApp(phoneNumber)) {
  await sendWhatsAppMessage({
    to: phoneNumber,
    template: whatsappTemplate
  });
}

// Handle failures, retries, fallbacks manually

With Sent:

// One call, intelligent routing
await sent.messages.send({
  to: [phoneNumber],
  template: { id: templateId }
  // Automatic channel selection and fallback
});

Sent vs Building In-House

Building In-House Requires:

1. Integration Layer

   • Multiple provider SDKs
   • Unified API design
   • Authentication management
   • Error code normalization

2. Routing Intelligence

   • Channel availability detection
   • Cost comparison engine
   • Delivery success tracking
   • Machine learning for optimization

3. Operational Complexity

   • Provider health monitoring
   • Failover automation
   • Rate limit management
   • API change tracking

4. Compliance Infrastructure

   • GDPR compliance tools
   • TCPA compliance
   • Country-specific regulations
   • Opt-out management

Timeline Comparison:

When to Choose Each Option

Choose Direct Provider Integration If:

• ✅ SMS-only requirement
• ✅ Low message volume
• ✅ Simple use case (OTP only)
• ✅ Already integrated with provider
• ✅ Need specific provider features

Build In-House If:

• ✅ Have dedicated messaging team
• ✅ Very specific routing requirements
• ✅ Regulatory requirements mandate it
• ✅ Messaging is core competitive advantage
• ✅ Have 12+ months to invest

Choose Sent If:

• ✅ Want to try before committing (verified email + phone = API access in 2 minutes)
• ✅ Multi-channel needs (SMS + WhatsApp)
• ✅ Want automatic optimization
• ✅ Need to move fast
• ✅ Don't want infrastructure maintenance
• ✅ Growing message volume
• ✅ International expansion plans

Migration Scenarios

Migrating from Direct Providers

Gradual Migration Strategy:

1. Start with non-critical messages (notifications)
2. Run parallel systems (Sent + existing)
3. Compare delivery rates and costs
4. Migrate critical flows (OTP, alerts)
5. Decommission old provider

Timeline: 2-4 weeks for complete migration

Migrating from In-House System

Common Migration Pattern:

1. Audit current messaging flows
2. Map in-house features to Sent capabilities
3. Set up Sent alongside existing system
4. Gradually shift traffic percentage
5. Retire in-house infrastructure

Timeline: 4-8 weeks depending on complexity

Cost Analysis

Total Cost of Ownership (Annual, 1M messages/month)

*Integration and maintenance time

Feature Comparison

Decision Flowchart

Want to try Sent first? → Start in 2 minutes (email + phone, no KYC)
│
Do you need multiple messaging channels (SMS + WhatsApp)?
├── No → Do you have existing provider integration?
│       ├── Yes → Stick with direct provider
│       └── No → Try Sent (light onboarding, no KYC required)
└── Yes → Do you have dedicated messaging engineering team?
        ├── Yes → Is messaging core to your competitive advantage?
        │       ├── Yes → Consider building in-house
        │       └── No → Use Sent
        └── No → Use Sent

Next Steps

Ready to explore Sent?

• Try Sent — No KYC Required - Email + phone, first send in ~2 minutes
• Quickstart Guide - Full setup guide for production
• Platform Overview - Understand the architecture
• Use Cases - See how others use Sent

Still evaluating?

• Contact Sales for a personalized consultation
• Review our API Reference
• Check out our SDKs