SignalWire
SignalWire is a Palo Alto-based CPaaS company offering programmable voice, video, messaging, and AI agent APIs on a carrier-grade platform, serving enterprise customers like Audi, Deutsche Telekom, and Amazon alongside a developer ecosystem anchored by the FreeSWITCH open-source community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What SignalWire does
SignalWire is a Palo Alto-based Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) company founded in 2017 by Anthony Minessale II, Brian West, and Michael Jerris — the original creators of the FreeSWITCH open-source telephony engine. The company offers programmable voice, video, messaging, and AI agent APIs on a unified, carrier-grade infrastructure that spans SIP/SDP/SS7/RTP and modern WebRTC stacks, with a stated pricing position roughly 50% below Twilio. Its technical differentiator is an AI Kernel written in C and embedded directly in the media stack, combined with a Programmatically Governed Inference (PGI) runtime and Datasphere RAG that together target sub-second agent response times.
The platform serves enterprise customers across multiple verticals — including Audi, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Deutsche Telekom, Samsung, Replicant, Zoom, Amazon, Netflix, Ring, Five9, Vonage, Amazon Connect, and Oracle Cloud — alongside a long-tail developer base. SignalWire monetizes through usage-based pricing (e.g., $0.16/min for AI Agent, $0.0045/min for video) and through a parallel commercial tier, FreeSWITCH Advantage, that serves the 5,000+ commercial enterprises running on the open-source core.
SignalWire has raised approximately $41.6M across a $11.5M Series A (2019, led by Storm Ventures) and a $30M Series B (mid-2021, led by Prosperity7 Ventures with Samsung NEXT, Sequoia Capital, and WVV Capital), supplemented by strategic investments from T-Mobile Ventures (March 2022) and Deutsche Telekom's Telekom Innovation Pool (December 2021). The company holds ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS certifications, and operates with a headcount in the 51-100 range. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.
SignalWire firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SignalWire
- Legal name
- SignalWire Inc.
- Website
- https://signalwire.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- SignalWire is a Palo Alto-based CPaaS company offering programmable voice, video, messaging, and AI agent APIs on a carrier-grade platform, serving enterprise customers like Audi, Deutsche Telekom, and Amazon alongside a developer ecosystem anchored by the FreeSWITCH open-source community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SignalWire industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cloud Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS)
- NAICS
- All Other Telecommunications (517810), Telecommunications (517)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Telegraph & Other Message Communications (4822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Messaging APIs, CPaaS & Programmable Communications (BPAMACAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Unified Communications & Collaboration Network Services (VoIP/QoS) (BPAEAEAI), Customer Support, CRM & Retention Tooling (Helpdesk, Churn, Messaging) (MPAHAJAM)
Keywords
Where SignalWire is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SignalWire business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Voice API: Pay-as-you-go per-minute pricing for programmable voice calls. Supports local, toll-free, and SIP inbound/outbound calling. Volume discounts available for high-volume customers.
- Messaging API: Usage-based pricing per SMS/MMS message sent. Supports 10DLC, toll-free, and short code numbers. Revenue based on message volume and number type.
- Video Conferencing API: Per-minute per-participant pricing for video room usage. Standard (720p) and Full HD (1080p) tiers. No platform fees or seat licenses.
- AI Agent API: Usage-based pricing combining AI and telephony. Starts at $0.16/min for AI + telephony, all-in-one. Pricing includes real-time transcription, translation, and AI model orchestration.
- Multi-Factor Authentication API: Per-request pricing for OTP generation and delivery via SMS or voice. Configurable token lengths, validity windows, and max attempts.
- Fax API: Per-minute pricing for inbound and outbound programmable fax. HIPAA-compliant PHI handling included. Volume discounts available.
- Subscribers: Subscription pricing at $3/user/month. Includes user management, authentication, multi-channel communication, and enterprise-grade security.
- Dedicated Real-Time Regions: Single-tenant infrastructure for mission-critical applications with 99.99% availability SLA. Custom pricing based on infrastructure requirements.
- BAA/HIPAA Compliance Plans: Business Associate Agreement with monthly fees: Startup tier at $100/month with $1,000/month minimum API usage; Enterprise tier at $1,000/month with $5,000/month minimum API usage.
- FreeSWITCH Advantage: Premium support subscription from the original FreeSWITCH creators. Includes quarterly updates, direct founder access, priority bug fixes, and architectural support.
- Commercial Modules: Licensed commercial modules including G.729A codec ($10.00 each) and AMD (Answering Machine Detection) module ($50.00 each). One-time license fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Developer Tier |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Voice API - Pay-as-you-go |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Messaging API - Usage-based |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Video Conferencing API - Per-minute |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Prebuilt Video API - Per-minute |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | AI Agent - Combined pricing |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Multi-Factor Authentication - Per-request |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Fax API - Per-minute |
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscribers - Per user/month |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | AI Agent - Voice AI + Telephony |
| Subscription | Monthly | BAA Startup Tier |
| Subscription | Monthly | BAA Enterprise Tier |
| Subscription | Annual | FreeSWITCH Advantage |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | G.729A Commercial Module |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | AMD Commercial Module |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
SignalWire product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SignalWire provides a Programmable Unified Communications (PUC) platform delivered via APIs, SDKs, and a unified control plane (Call Fabric) that orchestrates real-time voice, video, messaging, and AI agent workflows for developers and enterprises. Core offerings include the AI Agent API, Voice API, Messaging API, Video Conferencing API, Programmable SIP, Fax API, Multi-Factor Authentication API, Subscribers, Dedicated Real-Time Regions, and Business Associate Agreements, all built on the FreeSWITCH open-source telephony stack.
Product overview
SignalWire provides a Programmable Unified Communications (PUC) platform for the AI era, offering a comprehensive suite of APIs, SDKs, and a programmable control plane that orchestrates complex communication workflows. The platform consists of core communication products (Voice API, Messaging API, Video Conferencing API, Fax API, Programmable SIP), AI-powered solutions (AI Agent API), and supporting infrastructure (Dedicated Real-Time Regions, Subscribers, BAA/HIPAA compliance). Built by the original creators of FreeSWITCH, the platform unifies voice, messaging, video, and AI agents under a single control layer called Call Fabric. Additional offerings include open-source FreeSWITCH and commercial FreeSWITCH Advantage support, with enterprise add-ons like Multi-Factor Authentication, Prebuilt Video API, and Single-Tenant Real-Time Regions for mission-critical deployments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- FreeSWITCH Advantage: Premium commercial support plan from the creators of FreeSWITCH, offering direct access to founders, priority bug fixes, deployment assistance, and quarterly updates.
- FreeSWITCH
Products and services
- AI Agent API API for building voice-driven AI agents that listen, respond, act, and integrate with systems in real time. Runs AI inside the media transport layer for sub-second (~800ms) latency with deterministic call control via PGI (Programmatically Governed Inference). Designed for developers and enterprises building AI-powered customer interactions.
- Voice API Programmable voice API for building voice-first applications with low-latency processing, built-in transcription, dynamic call routing, AI voice interaction, and real-time analytics. Supports PSTN, SIP, and WebRTC connections with click-to-call, IVR, and auto-dialer capabilities. Pricing starts at $0.00300/min for SIP.
- Messaging API Global SMS/MMS and chat API built on full-stack carrier infrastructure with real-time deliverability, intelligent routing, 10DLC compliance, WhatsApp integration, and campaign management. Supports MMS with images, audio, and video. Usage-based pricing from $0.00415/message.
- Video Conferencing API Cloud MCU-based video conferencing delivering one optimized stream per participant with <50ms latency, up to 80% lower bandwidth/CPU usage, and support for up to 300 people per room. Features 12 pre-built video tile layouts, SIP/PSTN integration, and real-time NLP/machine vision model integration.
- Prebuilt Video API Embeddable video rooms that can be configured and embedded into web pages in under 3 minutes using a single code snippet. Includes built-in chat, customizable branding, and integration options while delivering 50-80% bandwidth reduction. Pricing $0.00600/min standard, $0.00700/min HD.
- Multi-Factor Authentication API OTP generation and delivery API via voice or SMS with configurable token lengths (6-8 characters), validity windows, and max attempt limits. Per-request pricing with backward-compatible APIs enabling seamless migration from other MFA providers.
- Fax API Programmable cloud-based fax API with HIPAA-ready PHI handling, PSTN/SIP integration, TIFF and PDF support, real-time status webhooks, and transparent per-minute pricing ($0.0095/min in 48 contiguous US states and Canada). Supports number porting and BYOC.
- Programmable SIP SIP trunking API with API control for creating, routing, and modifying SIP traffic programmatically. Supports SIP-to-PSTN, BYOC (Bring Your Own Carrier), IVR, AMD, text-to-speech, and call recording with advanced routing based on time, location, and caller ID.
- Dedicated Real-Time Regions Single-tenant media infrastructure for mission-critical voice and AI agent applications with 99.99% availability SLA. Provides isolated compute and signaling with zero cross-tenant impact, ultra-low predictable latency, and regional options for data residency and compliance requirements. Custom pricing.
- Subscribers User identity and access control service providing programmable identity with built-in authentication, endpoint management, and PSTN/SIP/WebRTC support. Each subscriber is an addressable Call Fabric resource with metadata-driven routing. Priced at $3/user/month.
- Business Associate Agreements (BAA) HIPAA-compliant infrastructure with a single Business Associate Agreement covering voice, messaging, fax, AI workflows, and video traffic. Available in Startup tier at $100/month with $1,000/month minimum API usage, and Enterprise tier at $1,000/month with $5,000/month minimum API usage.
- FreeSWITCH Advantage Edition Commercial support plan from the creators of FreeSWITCH offering 24/7 Slack access, direct founder access, priority bug fixes, deployment assistance, quarterly updates, and architectural/design support. Includes subscription to the FreeSWITCH Enterprise branch. Trusted by 5,000+ commercial enterprises with 300M+ daily users.
Quantifiable outcome
- ~800ms typical latency for voice AI vs 2-4 seconds for bolt-on solutions
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use SignalWire
Customer profileNamed customers22 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SignalWire technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability11 records
Feature8 records
SignalWire partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- T-MobilecoreStrategic investment and partnership focused on 5G use cases. T-Mobile and SignalWire collaborating on low-latency programmable video and voice communications aligned with 5G network capabilities. SignalWire developing APIs for high-concurrency streaming applications on T-Mobile's network.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SignalWire competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Twilio: The dominant CPaaS provider offering voice, messaging, video, and email APIs. SignalWire explicitly targets Twilio customers with API-compatible interfaces and ~50% lower pricing, making it the single most directly comparable peer.
- Telnyx: CPaaS and private global IP network provider offering voice, messaging, wireless, and IoT APIs with direct-to-carrier routing. Highly comparable to SignalWire on cost-displacement positioning and target buyer (developers and enterprises).
- Plivo: Cloud communications platform providing voice and SMS APIs for SMB and enterprise customers. Directly competes with SignalWire on the same CPaaS comparison page and similar usage-based pricing.
- Vonage (Ericsson): Communications platform offering voice, messaging, video, and UC APIs (now under Ericsson). A direct CPaaS competitor and also a named FreeSWITCH user in SignalWire's customer roster, indicating overlap in both supply and demand.
- Bandwidth: Communications platform for enterprises and CPaaS resellers offering voice, messaging, and 911 APIs. Comparable on enterprise CPaaS positioning and regulated-industry compliance posture.
- MessageBird (Bird): Omnichannel communications platform providing SMS, WhatsApp, email, voice, and inbox APIs globally. Comparable as a multi-channel CPaaS competitor with overlapping enterprise and developer buyer profiles.
- Sinch: Global CPaaS provider offering messaging, voice, email, and conversational AI APIs. Comparable on multi-product CPaaS scope and enterprise focus, especially across regulated verticals.
- LiveKit: Open-source WebRTC platform for real-time video, audio, and data. Directly comparable to SignalWire on the video API comparison page and on the AI voice agent / real-time developer infrastructure thesis.
- Agora: Real-time engagement platform offering voice, video, and messaging SDKs with AI extensions. Comparable on real-time video/voice APIs, AI integration, and developer-first go-to-market.
Emerging players
- Daily.co: Developer-focused video and audio APIs (WebRTC) with growing AI real-time capabilities. An emerging peer with partial overlap on SignalWire's video and AI agent offerings, primarily in the developer / startup segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SignalWire social profiles
Digital presenceSignalWire compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
SignalWire financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SignalWire leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
SignalWire funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SignalWire M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SignalWire
What does SignalWire do?
SignalWire provides a Programmable Unified Communications (PUC) platform delivered via APIs, SDKs, and a unified control plane (Call Fabric) that orchestrates real-time voice, video, messaging, and AI agent workflows for developers and enterprises. Core offerings include the AI Agent API, Voice API, Messaging API, Video Conferencing API, Programmable SIP, Fax API, Multi-Factor Authentication API, Subscribers, Dedicated Real-Time Regions, and Business Associate Agreements, all built on the FreeSWITCH open-source telephony stack.
Is SignalWire a public or private company?
SignalWire is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was SignalWire founded?
SignalWire was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is SignalWire based?
SignalWire is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does SignalWire make money?
Eleven revenue lines are on record. Voice API is the primary driver. The others are messaging API, video Conferencing API, AI Agent API, multi-Factor Authentication API, fax API, subscribers, dedicated Real-Time Regions, BAA/HIPAA Compliance Plans, freeSWITCH Advantage and commercial Modules.
Who are SignalWire's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Twilio, Telnyx, Plivo, Vonage (Ericsson), Bandwidth, MessageBird (Bird), Sinch, LiveKit and Agora. Daily.co is listed as an emerging player.
Does SignalWire have an API?
Yes. SignalWire provides a comprehensive API platform for real-time communications including voice, messaging, video, and AI agents. APIs include REST APIs, SignalWire Markup Language (SWML) for call control, and real-time event handling via webhooks. The platform offers SDKs in Python, JavaScript/TypeScript (Browser SDK for WebRTC), Node.js, Ruby, and Go. Server-side SDKs support voice, messaging, video, and AI agent development. Authentication uses tokens via the SignalWire developer portal. The platform is API-first and composable, allowing integration with existing applications. Developer documentation is at developer.signalwire.com.
What industry is SignalWire in?
SignalWire's product category is Cloud Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAL, Messaging APIs, CPaaS & Programmable Communications, with a secondary code of BPAEAEAI, Unified Communications & Collaboration Network Services (VoIP/QoS). Its NAICS code is 517810 and its SIC code is 4899.