Proof Holdings vs Telesign
Telesign is hard to beat on two things: phone intelligence — PhoneID's risk scoring is strong — and negotiated US SMS rates that are tough to undercut for domestic, high-volume traffic. But Telesign publishes no price, and most users aren't domestic: international SMS runs $0.05–0.50+ a message.
Score the number with Telesign when you need risk intel. Verify the person with Proof: from €0.0079 a proof in any country, no international surprises, and a signed token you can hand to anyone.
One API · One key
One key does what a stack of vendors does
Every provider on this page delivers codes to phones. Proof is a single API — the same reverse-OTP flow also covers email and domains, and every verification mints a signed, offline-verifiable ES256 token for each of these:
Same price · Any asset
The same price for every asset — phone, email, and domain today, with wallet and social coming soon. No per-seat or per-MAU fees — the meters that make rivals' bills jump.
- Free every month
- 300 proofs
- Pay as you go
- €0.03 / proof
- At volume
- €0.0079 / proof on the €79 plan
Feature Comparison
Swipe to compare →
| Feature | Proof Holdings | Telesign |
|---|---|---|
| Phone verification | Telegram, WhatsApp, SMS | SMS, Voice, Push (MFA) |
| Email verification | Magic Link, OTP | No |
| Domain verification | DNS TXT, HTTP, Admin Email, Auto-Verify | No |
| Wallet verification | Coming soon (8 chains planned) | No |
| Social verification | Coming soon (12+ platforms planned) | No |
| Phone intelligence / risk scoring | No | PhoneID, Intelligence API |
| Reverse OTP | Yes | No |
| Cryptographic proof tokens | ES256 JWT, offline-verifiable | No |
| Human-in-the-loop approvals | Telegram/WhatsApp with proof tokens | No |
| MCP server for AI agents | 167 tools | No |
| No code in transit to intercept or phish | Yes | No |
| Free tier | 300 proofs/month | Trial credits only |
Pricing
Advertised rate
Proof Holdings
From €0.0079/proof (any asset, any country)
Telesign
Not publicly listed (quote-based; requires a Telesign account)
Real cost (Europe)
Proof Holdings
From €0.0079 a proof, no SMS fee
Telesign
$0.05-0.10+ per SMS (8ct+ in Lithuania)
Real cost (international)
Proof Holdings
From €0.0079 a proof, same in every country
Telesign
$0.05-0.50+ depending on destination country
Asset coverage
Proof Holdings
Phone, email, domain — same price (wallet & social soon)
Telesign
Phone only
The Real Price: US Rate vs International
Telesign publishes no price: SMS Verify is quote-based, through sales. For US-only, high-volume phone verification, a negotiated US rate can be the cost benchmark.
But most businesses verify users internationally. In Europe, SMS costs jump to $0.05-0.10+ per message. In Lithuania alone, it's approximately 8 cents per SMS. In some countries, SMS costs reach $0.20-0.50+ per message.
Proof Holdings charges from €0.0079 per proof — the same rate for any country, any asset type. No destination surcharges. A verification to the US, Lithuania, Brazil, or Nigeria all costs the same.
from €0.0079
Per proof, any country (Proof)
$0.05-0.50+
Per SMS, varies by country (Telesign)
Phone Intelligence
Telesign's strength is phone intelligence. Their PhoneID and Intelligence API provide risk scoring, carrier lookup, number type detection, and fraud indicators. If you need to assess phone number risk before verification, Telesign has a strong offering.
Proof Holdings doesn't offer phone intelligence. Our approach is different: instead of scoring a phone number's risk, we prove the user controls it with cryptographic evidence. Reverse OTP inherently filters out fraudulent numbers because the real user must actively participate.
These approaches complement each other. You could use Telesign for risk scoring and Proof Holdings for actual verification with proof tokens.
Security & Proof Tokens
Telesign's SMS and voice channels are vulnerable to SIM-swap attacks. Their Push MFA requires a mobile app with their SDK.
Reverse OTP sends no code to intercept or phish, and on Telegram and WhatsApp a SIM swap alone is not enough — the attacker must also take over the messaging account, which two-step verification blocks when the user has turned it on.
Every verification produces an ES256-signed JWT proof token verifiable offline. Telesign returns verification status with no cryptographic attestation.
When to use Telesign
- You need phone number intelligence and risk scoring (PhoneID, carrier lookup)
- You're doing high-volume US-only phone verification and can negotiate a low US SMS rate
- You need phone number reputation data before verification
- Push MFA through your own mobile app is a requirement
When to use Proof Holdings
- You verify users internationally (from €0.0079 in every country vs country-variable $0.05-0.50+)
- You need more than phone verification (email, domain today; wallet & social soon)
- You want cryptographic proof tokens for every verification
- You want no codes lost in delivery, with Reverse OTP
- You need human-in-the-loop approvals for AI agents
- You want phone verification with no code to intercept or phish, without requiring a mobile app
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to try Proof Holdings?
300 free proofs per month. No credit card required.
Building with an AI agent? The 167-tool MCP server and test mode let an agent run a real verification right now — machine quickstart in llms-full.txt.
Sources for the SMS delivery figures: Microsoft, “It's Time to Hang Up on Phone Transports for Authentication” (2020-11-10).