# textbee/textbee

open-source sms-gateway. turn any android phone into an sms gateway

Repository: https://github.com/textbee/textbee
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/textbee
Homepage: https://textbee.dev
Language: TypeScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: gateway, sms, sms-gateway, foss, free, open-source, opensource
Last push: 2026-08-22T15:10:45+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 91/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 75, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1629, "days_push": 11, "days_rel": 84, "gap_med": 32, "n_releases_24m": 8}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3062, forks 432 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:41.199641+00:00)

## What it is
TextBee is an open-source SMS gateway that turns any Android phone into an SMS API, letting you send and receive text messages via a REST API, web dashboard, webhooks, or MCP server for AI agents. It is self-hostable and uses your existing SIM and carrier plan instead of per-message commercial providers like Twilio.

## Use cases
- send sms from my application without twilio fees
- receive otp verification codes via api
- send bulk sms campaigns from a csv
- build two-way sms messaging with webhooks
- automate sms notifications and alerts
- let ai agents send text messages via mcp
- self-host an sms gateway on my own android phone

## When to choose
- you want low-cost or free SMS using your own phone and carrier plan
- you need self-hosting and full control over message data
- you need quick setup for OTPs, notifications, or two-way messaging
- you want webhook-driven inbound SMS handling

## When to avoid
- you need carrier-grade guaranteed throughput for millions of messages daily
- you need a rented/virtual phone number rather than your own SIM
- you cannot keep an Android phone powered and connected as the gateway

## Facets
- artifact type: service
- maturity: active
- function: api-framework, http-server, webhook, sdk, self-hosted
- domain: messaging-platforms, developer-tools, apis
- platform: self-hosted, cross-platform
- tags: sms-gateway, twilio-alternative, rest-api, bulk-messaging, otp, mcp-server, android-app, automation, android, web-server

## Member repositories
- textbee/textbee (main) score 91

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:41.199641+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:28:19.217310+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/textbee/textbee (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:41.199641+00:00, sha 356f5ddab192)
  - homepage: https://textbee.dev (fetched 2026-08-29T09:44:05.436884+00:00, sha 048b1f1726fb)
  - site_page: https://textbee.dev/docs/receiving-sms (fetched 2026-08-29T09:44:05.449586+00:00, sha 83bae6574eb3)
  - site_page: https://textbee.dev/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T09:44:05.451110+00:00, sha fad73554b75b)
  - site_page: https://textbee.dev/blog/textbee-dev-sms-gateway-quickstart (fetched 2026-08-29T09:44:05.452652+00:00, sha fbba57296f78)
  - site_page: https://textbee.dev/docs/api-reference (fetched 2026-08-29T09:44:05.454581+00:00, sha 58c4b0614182)
  - site_page: https://textbee.dev/docs/webhooks (fetched 2026-08-29T09:44:05.457312+00:00, sha 47f9ce1c0f78)
  - site_page: https://textbee.dev/docs/sending-sms/sending-sms (fetched 2026-08-29T09:44:05.447987+00:00, sha 94bcace8ca44)
  - site_page: https://textbee.dev/changelog (fetched 2026-08-29T09:44:05.459104+00:00, sha 5f3d959a69bb)
  - site_page: https://textbee.dev/pricing (fetched 2026-08-29T09:44:05.446221+00:00, sha 704b8421b322)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.