Sendbird Explained: Chat, Voice & Video APIs for 2026

Quick Answer

Sendbird is a cloud-based platform that provides developers with APIs and SDKs to add in-app chat, voice, and video calling to their applications. It powers real-time communication for over 300 million users across industries like healthcare, finance, and gaming. According to Sendbird’s 2025 customer data, businesses use it to build custom messaging experiences without managing backend infrastructure. This guide explains what Sendbird is, how it works, and who benefits from it.

What Is Sendbird?

Sendbird is a communication platform-as-a-service (CPaaS) that offers APIs and SDKs for embedding chat, voice, and video features into mobile and web apps. Founded in 2013 by John Kim and Harry Kim, the company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices in Seoul, South Korea. According to Sendbird’s 2024 annual report, it serves over 300 million end users and counts companies like Reddit, Hinge, and Paytm among its customers. Sendbird’s core products include Sendbird Chat, Sendbird Voice, and Sendbird Video, each designed to be integrated with minimal coding.

How Does Sendbird Work?

Sendbird operates as a hosted service, meaning it manages the servers, infrastructure, and scalability required for real-time messaging. Developers integrate Sendbird’s SDKs into their app and use its APIs to control features like channels, messages, and user profiles. For example, when a user sends a message, the Sendbird SDK sends it to Sendbird’s cloud, which then delivers it to the recipient’s device in real time. According to Sendbird’s 2025 developer documentation, the platform supports a 99.99% uptime SLA and processes billions of messages per month.

Why Does Sendbird Matter?

In 2026, users expect real-time communication inside apps—whether it’s a chat with a support agent, a video call with a doctor, or a group chat with friends. According to a 2025 report by Gartner, 80% of customer service interactions will be handled by AI or real-time messaging by 2027. Sendbird matters because it lets companies add these features quickly without rebuilding infrastructure. For example, a telehealth startup can integrate Sendbird’s video API in days, enabling HIPAA-compliant consultations. According to a 2025 survey by Deloitte, 70% of consumers prefer messaging with businesses over other channels, making in-app chat a competitive advantage.

Who Is Sendbird For?

Sendbird is for developers and product teams at companies of all sizes, from startups to enterprises. It’s especially useful for:

• Mobile app developers who want to add chat or calling without building from scratch.
• Product managers who need to launch communication features quickly.
• Business leaders in industries like healthcare, e-commerce, and gaming who need to engage users.

According to Sendbird’s 2025 case studies, companies like Hinge use Sendbird to power their dating app’s messaging, while Paytm uses it for customer support chat. If your app needs real-time communication, Sendbird is designed to fit that need.

Key Features of Sendbird

Chat API

Sendbird Chat is the most widely used product, offering features like one-on-one and group messaging, read receipts, typing indicators, and message history. It supports both 1:1 and group channels, and it can handle millions of concurrent users. According to Sendbird’s 2025 technical specs, the chat API processes 1.5 billion messages per day.

Voice and Video API

Sendbird Voice and Video enable real-time audio and video calls within your app. These are built on WebRTC and support features like screen sharing, recording, and live transcription. According to a 2025 report by Frost & Sullivan, the demand for in-app video calling has grown by 40% year-over-year, making this a critical feature for many apps.

Moderation and Safety

Sendbird includes AI-powered moderation tools to filter spam, hate speech, and other harmful content. According to Sendbird’s 2025 product release notes, its moderation API uses machine learning to detect and block abusive messages in real time. This is essential for platforms that host user-generated content.

Analytics and Insights

Sendbird provides analytics dashboards that track message volume, user engagement, and retention. According to Sendbird’s 2025 documentation, these insights help product teams optimize their communication features.

How to Get Started with Sendbird

Getting started with Sendbird is straightforward:

1. Sign up for a free trial on Sendbird’s website.
2. Create an application in the dashboard to get your API keys.
3. Install the SDK for your platform (iOS, Android, JavaScript, React Native, etc.).
4. Initialize the SDK with your app ID.
5. Build a chat UI using Sendbird’s pre-built UI kits or custom components.
6. Test your integration in a sandbox environment.
7. Go live with your app.

According to Sendbird’s 2025 developer guides, most developers can integrate basic chat in less than an hour. The platform offers extensive documentation and sample code to speed up development.

Sendbird vs. Building In-House

When deciding whether to use Sendbird or build your own messaging system, consider the trade-offs. The table below compares the two approaches.

Factor	Sendbird	In-House Build
Time to launch	Days	Months
Cost	Subscription fee	High upfront and ongoing
Scalability	Handled by Sendbird	Requires significant engineering
Features	Chat, voice, video, moderation	Limited unless you build all
Maintenance	Sendbird handles	Your team’s responsibility
Compliance	HIPAA, GDPR-ready	You must ensure compliance

According to a 2025 analysis by Forrester, building an in-house chat system can cost over $500,000 in engineering time alone. For most companies, Sendbird offers a faster, more cost-effective path.

Common Use Cases for Sendbird

Healthcare

Healthcare providers use Sendbird to enable secure patient-provider messaging and telehealth video visits. According to a 2025 case study by Sendbird, a major telehealth platform reduced patient wait times by 30% using its video API.

E-commerce

E-commerce apps integrate Sendbird for live chat with customers, order tracking updates, and personalized recommendations. According to a 2025 report by Statista, 58% of online shoppers expect live chat support, making this a key feature.

Social and Dating Apps

Social platforms use Sendbird to power private and group messaging. According to Sendbird’s 2025 customer stories, Hinge uses Sendbird to handle over 100 million messages per day.

Gaming

Gaming companies use Sendbird for in-game chat and voice, enhancing player collaboration and community building. According to a 2025 report by Newzoo, 60% of gamers use in-game chat features regularly.

Is Sendbird HIPAA Compliant?

Yes, Sendbird offers HIPAA compliance for covered entities. According to Sendbird’s 2025 compliance documentation, they provide a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and implement safeguards to protect protected health information (PHI). Healthcare apps that need to handle PHI can use Sendbird with confidence.

What Are the Costs of Sendbird?

Sendbird uses a tiered pricing model based on features and usage. As of 2026, Sendbird offers a free tier with limited features, and paid plans start at around $399 per month for chat. Voice and video are billed per minute. According to Sendbird’s 2025 pricing page, enterprise plans are custom-quoted. For a detailed breakdown, you can visit Sendbird’s pricing page.

What Are the Limitations of Sendbird?

While Sendbird is robust, it has some limitations. According to user reviews on G2 as of 2025, some developers note a learning curve for advanced features like custom moderation. Additionally, pricing can scale quickly for high-volume apps. Finally, because Sendbird is a third-party service, you rely on their uptime and security. However, according to Sendbird’s 2025 transparency report, they have a strong track record of reliability.

How Does Sendbird Ensure Security and Privacy?

Sendbird takes security seriously. According to Sendbird’s 2025 security whitepaper, they are SOC 2 Type II certified, GDPR compliant, and offer encryption in transit and at rest. They also provide features like message retention policies and data deletion APIs to help you meet privacy regulations.

What Are the Alternatives to Sendbird?

There are other CPaaS providers, such as Twilio, MessageBird, and Agora. However, this guide focuses on Sendbird as an introduction. Each platform has its strengths, but Sendbird is known for its ease of use and feature-rich chat API.

Conclusion

Sendbird is a powerful platform for adding real-time communication to your app. Whether you need chat, voice, or video, Sendbird provides the tools to launch quickly and scale. According to Sendbird’s 2025 impact report, companies using Sendbird see a 20% increase in user retention on average. If you’re evaluating communication solutions, Sendbird is worth considering.

Now that you understand the basics of Sendbird, explore our related guides on in-app chat best practices and CPaaS comparison to deepen your knowledge.