Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | BulkSMS | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Business messaging platform for sending bulk SMS and RCS to mobile networks worldwide via web app, API, and SMPP. | Danish SMS gateway and messaging platform by ONLINECITY.IO offering SMS, RCS and email APIs with pay-as-you-go pricing and EU data hosting. |
| Founded | 2000 | 1999 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 11-50 | 11-50 |
| HQ city | Cape Town | Odense |
| HQ country | South Africa | Denmark (EU) |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (54 vs 43). BulkSMS is private and headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa; GatewayAPI is private and based in Odense, Denmark (EU).
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | BulkSMS | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | No | No |
| RCS | Yes | Yes |
| No | No | |
| Viber | No | No |
| Facebook Messenger | No | No |
| Telegram | No | No |
| Apple Messages for Business | No | No |
| Voice | No | No |
| No | Yes |
What's the differenceThey share 2 channels. GatewayAPI additionally offers Email.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | BulkSMS | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| Free developer credit | 5 free test SMS on signup | Test credits on request |
| Docs quality | med | med |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | — | — |
| Sandbox / test env | No | No |
| API types | REST, HTTP, SMPP, SMTP | REST, SMPP, Email-to-SMS |
What's the differenceOn API types, BulkSMS adds HTTP, SMTP; GatewayAPI adds Email-to-SMS.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | BulkSMS | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes |
| US data residency | No | No |
| Choose region | No | Yes |
| GDPR | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | No | No |
| SOC 2 | No | No |
| HIPAA | No | No |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI offers Choose region, while BulkSMS does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | BulkSMS | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Retention policy | Message data (content and metadata) is retained for 2 years and then automatically deleted from the system. Account/client data is kept for the duration of service use plus about 7 years after termination. EU-related client data is stored in AWS datacentres in Ireland with encryption at rest. | Message content, sender and recipient are stored in the traffic log for 30 days, after which records are anonymized (message content and full sender deleted, last half of the recipient number removed). An optional "secret" message class skips storage of content, sender and recipient entirely. |
What's the differenceBulkSMS: Message data (content and metadata) is retained for 2 years and then automatically deleted from the system. Account/client data is kept for the duration of service use plus about 7 years after termination. EU-related client data is stored in AWS datacentres in Ireland with encryption at rest. GatewayAPI: Message content, sender and recipient are stored in the traffic log for 30 days, after which records are anonymized (message content and full sender deleted, last half of the recipient number removed). An optional "secret" message class skips storage of content, sender and recipient entirely.
Pricing & Credits
Pricing model and the cost of a first message.
| Field | BulkSMS | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay-as-you-go prepaid credits: you buy credits and pay per outbound SMS, with per-message rates varying by destination network and country; no monthly, setup, or contract fees. | Pay-as-you-go per-message pricing with prepaid credit; no monthly subscriptions or fees (except short-code countries), with negotiated discounts for high volumes. |
| SMS starting price | Not published (rates shown per destination network via an interactive slider/quote, not a single headline price) | From €0.0061 per SMS (standard class, cheapest destination on the public price list; e.g. €0.0401 to Denmark) |
| Free developer credit | 5 free test SMS on signup | Test credits on request |
What's the differenceBulkSMS and GatewayAPI are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | BulkSMS | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 213 | 200 |
| Direct operator connections | No | Yes |
| Published uptime SLA | No published SLA | No published SLA (99.99%+ historical uptime claimed) |
What's the differenceBulkSMS leads on Countries covered (213 vs 200 for GatewayAPI); GatewayAPI offers Direct operator connections, while BulkSMS does not.
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | BulkSMS | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.6 | 4.9 |
| G2 reviews | 266 | 7 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 11-50 | 11-50 |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI leads on G2 rating (4.9 vs 4.6 for BulkSMS); BulkSMS leads on G2 reviews (266 vs 7 for GatewayAPI).
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