Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | Clickatell | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Cloud messaging and chat-commerce platform offering SMS, WhatsApp, RCS and Apple Messages for Business APIs for businesses. | 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 | 250-500 | 11-50 |
| HQ city | Redwood City | Odense |
| HQ country | USA | Denmark (EU) |
What's the differenceClickatell edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (61 vs 54). Clickatell is private and headquartered in Redwood City, USA; GatewayAPI is private and based in Odense, Denmark (EU).
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | Clickatell | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | No | No |
| RCS | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | No | |
| Viber | No | No |
| Facebook Messenger | No | No |
| Telegram | No | No |
| Apple Messages for Business | Yes | No |
| Voice | No | No |
| No | Yes |
What's the differenceThey share 2 channels. Clickatell additionally offers WhatsApp, Apple Messages for Business, while GatewayAPI additionally offers Email.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | Clickatell | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| Free developer credit | No | Test credits on request |
| Docs quality | high | med |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | Python, PHP, Java, Node.js, C# | — |
| Sandbox / test env | Yes | No |
| API types | REST, SMPP | REST, SMPP, Email-to-SMS |
What's the differenceOn SDKs, Clickatell adds Python, PHP, Java, Node.js, C#; Clickatell offers Sandbox / test env, while GatewayAPI does not; on API types, GatewayAPI adds Email-to-SMS.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | Clickatell | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes |
| US data residency | No | No |
| Choose region | No | Yes |
| GDPR | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | Yes | No |
| SOC 2 | Yes | No |
| HIPAA | No | No |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI offers Choose region, while Clickatell does not; Clickatell offers ISO 27001, while GatewayAPI does not; Clickatell offers SOC 2, while GatewayAPI does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | Clickatell | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Retention policy | Not publicly documented in detail. Clickatell states it moved its data infrastructure to Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Ireland (EU) in 2018 and directs GDPR/data-protection queries to [email protected]; specific message content or metadata retention periods are not published. | 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 differenceClickatell: Not publicly documented in detail. Clickatell states it moved its data infrastructure to Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Ireland (EU) in 2018 and directs GDPR/data-protection queries to [email protected]; specific message content or metadata retention periods are not published. 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 | Clickatell | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Self-service prepaid pay-as-you-go credits, with quote-based enterprise plans (Connect, Interact, Transact) requiring sales contact. | 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 | $0.008 per SMS to the USA (published rate) | From €0.0061 per SMS (standard class, cheapest destination on the public price list; e.g. €0.0401 to Denmark) |
| Free developer credit | No | Test credits on request |
What's the differenceClickatell and GatewayAPI are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | Clickatell | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 190 | 200 |
| Direct operator connections | Yes | Yes |
| Published uptime SLA | 99.90%–99.98% uptime (SLA, varies by plan) | No published SLA (99.99%+ historical uptime claimed) |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI leads on Countries covered (200 vs 190 for Clickatell).
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | Clickatell | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.3 | 4.9 |
| G2 reviews | 2 | 7 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 250-500 | 11-50 |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI leads on G2 rating (4.9 vs 4.3 for Clickatell); GatewayAPI leads on G2 reviews (7 vs 2 for Clickatell).
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