Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | CM.com | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A conversational commerce and customer engagement platform offering business messaging across SMS, RCS, WhatsApp and other channels, plus voice, email and payments, via API and cloud apps. | Belgian business-messaging platform by Xtreme Internet Solutions offering an SMS gateway API, bulk SMS marketing software, WhatsApp Business API, voice messages and email-to-SMS with EU-only hosting. |
| Founded | 1999 | 2004 |
| Ownership | public | private |
| Employees | 500-1,000 | 1-10 |
| HQ city | Breda | Dilsen-Stokkem |
| HQ country | Netherlands (EU) | Belgium (EU) |
What's the differenceCM.com edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (58 vs 56). CM.com is public and headquartered in Breda, Netherlands (EU); Smstools is private and based in Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium (EU).
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | CM.com | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | No | No |
| RCS | Yes | No |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Viber | Yes | No |
| Facebook Messenger | Yes | No |
| Telegram | Yes | No |
| Apple Messages for Business | Yes | No |
| Voice | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | No |
What's the differenceThey share 3 channels. CM.com additionally offers RCS, Viber, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Apple Messages for Business, Email.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | CM.com | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| Free developer credit | No | Free test credit on sign-up |
| Docs quality | high | high |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | PHP, Java, Python, .NET, Node.js | PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, PowerShell |
| Sandbox / test env | Yes | Yes |
| API types | REST, SMPP | REST, SMTP |
What's the differenceOn SDKs, CM.com adds Java, .NET; Smstools adds Ruby, PowerShell; on API types, CM.com adds SMPP; Smstools adds SMTP.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | CM.com | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes |
| US data residency | No | No |
| Choose region | No | No |
| GDPR | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | Yes | No |
| SOC 2 | No | No |
| HIPAA | No | No |
What's the differenceCM.com offers ISO 27001, while Smstools does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | CM.com | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Retention policy | Not publicly documented in detail. CM.com states it hosts data in Europe and holds ISO 27001/27017/27018/27701 certifications; message content and metadata retention are governed by its privacy statement and per-customer data processing agreements rather than a single published fixed retention period. | Not publicly documented in detail. Smstools states all data is stored on servers located in Europe under GDPR-compliant processes, with AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit, and a Data Processing Agreement is available on request, but no specific message content/metadata retention periods are published. |
What's the differenceCM.com: Not publicly documented in detail. CM.com states it hosts data in Europe and holds ISO 27001/27017/27018/27701 certifications; message content and metadata retention are governed by its privacy statement and per-customer data processing agreements rather than a single published fixed retention period. Smstools: Not publicly documented in detail. Smstools states all data is stored on servers located in Europe under GDPR-compliant processes, with AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit, and a Data Processing Agreement is available on request, but no specific message content/metadata retention periods are published.
Pricing & Credits
Pricing model and the cost of a first message.
| Field | CM.com | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay-per-use (pay-as-you-go) charged per message with one fixed price per destination country, volume discounts above ~50,000 messages/month, and optional subscription tiers. | Pay-as-you-go per message with volume discounts; no subscription, setup fee or monthly minimum, with a personalised rate sheet issued on registration. |
| SMS starting price | Not published (per-country pay-per-use pricing requires selecting a region on the pricing page) | From €0.025 per SMS to the USA (rates vary by destination country and volume) |
| Free developer credit | No | Free test credit on sign-up |
What's the differenceCM.com and Smstools are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | CM.com | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 0 | 200 |
| Direct operator connections | Yes | Yes |
| Published uptime SLA | No published SLA | 99.99% (uptime SLA) |
What's the differenceSmstools leads on Countries covered (200 vs 0 for CM.com).
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | CM.com | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.8 | 0.0 |
| G2 reviews | 12 | 0 |
| Ownership | public | private |
| Employees | 500-1,000 | 1-10 |
What's the differenceCM.com leads on G2 rating (4.8 vs 0 for Smstools); CM.com leads on G2 reviews (12 vs 0 for Smstools).
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