Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | 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. | 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 | private | private |
| Employees | 11-50 | 1-10 |
| HQ city | Odense | Dilsen-Stokkem |
| HQ country | Denmark (EU) | Belgium (EU) |
What's the differenceSmstools edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (56 vs 54). GatewayAPI is private and headquartered in Odense, Denmark (EU); Smstools is private and based in Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium (EU).
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | No | No |
| RCS | Yes | No |
| No | Yes | |
| Viber | No | No |
| Facebook Messenger | No | No |
| Telegram | No | No |
| Apple Messages for Business | No | No |
| Voice | No | Yes |
| Yes | No |
What's the differenceThey share 1 channels. GatewayAPI additionally offers RCS, Email, while Smstools additionally offers WhatsApp, Voice.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| Free developer credit | Test credits on request | Free test credit on sign-up |
| Docs quality | med | high |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | — | PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, PowerShell |
| Sandbox / test env | No | Yes |
| API types | REST, SMPP, Email-to-SMS | REST, SMTP |
What's the differenceOn SDKs, Smstools adds PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, PowerShell; Smstools offers Sandbox / test env, while GatewayAPI does not; on API types, GatewayAPI adds SMPP, Email-to-SMS; Smstools adds SMTP.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes |
| US data residency | No | No |
| Choose region | Yes | No |
| GDPR | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | No | No |
| SOC 2 | No | No |
| HIPAA | No | No |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI offers Choose region, while Smstools does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Retention policy | 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. | 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 differenceGatewayAPI: 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. 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 | GatewayAPI | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | 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. | 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 | From €0.0061 per SMS (standard class, cheapest destination on the public price list; e.g. €0.0401 to Denmark) | From €0.025 per SMS to the USA (rates vary by destination country and volume) |
| Free developer credit | Test credits on request | Free test credit on sign-up |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI and Smstools are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 200 | 200 |
| Direct operator connections | Yes | Yes |
| Published uptime SLA | No published SLA (99.99%+ historical uptime claimed) | 99.99% (uptime SLA) |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI and Smstools are closely matched on reach & reliability — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.9 | 0.0 |
| G2 reviews | 7 | 0 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 11-50 | 1-10 |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI leads on G2 rating (4.9 vs 0 for Smstools); GatewayAPI leads on G2 reviews (7 vs 0 for Smstools).
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