Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | 46elks | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Swedish telecom API platform ("telecom infrastructure for the web") for sending and receiving SMS and MMS, making and receiving phone calls, and managing virtual phone numbers. | 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 | 2011 | 1999 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 10-50 | 11-50 |
| HQ city | Uppsala | Odense |
| HQ country | Sweden (EU) | Denmark (EU) |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (54 vs 33). 46elks is private and headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden (EU); GatewayAPI is private and based in Odense, Denmark (EU).
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | 46elks | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | Yes | No |
| RCS | No | Yes |
| No | No | |
| Viber | No | No |
| Facebook Messenger | No | No |
| Telegram | No | No |
| Apple Messages for Business | No | No |
| Voice | Yes | No |
| No | Yes |
What's the differenceThey share 1 channels. 46elks additionally offers MMS, Voice, while GatewayAPI additionally offers RCS, Email.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | 46elks | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| Free developer credit | No | Test credits on request |
| Docs quality | med | med |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | — | — |
| Sandbox / test env | Yes | No |
| API types | REST | REST, SMPP, Email-to-SMS |
What's the difference46elks offers Sandbox / test env, while GatewayAPI does not; on API types, GatewayAPI adds SMPP, Email-to-SMS.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | 46elks | 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 46elks does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | 46elks | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Retention policy | Not publicly documented in detail. 46elks' data protection policy states that personal data stays inside the EU on servers owned by 46elks and that system backups are stored for a maximum of 14 days; specific retention periods for message content and metadata are not published, and the service operates under EU ePrivacy directive 2002/58/EG and Swedish telecom law (LEK 2022:482, PTS rules). | 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 difference46elks: Not publicly documented in detail. 46elks' data protection policy states that personal data stays inside the EU on servers owned by 46elks and that system backups are stored for a maximum of 14 days; specific retention periods for message content and metadata are not published, and the service operates under EU ePrivacy directive 2002/58/EG and Swedish telecom law (LEK 2022:482, PTS rules). 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 | 46elks | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay-as-you-go per message/minute from a prepaid account balance, with no startup fees and no minimum monthly costs. | 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 | €0.047 per SMS part to Sweden (ex VAT); prices vary by destination country | 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 difference46elks and GatewayAPI are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | 46elks | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 215 | 200 |
| Direct operator connections | No | Yes |
| Published uptime SLA | No published uptime SLA (business-hours support SLA only; extended SLA available on request) | No published SLA (99.99%+ historical uptime claimed) |
What's the difference46elks leads on Countries covered (215 vs 200 for GatewayAPI); GatewayAPI offers Direct operator connections, while 46elks does not.
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | 46elks | GatewayAPI |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 0.0 | 4.9 |
| G2 reviews | 0 | 7 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 10-50 | 11-50 |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI leads on G2 rating (4.9 vs 0 for 46elks); GatewayAPI leads on G2 reviews (7 vs 0 for 46elks).
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