Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | Attentive | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI-powered SMS, MMS, RCS, email, and push marketing platform for consumer brands, with REST and GraphQL APIs for subscriber management and event-triggered messaging rather than direct message sending. | Swedish marketing automation platform (Rule Communication Nordic AB) for email, SMS and RCS campaigns, with a REST API for transactional message sending. |
| Founded | 2016 | 2007 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 1,000-1,500 | 10-50 |
| HQ city | New York | Stockholm |
| HQ country | USA | Sweden (EU) |
What's the differenceAttentive edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (40 vs 28). Attentive is private and headquartered in New York, USA; Rule is private and based in Stockholm, Sweden (EU).
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | Attentive | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | Yes | 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 |
| Yes | Yes |
What's the differenceThey share 3 channels. Attentive additionally offers MMS.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | Attentive | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | No | Yes |
| Free developer credit | No | No |
| Docs quality | med | med |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin), React Native | Node.js, PHP |
| Sandbox / test env | Yes | No |
| API types | REST, GraphQL | REST |
What's the differenceRule offers Self-service onboarding, while Attentive does not; on SDKs, Attentive adds iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin), React Native; Rule adds Node.js, PHP; Attentive offers Sandbox / test env, while Rule does not; on API types, Attentive adds GraphQL.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | Attentive | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| EU data residency | No | Yes |
| US data residency | Yes | No |
| Choose region | No | No |
| GDPR | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | No | No |
| SOC 2 | Yes | No |
| HIPAA | No | No |
What's the differenceRule offers EU data residency, while Attentive does not; Attentive offers US data residency, while Rule does not; Attentive offers SOC 2, while Rule does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | Attentive | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Retention policy | No fixed retention periods are published; the privacy policy states personal information is retained "for as long as necessary to provide our Service or as needed to comply with applicable legal obligations." EU/UK/Swiss consumer data is transferred to and processed in the United States under the EU-U.S., UK Extension, and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Frameworks. | Privacy policy states Rule only works with partners that process personal data within the EU/EEA (or that maintain an equivalent level of protection), keeps data only as long as a customer relationship exists or it remains relevant, and does not use marketing data older than 3 years. No specific retention period for message content or logs is publicly documented. |
What's the differenceAttentive: No fixed retention periods are published; the privacy policy states personal information is retained "for as long as necessary to provide our Service or as needed to comply with applicable legal obligations." EU/UK/Swiss consumer data is transferred to and processed in the United States under the EU-U.S., UK Extension, and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Frameworks. Rule: Privacy policy states Rule only works with partners that process personal data within the EU/EEA (or that maintain an equivalent level of protection), keeps data only as long as a customer relationship exists or it remains relevant, and does not use marketing data older than 3 years. No specific retention period for message content or logs is publicly documented.
Pricing & Credits
Pricing model and the cost of a first message.
| Field | Attentive | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Custom-quoted, usage-based subscription priced on message volume, subscriber list size, channels, and premium AI add-ons; no self-serve signup or published per-message rates. | Subscription tiers by contact-list size (free 250-contact plan without SMS, Professional from €595/month for 2,500 contacts, custom Enterprise) plus per-message SMS/RCS fees; a standalone SMS/RCS plan with unlimited contacts costs €100/month plus per-message rates. |
| SMS starting price | Not published | From €0.04 per SMS (0.40 SEK per SMS in Sweden), on top of the monthly plan |
| Free developer credit | No | No |
What's the differenceAttentive and Rule are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | Attentive | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 20 | 0 |
| Direct operator connections | No | No |
| Published uptime SLA | No published SLA | No published SLA |
What's the differenceAttentive leads on Countries covered (20 vs 0 for Rule).
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | Attentive | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| G2 reviews | 1,483 | 9 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 1,000-1,500 | 10-50 |
What's the differenceAttentive leads on G2 reviews (1,483 vs 9 for Rule).
Still deciding? Read the quickstart guides: