Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Swedish marketing automation platform (Rule Communication Nordic AB) for email, SMS and RCS campaigns, with a REST API for transactional message sending. |
| Founded | 1999 | 2007 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 11-50 | 10-50 |
| HQ city | Odense | Stockholm |
| HQ country | Denmark (EU) | Sweden (EU) |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (54 vs 28). GatewayAPI is private and headquartered in Odense, Denmark (EU); Rule is private and based in Stockholm, Sweden (EU).
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | No | 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 differenceGatewayAPI and Rule support an identical set of 3 channels here — the choice comes down to pricing, reliability and developer experience.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| Free developer credit | Test credits on request | No |
| Docs quality | med | med |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | — | Node.js, PHP |
| Sandbox / test env | No | No |
| API types | REST, SMPP, Email-to-SMS | REST |
What's the differenceOn SDKs, Rule adds Node.js, PHP; on API types, GatewayAPI adds SMPP, Email-to-SMS.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Rule does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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 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. 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 | GatewayAPI | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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 | From €0.0061 per SMS (standard class, cheapest destination on the public price list; e.g. €0.0401 to Denmark) | From €0.04 per SMS (0.40 SEK per SMS in Sweden), on top of the monthly plan |
| Free developer credit | Test credits on request | No |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI and Rule are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 200 | 0 |
| Direct operator connections | Yes | No |
| Published uptime SLA | No published SLA (99.99%+ historical uptime claimed) | No published SLA |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI leads on Countries covered (200 vs 0 for Rule); GatewayAPI offers Direct operator connections, while Rule does not.
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | GatewayAPI | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.9 | 4.5 |
| G2 reviews | 7 | 9 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 11-50 | 10-50 |
What's the differenceGatewayAPI leads on G2 rating (4.9 vs 4.5 for Rule); Rule leads on G2 reviews (9 vs 7 for GatewayAPI).
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