Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | GMS | Telesign |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Enterprise CPaaS and A2P messaging provider offering SMS, WhatsApp, Viber, RCS and email through a single API, plus messaging-hub and SMS-firewall services for mobile network operators. | Digital identity and programmable communications platform offering SMS, RCS, voice, WhatsApp, Viber and email APIs alongside phone verification and fraud-prevention services. |
| Founded | 2006 | 2005 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 500-1,000 | 500-1,000 |
| HQ city | Baar | Marina del Rey |
| HQ country | Switzerland | USA |
What's the differenceTelesign edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (70 vs 36). GMS is private and headquartered in Baar, Switzerland; Telesign is private and based in Marina del Rey, USA.
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | GMS | Telesign |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | No | No |
| RCS | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Viber | Yes | Yes |
| Facebook Messenger | No | No |
| Telegram | No | No |
| Apple Messages for Business | No | No |
| Voice | No | Yes |
| Yes | Yes |
What's the differenceThey share 5 channels. Telesign additionally offers Voice.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | GMS | Telesign |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | No | Yes |
| Free developer credit | No | Yes |
| Docs quality | med | high |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin) | C#, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby |
| Sandbox / test env | No | No |
| API types | REST | REST |
What's the differenceTelesign offers Self-service onboarding, while GMS does not; on SDKs, GMS adds iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin); Telesign adds C#, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | GMS | Telesign |
|---|---|---|
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes |
| US data residency | No | Yes |
| Choose region | No | No |
| GDPR | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | Yes | Yes |
| SOC 2 | No | Yes |
| HIPAA | No | Yes |
What's the differenceTelesign offers US data residency, while GMS does not; Telesign offers SOC 2, while GMS does not; Telesign offers HIPAA, while GMS does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | GMS | Telesign |
|---|---|---|
| Retention policy | Not publicly documented in detail. GMS's privacy notice states personal data is processed under EU GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and held at its Switzerland headquarters (recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection); no specific retention periods for message content or metadata are published. GMS also holds ISO/IEC 27701 (privacy information management) certification. | Customer transaction data is retained for 90 days for operational troubleshooting and billing purposes, with full backups maintained across two separate data centers also kept for 90 days. |
What's the differenceGMS: Not publicly documented in detail. GMS's privacy notice states personal data is processed under EU GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and held at its Switzerland headquarters (recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection); no specific retention periods for message content or metadata are published. GMS also holds ISO/IEC 27701 (privacy information management) certification. Telesign: Customer transaction data is retained for 90 days for operational troubleshooting and billing purposes, with full backups maintained across two separate data centers also kept for 90 days.
Pricing & Credits
Pricing model and the cost of a first message.
| Field | GMS | Telesign |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Custom enterprise pricing negotiated with sales; no public self-service or per-message price list. | Pay-as-you-go per-message/per-transaction pricing with volume-based enterprise contracts; public per-message rates are not transparently listed. |
| SMS starting price | Not published | Not published |
| Free developer credit | No | Yes |
What's the differenceGMS and Telesign are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | GMS | Telesign |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 0 | 230 |
| Direct operator connections | Yes | Yes |
| Published uptime SLA | 99.99% network availability (claimed; no formal SLA published) | No published SLA |
What's the differenceTelesign leads on Countries covered (230 vs 0 for GMS).
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | GMS | Telesign |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 0.0 | 4.3 |
| G2 reviews | 0 | 20 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 500-1,000 | 500-1,000 |
What's the differenceTelesign leads on G2 rating (4.3 vs 0 for GMS); Telesign leads on G2 reviews (20 vs 0 for GMS).
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