Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | Prelude | SMSAPI |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Developer platform for phone and email verification (OTP), authentication, number intelligence, and anti-fraud onboarding delivered across SMS, RCS, WhatsApp, voice and other channels. | A Polish business-messaging platform (a brand of LINK Mobility Poland, part of LINK Mobility Group) offering bulk SMS, MMS, VMS voice, RCS and WhatsApp Business messaging via REST API and a web interface. |
| Founded | 2022 | 2007 |
| Ownership | private | public |
| Employees | 51-200 | 51-200 |
| HQ city | Paris | Gliwice |
| HQ country | France (EU) | Poland (EU) |
What's the differencePrelude edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (62 vs 44). Prelude is private and headquartered in Paris, France (EU); SMSAPI is public and based in Gliwice, Poland (EU).
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | Prelude | SMSAPI |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | No | Yes |
| RCS | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Viber | Yes | No |
| Facebook Messenger | No | No |
| Telegram | Yes | No |
| Apple Messages for Business | No | No |
| Voice | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | No |
What's the differenceThey share 4 channels. Prelude additionally offers Viber, Telegram, Email, while SMSAPI additionally offers MMS.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | Prelude | SMSAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| Free developer credit | No | Free test SMS on signup |
| Docs quality | high | high |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | Node.js, Python, Go, Java, Ruby, PHP, C# | PHP, Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, Go, Bash |
| Sandbox / test env | No | Yes |
| API types | REST | REST, SMTP |
What's the differenceOn SDKs, Prelude adds Node.js, Ruby; SMSAPI adds JavaScript, Bash; SMSAPI offers Sandbox / test env, while Prelude does not; on API types, SMSAPI adds SMTP.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | Prelude | SMSAPI |
|---|---|---|
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes |
| US data residency | No | No |
| Choose region | No | No |
| GDPR | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | Yes | Yes |
| SOC 2 | Yes | No |
| HIPAA | No | No |
What's the differencePrelude offers SOC 2, while SMSAPI does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | Prelude | SMSAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Retention policy | Not publicly documented in detail. Prelude is a European (Paris-based) company that hosts and processes data in EU data centers under GDPR, with SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001:2022 controls including encryption of data in transit and at rest. It states that only essential data is stored for delivery tracking, but specific message-content and metadata retention periods are not published on the site or trust center. | Messages are stored in accordance with applicable law and disclosed only when required by a lawful request; phone numbers are used solely for SMS campaign purposes. No specific retention period is publicly documented. All data is held within the EEA on two redundant data centers in Poland (ATMAN and T-Mobile, over 150 km apart). |
What's the differencePrelude: Not publicly documented in detail. Prelude is a European (Paris-based) company that hosts and processes data in EU data centers under GDPR, with SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001:2022 controls including encryption of data in transit and at rest. It states that only essential data is stored for delivery tracking, but specific message-content and metadata retention periods are not published on the site or trust center. SMSAPI: Messages are stored in accordance with applicable law and disclosed only when required by a lawful request; phone numbers are used solely for SMS campaign purposes. No specific retention period is publicly documented. All data is held within the EEA on two redundant data centers in Poland (ATMAN and T-Mobile, over 150 km apart).
Pricing & Credits
Pricing model and the cost of a first message.
| Field | Prelude | SMSAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay-as-you-go per-verification pricing plus at-cost (zero-markup) per-message charges, with optional Startup subscription and custom Enterprise tiers. | Pay-as-you-go prepaid credit — pay only for sent messages with no setup fee or contract; minimum top-up around €30. |
| SMS starting price | €0.0043 per SMS (US, at-cost); verification fee from €0.032 | From ~€0.04 per SMS (international, varies by destination country) |
| Free developer credit | No | Free test SMS on signup |
What's the differencePrelude and SMSAPI are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | Prelude | SMSAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 230 | 0 |
| Direct operator connections | Yes | No |
| Published uptime SLA | No published SLA | No published SLA |
What's the differencePrelude leads on Countries covered (230 vs 0 for SMSAPI); Prelude offers Direct operator connections, while SMSAPI does not.
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | Prelude | SMSAPI |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.9 | 0.0 |
| G2 reviews | 13 | 0 |
| Ownership | private | public |
| Employees | 51-200 | 51-200 |
What's the differencePrelude leads on G2 rating (4.9 vs 0 for SMSAPI); Prelude leads on G2 reviews (13 vs 0 for SMSAPI).
Still deciding? Read the quickstart guides: