Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | Prelude | smsmode |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | French A2P mobile messaging platform (published by Calade Technologies) providing SMS, RCS, WhatsApp and text-to-speech APIs with data hosted in France. |
| Founded | 2022 | 2004 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 51-200 | 11-50 |
| HQ city | Paris | Marseille |
| HQ country | France (EU) | France (EU) |
What's the differencePrelude edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (62 vs 53). Prelude is private and headquartered in Paris, France (EU); smsmode is private and based in Marseille, France (EU).
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | Prelude | smsmode |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | No | No |
| 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.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | Prelude | smsmode |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| Free developer credit | No | 20 free test SMS credits |
| Docs quality | high | high |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | Node.js, Python, Go, Java, Ruby, PHP, C# | TypeScript/Node.js |
| Sandbox / test env | No | No |
| API types | REST | REST, SMPP, SMTP, SFTP |
What's the differenceOn SDKs, Prelude adds Node.js, Python, Go, Java, Ruby, PHP, C#; smsmode adds TypeScript/Node.js; on API types, smsmode adds SMPP, SMTP, SFTP.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | Prelude | smsmode |
|---|---|---|
| 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 smsmode does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | Prelude | smsmode |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Data transiting the platform is stored encrypted on servers in France (two ISO 27001-certified data centers: Interxion MRS1 in Marseille and Scaleway DC4 in Paris) and is automatically deleted after 6 months; the retention period can be shortened on request, including deletion of message content immediately after sending. smsmode states data is never transferred outside the EU, and an optional HDS-certified hosting tier is available for health data. |
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. smsmode: Data transiting the platform is stored encrypted on servers in France (two ISO 27001-certified data centers: Interxion MRS1 in Marseille and Scaleway DC4 in Paris) and is automatically deleted after 6 months; the retention period can be shortened on request, including deletion of message content immediately after sending. smsmode states data is never transferred outside the EU, and an optional HDS-certified hosting tier is available for health data.
Pricing & Credits
Pricing model and the cost of a first message.
| Field | Prelude | smsmode |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Prepaid pay-as-you-go credits with sliding-scale volume rates (SMS packs from 1,000 to 100,000), plus optional monthly subscription plans (€9-€499/month) billed on consumption. |
| SMS starting price | €0.0043 per SMS (US, at-cost); verification fee from €0.032 | France rates from €0.0610 excl. VAT per SMS on the 1,000-SMS pack down to €0.0450 on the largest prepaid pack (€0.0421 on the Premium subscription); rates vary by destination. |
| Free developer credit | No | 20 free test SMS credits |
What's the differencePrelude and smsmode are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | Prelude | smsmode |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 230 | 166 |
| Direct operator connections | Yes | Yes |
| Published uptime SLA | No published SLA | 99.9% monthly platform availability (SLA); 99.95% claimed for SMPP routing |
What's the differencePrelude leads on Countries covered (230 vs 166 for smsmode).
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | Prelude | smsmode |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.9 | 0.0 |
| G2 reviews | 13 | 0 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 51-200 | 11-50 |
What's the differencePrelude leads on G2 rating (4.9 vs 0 for smsmode); Prelude leads on G2 reviews (13 vs 0 for smsmode).
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