Comparison
Overview
Company snapshot and where each provider is based.
| Field | SendPulse | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Multi-channel marketing and messaging platform offering email, SMS, web push, and chatbots (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Facebook Messenger, Instagram) through a unified interface and REST API. | Belgian business-messaging platform by Xtreme Internet Solutions offering an SMS gateway API, bulk SMS marketing software, WhatsApp Business API, voice messages and email-to-SMS with EU-only hosting. |
| Founded | 2015 | 2004 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 51-200 | 1-10 |
| HQ city | New York | Dilsen-Stokkem |
| HQ country | USA | Belgium (EU) |
What's the differenceSendPulse edges ahead on the overall messaging.dev Score (63 vs 56). SendPulse is private and headquartered in New York, USA; Smstools is private and based in Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium (EU).
Channels
Which messaging channels each provider can send and receive on.
| Field | SendPulse | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | Yes | Yes |
| MMS | No | No |
| RCS | No | No |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Viber | Yes | No |
| Facebook Messenger | Yes | No |
| Telegram | Yes | No |
| Apple Messages for Business | No | No |
| Voice | No | Yes |
| Yes | No |
What's the differenceThey share 2 channels. SendPulse additionally offers Viber, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Email, while Smstools additionally offers Voice.
Developer Experience
How quickly a developer can sign up and send a first message.
| Field | SendPulse | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| Free developer credit | Free plan (15,000 emails/mo) + 10 test SMS | Free test credit on sign-up |
| Docs quality | high | high |
| Documentation | Open ↗ | Open ↗ |
| SDKs | PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, Node.js, C# | PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, PowerShell |
| Sandbox / test env | No | Yes |
| API types | REST, SMTP | REST, SMTP |
What's the differenceOn SDKs, SendPulse adds Java, C#; Smstools adds PowerShell; Smstools offers Sandbox / test env, while SendPulse does not.
Data & Compliance
Data residency options and enterprise compliance certifications.
| Field | SendPulse | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes |
| US data residency | Yes | No |
| Choose region | No | No |
| GDPR | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | No | No |
| SOC 2 | No | No |
| HIPAA | No | No |
What's the differenceSendPulse offers US data residency, while Smstools does not.
Data Retention
How long message content and metadata are stored, and whether that is configurable.
| Field | SendPulse | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Retention policy | Personal data is retained for as long as needed to provide the services or to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. Servers are located in the United States and Germany with redundant, backed-up storage; under GDPR users can access, export, or request deletion of their data, and all account data is permanently deleted when an account is terminated. | Not publicly documented in detail. Smstools states all data is stored on servers located in Europe under GDPR-compliant processes, with AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit, and a Data Processing Agreement is available on request, but no specific message content/metadata retention periods are published. |
What's the differenceSendPulse: Personal data is retained for as long as needed to provide the services or to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. Servers are located in the United States and Germany with redundant, backed-up storage; under GDPR users can access, export, or request deletion of their data, and all account data is permanently deleted when an account is terminated. Smstools: Not publicly documented in detail. Smstools states all data is stored on servers located in Europe under GDPR-compliant processes, with AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit, and a Data Processing Agreement is available on request, but no specific message content/metadata retention periods are published.
Pricing & Credits
Pricing model and the cost of a first message.
| Field | SendPulse | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay-as-you-go for SMS (priced per message by destination country); free-forever plan plus paid monthly subscription tiers for email and other channels. | Pay-as-you-go per message with volume discounts; no subscription, setup fee or monthly minimum, with a personalised rate sheet issued on registration. |
| SMS starting price | €0.01 per SMS (e.g. Colombia, Turkey) | From €0.025 per SMS to the USA (rates vary by destination country and volume) |
| Free developer credit | Free plan (15,000 emails/mo) + 10 test SMS | Free test credit on sign-up |
What's the differenceSendPulse and Smstools are closely matched on pricing & credits — no material differences in the tracked fields.
Reach & Reliability
Global coverage and delivery dependability.
| Field | SendPulse | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered | 200 | 200 |
| Direct operator connections | No | Yes |
| Published uptime SLA | No published SLA | 99.99% (uptime SLA) |
What's the differenceSmstools offers Direct operator connections, while SendPulse does not.
Company & Trust
Independent reviews and company profile.
| Field | SendPulse | Smstools |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.6 | 0.0 |
| G2 reviews | 714 | 0 |
| Ownership | private | private |
| Employees | 51-200 | 1-10 |
What's the differenceSendPulse leads on G2 rating (4.6 vs 0 for Smstools); SendPulse leads on G2 reviews (714 vs 0 for Smstools).
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