BulkGate vs simhook

BulkGate is an SMS gateway for businesses sending and receiving messages for campaigns, notifications, and verification codes. Its toolkit includes bulk SMS, automated notifications, OTP verification, two-way messaging, and SMS with landing pages. BulkGate says the gateway connects to mobile networks in more than 200 countries. Delivery features include direct carrier connections, smart routing, real-time tracking, automatic retries, and delivery reports. Businesses can connect through a REST API, web portal, or ready-made plugins. Listed integrations include WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Shoptet, OpenCart, Magento, Zapier, Make, and Drupal; API materials include a sandbox and code samples in multiple languages. The SMS service uses pay-as-you-go pricing without setup fees or monthly commitments, and the maker says purchased credits have unlimited validity subject to terms. The listed United Kingdom rate is €0.03, paid once, billed at €0.0301 per SMS excluding VAT; rates vary by country, operator, and volume. Android Mobile Connect requires an active phone, is supported on Android 9 and above, and may delay or fail to send when the device enters sleep mode.

SimHook turns an Android phone with a SIM into an SMS gateway and API for sending and receiving texts. API messages travel through the paired phone, while incoming texts can be forwarded as webhooks. Signed webhooks report sent, delivered, and failed status changes; they are retried for two days and paused if an endpoint keeps failing. The service also supports scheduled sends, multiple recipients, and dual-SIM phones, with a SIM selectable for each message. Its TypeScript SDK supports Node and edge runtimes, and an MCP server provides eight tools for AI agents. API keys can be limited by scope, including a send-only option. The Android app requires Android 8.0 or newer and is distributed as a signed APK. The full stack can be self-hosted from one Compose file under AGPL-3.0, which the maker says is free without limits. Hosted accounts are currently on Free; listed paid plans open soon. The maker says the service is not for bulk marketing or unsolicited texts.