Google RCS for Business vs RCS-Box

Google RCS for Business lets brands send rich-media messages to customers on Android and iOS, including read receipts, analytics, and a Verified icon. Agents can send one-way notifications or support two-way conversations about transactions, customer service, promotions, and other business needs. Rich cards, media, and suggested interactions can guide users through conversations. Agents send messages through an API using HTTP requests with JSON payloads; configured webhooks deliver user messages and events. Agent logic can use a natural language understanding module such as Dialogflow to choose responses. Google lists one-time password, transactional, promotional, and multi-use agent categories, with rules that may vary by country. Businesses typically work with messaging partners to build and maintain agents, and launches require brand verification and approval by Google, carriers, or both. Carriers set rates through their rate cards; billing methods differ for conversational and non-conversational messages, and no fixed public price is listed. Unsupported devices receive a 404 response, so agents should use another channel such as SMS. RBM does not provide end-to-end encryption, and Google says it is not HIPAA compliant.

RCS-Box is a multi-tenant API for Google RCS Business Messaging, with EU hosting and a German contract partner. It supports text with suggestions, rich cards, carousels, XL messages, and automatic video and image unfurling. Webhooks can deliver incoming messages and opt-in or opt-out events; forwarded webhooks carry an HMAC-SHA256 signature calculated with the tenant API key. Each tenant has a dedicated key and brand-level isolation, plus a configurable country allowlist that defaults to Germany with the +49 prefix. The API manages STOP and START blacklist status per agent. Plans can use standard or newsletter mode, with newsletter billing based on active recipients per month. XL messages are available in all plans from Skizze and count as one conversation. The Free plan costs nothing and includes 100 sessions per calendar month. Skizze costs €49 a month, Atelier €249 a month, and Manufaktur €999 a month. The API is presented for development teams and technology leaders in startups, scale-ups, and enterprise technology units.