Ozeki SMS Gateway vs playSMS

Ozeki SMS Gateway is on-premises software for businesses that send SMS from an office, automate messaging, or provide SMS services to customers. It sends and receives messages through modems, Android phones, and protocols including SMPP, UCP/EMI, CIMD2, OZX, HTTP/REST, SIP, and Modbus/SNMP. Routing options include least-cost and backup routing, load balancing, copying, and modifying messages. Applications can connect through REST, SOAP, JSON, WebSocket, SDKs, SQL polling, and integrations such as databases, Excel, email, FTP, and text files. The gateway can run on physical or virtual servers, cloud platforms, or an Android phone. Listed security controls include HTTPS, TLS/SSL for supported protocols, encrypted password storage, and logs that can hide phone numbers and message text. A free trial is available, but there is no free plan. Licenses are one-time purchases; listed plans range from €1,490, paid once to €79,990, paid once. SMS provider charges may also apply.

playSMS is free, open-source SMS management software with a web interface for gateways and bulk SMS services. It sends individual or bulk text, flash, and Unicode messages, and receives private SMS that can be forwarded to email or mobile phones or routed to users and URLs. Built-in tools include automatic replies, polls, quizzes, subscriptions, SMS-to-email, and email-to-SMS through mailbox polling. It connects with Gammu, Kannel, SMS Server Tools, Jasmin, Playnet, Uplink, and several SMS providers. Web services support sending, delivery reports, credit checks, and other operations. Plugins can add features, themes, tools, and gateway modules. Routing can use prefixes or users, with destination-based rating and per-user credits. The project reports one user tested 200,000 SMS per day. playSMS itself cannot send or receive messages without a separate gateway application or service. It is available for Android, Linux, self-hosting, web, and API use under GPLv3 or later, without warranty.