# Smarsh Alternative: Flat Fee, No Lock-In, Native iMessage | Comma Comma captures WhatsApp, Signal, and iMessage natively — not via third-party infrastructure. No surprise fees, no archive lock-in. SEC and FINRA compliant. Source: https://commacompliance.com/compare/smarsh-alternative Last updated: 2026-04-18 --- Smarsh is one of the most recognized names in communications compliance. If you're evaluating Smarsh competitors or looking for a modern Smarsh alternative for SEC or FINRA compliance, this page compares Comma Compliance and Smarsh across capture, security, pricing, and exam readiness. ## At a Glance Smarsh is an enterprise platform built for large financial institutions. It acquired TeleMessage in 2024 to power its mobile capture: the same TeleMessage that was breached in May 2025 and has not resumed service. Comma Compliance is purpose-built for banks and broker-dealers with flat pricing, point-of-delivery capture, and open-source transparency on key capture modules. ## Side-by-Side Comparison | Feature | Comma Compliance | Smarsh | | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Architecture | End-to-end — capture, archive, supervision, policy matching, and exam-ready case management, with [open source transparency.](https://github.com/comma-compliance) | Modular capture, archive, supervision, and review workflows across multiple systems | | Built-in archive | Yes — included in platform. Option to push to 3rd party. | Yes | | WORM storage | Yes — written at point of capture | Yes | | iMessage capture method | [Point-of-delivery](/post/archive-imessage-for-sec-compliance) — not iCloud-dependent | iCloud backup-based | | WhatsApp capture | Yes: captures both [WhatsApp Business and personal WhatsApp.](/whatsapp-compliance-archiving) Open-source. | Via TeleMessage infrastructure as of 2026: services suspended as of 2025. | | Signal capture | Yes — open-source capture code published on GitHub | Via TeleMessage. | | Transparency | WhatsApp and Signal capture code published [openly on GitHub](https://github.com/comma-compliance) — no NDA, no request required | Proprietary; capture methodology not publicly disclosed | | Channels supported | [35+ channels](/platform-integrations) where conversations happen: iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, SMS, Voice, Microsoft 365, Teams, Exchange, OneDrive, Gmail, Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Webex, Bloomberg Chat, Salesforce, Telegram, and more | 80+ channels including email, mobile, social, voice, collaboration | | Pricing model | Flat monthly pricing, all platforms included. No per-connector fees, no storage overages, no export fees. [$33/user active, $15/user archival.](/pricing) | Not publicly listed; enterprise contract required; per-connector add-ons common; export fees may apply per contract | | Free trial | Yes | Not publically offered. | | Personal vs. business separation | Automatic contact-based filtering — personal contacts can be excluded automatically | Structural separation via separate compliant app, MDM containerization, or carrier-level capture | | Policy processing | Yes — built in | Yes — via enterprise platform | | Custom policy matching | Yes | Yes | | Case management | Exam-ready — built for regulatory examination prep | eDiscovery and litigation-oriented, integrating with 3rd party Vendors. | | AI compliance monitoring | Real-time policy scanning; human validation before escalation; no client data used for training without consent | "AI-powered supervision" | | Data ownership | Client retains full ownership; never sold or shared outside authorized sub-processors | Enterprise terms | | Infrastructure | AWS and Azure, multi-AZ clustering. | AWS-based | *Competitor feature descriptions reflect publicly available documentation and may not capture all capabilities. Information is reviewed periodically.* ## **When Smarsh may be a better fit** - Compliance programs built around legacy supervision and review workflows - Firms already standardized on Smarsh’s ecosystem or long-term contracts - Teams that require tight integration with eDiscovery platforms like Relativity ## **What Happened to Smarsh’s WhatsApp and Signal Capture** Smarsh acquired TeleMessage in February 2024 to power its WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram capture. In May 2025, TeleMessage was breached and suspended all services. A CVE was published confirming that archived messages were stored as plaintext despite end-to-end encryption claims. As of October 2025, the service remains non-functional, and new user registration is not possible. For firms evaluating Smarsh for WhatsApp or Signal archiving today, the status of that capability is a direct question worth asking before signing a contract ## **The iMessage Capture Problem** Smarsh captures iMessages via iCloud backups, requiring backup enabled, available storage, power, and a locked device. Messages are only archived after Apple’s daily backup runs, so edits or deletions beforehand are reflected in the archive. Comma captures at point of delivery, writing messages to WORM storage immediately with no dependency on iCloud.