ComparisonEU

EU Platform Regulation DSA vs DMA

DSA is about online safety, transparency and systemic risk. DMA is about competition and gatekeepers.

Use this page to align owners, controls and evidence across both programs.

Author
Sorena AI
Published
Feb 21, 2026
Updated
Feb 21, 2026
Sections
5

Structured answer sets in this page tree.

Primary sources
3

Cited legal and guidance references.

Publication metadata
Sorena AI
Published Feb 21, 2026
Updated Feb 21, 2026
Overview

Teams often confuse the DSA and DMA because both target large platforms and both affect product design. They have different objectives and different "compliance objects": DSA regulates how intermediary services and platforms handle content, transparency and systemic risks; DMA regulates designated gatekeepers and how they behave in markets. This comparison focuses on what changes operationally for teams building controls and evidence.

Section 1

One-line difference (high-signal summary)

DSA (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065): online safety and accountability - content moderation transparency, notice & action, user redress, advertising transparency, recommender transparency, and systemic risk programs for VLOPs/VLOSEs.

DMA (Regulation (EU) 2022/1925): competition and contestability - obligations for designated gatekeepers to prevent unfair practices and ensure fair market access.

  • DSA asks: "How do you make the online environment safer and more transparent?"
  • DMA asks: "Are you a gatekeeper and do you abuse market power or restrict competition?"
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Section 2

Who is in scope (DSA tiers vs DMA gatekeepers)

DSA scope is layered by service type (intermediary/hosting/platform/marketplace/search) with an extra tier for VLOPs/VLOSEs based on AMAR thresholds and designation decisions.

DMA scope is based on gatekeeper designation criteria and applies to core platform services.

  • DSA "large tier": VLOP/VLOSE designation (Article 33) and systemic risk obligations (Articles 34-39, 42).
  • DMA: gatekeeper designation and obligations tied to core platform services (e.g., app stores, search engines, social networks, advertising services).
Section 3

What the programs look like operationally (controls + artifacts)

DSA compliance tends to be workflow- and reporting-heavy: you build notice intake, decision explainability, transparency reporting pipelines, and (for VLOPs) risk and audit cycles.

DMA compliance tends to be product and business rule constraints: do/don't obligations, technical interfaces, and governance to prevent prohibited behaviors.

  • DSA artifacts: notice & action workflow spec, statement-of-reasons schema, transparency report templates, AMAR methodology memo, VLOP risk assessment and audit pack.
  • DMA artifacts: obligation mapping by core platform service, technical interface design decisions, monitoring and exception approvals, and evidence of non-discriminatory treatment.
Section 4

Overlap areas (where teams can share evidence and tooling)

Some product surfaces are touched by both laws even though objectives differ.

Sharing tooling can reduce compliance cost if you design for reuse.

  • Ads and transparency: DSA has explicit ad transparency duties; DMA can affect ad-tech behaviors and access/terms in gatekeeper ecosystems.
  • Ranking/recommenders: DSA requires transparency and user options; DMA can constrain self-preferencing and access conditions.
  • Governance and auditability: both benefit from structured decision logs, change management and an evidence pack.
Primary sources

References and citations

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