--- title: "DSA vs DMA" canonical_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/dsa-vs-dma" source_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/dsa-vs-dma" author: "Sorena AI" description: "A practical comparison of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065) and the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA." published_at: "2026-02-21" updated_at: "2026-02-21" keywords: - "DSA vs DMA" - "Digital Services Act vs Digital Markets Act" - "DSA compliance" - "DMA gatekeeper compliance" - "EU platform regulation" - "VLOP vs gatekeeper" - "EU digital regulation comparison" - "EU compliance" - "online platforms" - "gatekeepers" - "transparency" --- **[SORENA](https://www.sorena.io/)** - AI-Powered GRC Platform [Home](https://www.sorena.io/) | [Solutions](https://www.sorena.io/solutions) | [Artifacts](https://www.sorena.io/artifacts) | [About Us](https://www.sorena.io/about-us) | [Contact](https://www.sorena.io/contact) | [Portal](https://app.sorena.io) --- # DSA vs DMA A practical comparison of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065) and the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA. *Comparison* *EU* ## 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. 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. ## 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?" *Recommended next step* *Placement: after the comparison section* ## Use EU Platform Regulation DSA vs DMA as a cited research workflow Research Copilot can take EU Platform Regulation DSA vs DMA from how this topic compares with adjacent regulations or standards to a reusable workflow inside Sorena. Teams working on EU Platform Regulation can keep owners, evidence, and next steps aligned without copying this guide into separate documents. - [Open Research Copilot for EU Platform Regulation DSA vs DMA](/solutions/research-copilot.md): Start from EU Platform Regulation DSA vs DMA and answer scope, timing, and interpretation questions with cited outputs. - [Talk through EU Platform Regulation](/contact.md): Review your current process, evidence gaps, and next steps for EU Platform Regulation DSA vs DMA. ## 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). ## 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. ## 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. ## How to run both programs without duplicating work (recommended model) Treat DSA and DMA as two programs with shared governance and separate requirement matrices. Share the evidence platform: logging, change tracking, and reporting close procedures. - Create two matrices: DSA (workflow/reporting obligations) and DMA (behavioral/market obligations). - Use one governance layer: quarterly reviews, release gating for high-risk product changes, and a single evidence repository. - Keep separate owners: trust & safety (DSA) vs competition/commercial governance (DMA), with a shared platform engineering owner for tooling. ## Primary sources - [European Commission - The Digital Services Act (overview)](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act?ref=sorena.io) - Commission overview notes that the DSA and DMA complement each other and covers service types regulated by the DSA. - [Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act) - Official Journal](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Primary DSA legal text for obligations and VLOP/VLOSE tier. - [Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act) - Official Journal](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/1925/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Primary DMA legal text for gatekeeper obligations. ## Related Topic Guides - [DSA Ads & Recommender Systems | Article 26, 27, 38 & 39 Compliance](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/ads-and-recommender-systems.md): A deep compliance guide for DSA advertising and recommender system obligations: ad transparency (Article 26), recommender system transparency (Article 27). - [DSA Applicability Test | Is the EU Digital Services Act Applicable to You?](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/applicability-test.md): A step-by-step applicability test for the EU Digital Services Act (DSA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065): EU offering triggers. - [DSA Enforcement & Investigations | DSCs, Commission Powers, Audits & Procedures](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/enforcement-penalties-and-investigations.md): A practical guide to DSA enforcement (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065): how Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs) supervise services. - [DSA Notice & Action Workflow | Article 16 Requirements + Templates](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/notice-and-action-workflow.md): A deep implementation guide for DSA notice & action (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, Article 16): intake design, required notice elements. - [DSA Penalties & Fines | Digital Services Act Enforcement Exposure (6% / 1% / 5%)](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/penalties-and-fines.md): How DSA penalties work under Regulation (EU) 2022/2065. - [DSA Transparency Report Template | Article 15 + Article 24 + VLOP Article 42](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/dsa-transparency-report-template.md): Copy and paste ready DSA transparency report template aligned to Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2835. - [DSA Transparency Reporting | Articles 15, 24 & 42 Reporting Requirements](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/transparency-reporting.md): A practical guide to EU Digital Services Act transparency reporting: what to publish for Article 15, what to add for Article 24. - [DSA vs UK Online Safety Act | EU vs UK Online Safety Compliance](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/dsa-vs-uk-online-safety-act.md): A practical comparison of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065) and the UK Online Safety Act: scope (EU recipients vs UK users). - [EU Digital Services Act (DSA) Requirements | Obligations by Service Type & Tier](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/requirements.md): A practical breakdown of DSA requirements (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065): obligations for intermediary services, hosting services, online platforms. - [EU DSA Checklist | Digital Services Act Compliance Checklist (Audit-Ready)](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/checklist.md): An audit-ready EU Digital Services Act (DSA) compliance checklist for Regulation (EU) 2022/2065: scope memo, terms transparency. - [EU DSA Compliance Guide | Digital Services Act Implementation Playbook](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/compliance.md): A practical EU Digital Services Act (DSA) compliance guide for Regulation (EU) 2022/2065: scope memo and tiering. - [EU DSA Deadlines & Compliance Calendar | Key Dates, Cadence and Milestones](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/deadlines-and-compliance-calendar.md): A DSA compliance calendar for Regulation (EU) 2022/2065: entry into force, general applicability, Digital Services Coordinator designation, Article 15, 24. - [EU DSA FAQ | Digital Services Act Questions & Answers (Practical)](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/faq.md): Practical answers to the most searched EU Digital Services Act (DSA) questions: who is in scope, what "hosting" and "online platform" mean. - [EU DSA Service Types & Scope | Hosting vs Platform vs Marketplace](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/service-types-and-scope.md): How to classify your service under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065): intermediary service types (mere conduit, caching, hosting). - [VLOP/VLOSE Systemic Risk Assessment (DSA) | Articles 34-36 + Mitigation](/artifacts/eu/digital-services-act/risk-assessments-and-mitigation.md): A deep guide to DSA systemic risk management for VLOPs/VLOSEs: how to run the Article 34 systemic risk assessment (risk categories, frequency. --- [Privacy Policy](https://www.sorena.io/privacy) | [Terms of Use](https://www.sorena.io/terms-of-use) | [DMCA](https://www.sorena.io/dmca) | [About Us](https://www.sorena.io/about-us) (c) 2026 Sorena AB (559573-7338). 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