AgentCall vs Linq

Compare AgentCall and Linq side by side: iMessage features, channels, developer tools, pricing and compliance, checked on each provider's own site.

AgentCall

Phone numbers, SMS and AI voice calls for AI agents
Starting price
$19.99/month (Pro) plus usage
Free plan
One-time 72-hour trial with one local number, 5 inbound AI minutes and 5 texts; card verification required

Linq

iMessage, RCS and SMS API with flat monthly pricing
Starting price
$260/month (Pro)
Free plan
Hobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, used through the CLI

AgentCall supports 19 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

FeatureAgentCallLinq
iMessage messaging
iMessage
Not supportedNo iMessage support
Supported
Group chats
Not supported
SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management
Not supported
SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo
Not supported
SupportedSet display_name and group_chat_icon on group chats.
Mentions
Not supported
SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks
Not supported
SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies
Not supported
Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators
Not supported
SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts
Not supported
SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend
Not supported
PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects
Not supported
Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects
Not supported
Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers
Not supported
SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text
Not supported
SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments
Not supported
SupportedUp to 10MB by URL, 100MB with pre-upload.
Live Photos
Not supported
Not listed
Rich link previews
Not supported
Supportedlink parts render as rich previews on iMessage and RCS.
Voice messages
Not supported
SupportedDedicated voice memo endpoint renders the native iMessage voice bubble.
Contact cards
Not supported
SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls
Not supported
SupportedCreate, add options, vote and read tallies, with poll webhooks. Not as a chat's first message.
Chat backgrounds
Not supported
SupportedColor, animated or photo backgrounds, in direct and group chats.
Location sharing
Not supported
SupportedRequest, read and stop Find My shares. Live location is a $79/mo add-on on Pro.
iMessage apps
Not supported
SupportedPro plan. Cards from your own Messages extension, or Linq-hosted cards (Experiences).
Live app cards
Not supported
SupportedUpdate App Card replaces a delivered iMessage app or Experience card in place.
Sender name and photo
Not supported
SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, shared per chat via Name and Photo Sharing.
FaceTime calls
Not supported
Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status
Not supported
Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check
Not supported
Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway
Not supported
Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines
Not supportedNo iMessage support
Supported
Dedicated numbers
SupportedUS and Canada local ($2/mo) and toll-free ($2.50/mo) numbers, one or more per agent.
SupportedPaid lines are dedicated. Provisioned by Linq, no self-serve number API.
Shared numbers
Not listed
SupportedFree Hobby tier uses a Shared Line, inbound-first, 20 contacts.
Bring your own number
Not listed
Not listed
Line pooling
Not listed
SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback
Not supportedNo iMessage support
Supported
RCS fallback
Not supported
SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging
PartialNew accounts reach only verified or prior contacts until business verification (Pro) or 7 days.
SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number
Not supportedNo iMessage support
PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS
PartialSMS only. The docs list MMS among features AgentCall does not have.
Supported
RCS
Not supportedNot offered
Supported
WhatsApp
Not supported
BetaSeparate WhatsApp API in beta. Access by request, no SLA.
Telegram
Not supported
Not supportedNot offered
Slack
Not supported
Not supported
Email
Not supportedNot offered as a channel. Email is used only for post-call summaries.
Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email handles.
Phone calls
SupportedInbound and outbound calls on the same numbers, plain or run by an AI voice agent.
PartialAPI does not place or answer calls; it forwards inbound calls. Calling lives in the Linq Blue app.
Apple Messages for Business
Not supportedNot offered
Not listedAI context page mentions it, but no product page or docs were found.
Unified channel API
PartialSMS and voice share one API, number and contact memory, through separate endpoints.
PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one API. WhatsApp is a separate API with its own keys and SDKs.
Developer tools
REST API
Supported
Supported
TypeScript SDK
SupportedOfficial Node.js SDK on npm (agentcall).
Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK
Not supportedThe FAQ names only a Node.js SDK; other languages call the REST API.
Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs
Not supported
SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI
Not listedNo CLI found. The site's CLI tab only adds the MCP server to Claude Code.
Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks
Supported
Supported
Signed webhooks
SupportedHMAC-SHA256 in the X-AgentCall-Signature header.
SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server
SupportedHosted MCP server with 62 tools and 5 prompts, also on npm as @agentcall/mcp-server.
Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source
Not supportedClosed platform. The Hermes bridge template is MIT-licensed on GitHub.
PartialSDKs, CLI and adapters are Apache-2.0 or MIT on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting
Not supportedHosted cloud service only
Not supportedLinq describes itself as fully managed, in contrast to self-hosted options.
Local testing
PartialAgents can text and call between their own AgentCall numbers, so tests need no physical phone.
Not listedThe CLI streams webhooks locally, but tests still use a real phone.
Custom channel providers
Not listed
Not listed
Event replay
PartialFailed webhook deliveries are retried with exponential backoff; the retry window is not stated.
PartialRetries for 30 minutes; after that, re-fetch chats or ask Linq for a manual replay.
OpenTelemetry
Not listed
PartialW3C trace IDs on every response and webhook for OTel backends. No export of Linq spans by default.
No-code integrations
Not listed
SupportedLinq Blue works as a GoHighLevel messaging provider. No n8n, Make or Zapier found for the API.
CRM integrations
Not listed
SupportedVia Linq Blue: GoHighLevel, HubSpot and Salesforce.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework
SupportedManaged AI for inbound and outbound calls and two-way SMS, with tool calls and caller memory.
PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter and OpenClaw and Hermes plugins.
Agent framework integrations
SupportedHermes Agent guide and bridge; OpenClaw auto-discovery and a ClawHub skill.
SupportedLinq-maintained Vercel Chat SDK adapter, plus OpenClaw and Hermes Agent plugins.
Streaming replies
PartialVoice only: AI calls run on OpenAI's Realtime voice API. Not documented for SMS.
Not supportedDocs say the Chat SDK adapter buffers streams into one final message.
Agent group chats
Not listed
Not listed
Human handoff
PartialVoice only: inbound AI calls transfer to a human number when the caller asks (transferTo).
Not listed
Audit logs
Not listed
SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API
SupportedSMS inbox, conversation threads, call list and transcripts by API.
Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan
PartialOne-time 72-hour trial: one number, 5 inbound AI minutes, 5 texts. Card verification required.
SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing
Supported
SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees
Not supportedBilled per message: $0.015 per outbound and $0.008 per inbound SMS.
Supported
Uptime SLA
Not listed
SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure
Not listedEach agent gets its own numbers; no dedicated infrastructure offer found.
SupportedDedicated lines across 4 data centers on paid plans; Hobby uses a shared line
SOC 2 Type II
Not listed
SupportedType I and Type II, reports for 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
GDPR
Not listed
SupportedDPA covers GDPR and UK GDPR, with Standard Contractual Clauses.

Checked on each provider's own site and docs on 2026-10-25. “Not listed” means the provider does not mention it.

Pricing

AgentCall

A one-time 72-hour trial, then Pro at $19.99 a month plus number rental and per-use charges for SMS and voice.

Pricing model: monthly base plus per number, per message and per minute

Source

Linq

Hobby is free with up to 20 contacts through the CLI, Pro starts at $260 a month with a 7-day free trial, and Enterprise is custom.

Pricing model: flat monthly, no per-message fees

Source

Which should you choose?

Choose AgentCall if you need local testing, streaming replies and human handoff.

Choose Linq if you need iMessage, group chats, group management and group name and photo.

Frequently asked questions