Apple Messages for Business vs BlueBubbles

Apple Messages for Business supports 19 of the 77 features compared here, and BlueBubbles supports 45.

Feature comparison

Feature	Apple Messages for Business	BlueBubbles
iMessage messaging
iMessage	PartialBusiness chats inside Apple Messages, not person-to-person iMessage from a number	SupportedRuns on your own Mac (or macOS VM) signed in to iMessage
Group chats	Not supportedGroup chat with a business is not supported	SupportedSend and receive by chat GUID
Group management	Not supported	SupportedCreate groups, add and remove members; Private API (SIP disabled)
Group name and photo	Not supported	SupportedRename and set group photo (macOS 11+); Private API (SIP disabled)
Mentions	Not supported	SupportedMention parts in multipart messages; Private API (SIP disabled)
Tapbacks	PartialCustomer tapbacks arrive as text; business-sent tapbacks not documented	SupportedReceiving works without it; sending needs the Private API (SIP disabled)
Threaded replies	Not listed	SupportedReply by message GUID and part; Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 11+
Typing indicators	SupportedBoth directions	SupportedSend and receive; Private API (SIP disabled)
Read receipts	Not supportedNot among the message types Apple sends to MSPs	SupportedReceive delivered and read receipts; marking chats read needs the Private API
Edit and unsend	Not listed	SupportedPrivate API (SIP disabled), macOS 13+
Message effects	Not listed	SupportedBubble and screen effects via effectId; Private API (SIP disabled)
Animated text effects	Not listed	Not listed
Stickers	PartialReceive only: customer sticker reactions arrive as text plus an image	BetaReceiving works today; sending and placing is Pro for the unreleased 2.x server
Formatted text	Not listed	BetaBold, italic, underline, strikethrough in unreleased code; macOS 15+, Private API
Attachments	SupportedFiles up to 100MB, encrypted before upload	Supported
Live Photos	Not listed	PartialReceived Live Photos can be downloaded; sending is not documented
Rich link previews	SupportedRich Link messages with image, title and inline video; required for MSPs	SupportedSending rich links needs the Private API (SIP disabled)
Voice messages	Not listed	SupportedisAudioMessage flag sends a waveform voice message
Contact cards	Not listed	Not listed
Polls	Not listedNot documented; List Pickers, Quick Replies and Forms handle choices	BetaBlueBubbles Pro for the unreleased 2.x server, macOS 26+; not in a public release
Chat backgrounds	Not listed	Beta
Location sharing	Not listed	PartialReads Find My device and friend locations; no in-chat location sharing documented
iMessage apps	SupportedCustom iMessage app and App Extension messages	PartialReceives Digital Touch and handwriting previews; sending app bubbles not documented
Live app cards	Not listediMessage app messages take a session ID and Live Layout flag; in-place updates not described	Not listed
Sender name and photo	SupportedVerified brand name and square logo set in Apple Business Register	SupportedShare your iCloud contact card with a chat; Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 11+
FaceTime calls	Not listed	SupportedStart, answer and leave calls via FaceTime links; Private API. Pricing page moves it to 2.x Pro
Delivery status	PartialSends return HTTP status codes; no delivered or read events	SupportedWebhooks for message updates (delivered, read) and message errors
iMessage availability check	Not listedMSPs get a device capability list, but no iMessage reachability check	SupportediMessage and FaceTime availability by address; Private API (SIP disabled)
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	SupportedRead a contact's Focus status and notify for silenced messages; Private API, macOS 12+
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	Not supportedNo phone lines; brands get an Apple-assigned Business ID	Not supportedYou run your own Mac or macOS VM
Dedicated numbers	Not supportedBusiness accounts don't use phone numbers	Not supportedNot offered; uses your own Apple ID
Shared numbers	Not supported	Not supported
Bring your own number	Not supportedRegistered business numbers only power Message Suggest; nothing is sent from them	SupportedYour own Apple ID; a phone number can be linked to it
Line pooling	Not supportedBusiness accounts don't use phone numbers	Not listed
SMS fallback	PartialApple expects MSPs to fall back to SMS when an invitation can't be delivered	Not listedNot documented; FAQ says SMS is unsupported, the fit quiz says forwarded texts work
RCS fallback	Not listed	Not listed
Outbound-first messaging	PartialApple-approved template invitations to opted-in numbers only; iOS 18+	SupportedCreate DMs; new group chats need the Private API
Calls on the iMessage number	Not supportedBusiness accounts don't use phone numbers	PartialFaceTime only, via links on the same Apple ID (Private API); no phone calls
Other channels
SMS	Not supportedNot offered by Apple; MSPs may add other channels	PartialOnly via Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone; FAQ still says SMS is not supported
RCS	Not supported	PartialOnly via Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone on the same Apple ID
WhatsApp	Not supported	Not supportedNot offered
Telegram	Not supported	Not supported
Slack	Not supported	Not supported
Email	Not supported	Not supported
Phone calls	Not supportedNot offered; Message Suggest offers a chat instead of a call	Not supportedNot offered; FaceTime only
Apple Messages for Business	SupportedThis is Apple's channel itself	Not supportedNot offered
Unified channel API	Not supportedSingle channel	PartialForwarded SMS and RCS land in the same chat API as iMessage; no other channels
Developer tools
REST API	PartialREST API for Apple-approved MSPs only; brands connect through an MSP	SupportedServer password passed as a query parameter
TypeScript SDK	Not listed	Not supportedNo official SDK; docs list only a community Java wrapper
Python SDK	Not listed	Not supported
Other SDKs	Not listed	PartialCommunity Java wrapper (blueify) listed in the docs; not official
CLI	Not listed	Not listed
Webhooks	PartialApple posts inbound messages to the MSP's endpoint; MSPs only	SupportedNew messages, updates, errors, group changes, typing and more (server 1.0+)
Signed webhooks	SupportedEvery request carries an HS256-signed JWT	Not supportedWebhooks are plain JSON POSTs with no signature header
MCP server	Not listed	PartialCommunity MCP server listed by BlueBubbles; not maintained by the team
Open source	Not supportedApple-run proprietary service	SupportedApache-2.0 (server, clients and Private API helper)
Self-hosting	Not supportedBots must connect through an Apple-approved MSP, not directly	SupportedSelf-hosted only
Local testing	Not listedTesting uses internal test accounts on real Apple devices	Not listed
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	PartialApple retries only 5xx deliveries, 4 times with backoff from 100ms	PartialCatch up by querying messages after a timestamp; 1.9.9 webhooks are not retried
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	Not listed	PartialOfficial n8n node, manual install, last updated 2022
CRM integrations	PartialThrough MSPs, which integrate CRMs and other back-end systems	Not listed
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	Not listed	Not listed
Agent framework integrations	Not supportedBots must connect through an Apple-approved MSP	Not listedOnly community projects are listed, such as a ChatGPT agent and Clawdbot
Streaming replies	Not listed	Not listed
Agent group chats	Not supportedGroup chat with a business is not supported	Not listed
Human handoff	SupportedA live agent path is mandatory; bot-only deployments are not approved	Not listed
Audit logs	Not listed	Not listed
Message history API	Not listed	SupportedQuery messages and chats straight from the Mac's Messages database
Plans and compliance
Free plan	PartialApple charges nothing; MSPs charge for their platforms	SupportedFree, open-source software
Public pricing	Not supportedCost depends on the MSP; Apple's part is free	SupportedPro: $3/month, $30/year or $55 lifetime
No per-message fees	Not listedApple charges nothing; MSP pricing models vary	SupportedFree; optional flat Pro subscription
Uptime SLA	Not listed	Not supportedApache-2.0 software provided without warranty; uptime depends on your Mac
Isolated infrastructure	Not listed	SupportedRuns entirely on your own Mac
SOC 2 Type II	Not listed	Not listedSelf-hosted; compliance is up to whoever runs the Mac
GDPR	Not listed	Not listed

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

Pricing

Which should you choose?

Choose Apple Messages for Business if you need SMS fallback, Apple Messages for Business, signed webhooks and CRM integrations.

Choose BlueBubbles if you need group chats, group management, group name and photo and mentions.

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