Beam vs Linq

Beam supports 36 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	Beam	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedSent from Apple devices on dedicated business lines.	Supported
Group chats	Not listed	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	Not listed	SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo	Not listed	SupportedSet display_name and group_chat_icon on group chats.
Mentions	Not listed	SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks	SupportedSend or remove six tapbacks by API; inbound reactions show in the inbox.	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	Not listed	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	SupportedSend by API on existing iMessage conversations.	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	PartialSends read receipts; Beam does not report recipient-read status for outbound texts.	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	Not supportedDocs: cancelling never unsends; there is no edit endpoint.	PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects	Supported13 screen and bubble effects on blue bubbles, ignored on texts.	Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects	Not listed	Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers	Not listed	SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text	Not listedKnowledge base says bold and italics are supported, but the API takes plain text.	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	SupportedUp to 10 files on iMessage (images, video, PDF) and 3 on MMS, by public URL.	SupportedUp to 10MB by URL, 100MB with pre-upload.
Live Photos	Not listed	Not listed
Rich link previews	Not listed	Supportedlink parts render as rich previews on iMessage and RCS.
Voice messages	Not listed	SupportedDedicated voice memo endpoint renders the native iMessage voice bubble.
Contact cards	Not listed	SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls	Not listed	SupportedCreate, add options, vote and read tallies, with poll webhooks. Not as a chat's first message.
Chat backgrounds	Not listed	SupportedColor, animated or photo backgrounds, in direct and group chats.
Location sharing	Not listed	SupportedRequest, read and stop Find My shares. Live location is a $79/mo add-on on Pro.
iMessage apps	Not listed	SupportedPro plan. Cards from your own Messages extension, or Linq-hosted cards (Experiences).
Live app cards	Not listed	SupportedUpdate App Card replaces a delivered iMessage app or Experience card in place.
Sender name and photo	Not listedDocs mention setting a contact card, but no API or setup steps are documented.	SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, shared per chat via Name and Photo Sharing.
FaceTime calls	PartialFaceTime Audio only; routing is confirmed per line with the Beam team.	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	Supportedqueued, sent, delivered, failed, cancelled and no_channel.	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	SupportedSingle-number lookup plus list screening of up to 25,000 numbers.	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	SupportedBeam assigns dedicated lines; you do not manage hardware.	Supported
Dedicated numbers	SupportedLines are assigned by an operator after payment; area codes are preferences.	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 supportedFAQ: sends only from Beam-assigned business numbers, not a personal Apple ID.	Not listed
Line pooling	SupportedA pool of lines with each lead pinned to one number for life.	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	SupportedAutomatic text fallback; fallback after a failed iMessage is a workspace setting.	Supported
RCS fallback	SupportedAndroid recipients get RCS where phone and carrier support it, else SMS.	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedPaced by warm-up caps and business hours; replies in active threads are not capped.	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	SupportedInbound call routing and voice agents on Beam lines.	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	SupportedSMS and MMS lines, subject to carrier A2P rules.	Supported
RCS	SupportedSent from Android devices when the recipient's phone and carrier support it.	Supported
WhatsApp	Not supportedNot offered	BetaSeparate WhatsApp API in beta. Access by request, no SLA.
Telegram	Not supported	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Not supported	Not supported
Email	SupportedBeam Email: verified domains, mailboxes, a shared inbox and an email API.	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email handles.
Phone calls	SupportedInbound calls routed to your team or a voice agent; homepage offers SIP trunking on request.	PartialAPI does not place or answer calls; it forwards inbound calls. Calling lives in the Linq Blue app.
Apple Messages for Business	Not supportedBeam says it is not Apple Messages for Business.	Not listedAI context page mentions it, but no product page or docs were found.
Unified channel API	PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one send endpoint; email has its own endpoints.	PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one API. WhatsApp is a separate API with its own keys and SDKs.
Developer tools
REST API	SupportedWorkspace-key REST API with an OpenAPI 3.1 contract.	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Not listed	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	Not listed	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	Not listed	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Not listed	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	Supportedmessage.received, sent, failed, opt-out, booking and handoff events.	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedBeam-Signature header, HMAC-SHA256 over timestamp and raw body.	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	SupportedStreamable HTTP with scoped bearer tokens, plus a stdio bridge. OAuth-only clients not supported.	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	Not listed	PartialSDKs, CLI and adapters are Apache-2.0 or MIT on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	Not listed	Not supportedLinq describes itself as fully managed, in contrast to self-hosted options.
Local testing	PartialThe Playground rehearses the built-in assistant without sending; not for your own agent.	Not listedThe CLI streams webhooks locally, but tests still use a real phone.
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	PartialWebhooks are sent once with no retries; docs say to reconcile with history listing.	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	SupportedGoHighLevel inbox channel and Custom Webhook workflow sends.	SupportedLinq Blue works as a GoHighLevel messaging provider. No n8n, Make or Zapier found for the API.
CRM integrations	SupportedGoHighLevel contacts, calendars and inbox; other CRMs through the API and events.	SupportedVia Linq Blue: GoHighLevel, HubSpot and Salesforce.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialBuilt-in assistant (your OpenRouter key) that qualifies, books and hands off; no code framework.	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter and OpenClaw and Hermes plugins.
Agent framework integrations	Not listed	SupportedLinq-maintained Vercel Chat SDK adapter, plus OpenClaw and Hermes Agent plugins.
Streaming replies	Not listed	Not supportedDocs say the Chat SDK adapter buffers streams into one final message.
Agent group chats	Not listed	Not listed
Human handoff	SupportedTakeover per thread, thread assignment and assistant.handoff events.	Not listed
Audit logs	SupportedSettings records MCP tool calls; client views and price actions are audited.	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	SupportedFull conversation history per contact and message listing by API.	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	PartialFree preview workspace with demo data; nothing sends until a paid plan is active.	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	Not supportedBeam's site says it does not list prices; plans are shown in the app.	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	SupportedOne monthly price per number; Beam adds no per-message platform fee.	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not supportedTerms: provided as available, with no guarantee of uninterrupted availability.	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	PartialIsolated client workspaces with their own keys, numbers and team; lines are dedicated.	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

Which should you choose?

Choose Beam if you need FaceTime calls, email, local testing and human handoff.

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

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