Bird vs Blooio

Bird supports 36 of the 77 features compared here, and Blooio supports 60.

Feature comparison

Feature	Bird	Blooio
iMessage messaging
iMessage	Not supportedNo iMessage support	Supported
Group chats	Not supported	Supported
Group management	Not supported	PartialCreate groups by API. Adding or removing members is marked coming soon (returns 501).
Group name and photo	Not supported	SupportedRename groups and set or remove group icons.
Mentions	Not supported	Not listedA guide index lists mentions, but no mention field is documented.
Tapbacks	Not supported	SupportedAdd or remove tapbacks on any message; inbound reactions arrive as message.reaction events.
Threaded replies	Not supported	Supportedreply_to on sends.
Typing indicators	Not supported	SupportedSend, and receive typing.started and typing.stopped events.
Read receipts	Not supported	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read events.
Edit and unsend	Not supported	Not listed
Message effects	Not supported	Supportedeffect field on text sends.
Animated text effects	Not supported	Not listed
Stickers	Not supported	Not listed
Formatted text	Not supported	SupportedMarkdown bold, italic, underline and strikethrough sent as iMessage rich text.
Attachments	Not supported	Supported
Live Photos	Not supported	Not listed
Rich link previews	Not supported	Supportedrich_link bubbles with image and title overrides.
Voice messages	Not supported	SupportedA single audio file is sent as a native voice memo.
Contact cards	Not supported	Not listedAttachments accept other files, but .vcf is not named. Name and Photo cards are documented.
Polls	Not supported	SupportedSend, vote and read results, with poll webhooks.
Chat backgrounds	Not supported	SupportedImage backgrounds only.
Location sharing	Not supported	PartialReads Find My locations of contacts already sharing. Location access is provisioned on request.
iMessage apps	Not supported	SupportedCustom bubbles for your own iMessage app extension, sent and received.
Live app cards	Not supported	Not supportedDocs say a send cannot continue an app session; each bubble starts a new one.
Sender name and photo	Not supported	SupportedSet name and avatar per number and share the card into a chat.
FaceTime calls	Not supported	PartialOn request for dedicated lines. Docs say the FaceTime API is disabled for now (returns 501).
Delivery status	Not supported	Supported
iMessage availability check	Not supported	SupportedLive per-number iMessage, SMS and RCS capability lookup.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not supported	SupportedRead a contact's Focus status and send Notify Anyway. Direct chats only.
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	Not supportedNo iMessage support	SupportedPre-warmed numbers claimed self-serve from the dashboard.
Dedicated numbers	SupportedLocal, mobile, toll-free and short code numbers by country	Supported
Shared numbers	SupportedBird-managed shared short codes; built-in SMS templates pick the sender	SupportedStarter and Commercial Shared use managed shared pools.
Bring your own number	PartialWhatsApp coexistence and verified voice caller IDs only; no hosted SMS found	PartialiMessage only by porting on dedicated plans. Your own Twilio number can carry SMS.
Line pooling	Not supportedNo sender pool; the sender is set per send	SupportedNumber pools and channel priorities; a contact keeps one number in a pool.
SMS fallback	Not supportedNo iMessage support; RCS and push can fall back to SMS	Supported
RCS fallback	Not supportedNo iMessage support	Supported
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedBusiness-initiated SMS; WhatsApp needs approved templates	SupportedShared plans cap new conversations per day. Inbound plan is reply-only.
Calls on the iMessage number	Not supportedNo iMessage support	SupportedVoice calling and call forwarding on Commercial and Enterprise Dedicated lines.
Other channels
SMS	PartialSMS only in the API; outbound MMS not supported yet (media_urls reserved)	SupportedFrom the iMessage line, or through your own Twilio account.
RCS	BetaPrivate beta with limited access	SupportedRCS fallback on numbers, plus an RCS for Business channel type.
WhatsApp	Supported	SupportedWhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) on the v4 API.
Telegram	PartialVerify one-time passcodes only, through Telegram Gateway	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Not listed	Not supported
Email	SupportedIncludes the SparkPost email platform	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to email handles.
Phone calls	SupportedVoice over SIP trunks, with call sequences	PartialVoice calling and forwarding on dedicated plans. No calling API documented.
Apple Messages for Business	Supported	SupportedBlooio says it is an official Apple Messages for Business MSP.
Unified channel API	PartialOne REST API and SDK, but each channel has its own send endpoint and payload	Supportedv4 API covers iMessage, SMS, RCS, WhatsApp and Apple Messages for Business.
Developer tools
REST API	Supported	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Supported@messagebird/sdk on npm	Supported@blooio/sdk
Python SDK	Supportedmessagebird-sdk on PyPI	Supportedblooio on PyPI.
Other SDKs	SupportedGo and PHP; Swift and Kotlin clients for Realtime only	SupportedGo and Java SDKs.
CLI	Supportedbird CLI with JSON output, also runs the MCP server locally	Not listed
Webhooks	Supported	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedStandard Webhooks, HMAC-SHA256	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 with timestamp, rotatable secrets and delivery replay.
MCP server	SupportedHosted at mcp.bird.com with OAuth, or local over stdio	SupportedHosted at mcp.blooio.com/v4.
Open source	Not supportedClosed platform; SDKs, n8n node and agent skills are MIT-licensed	PartialSDKs are Apache-2.0 on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	PartialOnly the PowerMTA email software is licensed for your own servers	Not supportedBlooio says it is not a self-hosted iMessage relay.
Local testing	PartialSimulated SMS destinations and an email sandbox, no handset needed; SMS tests are billed	Not listed
Custom channel providers	Not listed	PartialYour own Twilio account can be added as an SMS channel under the same API.
Event replay	SupportedReplay API for failed deliveries from a 3-day attempt log; 8 retries over about 27.5 hours	SupportedWebhook delivery logs with replay, plus an events feed to list past events.
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	SupportedZapier app and verified n8n node; Make listed as coming soon	SupportedGoHighLevel, n8n, Make, Zapier and IFTTT.
CRM integrations	SupportedAttio app; HubSpot and Salesforce connectors on the Engagement Platform	SupportedGoHighLevel and HubSpot.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialAI Employees builder on the Engagement Platform (app.bird.com) only	PartialNo own framework. Community Chat SDK adapter, plus plugins for Hermes Agent and eve.
Agent framework integrations	PartialRoutes inbound messages to Claude Managed Agents and Grok Bot; no Vercel AI SDK, LangChain or Mastra	SupportedBlooio publishes Hermes Agent and eve channel plugins. The Chat SDK adapter is a community package.
Streaming replies	Not listedNo edit or streaming API for SMS, WhatsApp or Apple Messages found; Realtime pub/sub serves your own app	Not listed
Agent group chats	PartialWhatsApp groups API: create groups, share invite links, send and receive group messages	Not listed
Human handoff	SupportedFree shared Inbox; Apple Messages and WhatsApp guides cover AI to human handoff	PartialHandoff webhook events, documented for Apple Messages for Business chats.
Audit logs	SupportedConfiguration and security changes, not message activity	PartialLists audit logging among internal security controls. No customer audit log documented.
Message history API	SupportedList endpoints for SMS, WhatsApp, email and Apple Messages conversations	SupportedRetention runs 90 days to unlimited depending on plan.
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree email tier of 1,000 emails a month and free shared Inbox; SMS and WhatsApp are paid	PartialFree trial is 20 messages total on a shared number. Apple Messages for Business has a free sandbox.
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedNumber plans from $39/mo. Apple Messages for Business is custom, per monthly active user.
No per-message fees	Not supportedBilled per message or segment from a prepaid balance	SupportedNumber plans are flat. Apple Messages for Business is billed per monthly active user.
Uptime SLA	Not supportedNo public SLA; terms exclude downtime liability unless an Order Form says otherwise	SupportedContractual SLA with a signed Enterprise Order Form; 99.9% uptime target
Isolated infrastructure	PartialDedicated email IPs and IP pools only	PartialDedicated numbers are isolated to your workspace. No per-customer servers or devices described.
SOC 2 Type II	PartialTrust Center lists a SOC 2 Type I report (Sept 30, 2026); site pages say Type 2	Not supportedTrust Center lists SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 as in progress.
GDPR	SupportedDPA and subprocessor list published	SupportedTrust Center marks GDPR as passing.

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 Bird if you need Telegram, email, CLI and self-hosting.

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

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