Bird vs BlueBubbles

Bird supports 36 of the 77 features compared here, and BlueBubbles supports 45.

Feature comparison

Feature	Bird	BlueBubbles
iMessage messaging
iMessage	Not supportedNo iMessage support	SupportedRuns on your own Mac (or macOS VM) signed in to iMessage
Group chats	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	Not supported	SupportedReceiving works without it; sending needs the Private API (SIP disabled)
Threaded replies	Not supported	SupportedReply by message GUID and part; Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 11+
Typing indicators	Not supported	SupportedSend and receive; Private API (SIP disabled)
Read receipts	Not supported	SupportedReceive delivered and read receipts; marking chats read needs the Private API
Edit and unsend	Not supported	SupportedPrivate API (SIP disabled), macOS 13+
Message effects	Not supported	SupportedBubble and screen effects via effectId; Private API (SIP disabled)
Animated text effects	Not supported	Not listed
Stickers	Not supported	BetaReceiving works today; sending and placing is Pro for the unreleased 2.x server
Formatted text	Not supported	BetaBold, italic, underline, strikethrough in unreleased code; macOS 15+, Private API
Attachments	Not supported	Supported
Live Photos	Not supported	PartialReceived Live Photos can be downloaded; sending is not documented
Rich link previews	Not supported	SupportedSending rich links needs the Private API (SIP disabled)
Voice messages	Not supported	SupportedisAudioMessage flag sends a waveform voice message
Contact cards	Not supported	Not listed
Polls	Not supported	BetaBlueBubbles Pro for the unreleased 2.x server, macOS 26+; not in a public release
Chat backgrounds	Not supported	Beta
Location sharing	Not supported	PartialReads Find My device and friend locations; no in-chat location sharing documented
iMessage apps	Not supported	PartialReceives Digital Touch and handwriting previews; sending app bubbles not documented
Live app cards	Not supported	Not listed
Sender name and photo	Not supported	SupportedShare your iCloud contact card with a chat; Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 11+
FaceTime calls	Not supported	SupportedStart, answer and leave calls via FaceTime links; Private API. Pricing page moves it to 2.x Pro
Delivery status	Not supported	SupportedWebhooks for message updates (delivered, read) and message errors
iMessage availability check	Not supported	SupportediMessage and FaceTime availability by address; Private API (SIP disabled)
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not supported	SupportedRead a contact's Focus status and notify for silenced messages; Private API, macOS 12+
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	Not supportedNo iMessage support	Not supportedYou run your own Mac or macOS VM
Dedicated numbers	SupportedLocal, mobile, toll-free and short code numbers by country	Not supportedNot offered; uses your own Apple ID
Shared numbers	SupportedBird-managed shared short codes; built-in SMS templates pick the sender	Not supported
Bring your own number	PartialWhatsApp coexistence and verified voice caller IDs only; no hosted SMS found	SupportedYour own Apple ID; a phone number can be linked to it
Line pooling	Not supportedNo sender pool; the sender is set per send	Not listed
SMS fallback	Not supportedNo iMessage support; RCS and push can fall back to SMS	Not listedNot documented; FAQ says SMS is unsupported, the fit quiz says forwarded texts work
RCS fallback	Not supportedNo iMessage support	Not listed
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedBusiness-initiated SMS; WhatsApp needs approved templates	SupportedCreate DMs; new group chats need the Private API
Calls on the iMessage number	Not supportedNo iMessage support	PartialFaceTime only, via links on the same Apple ID (Private API); no phone calls
Other channels
SMS	PartialSMS only in the API; outbound MMS not supported yet (media_urls reserved)	PartialOnly via Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone; FAQ still says SMS is not supported
RCS	BetaPrivate beta with limited access	PartialOnly via Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone on the same Apple ID
WhatsApp	Supported	Not supportedNot offered
Telegram	PartialVerify one-time passcodes only, through Telegram Gateway	Not supported
Slack	Not listed	Not supported
Email	SupportedIncludes the SparkPost email platform	Not supported
Phone calls	SupportedVoice over SIP trunks, with call sequences	Not supportedNot offered; FaceTime only
Apple Messages for Business	Supported	Not supportedNot offered
Unified channel API	PartialOne REST API and SDK, but each channel has its own send endpoint and payload	PartialForwarded SMS and RCS land in the same chat API as iMessage; no other channels
Developer tools
REST API	Supported	SupportedServer password passed as a query parameter
TypeScript SDK	Supported@messagebird/sdk on npm	Not supportedNo official SDK; docs list only a community Java wrapper
Python SDK	Supportedmessagebird-sdk on PyPI	Not supported
Other SDKs	SupportedGo and PHP; Swift and Kotlin clients for Realtime only	PartialCommunity Java wrapper (blueify) listed in the docs; not official
CLI	Supportedbird CLI with JSON output, also runs the MCP server locally	Not listed
Webhooks	Supported	SupportedNew messages, updates, errors, group changes, typing and more (server 1.0+)
Signed webhooks	SupportedStandard Webhooks, HMAC-SHA256	Not supportedWebhooks are plain JSON POSTs with no signature header
MCP server	SupportedHosted at mcp.bird.com with OAuth, or local over stdio	PartialCommunity MCP server listed by BlueBubbles; not maintained by the team
Open source	Not supportedClosed platform; SDKs, n8n node and agent skills are MIT-licensed	SupportedApache-2.0 (server, clients and Private API helper)
Self-hosting	PartialOnly the PowerMTA email software is licensed for your own servers	SupportedSelf-hosted only
Local testing	PartialSimulated SMS destinations and an email sandbox, no handset needed; SMS tests are billed	Not listed
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	SupportedReplay API for failed deliveries from a 3-day attempt log; 8 retries over about 27.5 hours	PartialCatch up by querying messages after a timestamp; 1.9.9 webhooks are not retried
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	SupportedZapier app and verified n8n node; Make listed as coming soon	PartialOfficial n8n node, manual install, last updated 2022
CRM integrations	SupportedAttio app; HubSpot and Salesforce connectors on the Engagement Platform	Not listed
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialAI Employees builder on the Engagement Platform (app.bird.com) only	Not listed
Agent framework integrations	PartialRoutes inbound messages to Claude Managed Agents and Grok Bot; no Vercel AI SDK, LangChain or Mastra	Not listedOnly community projects are listed, such as a ChatGPT agent and Clawdbot
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	Not listed
Audit logs	SupportedConfiguration and security changes, not message activity	Not listed
Message history API	SupportedList endpoints for SMS, WhatsApp, email and Apple Messages conversations	SupportedQuery messages and chats straight from the Mac's Messages database
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree email tier of 1,000 emails a month and free shared Inbox; SMS and WhatsApp are paid	SupportedFree, open-source software
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedPro: $3/month, $30/year or $55 lifetime
No per-message fees	Not supportedBilled per message or segment from a prepaid balance	SupportedFree; optional flat Pro subscription
Uptime SLA	Not supportedNo public SLA; terms exclude downtime liability unless an Order Form says otherwise	Not supportedApache-2.0 software provided without warranty; uptime depends on your Mac
Isolated infrastructure	PartialDedicated email IPs and IP pools only	SupportedRuns entirely on your own Mac
SOC 2 Type II	PartialTrust Center lists a SOC 2 Type I report (Sept 30, 2026); site pages say Type 2	Not listedSelf-hosted; compliance is up to whoever runs the Mac
GDPR	SupportedDPA and subprocessor list published	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 Bird if you need dedicated numbers, shared numbers, WhatsApp and Telegram.

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

Frequently asked questions

• Photon vs Bird
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• Photon vs BlueBubbles
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• BlueBubbles vs Twilio
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