What is the difference between Blue Reacher and BlueBubbles?

Blue Reacher supports 50 of the 77 features compared here, and BlueBubbles supports 45. Blue Reacher adds contact cards, managed lines, dedicated numbers, line pooling and SMS fallback. BlueBubbles adds mentions, edit and unsend, stickers, formatted text and Live Photos.

How much do Blue Reacher and BlueBubbles cost?

Blue Reacher: Lines are $249 a month each plus a $449 activation fee, $199 a month each at 4 or more lines, or $1,949 per line per year with activation waived. BlueBubbles: The software is free and open source; an optional BlueBubbles Pro subscription for the upcoming 2.x server costs $3/month, $30/year or $55 once.

Does BlueBubbles support contact cards?

BlueBubbles does not list contact cards on its site or in its docs.

Does BlueBubbles support managed lines?

BlueBubbles does not support managed lines.

Does BlueBubbles support dedicated numbers?

BlueBubbles does not support dedicated numbers.

Blue Reacher vs BlueBubbles

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

Blue Reacher

Managed iMessage lines for B2B sales, with API and MCP

Starting price: $199/month per line at 4+ lines; $249/month for 1 to 3 lines
Free plan: Free public sandbox key; simulator only, no real sends

Visit Blue Reacher Read more

BlueBubbles

Free, open-source iMessage bridge you host on a Mac

Starting price: Free
Free plan: Free and open source (Apache-2.0)

Visit BlueBubbles Read more

Blue Reacher supports 50 of the 77 features compared here, and BlueBubbles supports 45.

Where Blue Reacher is ahead

and 10 more in the table below.

Where BlueBubbles is ahead

and 5 more in the table below.

Feature comparison

Feature	Blue Reacher	BlueBubbles
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedOne-to-one iMessage sends and replies over REST and webhooks.	SupportedRuns on your own Mac (or macOS VM) signed in to iMessage
Group chats	PartialAPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet; the site sells group threads opened from the CRM.	SupportedSend and receive by chat GUID
Group management	PartialAdd, remove and leave are documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.	SupportedCreate groups, add and remove members; Private API (SIP disabled)
Group name and photo	PartialRename and group photo are documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.	SupportedRename and set group photo (macOS 11+); Private API (SIP disabled)
Mentions	Not listed	SupportedMention parts in multipart messages; Private API (SIP disabled)
Tapbacks	PartialInbound reactions arrive as webhooks; sending the six tapbacks is not available on the API yet.	SupportedReceiving works without it; sending needs the Private API (SIP disabled)
Threaded replies	PartialSite lists threaded replies; the API reply option sends a quoted reply, not an inline thread.	SupportedReply by message GUID and part; Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 11+
Typing indicators	PartialTyping endpoint is documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.	SupportedSend and receive; Private API (SIP disabled)
Read receipts	Partialmessage.read webhooks fire; sending native read receipts is not available on the API yet.	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	Partial8 screen and 4 bubble effects are documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.	SupportedBubble and screen effects via effectId; Private API (SIP disabled)
Animated text effects	Not listed	Not listed
Stickers	Not listed	BetaReceiving works today; sending and placing is Pro for the unreleased 2.x server
Formatted text	Not supportedDocs say there is no Markdown rendering on any channel.	BetaBold, italic, underline, strikethrough in unreleased code; macOS 15+, Private API
Attachments	SupportedOne file per message for now. Images and video up to 100 MB, audio and PDF up to 25 MB.	Supported
Live Photos	Not listed	PartialReceived Live Photos can be downloaded; sending is not documented
Rich link previews	SupportedA bare URL renders as a preview card on iMessage, built on the recipient's device.	SupportedSending rich links needs the Private API (SIP disabled)
Voice messages	PartialNative voice memo endpoint is documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.	SupportedisAudioMessage flag sends a waveform voice message
Contact cards	PartialDocs and site say lines send contact cards; no endpoint appears in the API reference.	Not listed
Polls	Not listed	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	Not listed	PartialReceives Digital Touch and handwriting previews; sending app bubbles not documented
Live app cards	Not listed	Not listed
Sender name and photo	Not listedDocs say recipients see only the number until they save your contact card.	SupportedShare your iCloud contact card with a chat; Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 11+
FaceTime calls	PartialFaceTime audio from the line, started by a person; $99/mo add-on. Calls API not available yet.	SupportedStart, answer and leave calls via FaceTime links; Private API. Pricing page moves it to 2.x Pro
Delivery status	Supportedmessage.sent, delivered, read and failed webhooks, plus a status endpoint.	SupportedWebhooks for message updates (delivered, read) and message errors
iMessage availability check	PartialCapability lookup for up to 100 numbers is documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.	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	SupportedEach line is an Apple ID on Apple hardware run by Blue Reacher.	Not supportedYou run your own Mac or macOS VM
Dedicated numbers	SupportedEvery line is a dedicated number with a custom area code.	Not supportedNot offered; uses your own Apple ID
Shared numbers	Not supportedDocs say each line is yours alone, never shared and never recycled.	Not supported
Bring your own number	SupportedPricing lists port-in support for an existing number.	SupportedYour own Apple ID; a phone number can be linked to it
Line pooling	SupportedOmit the line on a send and load balancing picks one; the site calls it smart routing.	Not listed
SMS fallback	Supported	Not listedNot documented; FAQ says SMS is unsupported, the fit quiz says forwarded texts work
RCS fallback	PartialSite says iMessage, then RCS, then SMS; the docs say the platform's own fallback is SMS.	Not listed
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedCold outreach allowed: 30 cold or 50 opted-in new contacts a day per warmed line.	SupportedCreate DMs; new group chats need the Private API
Calls on the iMessage number	PartialFaceTime audio from the same line. Phone calls need your own provider using the number as caller ID.	PartialFaceTime only, via links on the same Apple ID (Private API); no phone calls
Other channels
SMS	PartialOnly as automatic fallback from the same line.	PartialOnly via Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone; FAQ still says SMS is not supported
RCS	PartialSite lists RCS fallback; the docs say messages deliver over iMessage or SMS.	PartialOnly via Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone on the same Apple ID
WhatsApp	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered
Telegram	Not supported	Not supported
Slack	Not supportedNot offered as a channel; a Slack guide forwards replies into Slack.	Not supported
Email	Not supportedNot offered. Docs say there is no email-address sender option.	Not supported
Phone calls	PartialDocs cover FaceTime audio only; the pricing page lists 2-way calling with SIP routing.	Not supportedNot offered; FaceTime only
Apple Messages for Business	Not supportedNot offered; the site describes it as a separate Apple product.	Not supportedNot offered
Unified channel API	SupportediMessage and SMS fallback share one send endpoint and message model.	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	Supportednpm package bluereacher, v0.1.0 (Sept 2026), MIT.	Not supportedNo official SDK; docs list only a community Java wrapper
Python SDK	SupportedPyPI package bluereacher, v0.1.0 (Sept 2026), MIT.	Not supported
Other SDKs	Not supportedDocs suggest generating Go, Java, Ruby or PHP clients from the OpenAPI spec.	PartialCommunity Java wrapper (blueify) listed in the docs; not official
CLI	Supportedbluereacher-cli on npm: send, status, conversations and capability checks.	Not listed
Webhooks	Supported	SupportedNew messages, updates, errors, group changes, typing and more (server 1.0+)
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 in X-BlueReacher-Signature.	Not supportedWebhooks are plain JSON POSTs with no signature header
MCP server	SupportedHosted MCP server at api.bluereacher.com/v1/mcp; works with sandbox keys.	PartialCommunity MCP server listed by BlueBubbles; not maintained by the team
Open source	PartialSDKs, CLI, a stdio MCP server and an n8n node are MIT on GitHub. The platform is closed.	SupportedApache-2.0 (server, clients and Private API helper)
Self-hosting	Not listed	SupportedSelf-hosted only
Local testing	SupportedPublic sandbox key runs the API and MCP against a simulator, with simulated inbound replies.	Not listed
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	PartialRetries for about a day; undelivered events are kept and support replays them on request.	PartialCatch up by querying messages after a timestamp; 1.9.9 webhooks are not retried
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	SupportedNative GoHighLevel, plus Zapier, Make and n8n guides and an n8n community node.	PartialOfficial n8n node, manual install, last updated 2022
CRM integrations	SupportedNative HubSpot, Salesforce, Close, Pipedrive, Follow Up Boss and Jobber (beta).	Not listed
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialBuilt-in AI reply assistant on your own model key, with per-contact controls. No agent SDK.	Not listed
Agent framework integrations	PartialGuide pages for LangChain and the Vercel AI SDK that wrap the API as a tool.	Not listedOnly community projects are listed, such as a ChatGPT agent and Clawdbot
Streaming replies	Not listed	Not listed
Agent group chats	Not listed	Not listed
Human handoff	SupportedPause or snooze the AI assistant per contact while a person replies.	Not listed
Audit logs	PartialDocs mention an exportable opt-out audit trail; no general activity log is documented.	Not listed
Message history API	SupportedConversation history per contact, cursor-paginated.	SupportedQuery messages and chats straight from the Mac's Messages database
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree public sandbox key; simulator only, no real messages sent.	SupportedFree, open-source software
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedPro: $3/month, $30/year or $55 lifetime
No per-message fees	Supported	SupportedFree; optional flat Pro subscription
Uptime SLA	Not listed	Not supportedApache-2.0 software provided without warranty; uptime depends on your Mac
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedDedicated lines per customer, never shared; workspaces logically isolated.	SupportedRuns entirely on your own Mac
SOC 2 Type II	Not supportedTrust page says controls map to SOC 2 but the independent attestation is not complete.	Not listedSelf-hosted; compliance is up to whoever runs the Mac
GDPR	SupportedGDPR page and a published DPA with Standard Contractual Clauses.	Not listed

Feature

Blue Reacher

BlueBubbles

iMessage messaging

iMessage

One-to-one iMessage sends and replies over REST and webhooks.

Runs on your own Mac (or macOS VM) signed in to iMessage

Group chats

PartialAPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet; the site sells group threads opened from the CRM.

Send and receive by chat GUID

Group management

PartialAdd, remove and leave are documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.

Create groups, add and remove members; Private API (SIP disabled)

Group name and photo

PartialRename and group photo are documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.

Rename and set group photo (macOS 11+); Private API (SIP disabled)

Mentions

Not listed

Mention parts in multipart messages; Private API (SIP disabled)

Tapbacks

PartialInbound reactions arrive as webhooks; sending the six tapbacks is not available on the API yet.

Receiving works without it; sending needs the Private API (SIP disabled)

Threaded replies

PartialSite lists threaded replies; the API reply option sends a quoted reply, not an inline thread.

Reply by message GUID and part; Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 11+

Typing indicators

PartialTyping endpoint is documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.

Send and receive; Private API (SIP disabled)

Read receipts

Partialmessage.read webhooks fire; sending native read receipts is not available on the API yet.

Receive delivered and read receipts; marking chats read needs the Private API

Edit and unsend

Not listed

Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 13+

Message effects

Partial8 screen and 4 bubble effects are documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.

Bubble and screen effects via effectId; Private API (SIP disabled)

Animated text effects

Not listed

Stickers

Not listed

BetaReceiving works today; sending and placing is Pro for the unreleased 2.x server

Formatted text

Not supportedDocs say there is no Markdown rendering on any channel.

BetaBold, italic, underline, strikethrough in unreleased code; macOS 15+, Private API

Attachments

One file per message for now. Images and video up to 100 MB, audio and PDF up to 25 MB.

Live Photos

Not listed

PartialReceived Live Photos can be downloaded; sending is not documented

Rich link previews

A bare URL renders as a preview card on iMessage, built on the recipient's device.

Sending rich links needs the Private API (SIP disabled)

Voice messages

PartialNative voice memo endpoint is documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.

isAudioMessage flag sends a waveform voice message

Contact cards

PartialDocs and site say lines send contact cards; no endpoint appears in the API reference.

Not listed

Polls

Not listed

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

Not listed

PartialReceives Digital Touch and handwriting previews; sending app bubbles not documented

Live app cards

Not listed

Sender name and photo

Not listedDocs say recipients see only the number until they save your contact card.

Share your iCloud contact card with a chat; Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 11+

FaceTime calls

PartialFaceTime audio from the line, started by a person; $99/mo add-on. Calls API not available yet.

Start, answer and leave calls via FaceTime links; Private API. Pricing page moves it to 2.x Pro

Delivery status

message.sent, delivered, read and failed webhooks, plus a status endpoint.

Webhooks for message updates (delivered, read) and message errors

iMessage availability check

PartialCapability lookup for up to 100 numbers is documented, but aPI docs (22 Oct 2026) say not available yet.

iMessage and FaceTime availability by address; Private API (SIP disabled)

Focus and Notify Anyway

Not listed

Read a contact's Focus status and notify for silenced messages; Private API, macOS 12+

Numbers and delivery

Managed lines

Each line is an Apple ID on Apple hardware run by Blue Reacher.

Not supportedYou run your own Mac or macOS VM

Dedicated numbers

Every line is a dedicated number with a custom area code.

Not supportedNot offered; uses your own Apple ID

Shared numbers

Not supportedDocs say each line is yours alone, never shared and never recycled.

Not supported

Bring your own number

Pricing lists port-in support for an existing number.

Your own Apple ID; a phone number can be linked to it

Line pooling

Omit the line on a send and load balancing picks one; the site calls it smart routing.

Not listed

SMS fallback

Not listedNot documented; FAQ says SMS is unsupported, the fit quiz says forwarded texts work

RCS fallback

PartialSite says iMessage, then RCS, then SMS; the docs say the platform's own fallback is SMS.

Not listed

Outbound-first messaging

Cold outreach allowed: 30 cold or 50 opted-in new contacts a day per warmed line.

Create DMs; new group chats need the Private API

Calls on the iMessage number

PartialFaceTime audio from the same line. Phone calls need your own provider using the number as caller ID.

PartialFaceTime only, via links on the same Apple ID (Private API); no phone calls

Other channels

SMS

PartialOnly as automatic fallback from the same line.

PartialOnly via Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone; FAQ still says SMS is not supported

RCS

PartialSite lists RCS fallback; the docs say messages deliver over iMessage or SMS.

PartialOnly via Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone on the same Apple ID

Not supportedNot offered

Not supported

Slack

Not supportedNot offered as a channel; a Slack guide forwards replies into Slack.

Not supported

Not supportedNot offered. Docs say there is no email-address sender option.

Not supported

Phone calls

PartialDocs cover FaceTime audio only; the pricing page lists 2-way calling with SIP routing.

Not supportedNot offered; FaceTime only

Apple Messages for Business

Not supportedNot offered; the site describes it as a separate Apple product.

Not supportedNot offered

Unified channel API

iMessage and SMS fallback share one send endpoint and message model.

PartialForwarded SMS and RCS land in the same chat API as iMessage; no other channels

Developer tools

REST API

Server password passed as a query parameter

TypeScript SDK

npm package bluereacher, v0.1.0 (Sept 2026), MIT.

Not supportedNo official SDK; docs list only a community Java wrapper

Python SDK

PyPI package bluereacher, v0.1.0 (Sept 2026), MIT.

Not supported

Other SDKs

Not supportedDocs suggest generating Go, Java, Ruby or PHP clients from the OpenAPI spec.

PartialCommunity Java wrapper (blueify) listed in the docs; not official

CLI

bluereacher-cli on npm: send, status, conversations and capability checks.

Not listed

Webhooks

New messages, updates, errors, group changes, typing and more (server 1.0+)

Signed webhooks

HMAC-SHA256 in X-BlueReacher-Signature.

Not supportedWebhooks are plain JSON POSTs with no signature header

MCP server

Hosted MCP server at api.bluereacher.com/v1/mcp; works with sandbox keys.

PartialCommunity MCP server listed by BlueBubbles; not maintained by the team

Open source

PartialSDKs, CLI, a stdio MCP server and an n8n node are MIT on GitHub. The platform is closed.

Apache-2.0 (server, clients and Private API helper)

Self-hosting

Not listed

Self-hosted only

Local testing

Public sandbox key runs the API and MCP against a simulator, with simulated inbound replies.

Not listed

Custom channel providers

Not listed

Event replay

PartialRetries for about a day; undelivered events are kept and support replays them on request.

PartialCatch up by querying messages after a timestamp; 1.9.9 webhooks are not retried

OpenTelemetry

Not listed

No-code integrations

Native GoHighLevel, plus Zapier, Make and n8n guides and an n8n community node.

PartialOfficial n8n node, manual install, last updated 2022

CRM integrations

Native HubSpot, Salesforce, Close, Pipedrive, Follow Up Boss and Jobber (beta).

Not listed

Built for AI agents

Agent framework

PartialBuilt-in AI reply assistant on your own model key, with per-contact controls. No agent SDK.

Not listed

Agent framework integrations

PartialGuide pages for LangChain and the Vercel AI SDK that wrap the API as a tool.

Not listedOnly community projects are listed, such as a ChatGPT agent and Clawdbot

Streaming replies

Not listed

Agent group chats

Not listed

Human handoff

Pause or snooze the AI assistant per contact while a person replies.

Not listed

Audit logs

PartialDocs mention an exportable opt-out audit trail; no general activity log is documented.

Not listed

Message history API

Conversation history per contact, cursor-paginated.

Query messages and chats straight from the Mac's Messages database

Plans and compliance

Free plan

Free public sandbox key; simulator only, no real messages sent.

Free, open-source software

Public pricing

Pro: $3/month, $30/year or $55 lifetime

No per-message fees

Free; optional flat Pro subscription

Uptime SLA

Not listed

Not supportedApache-2.0 software provided without warranty; uptime depends on your Mac

Isolated infrastructure

Dedicated lines per customer, never shared; workspaces logically isolated.

Runs entirely on your own Mac

SOC 2 Type II

Not supportedTrust page says controls map to SOC 2 but the independent attestation is not complete.

Not listedSelf-hosted; compliance is up to whoever runs the Mac

GDPR

GDPR page and a published DPA with Standard Contractual Clauses.

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

Blue Reacher

Lines are $249 a month each plus a $449 activation fee, $199 a month each at 4 or more lines, or $1,949 per line per year with activation waived.

Pricing model: flat per line, no per-message fees

Source

BlueBubbles

The software is free and open source; an optional BlueBubbles Pro subscription for the upcoming 2.x server costs $3/month, $30/year or $55 once.

Pricing model: free self-hosted software, optional Pro subscription

Source

Which should you choose?

Choose Blue Reacher if you need contact cards, managed lines, dedicated numbers and line pooling.

Choose BlueBubbles if you need mentions, edit and unsend, stickers and formatted text.

Blue Reacher vs BlueBubbles

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

Blue Reacher

BlueBubbles

Where Blue Reacher is ahead

Where BlueBubbles is ahead

Feature comparison

Pricing

Blue Reacher

BlueBubbles

Which should you choose?

Frequently asked questions

More Blue Reacher comparisons

More BlueBubbles comparisons