BlueBubbles vs Chert
Compare BlueBubbles and Chert side by side: iMessage features, channels, developer tools, pricing and compliance, checked on each provider's own site.
BlueBubbles
Free, open-source iMessage bridge you host on a Mac
- Starting price
- Free
- Free plan
- Free and open source (Apache-2.0)
Chert
iMessage and FaceTime numbers for AI agents
- Starting price
- $25/month (Shared)
- Free plan
- 24-hour trial: 10 messages and 10 FaceTime minutes on a shared line
BlueBubbles supports 45 of the 77 features compared here, and Chert supports 47.
Where BlueBubbles is ahead
- Mentions
- Threaded replies
- Stickers
- Formatted text
- Chat backgrounds
- iMessage apps
- iMessage availability check
- Focus and Notify Anyway
and 5 more in the table below.
Where Chert is ahead
- Contact cards
- Managed lines
- Dedicated numbers
- Shared numbers
- Line pooling
- SMS fallback
- TypeScript SDK
- Python SDK
and 7 more in the table below.
Feature comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| iMessage messaging | ||
| iMessage | ||
| Group chats | ||
| Group management | ||
| Group name and photo | ||
| Mentions | Not listed | |
| Tapbacks | ||
| Threaded replies | Not listedHomepage mentions reply context; no reply-to field in the API docs. | |
| Typing indicators | ||
| Read receipts | ||
| Edit and unsend | ||
| Message effects | ||
| Animated text effects | Not listed | Not listed |
| Stickers | Not listed | |
| Formatted text | Not listed | |
| Attachments | ||
| Live Photos | ||
| Rich link previews | ||
| Voice messages | ||
| Contact cards | Not listed | |
| Polls | ||
| Chat backgrounds | Not listed | |
| Location sharing | ||
| iMessage apps | Not listed | |
| Live app cards | Not listed | Not listed |
| Sender name and photo | ||
| FaceTime calls | ||
| Delivery status | ||
| iMessage availability check | Not listed | |
| Focus and Notify Anyway | Not listed | |
| Numbers and delivery | ||
| Managed lines | ||
| Dedicated numbers | Not supportedNot offered; uses your own Apple ID | |
| Shared numbers | Not supported | |
| Bring your own number | Not listed | |
| Line pooling | Not listed | |
| SMS fallback | Not listedNot documented; FAQ says SMS is unsupported, the fit quiz says forwarded texts work | |
| RCS fallback | Not listed | Not listedHomepage says SMS or RCS fallback; API docs only describe SMS retry. |
| Outbound-first messaging | ||
| Calls on the iMessage number | ||
| Other channels | ||
| SMS | ||
| RCS | Not listedMentioned only as a fallback on the homepage. | |
Not supportedNot offered | Not supportedNot offered | |
| Telegram | Not supported | Not supported |
| Slack | Not supported | Not listed |
Not supported | Not supportedNot offered | |
| Phone calls | Not supportedNot offered; FaceTime only | Not supportedNot offered; calls are FaceTime only. |
| Apple Messages for Business | Not supportedNot offered | Not supportedNot offered |
| Unified channel API | ||
| Developer tools | ||
| REST API | ||
| TypeScript SDK | ||
| Python SDK | ||
| Other SDKs | ||
| CLI | Not listed | |
| Webhooks | ||
| Signed webhooks | ||
| MCP server | Not listed | |
| Open source | ||
| Self-hosting | Not listedOnly the open-source FaceTime link connector runs on your own machine. | |
| Local testing | Not listed | Not listedSSE stream and dev inbox avoid a public webhook, but a real phone is still needed. |
| Custom channel providers | Not listed | Not listed |
| Event replay | ||
| OpenTelemetry | Not listed | Not listed |
| No-code integrations | Not listed | |
| CRM integrations | Not listed | |
| Built for AI agents | ||
| Agent framework | Not listed | |
| Agent framework integrations | 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 | Not listed | |
| Audit logs | Not listed | Not listed |
| Message history API | ||
| Plans and compliance | ||
| Free plan | ||
| Public pricing | ||
| No per-message fees | ||
| Uptime SLA | Not listed | |
| Isolated infrastructure | ||
| SOC 2 Type II | Not listedSelf-hosted; compliance is up to whoever runs the Mac | Not listed |
| GDPR | 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
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
SourceChert
A free 24-hour trial includes 10 messages and 10 FaceTime minutes on a shared line; Shared is $25 a month and a dedicated line is $250 a month, but paid checkout is paused.
Pricing model: flat monthly per line, with usage limits
SourceWhich should you choose?
Choose BlueBubbles if you need mentions, threaded replies, stickers and formatted text.
Choose Chert if you need contact cards, managed lines, dedicated numbers and shared numbers.
Frequently asked questions
BlueBubbles supports 45 of the 77 features compared here, and Chert supports 47. BlueBubbles adds mentions, threaded replies, stickers, formatted text and chat backgrounds. Chert adds contact cards, managed lines, dedicated numbers, shared numbers and line pooling.
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. Chert: A free 24-hour trial includes 10 messages and 10 FaceTime minutes on a shared line; Shared is $25 a month and a dedicated line is $250 a month, but paid checkout is paused.
Chert does not list mentions on its site or in its docs.
Chert does not list threaded replies on its site or in its docs.
Chert does not list stickers on its site or in its docs.