BlueBubbles vs MessageBlue
Compare BlueBubbles and MessageBlue 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)
MessageBlue
iMessage API for agents, with bring-your-own-number
- Starting price
- $100/month per line
- Free plan
- $0 with your own number and Mac, all features, limited seats
BlueBubbles supports 45 of the 77 features compared here, and MessageBlue supports 38.
Where BlueBubbles is ahead
- Group name and photo
- Mentions
- Threaded replies
- Edit and unsend
- Message effects
- Stickers
- Formatted text
- Live Photos
and 12 more in the table below.
Where MessageBlue is ahead
- Managed lines
- Dedicated numbers
- Line pooling
- SMS fallback
- TypeScript SDK
- Signed webhooks
- Local testing
- CRM integrations
and 5 more in the table below.
Feature comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| iMessage messaging | ||
| iMessage | ||
| Group chats | ||
| Group management | ||
| Group name and photo | Not listed | |
| Mentions | Not listed | |
| Tapbacks | ||
| Threaded replies | Not listed | |
| Typing indicators | ||
| Read receipts | ||
| Edit and unsend | Not listed | |
| Message effects | Not listed | |
| Animated text effects | Not listed | Not listed |
| Stickers | Not listed | |
| Formatted text | Not listed | |
| Attachments | ||
| Live Photos | Not listed | |
| Rich link previews | Not listed | |
| Voice messages | ||
| Contact cards | Not listed | Not listed |
| Polls | Not listed | |
| Chat backgrounds | Not listed | |
| Location sharing | Not listed | |
| iMessage apps | Not listed | |
| Live app cards | Not listed | Not listed |
| Sender name and photo | Not listed | |
| FaceTime calls | Not listedInbox video call button is marked coming soon; voice calls need the team to enable. | |
| Delivery status | ||
| iMessage availability check | ||
| 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 | Not listed |
| Bring your own number | ||
| 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 listedMarketing pages say SMS or RCS fallback; docs only describe SMS. |
| Outbound-first messaging | ||
| Calls on the iMessage number | Not listedInbox voice call button says to contact the team; number used is not stated. | |
| Other channels | ||
| SMS | ||
| RCS | Not listedMentioned only as a fallback on marketing pages. | |
Not supportedNot offered | Not supportedNot offered | |
| Telegram | Not supported | Not supported |
| Slack | Not supported | Not supported |
Not supported | Not supported | |
| Phone calls | Not supportedNot offered; FaceTime only | Not listedInbox voice call button says to contact the team; call type and number not stated. |
| 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 | Not listedThe API page mentions a CLI, but none is documented. |
| Webhooks | ||
| Signed webhooks | ||
| MCP server | ||
| Open source | Not listed | |
| Self-hosting | ||
| Local testing | Not listed | |
| Custom channel providers | Not listed | Not listed |
| Event replay | ||
| OpenTelemetry | Not listed | Not listed |
| No-code integrations | ||
| 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 | Not listedSite says it works with LangChain and the Vercel AI SDK via webhooks; no official integration. |
| Streaming replies | Not listed | Not listed |
| Agent group chats | Not listed | Not listed |
| Human handoff | Not listed | |
| Audit logs | Not listed | |
| Message history API | ||
| Plans and compliance | ||
| Free plan | ||
| Public pricing | ||
| No per-message fees | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| Isolated infrastructure | ||
| SOC 2 Type II | Not listedSelf-hosted; compliance is up to whoever runs the Mac | |
| GDPR | Not listed | 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
SourceMessageBlue
Free when you bring your own number on your own Mac; a dedicated line is $100 a month on Startups & SMB, and Business and Enterprise are contact sales.
Pricing model: flat per line
SourceWhich should you choose?
Choose BlueBubbles if you need group name and photo, mentions, threaded replies and edit and unsend.
Choose MessageBlue if you need managed lines, dedicated numbers, line pooling and SMS fallback.
Frequently asked questions
BlueBubbles supports 45 of the 77 features compared here, and MessageBlue supports 38. BlueBubbles adds group name and photo, mentions, threaded replies, edit and unsend and message effects. MessageBlue adds managed lines, dedicated numbers, line pooling, SMS fallback and TypeScript SDK.
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. MessageBlue: Free when you bring your own number on your own Mac; a dedicated line is $100 a month on Startups & SMB, and Business and Enterprise are contact sales.
MessageBlue does not list group name and photo on its site or in its docs.
MessageBlue does not list mentions on its site or in its docs.
MessageBlue does not list threaded replies on its site or in its docs.