BlueBubbles vs Project Blue
Compare BlueBubbles and Project Blue 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)
Project Blue
iMessage, SMS and FaceTime Audio lines inside your CRM
- Starting price
- $166/month per line, billed annually
- Free plan
- Free trial on a shared line, verified numbers only
BlueBubbles supports 45 of the 77 features compared here, and Project Blue supports 42.
Where BlueBubbles is ahead
- Mentions
- Threaded replies
- Read receipts
- Edit and unsend
- Stickers
- Formatted text
- Live Photos
- Rich link previews
and 8 more in the table below.
Where Project Blue is ahead
and 5 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 listed | |
| Typing indicators | ||
| Read receipts | Not listed | |
| Edit and unsend | Not listed | |
| Message effects | ||
| 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 | |
| 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 | ||
| FaceTime calls | ||
| 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 | |
| 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 listedHomepage describes fallback from iMessage to WhatsApp to SMS. RCS fallback is not described. |
| Outbound-first messaging | ||
| Calls on the iMessage number | ||
| Other channels | ||
| SMS | ||
| RCS | ||
Not supportedNot offered | ||
| Telegram | Not supported | Not supportedNot offered |
| Slack | Not supported | |
Not supported | ||
| Phone calls | Not supportedNot offered; FaceTime only | |
| Apple Messages for Business | Not supportedNot offered | Not supportedNot offered |
| Unified channel API | ||
| Developer tools | ||
| REST API | ||
| TypeScript SDK | ||
| Python SDK | Not listed | |
| Other SDKs | Not listed | |
| CLI | Not listed | Not listed |
| Webhooks | ||
| Signed webhooks | Not listedWebhook docs do not mention signatures. | |
| MCP server | ||
| Open source | ||
| Self-hosting | Not listedHosted service on Project Blue lines. Self-hosting is not mentioned. | |
| Local testing | Not listed | Not listedTrial accounts send real messages to verified numbers; docs say they are not a simulator. |
| 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 | Not listed |
| Agent framework integrations | Not listedOnly community projects are listed, such as a ChatGPT agent and Clawdbot | Not listed |
| 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 listedSite cites a 99.9% uptime record and a public status page. No contractual SLA found. | |
| 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
SourceProject Blue
Flat per-line pricing: $166 a month per line billed annually or $199 a month per line on a 12-month plan, with a free trial on a shared line.
Pricing model: flat per line
SourceWhich should you choose?
Choose BlueBubbles if you need mentions, threaded replies, read receipts and edit and unsend.
Choose Project Blue 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 Project Blue supports 42. BlueBubbles adds mentions, threaded replies, read receipts, edit and unsend and stickers. Project Blue 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. Project Blue: Flat per-line pricing: $166 a month per line billed annually or $199 a month per line on a 12-month plan, with a free trial on a shared line.
Project Blue does not list mentions on its site or in its docs.
Project Blue does not list threaded replies on its site or in its docs.
Project Blue does not list read receipts on its site or in its docs.