BlueBubbles vs Sendblue

BlueBubbles supports 45 of the 77 features compared here, and Sendblue supports 58.

Feature comparison

Feature	BlueBubbles	Sendblue
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedRuns on your own Mac (or macOS VM) signed in to iMessage	Supported
Group chats	SupportedSend and receive by chat GUID	BetaGroup API is in beta on select plans. AI Agent plan can only reply in existing groups.
Group management	SupportedCreate groups, add and remove members; Private API (SIP disabled)	BetaAdd and remove participants in iMessage groups via the beta groups API.
Group name and photo	SupportedRename and set group photo (macOS 11+); Private API (SIP disabled)	SupportedRename groups and set group photos on supported lines.
Mentions	SupportedMention parts in multipart messages; Private API (SIP disabled)	Not listed
Tapbacks	SupportedReceiving works without it; sending needs the Private API (SIP disabled)	PartialSend classic tapbacks or any emoji. No inbound reaction events documented.
Threaded replies	SupportedReply by message GUID and part; Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 11+	Supportedreply_to on V2 iMessage lines, in direct and group chats.
Typing indicators	SupportedSend and receive; Private API (SIP disabled)	SupportedSend and receive. iMessage 1:1 only, not in groups.
Read receipts	SupportedReceive delivered and read receipts; marking chats read needs the Private API	PartialCan mark chats read (1:1). Outbound statuses stop at DELIVERED, with no read status.
Edit and unsend	SupportedPrivate API (SIP disabled), macOS 13+	Not supportedDocs say editing is not supported via API and delete does not unsend.
Message effects	SupportedBubble and screen effects via effectId; Private API (SIP disabled)	Supported13 send_style values.
Animated text effects	Not listed	Not listed
Stickers	BetaReceiving works today; sending and placing is Pro for the unreleased 2.x server	Not listed
Formatted text	BetaBold, italic, underline, strikethrough in unreleased code; macOS 15+, Private API	Not listed
Attachments	Supported	SupportedUp to 100MB on iMessage, 5MB on SMS.
Live Photos	PartialReceived Live Photos can be downloaded; sending is not documented	Not listed
Rich link previews	SupportedSending rich links needs the Private API (SIP disabled)	PartialDocs say links expand only after the recipient saves your contact.
Voice messages	SupportedisAudioMessage flag sends a waveform voice message	SupportedSend .caf files to render as inline voice notes.
Contact cards	Not listed	SupportedSend .vcf files via media_url.
Polls	BetaBlueBubbles Pro for the unreleased 2.x server, macOS 26+; not in a public release	Not listed
Chat backgrounds	Beta	Not listed
Location sharing	PartialReads Find My device and friend locations; no in-chat location sharing documented	SupportedFind My request, read and live watch. Dedicated iMessage lines only.
iMessage apps	PartialReceives Digital Touch and handwriting previews; sending app bubbles not documented	SupportedApp Cards for your own Messages extension. V2 lines, not on the free plan.
Live app cards	Not listed	PartialUpdates go out as new messages in the same App Card session; Sendblue says the original is not edited.
Sender name and photo	SupportedShare your iCloud contact card with a chat; Private API (SIP disabled), macOS 11+	SupportedName and Photo Sharing profile per line, shared into direct iMessage chats.
FaceTime calls	SupportedStart, answer and leave calls via FaceTime links; Private API. Pricing page moves it to 2.x Pro	PartialOutbound FaceTime audio over WebRTC (Agora). Needs a purchased FaceTime line.
Delivery status	SupportedWebhooks for message updates (delivered, read) and message errors	SupportedStatus callbacks from REGISTERED through SENT or DELIVERED.
iMessage availability check	SupportediMessage and FaceTime availability by address; Private API (SIP disabled)	SupportedLookup API checks a phone number or email for iMessage.
Focus and Notify Anyway	SupportedRead a contact's Focus status and notify for silenced messages; Private API, macOS 12+	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	Not supportedYou run your own Mac or macOS VM	Supported
Dedicated numbers	Not supportedNot offered; uses your own Apple ID	Supported
Shared numbers	Not supported	SupportedFree sandbox uses a shared number with verified contacts only.
Bring your own number	SupportedYour own Apple ID; a phone number can be linked to it	PartialOnly by porting the number in, which adds 3 to 5 days.
Line pooling	Not listed	SupportedNumber pooling with sticky sending. Automatic line selection needs account enablement.
SMS fallback	Not listedNot documented; FAQ says SMS is unsupported, the fit quiz says forwarded texts work	Supported
RCS fallback	Not listed	SupportediMessage, then RCS, then SMS. RCS on V2 lines.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedCreate DMs; new group chats need the Private API	SupportedFull outbound on Enterprise or Blue Ocean; Free and AI Agent plans are inbound-first
Calls on the iMessage number	PartialFaceTime only, via links on the same Apple ID (Private API); no phone calls	SupportedDashboard calls and FaceTime from the texting number; API calls via your Twilio caller ID.
Other channels
SMS	PartialOnly via Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone; FAQ still says SMS is not supported	Supported
RCS	PartialOnly via Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone on the same Apple ID	SupportedV2 lines.
WhatsApp	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered
Telegram	Not supported	Not supported
Slack	Not supported	Not listed
Email	Not supported	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email addresses.
Phone calls	Not supportedNot offered; FaceTime only	PartialNo native calling API. Dashboard calls, outbound via your Twilio caller ID, inbound forwarding.
Apple Messages for Business	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered
Unified channel API	PartialForwarded SMS and RCS land in the same chat API as iMessage; no other channels	SupportedOne API for iMessage, RCS and SMS, the only channels offered.
Developer tools
REST API	SupportedServer password passed as a query parameter	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Not supportedNo official SDK; docs list only a community Java wrapper	Supportedsendblue on npm.
Python SDK	Not supported	Supportedsendblue on PyPI.
Other SDKs	PartialCommunity Java wrapper (blueify) listed in the docs; not official	PartialGo, Rust and Ruby packages, listed as community packages.
CLI	Not listed	Supported@sendblue/cli: signup, messaging, contacts and webhooks.
Webhooks	SupportedNew messages, updates, errors, group changes, typing and more (server 1.0+)	Supported
Signed webhooks	Not supportedWebhooks are plain JSON POSTs with no signature header	PartialSends your shared secret in an sb-signing-secret header. No HMAC signature.
MCP server	PartialCommunity MCP server listed by BlueBubbles; not maintained by the team	Supportedsendblue-api-mcp via npx.
Open source	SupportedApache-2.0 (server, clients and Private API helper)	PartialSDKs and CLI are MIT or Apache-2.0 on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	SupportedSelf-hosted only	Not listedSold as a hosted service on Sendblue's Apple devices; self-hosting is not mentioned.
Local testing	Not listed	Not listed
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	PartialCatch up by querying messages after a timestamp; 1.9.9 webhooks are not retried	PartialNo replay. Docs say to repair gaps by listing messages updated since a timestamp.
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	PartialOfficial n8n node, manual install, last updated 2022	SupportedZapier, Make and GoHighLevel. Docs FAQ says n8n resources are coming soon.
CRM integrations	Not listed	SupportedGoHighLevel, HubSpot, Salesforce, Close and Monday.com.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	Not listed	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter.
Agent framework integrations	Not listedOnly community projects are listed, such as a ChatGPT agent and Clawdbot	SupportedSendblue-maintained Vercel Chat SDK adapter.
Streaming replies	Not listed	Not supportedDocs say message editing is not supported via the API.
Agent group chats	Not listed	BetaA line can add another of your own dedicated lines to a group, via the beta groups API.
Human handoff	Not listed	SupportedShared team inboxes with assignment, and agents that escalate to a rep.
Audit logs	Not listed	PartialSecurity page says all API requests are logged. No customer-facing audit log documented.
Message history API	SupportedQuery messages and chats straight from the Mac's Messages database	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree, open-source software	SupportedFree sandbox: shared number, up to 10 verified contacts, no webhooks.
Public pricing	SupportedPro: $3/month, $30/year or $55 lifetime	SupportedAI Agent plan at $100/mo per line. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	SupportedFree; optional flat Pro subscription	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not supportedApache-2.0 software provided without warranty; uptime depends on your Mac	Supported99.99% uptime SLA on the Enterprise plan
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedRuns entirely on your own Mac	SupportedA dedicated HIPAA instance for HIPAA customers
SOC 2 Type II	Not listedSelf-hosted; compliance is up to whoever runs the Mac	SupportedSOC 2 Type II, report on request.
GDPR	Not listed	SupportedPrivacy policy says Sendblue adheres to GDPR. DPAs on request.

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

Choose Sendblue if you need contact cards, live app cards, managed lines and dedicated numbers.

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