What is the difference between Chert and Comms by Osis?

Chert supports 47 of the 77 features compared here, and Comms by Osis supports 43. Chert adds message effects, Live Photos, rich link previews, voice messages and line pooling. Comms by Osis adds threaded replies, chat backgrounds, iMessage availability check, bring your own number and RCS fallback.

How much do Chert and Comms by Osis cost?

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. Comms by Osis: Free on a shared line with 100 messages a day, Plus at $50 a month on a shared line, Dedicated at $200 a month per number with $0 setup, and custom Enterprise; AI usage is billed separately.

Does Comms by Osis support message effects?

Comms by Osis does not list message effects on its site or in its docs.

Does Comms by Osis support Live Photos?

Comms by Osis does not list Live Photos on its site or in its docs.

Does Comms by Osis support rich link previews?

Comms by Osis does not list rich link previews on its site or in its docs.

Chert vs Comms by Osis

Compare Chert and Comms by Osis side by side: iMessage features, channels, developer tools, pricing and compliance, checked on each provider's own site.

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

Visit Chert Read more

Comms by Osis

iMessage, RCS, SMS and WhatsApp API with hosted agents

Starting price: $50/month (shared line); $200/month per dedicated number
Free plan: Free: shared platform line, 100 messages a day, no card

Visit Comms by Osis Read more

Chert supports 47 of the 77 features compared here, and Comms by Osis supports 43.

Where Chert is ahead

and 6 more in the table below.

Where Comms by Osis is ahead

and 2 more in the table below.

Feature comparison

Feature	Chert	Comms by Osis
iMessage messaging
iMessage	Supported	Supported
Group chats	Supported2 to 31 recipients; first group message must be text only.	SupportedGroups of 2 to 31 people from a dedicated line with group support. Not on the shared line.
Group management	SupportedCreate, add or remove participants, and leave a group.	PartialCreate a group with its first message; adding or removing members is not documented.
Group name and photo	SupportedSet a group's display name and icon.	PartialName a group when you create it; group photos and renames are not documented.
Mentions	Not listed	Not listed
Tapbacks	SupportedSix standard tapbacks; inbound tapbacks show in message history.	SupportedClassic tapbacks or custom emoji, add, replace or remove; reaction webhooks for inbound.
Threaded replies	Not listedHomepage mentions reply context; no reply-to field in the API docs.	Supportedreply_to_message_id replies inside an iMessage thread; text only.
Typing indicators	SupportedBest effort; group typing is not supported on every line.	SupportedShow or hide typing dots on iMessage, RCS and WhatsApp.
Read receipts	SupportedMark chats read; messages carry read_at when known.	SupportedMark a conversation read to send a receipt; comms.message.read for one-to-one chats.
Edit and unsend	PartialEdit within 15 minutes; no unsend endpoint documented.	PartialUnsend within Apple's 2-minute window on supported lines. No edit endpoint; inbound edits fire events.
Message effects	SupportedApple send effects, validated against an allowed list.	Not listed
Animated text effects	Not listed	Not listed
Stickers	Not listed	Not listed
Formatted text	Not listed	Not listed
Attachments	SupportedUpload then send; several images can go out as one grouped message.	SupportedUp to 32 files and 9 MiB per message, sent as base64.
Live Photos	Supportedlive_photo pairs an uploaded HEIC with its MOV.	Not listed
Rich link previews	Supportedrich_link parts render as preview bubbles; falls back to a plain URL.	Not listed
Voice messages	SupportedNative voice notes on enabled lines; inbound memos arrive as attachments, no transcript.	Not listedVoice notes are documented for WhatsApp only.
Contact cards	SupportedBuilds a vCard bubble in DMs and groups.	SupportedSend a vCard over iMessage, SMS or WhatsApp.
Polls	SupportedEnabled lines only; read votes by polling, no vote webhooks yet.	Supported2 to 12 options; votes arrive as comms.poll.voted. Tap to vote on iOS 26 and later.
Chat backgrounds	Not listed	BetaExperimental: photo or gradient backgrounds on lines that support them.
Location sharing	PartialOne-time location pin on enabled lines; not Live Location or Find My.	PartialRead locations that contacts choose to share, with update webhooks; the API cannot request a share.
iMessage apps	Not listed	Not listed
Live app cards	Not listed	Not listed
Sender name and photo	SupportedNative name-and-photo sharing on enabled lines (share_native).	SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, with native name and photo sharing on supported lines.
FaceTime calls	SupportedInbound audio and video, outbound audio only, bridged to your LiveKit agent.	PartialAnswer inbound FaceTime audio and video calls by API and stream audio; outbound calls not documented.
Delivery status	SupportedPer-message status with delivered_at, and the channel used (iMessage or SMS).	Supportedsent, delivered and read events, plus a list of delivery attempts.
iMessage availability check	Not listed	SupportedChecks iMessage, RCS and WhatsApp for a phone number, or iMessage for an email.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	SupportedChert-managed sender lines assigned to your tenant.	SupportedHosted lines; no Mac to run.
Dedicated numbers	Supported$250/mo per line, arranged on a call; no self-serve checkout yet.	SupportedDedicated plan: $200 a month per number.
Shared numbers	SupportedFree 24-hour trial and $25/mo Shared plan on a shared line.	SupportedFree and Plus plans run on a shared platform line.
Bring your own number	Not listed	SupportedPort an existing number to a dedicated line; needs approval and a supported number.
Line pooling	SupportedPicks and pins a sender line per recipient from your assigned lines.	Not listed
SMS fallback	PartialLines enabled for SMS retry only; plain-text 1:1 messages, not groups or media.	SupportedAuto routing falls back to SMS only after a clear rejection.
RCS fallback	Not listedHomepage says SMS or RCS fallback; API docs only describe SMS retry.	PartialAuto routing tries RCS for plain text on supported dedicated lines with carrier enablement.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedFirst send to a new recipient creates a lead and pins a line.	SupportedDedicated lines can start conversations.
Calls on the iMessage number	PartialHomepage offers one number for iMessage and FaceTime; docs say identities are not unified yet.	PartialInbound phone and FaceTime calls to the line can be answered by API; outbound is not documented.
Other channels
SMS	PartialOnly as an automatic retry after a failed iMessage, on enabled lines.	SupportedChoose sms explicitly or let auto routing fall back to it.
RCS	Not listedMentioned only as a fallback on the homepage.	PartialOne plain-text message to one number, on supported dedicated lines with carrier enablement.
WhatsApp	Not supportedNot offered	SupportedSends from the number's WhatsApp Business account when WhatsApp is turned on for it.
Telegram	Not supported	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Not listed	Not supported
Email	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered as a channel; the capability check accepts Apple ID emails for iMessage.
Phone calls	Not supportedNot offered; calls are FaceTime only.	PartialInbound cellular calls can be answered by API, but audio relay works only for FaceTime for now.
Apple Messages for Business	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered; the site says Comms is distinct from Apple Messages for Business.
Unified channel API	PartialiMessage and SMS retry share one API; FaceTime uses a separate API.	SupportedOne send endpoint and message model for iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp and SMS.
Developer tools
REST API	Supported	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Beta@trychert/sdk 0.2.0 on npm (MIT); the homepage still says SDK packages are not published.	Not listedOnly a runnable Node.js example is published.
Python SDK	BetaSource preview on GitHub; not released on PyPI.	Not listed
Other SDKs	BetaRust, C#/.NET, C++ and Go clients are source previews on GitHub.	Not listed
CLI	BetaFaceTime CLI on npm's beta tag; the SDK adds a chert-sdk CLI for sends.	Not listed
Webhooks	SupportedMultiple subscriptions with event filters; message.received for inbound.	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 per-subscription secret over timestamp and raw body.	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 in X-Osis-Signature.
MCP server	Not listed	SupportedHosted MCP server with OAuth or a scoped API key.
Open source	PartialSDKs are MIT and a FaceTime link connector is Apache-2.0; the service is closed.	Not listed
Self-hosting	Not listedOnly the open-source FaceTime link connector runs on your own machine.	Not listed
Local testing	Not listedSSE stream and dev inbox avoid a public webhook, but a real phone is still needed.	Not listed
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	SupportedDurable event log with replay by event ID, polling and SSE.	PartialUp to six delivery retries and a delivery attempts list; no replay endpoint is documented.
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	Not listed	BetaHighLevel connector is a development preview; Marketplace approval is pending.
CRM integrations	SupportedSalesforce managed package and HubSpot app.	Not listed
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialChert-managed FaceTime assistants and a LiveKit voice-agent starter; messaging is send and receive.	SupportedHosted agents with instructions, knowledge, handoff and MCP tool connections.
Agent framework integrations	PartialFaceTime calls connect to LiveKit agents; no messaging framework integrations.	Not listed
Streaming replies	Not listed	Not listed
Agent group chats	Not listed	Not listed
Human handoff	SupportedSlack reply triage with approve-to-send drafts, plus a console reply pane.	SupportedHandoff controls pause the hosted agent while a person replies in the team inbox.
Audit logs	Not listed	Not listed
Message history API	PartialLast 200 messages per chat; no pagination yet.	SupportedList messages and conversations on your lines.
Plans and compliance
Free plan	Partial24-hour trial with 10 messages and 10 FaceTime minutes on a shared line.	SupportedFree: shared platform line, 100 messages a day, no card.
Public pricing	Supported	Supported
No per-message fees	SupportedFlat monthly prices; paid plans have usage limits that are not spelled out.	SupportedFlat plans; AI usage and answered call minutes are billed separately.
Uptime SLA	Not listed	Not listed
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedDedicated $250/mo line for your project; lower plans use shared lines	Not listed
SOC 2 Type II	Not listed	Not listed
GDPR	SupportedPrivacy policy sets out GDPR legal bases and rights.	Not listedThe privacy policy mentions GDPR rights; no DPA was found.

Feature

Chert

Comms by Osis

iMessage messaging

iMessage

Group chats

2 to 31 recipients; first group message must be text only.

Groups of 2 to 31 people from a dedicated line with group support. Not on the shared line.

Group management

Create, add or remove participants, and leave a group.

PartialCreate a group with its first message; adding or removing members is not documented.

Group name and photo

Set a group's display name and icon.

PartialName a group when you create it; group photos and renames are not documented.

Mentions

Not listed

Tapbacks

Six standard tapbacks; inbound tapbacks show in message history.

Classic tapbacks or custom emoji, add, replace or remove; reaction webhooks for inbound.

Threaded replies

Not listedHomepage mentions reply context; no reply-to field in the API docs.

reply_to_message_id replies inside an iMessage thread; text only.

Typing indicators

Best effort; group typing is not supported on every line.

Show or hide typing dots on iMessage, RCS and WhatsApp.

Read receipts

Mark chats read; messages carry read_at when known.

Mark a conversation read to send a receipt; comms.message.read for one-to-one chats.

Edit and unsend

PartialEdit within 15 minutes; no unsend endpoint documented.

PartialUnsend within Apple's 2-minute window on supported lines. No edit endpoint; inbound edits fire events.

Message effects

Apple send effects, validated against an allowed list.

Not listed

Animated text effects

Not listed

Stickers

Not listed

Formatted text

Not listed

Attachments

Upload then send; several images can go out as one grouped message.

Up to 32 files and 9 MiB per message, sent as base64.

Live Photos

live_photo pairs an uploaded HEIC with its MOV.

Not listed

Rich link previews

rich_link parts render as preview bubbles; falls back to a plain URL.

Not listed

Voice messages

Native voice notes on enabled lines; inbound memos arrive as attachments, no transcript.

Not listedVoice notes are documented for WhatsApp only.

Contact cards

Builds a vCard bubble in DMs and groups.

Send a vCard over iMessage, SMS or WhatsApp.

Polls

Enabled lines only; read votes by polling, no vote webhooks yet.

2 to 12 options; votes arrive as comms.poll.voted. Tap to vote on iOS 26 and later.

Chat backgrounds

Not listed

BetaExperimental: photo or gradient backgrounds on lines that support them.

Location sharing

PartialOne-time location pin on enabled lines; not Live Location or Find My.

PartialRead locations that contacts choose to share, with update webhooks; the API cannot request a share.

iMessage apps

Not listed

Live app cards

Not listed

Sender name and photo

Native name-and-photo sharing on enabled lines (share_native).

Contact card API sets name and photo, with native name and photo sharing on supported lines.

FaceTime calls

Inbound audio and video, outbound audio only, bridged to your LiveKit agent.

PartialAnswer inbound FaceTime audio and video calls by API and stream audio; outbound calls not documented.

Delivery status

Per-message status with delivered_at, and the channel used (iMessage or SMS).

sent, delivered and read events, plus a list of delivery attempts.

iMessage availability check

Not listed

Checks iMessage, RCS and WhatsApp for a phone number, or iMessage for an email.

Focus and Notify Anyway

Not listed

Numbers and delivery

Managed lines

Chert-managed sender lines assigned to your tenant.

Hosted lines; no Mac to run.

Dedicated numbers

$250/mo per line, arranged on a call; no self-serve checkout yet.

Dedicated plan: $200 a month per number.

Shared numbers

Free 24-hour trial and $25/mo Shared plan on a shared line.

Free and Plus plans run on a shared platform line.

Bring your own number

Not listed

Port an existing number to a dedicated line; needs approval and a supported number.

Line pooling

Picks and pins a sender line per recipient from your assigned lines.

Not listed

SMS fallback

PartialLines enabled for SMS retry only; plain-text 1:1 messages, not groups or media.

Auto routing falls back to SMS only after a clear rejection.

RCS fallback

Not listedHomepage says SMS or RCS fallback; API docs only describe SMS retry.

PartialAuto routing tries RCS for plain text on supported dedicated lines with carrier enablement.

Outbound-first messaging

First send to a new recipient creates a lead and pins a line.

Dedicated lines can start conversations.

Calls on the iMessage number

PartialHomepage offers one number for iMessage and FaceTime; docs say identities are not unified yet.

PartialInbound phone and FaceTime calls to the line can be answered by API; outbound is not documented.

Other channels

SMS

PartialOnly as an automatic retry after a failed iMessage, on enabled lines.

Choose sms explicitly or let auto routing fall back to it.

RCS

Not listedMentioned only as a fallback on the homepage.

PartialOne plain-text message to one number, on supported dedicated lines with carrier enablement.

Not supportedNot offered

Sends from the number's WhatsApp Business account when WhatsApp is turned on for it.

Not supported

Not supportedNot offered

Slack

Not listed

Not supported

Not supportedNot offered

Not supportedNot offered as a channel; the capability check accepts Apple ID emails for iMessage.

Phone calls

Not supportedNot offered; calls are FaceTime only.

PartialInbound cellular calls can be answered by API, but audio relay works only for FaceTime for now.

Apple Messages for Business

Not supportedNot offered

Not supportedNot offered; the site says Comms is distinct from Apple Messages for Business.

Unified channel API

PartialiMessage and SMS retry share one API; FaceTime uses a separate API.

One send endpoint and message model for iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp and SMS.

Developer tools

REST API

TypeScript SDK

Beta@trychert/sdk 0.2.0 on npm (MIT); the homepage still says SDK packages are not published.

Not listedOnly a runnable Node.js example is published.

Python SDK

BetaSource preview on GitHub; not released on PyPI.

Not listed

Other SDKs

BetaRust, C#/.NET, C++ and Go clients are source previews on GitHub.

Not listed

CLI

BetaFaceTime CLI on npm's beta tag; the SDK adds a chert-sdk CLI for sends.

Not listed

Webhooks

Multiple subscriptions with event filters; message.received for inbound.

Signed webhooks

HMAC-SHA256 per-subscription secret over timestamp and raw body.

HMAC-SHA256 in X-Osis-Signature.

MCP server

Not listed

Hosted MCP server with OAuth or a scoped API key.

Open source

PartialSDKs are MIT and a FaceTime link connector is Apache-2.0; the service is closed.

Not listed

Self-hosting

Not listedOnly the open-source FaceTime link connector runs on your own machine.

Not listed

Local testing

Not listedSSE stream and dev inbox avoid a public webhook, but a real phone is still needed.

Not listed

Custom channel providers

Not listed

Event replay

Durable event log with replay by event ID, polling and SSE.

PartialUp to six delivery retries and a delivery attempts list; no replay endpoint is documented.

OpenTelemetry

Not listed

No-code integrations

Not listed

BetaHighLevel connector is a development preview; Marketplace approval is pending.

CRM integrations

Salesforce managed package and HubSpot app.

Not listed

Built for AI agents

Agent framework

PartialChert-managed FaceTime assistants and a LiveKit voice-agent starter; messaging is send and receive.

Hosted agents with instructions, knowledge, handoff and MCP tool connections.

Agent framework integrations

PartialFaceTime calls connect to LiveKit agents; no messaging framework integrations.

Not listed

Streaming replies

Not listed

Agent group chats

Not listed

Human handoff

Slack reply triage with approve-to-send drafts, plus a console reply pane.

Handoff controls pause the hosted agent while a person replies in the team inbox.

Audit logs

Not listed

Message history API

PartialLast 200 messages per chat; no pagination yet.

List messages and conversations on your lines.

Plans and compliance

Free plan

Partial24-hour trial with 10 messages and 10 FaceTime minutes on a shared line.

Free: shared platform line, 100 messages a day, no card.

Public pricing

No per-message fees

Flat monthly prices; paid plans have usage limits that are not spelled out.

Flat plans; AI usage and answered call minutes are billed separately.

Uptime SLA

Not listed

Isolated infrastructure

Dedicated $250/mo line for your project; lower plans use shared lines

Not listed

SOC 2 Type II

Not listed

GDPR

Not listedThe privacy policy mentions GDPR rights; no DPA was found.

Checked on each provider's own site and docs on 2026-10-25. “Not listed” means the provider does not mention it.

Pricing

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.

Pricing model: flat monthly per line, with usage limits

Source

Comms by Osis

Free on a shared line with 100 messages a day, Plus at $50 a month on a shared line, Dedicated at $200 a month per number with $0 setup, and custom Enterprise; AI usage is billed separately.

Pricing model: flat monthly per plan or dedicated line; AI usage and call minutes extra

Source