What is the difference between Chert and Dial?

Chert supports 47 of the 77 features compared here, and Dial supports 44. Chert adds group management, group name and photo, edit and unsend, message effects and Live Photos. Dial adds threaded replies, iMessage availability check, RCS fallback, RCS and WhatsApp.

How much do Chert and Dial 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. Dial: Pay-as-you-go starts with $5 of free credit. A standard number is $3 a month plus metered SMS and calls, an iMessage number is $250 a month with free messages, and Enterprise is custom.

Does Dial support group management?

Dial does not support group management.

Does Dial support group name and photo?

Dial does not list group name and photo on its site or in its docs.

Does Dial support edit and unsend?

Dial does not list edit and unsend on its site or in its docs.

Chert vs Dial: Features, Pricing and Differences

Feature comparison

Feature	Chert	Dial
iMessage messaging
iMessage	Supported	SupportedNeeds an iMessage number, provisioned through the API. Pay-as-you-go accounts only.
Group chats	Supported2 to 31 recipients; first group message must be text only.	SupportedSend to and read iMessage groups the number was added to. Polls work in groups; replies and reactions do not.
Group management	SupportedCreate, add or remove participants, and leave a group.	Not supportedDocs say Dial cannot create a group, join one or accept an invite link.
Group name and photo	SupportedSet a group's display name and icon.	Not listedGroup names are read live from the line; no way to set a name or photo is documented.
Mentions	Not listed	Not listed
Tapbacks	SupportedSix standard tapbacks; inbound tapbacks show in message history.	SupportedSix tapback names or any single emoji. Sent only on inbound messages; received on message.received.
Threaded replies	Not listedHomepage mentions reply context; no reply-to field in the API docs.	SupportedNative threaded replies to inbound iMessage or RCS messages, one-to-one only.
Typing indicators	SupportedBest effort; group typing is not supported on every line.	PartialSend only, one-to-one and in groups. No inbound typing events are documented.
Read receipts	SupportedMark chats read; messages carry read_at when known.	PartialReports when recipients read your iMessages. No way to mark inbound messages read.
Edit and unsend	PartialEdit within 15 minutes; no unsend endpoint documented.	Not listed
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.	SupportedOne attachment per iMessage, 5 MB. Images, audio, video, PDF, vCard and iCalendar. No HEIC.
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.	SupportedA single audio file on an iMessage number is sent as a native voice message.
Contact cards	SupportedBuilds a vCard bubble in DMs and groups.	SupportedSend .vcf files as media. Inbound cards arrive as text/vcard media (since October 2026).
Polls	SupportedEnabled lines only; read votes by polling, no vote webhooks yet.	Supported2 to 10 options, one-to-one or in iMessage groups. Votes arrive as events with a live tally.
Chat backgrounds	Not listed	Not listed
Location sharing	PartialOne-time location pin on enabled lines; not Live Location or Find My.	Not listed
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).	SupportedSet the first name, last name and photo shown beside the number's iMessages.
FaceTime calls	SupportedInbound audio and video, outbound audio only, bridged to your LiveKit agent.	Not listed
Delivery status	SupportedPer-message status with delivered_at, and the channel used (iMessage or SMS).	PartialiMessage sends report no delivery receipts; delivery is inferred once a read arrives.
iMessage availability check	Not listed	SupportedLookup endpoint checks whether any number can receive iMessage or WhatsApp.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	SupportedChert-managed sender lines assigned to your tenant.	SupportediMessage numbers are provisioned through the API, with asynchronous setup. No Mac or device needed.
Dedicated numbers	Supported$250/mo per line, arranged on a call; no self-serve checkout yet.	SupportedEach number belongs to your account. Docs say only US numbers can be provisioned now.
Shared numbers	SupportedFree 24-hour trial and $25/mo Shared plan on a shared line.	Not listed
Bring your own number	Not listed	Not listed
Line pooling	SupportedPicks and pins a sender line per recipient from your assigned lines.	Not listedDocs suggest splitting recipients across several iMessage numbers by hand; no automatic pooling found.
SMS fallback	PartialLines enabled for SMS retry only; plain-text 1:1 messages, not groups or media.	SupportediMessage numbers fall back to RCS or SMS automatically, at no message charge.
RCS fallback	Not listedHomepage says SMS or RCS fallback; API docs only describe SMS retry.	Supported
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedFirst send to a new recipient creates a lead and pins a line.	SupportedCold outbound allowed. Each iMessage number can start up to 50 new conversations a day.
Calls on the iMessage number	PartialHomepage offers one number for iMessage and FaceTime; docs say identities are not unified yet.	SupportediMessage numbers also place and receive AI voice calls, or forward inbound calls.
Other channels
SMS	PartialOnly as an automatic retry after a failed iMessage, on enabled lines.	SupportedTwo-way SMS; MMS to US and Canada. Subscription accounts can text US numbers only.
RCS	Not listedMentioned only as a fallback on the homepage.	PartialOnly as automatic fallback from iMessage numbers; not a channel you can pick.
WhatsApp	Not supportedNot offered	BetaBeta, enabled per account. Runs on an iMessage number, one attachment per message.
Telegram	Not supported	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Not listed	Not supportedNot offered as a channel. A Zapier app can forward messages to Slack.
Email	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered
Phone calls	Not supportedNot offered; calls are FaceTime only.	SupportedInbound and outbound AI voice calls with transcripts.
Apple Messages for Business	Not supportedNot offered	Not listedDocs say iMessage numbers send over Apple Messages for Business, but no business chat product is documented.
Unified channel API	PartialiMessage and SMS retry share one API; FaceTime uses a separate API.	SupportedOne messages endpoint and event format for SMS, iMessage and WhatsApp, plus calls.
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.	Supported@getdial/sdk
Python SDK	BetaSource preview on GitHub; not released on PyPI.	Supporteddial-sdk
Other SDKs	BetaRust, C#/.NET, C++ and Go clients are source previews on GitHub.	Not supportedSDK overview lists only Node and Python clients, plus agent framework packages.
CLI	BetaFaceTime CLI on npm's beta tag; the SDK adds a chert-sdk CLI for sends.	Supporteddial CLI, installed with a shell script or npx. Needs Node 22 or later.
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 over timestamp and body, X-Dial-Signature header.
MCP server	Not listed	SupportedRemote server with OAuth at getdial.ai/mcp, or local stdio through the CLI.
Open source	PartialSDKs are MIT and a FaceTime link connector is Apache-2.0; the service is closed.	PartialThe Chat SDK adapter is MIT on GitHub. The platform is closed.
Self-hosting	Not listedOnly the open-source FaceTime link connector runs on your own machine.	Not listedSelf-Hosted mode only means calls are driven by your own agent server; the platform itself is hosted.
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.	PartialWebhooks retry up to 6 attempts. The live stream replays only about 2 minutes of missed events.
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	Not listed	SupportedZapier app with message and call triggers, and send, call and provision actions.
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.	PartialHosted AI voice agent runs calls from a prompt. Messaging is send and receive only.
Agent framework integrations	PartialFaceTime calls connect to LiveKit agents; no messaging framework integrations.	SupportedLangChain, Vercel AI SDK, CrewAI, AutoGen, Microsoft Agent Framework and a Vercel Chat SDK adapter.
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.	PartialThe voice agent can transfer a call to a person. No handoff for messaging.
Audit logs	Not listed	Not listed
Message history API	PartialLast 200 messages per chat; no pagination yet.	SupportedList and search messages, up to the 100 most recent per request.
Plans and compliance
Free plan	Partial24-hour trial with 10 messages and 10 FaceTime minutes on a shared line.	Supported$5 of free credit, no card. Free accounts are capped at 5-minute calls and 2 concurrent calls.
Public pricing	Supported	Supported
No per-message fees	SupportedFlat monthly prices; paid plans have usage limits that are not spelled out.	PartialMessages from a $250/month iMessage number are free. SMS on standard numbers is billed per message.
Uptime SLA	Not listed	PartialUptime SLA listed for Enterprise only.
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedDedicated $250/mo line for your project; lower plans use shared lines	Not listed
SOC 2 Type II	Not listed	PartialSite says SOC 2 certified. Report type and a report are not published.
GDPR	SupportedPrivacy policy sets out GDPR legal bases and rights.	SupportedDPA covers GDPR and UK GDPR, with Standard Contractual Clauses.

Feature

Chert

Dial

iMessage messaging

iMessage

Needs an iMessage number, provisioned through the API. Pay-as-you-go accounts only.

Group chats

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

Send to and read iMessage groups the number was added to. Polls work in groups; replies and reactions do not.

Group management

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

Not supportedDocs say Dial cannot create a group, join one or accept an invite link.

Group name and photo

Set a group's display name and icon.

Not listedGroup names are read live from the line; no way to set a name or photo is documented.

Mentions

Not listed

Tapbacks

Six standard tapbacks; inbound tapbacks show in message history.

Six tapback names or any single emoji. Sent only on inbound messages; received on message.received.

Threaded replies

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

Native threaded replies to inbound iMessage or RCS messages, one-to-one only.

Typing indicators

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

PartialSend only, one-to-one and in groups. No inbound typing events are documented.

Read receipts

Mark chats read; messages carry read_at when known.

PartialReports when recipients read your iMessages. No way to mark inbound messages read.

Edit and unsend

PartialEdit within 15 minutes; no unsend endpoint documented.

Not listed

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.

One attachment per iMessage, 5 MB. Images, audio, video, PDF, vCard and iCalendar. No HEIC.

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.

A single audio file on an iMessage number is sent as a native voice message.

Contact cards

Builds a vCard bubble in DMs and groups.

Send .vcf files as media. Inbound cards arrive as text/vcard media (since October 2026).

Polls

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

2 to 10 options, one-to-one or in iMessage groups. Votes arrive as events with a live tally.

Chat backgrounds

Not listed

Location sharing

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

Not listed

iMessage apps

Not listed

Live app cards

Not listed

Sender name and photo

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

Set the first name, last name and photo shown beside the number's iMessages.

FaceTime calls

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

Not listed

Delivery status

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

PartialiMessage sends report no delivery receipts; delivery is inferred once a read arrives.

iMessage availability check

Not listed

Lookup endpoint checks whether any number can receive iMessage or WhatsApp.

Focus and Notify Anyway

Not listed

Numbers and delivery

Managed lines

Chert-managed sender lines assigned to your tenant.

iMessage numbers are provisioned through the API, with asynchronous setup. No Mac or device needed.

Dedicated numbers

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

Each number belongs to your account. Docs say only US numbers can be provisioned now.

Shared numbers

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

Not listed

Bring your own number

Not listed

Line pooling

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

Not listedDocs suggest splitting recipients across several iMessage numbers by hand; no automatic pooling found.

SMS fallback

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

iMessage numbers fall back to RCS or SMS automatically, at no message charge.

RCS fallback

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

Outbound-first messaging

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

Cold outbound allowed. Each iMessage number can start up to 50 new conversations a day.

Calls on the iMessage number

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

iMessage numbers also place and receive AI voice calls, or forward inbound calls.

Other channels

SMS

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

Two-way SMS; MMS to US and Canada. Subscription accounts can text US numbers only.

RCS

Not listedMentioned only as a fallback on the homepage.

PartialOnly as automatic fallback from iMessage numbers; not a channel you can pick.

Not supportedNot offered

BetaBeta, enabled per account. Runs on an iMessage number, one attachment per message.

Not supported

Not supportedNot offered

Slack

Not listed

Not supportedNot offered as a channel. A Zapier app can forward messages to Slack.

Not supportedNot offered

Phone calls

Not supportedNot offered; calls are FaceTime only.

Inbound and outbound AI voice calls with transcripts.

Apple Messages for Business

Not supportedNot offered

Not listedDocs say iMessage numbers send over Apple Messages for Business, but no business chat product is documented.

Unified channel API

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

One messages endpoint and event format for SMS, iMessage and WhatsApp, plus calls.

Developer tools

REST API

TypeScript SDK

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

@getdial/sdk

Python SDK

BetaSource preview on GitHub; not released on PyPI.

dial-sdk

Other SDKs

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

Not supportedSDK overview lists only Node and Python clients, plus agent framework packages.

CLI

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

dial CLI, installed with a shell script or npx. Needs Node 22 or later.

Webhooks

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

Signed webhooks

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

HMAC-SHA256 over timestamp and body, X-Dial-Signature header.

MCP server

Not listed

Remote server with OAuth at getdial.ai/mcp, or local stdio through the CLI.

Open source

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

PartialThe Chat SDK adapter is MIT on GitHub. The platform is closed.

Self-hosting

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

Not listedSelf-Hosted mode only means calls are driven by your own agent server; the platform itself is hosted.

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.

PartialWebhooks retry up to 6 attempts. The live stream replays only about 2 minutes of missed events.

OpenTelemetry

Not listed

No-code integrations

Not listed

Zapier app with message and call triggers, and send, call and provision actions.

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.

PartialHosted AI voice agent runs calls from a prompt. Messaging is send and receive only.

Agent framework integrations

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

LangChain, Vercel AI SDK, CrewAI, AutoGen, Microsoft Agent Framework and a Vercel Chat SDK adapter.

Streaming replies

Not listed

Agent group chats

Not listed

Human handoff

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

PartialThe voice agent can transfer a call to a person. No handoff for messaging.

Audit logs

Not listed

Message history API

PartialLast 200 messages per chat; no pagination yet.

List and search messages, up to the 100 most recent per request.

Plans and compliance

Free plan

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

$5 of free credit, no card. Free accounts are capped at 5-minute calls and 2 concurrent calls.

Public pricing

No per-message fees

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

PartialMessages from a $250/month iMessage number are free. SMS on standard numbers is billed per message.

Uptime SLA

Not listed

PartialUptime SLA listed for Enterprise only.

Isolated infrastructure

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

Not listed

SOC 2 Type II

Not listed

PartialSite says SOC 2 certified. Report type and a report are not published.

GDPR

DPA covers GDPR and UK GDPR, with Standard Contractual Clauses.

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

Chert vs Dial

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

Chert

Dial

Where Chert is ahead

Where Dial is ahead

Feature comparison

Pricing

Chert

Dial

Which should you choose?

Frequently asked questions

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