Chert vs LoopMessage

Chert supports 47 of the 77 features compared here, and LoopMessage supports 53.

Feature comparison

Feature	Chert	LoopMessage
iMessage messaging
iMessage	Supported	Supported
Group chats	Supported2 to 31 recipients; first group message must be text only.	SupportedSend and receive in iMessage groups; not available in the sandbox.
Group management	SupportedCreate, add or remove participants, and leave a group.	SupportedCreate groups (needs the Init conversations add-on) and add or remove members.
Group name and photo	SupportedSet a group's display name and icon.	SupportedSet group name (32 characters max) and photo with PATCH.
Mentions	Not listed	Not listed
Tapbacks	SupportedSix standard tapbacks; inbound tapbacks show in message history.	SupportedSix tapbacks or any emoji; inbound reactions arrive as message_reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	Not listedHomepage mentions reply context; no reply-to field in the API docs.	Supportedreply_to_id on send; inbound webhooks carry a thread object.
Typing indicators	SupportedBest effort; group typing is not supported on every line.	SupportedUp to 60 seconds; fails if the chat had no two-way activity in the last 5 minutes.
Read receipts	SupportedMark chats read; messages carry read_at when known.	PartialYou can mark chats read; no read event is documented for your outbound messages.
Edit and unsend	PartialEdit within 15 minutes; no unsend endpoint documented.	SupportedEdit within 15 minutes, unsend within 2 minutes of sending.
Message effects	SupportedApple send effects, validated against an allowed list.	Supported13 bubble and screen effects via the effect field.
Animated text effects	Not listed	SupportedMarkup for shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom and jitter.
Stickers	Not listed	PartialInbound messages can have type sticker; sending stickers is not documented.
Formatted text	Not listed	SupportedBold, italic, underline, strikethrough and text sizes in iMessage.
Attachments	SupportedUpload then send; several images can go out as one grouped message.	SupportedUp to 10 public HTTPS file URLs per message.
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.	SupportedLinks get rich previews by default; preview: false sends plain text.
Voice messages	SupportedNative voice notes on enabled lines; inbound memos arrive as attachments, no transcript.	SupportedSend audio files as voice messages; inbound audio is transcribed.
Contact cards	SupportedBuilds a vCard bubble in DMs and groups.	Supportedcontact_file adds a vCard to the message.
Polls	SupportedEnabled lines only; read votes by polling, no vote webhooks yet.	Not listedA helpdesk article lists polls among features, but no poll API is documented.
Chat backgrounds	Not listed	Not listed
Location sharing	PartialOne-time location pin on enabled lines; not Live Location or Find My.	PartialInbound messages can have type location; sending a location is not documented.
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).	Not listedDocs suggest sending a vCard so recipients see your name and photo.
FaceTime calls	SupportedInbound audio and video, outbound audio only, bridged to your LiveKit agent.	Not supportedFaceTime API is in progress on the roadmap; today only an inbound FaceTime call webhook.
Delivery status	SupportedPer-message status with delivered_at, and the channel used (iMessage or SMS).	Supportedmessage_delivered and message_failed webhooks, plus a status lookup by ID.
iMessage availability check	Not listed	PartialThrough LoopLookup, a separate LoopMessage service.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	SupportedChert-managed sender lines assigned to your tenant.	SupportedDedicated senders run on hardware LoopMessage rents to you.
Dedicated numbers	Supported$250/mo per line, arranged on a call; no self-serve checkout yet.	SupportedPhone number option is +$15/mo per dedicated sender; email senders also offered.
Shared numbers	SupportedFree 24-hour trial and $25/mo Shared plan on a shared line.	SupportedShared senders for AI assistant use from $20/mo; free sandbox for testing.
Bring your own number	Not listed	PartialYou can port a US number in; your own Apple IDs are not accepted.
Line pooling	SupportedPicks and pins a sender line per recipient from your assigned lines.	SupportedSender pools balance new contacts across senders and match replies to the right one.
SMS fallback	PartialLines enabled for SMS retry only; plain-text 1:1 messages, not groups or media.	SupportedPaid add-on, +$15/mo per dedicated sender; included on shared plans.
RCS fallback	Not listedHomepage says SMS or RCS fallback; API docs only describe SMS retry.	SupportedSame add-on uses RCS instead of SMS when the device supports it.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedFirst send to a new recipient creates a lead and pins a line.	PartialInit conversations add-on (+$30/mo), warm-up and recent opt-in required; no cold messaging.
Calls on the iMessage number	PartialHomepage offers one number for iMessage and FaceTime; docs say identities are not unified yet.	PartialInbound cell calls to the sender number are forwarded (add-on); no outbound calls.
Other channels
SMS	PartialOnly as an automatic retry after a failed iMessage, on enabled lines.	SupportedSet channel to sms; needs the SMS/RCS add-on.
RCS	Not listedMentioned only as a fallback on the homepage.	SupportedSet channel to rcs; needs the SMS/RCS add-on.
WhatsApp	Not supportedNot offered	SupportedAdd-on, +$10/mo, on the same phone number and API.
Telegram	Not supported	Not supportedPlanned on the roadmap, not available yet.
Slack	Not listed	Not listed
Email	Not supportedNot offered	Not listed
Phone calls	Not supportedNot offered; calls are FaceTime only.	PartialInbound cell calls are forwarded to a number you choose (add-on); no call API.
Apple Messages for Business	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered; the helpdesk contrasts LoopMessage with it.
Unified channel API	PartialiMessage and SMS retry share one API; FaceTime uses a separate API.	SupportediMessage, SMS, RCS and WhatsApp on one number and one API.
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.	PartialNo own SDK; Twilio's SDKs work through the Twilio-compatible API.
Python SDK	BetaSource preview on GitHub; not released on PyPI.	PartialNo own SDK; docs show Twilio's Python SDK pointed at the Twilio-compatible API.
Other SDKs	BetaRust, C#/.NET, C++ and Go clients are source previews on GitHub.	PartialNo own SDKs; Twilio's SDKs work through the Twilio-compatible API.
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.	SupportedRetried up to 30 times over several hours.
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 per-subscription secret over timestamp and raw body.	PartialYou set an authorization header and verify it; no HMAC signature.
MCP server	Not listed	PartialDocumentation-only MCP server; no access to your account or messages.
Open source	PartialSDKs are MIT and a FaceTime link connector is Apache-2.0; the service is closed.	PartialOnly the n8n node is MIT on GitHub; the platform is closed.
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 listedThe sandbox needs a real iPhone or Mac to message it.
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	SupportedDurable event log with replay by event ID, polling and SSE.	PartialWebhook history API to fetch past events; no replay call.
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	Not listed	Supportedn8n, Zapier, Pipedream, HighLevel and LeadConnector.
CRM integrations	SupportedSalesforce managed package and HubSpot app.	SupportedHighLevel CRM and LeadConnector; no HubSpot or Salesforce found.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialChert-managed FaceTime assistants and a LiveKit voice-agent starter; messaging is send and receive.	Not listed
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.	PartialPeople can reply from Slack, email or the embedded inbox; no agent handoff controls.
Audit logs	Not listed	PartialMessage, webhook and API request history kept; no account audit log found.
Message history API	PartialLast 200 messages per chat; no pagination yet.	SupportedPaginated history per contact, filterable by date, direction and type.
Plans and compliance
Free plan	Partial24-hour trial with 10 messages and 10 FaceTime minutes on a shared line.	SupportedSandbox with 5 contacts; free shared plan for schools and non-profits.
Public pricing	Supported	Supported
No per-message fees	SupportedFlat monthly prices; paid plans have usage limits that are not spelled out.	SupportedUnlimited messages; plans cap unique active contacts per day.
Uptime SLA	Not listed	Not supportedHelpdesk says LoopMessage does not provide SLAs or contracts.
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedDedicated $250/mo line for your project; lower plans use shared lines	SupportedA dedicated sender's number and server are allocated to you alone.
SOC 2 Type II	Not listed	Not supportedHelpdesk says LoopMessage has not been through a SOC 2 audit.
GDPR	SupportedPrivacy policy sets out GDPR legal bases and rights.	SupportedHelpdesk says data is stored following GDPR.

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 Chert if you need Live Photos, polls, sender name and photo and FaceTime calls.

Choose LoopMessage if you need threaded replies, animated text effects, stickers and formatted text.

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