Chert vs Project Blue
Compare Chert and Project Blue 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
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
Chert supports 47 of the 77 features compared here, and Project Blue supports 42.
Where Chert is ahead
and 5 more in the table below.
Where Project Blue is ahead
Feature comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| iMessage messaging | ||
| iMessage | ||
| Group chats | ||
| Group management | ||
| Group name and photo | ||
| Mentions | Not listed | Not listed |
| Tapbacks | ||
| Threaded replies | Not listedHomepage mentions reply context; no reply-to field in the API docs. | 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 | Not listed |
| Formatted text | Not listed | Not listed |
| Attachments | ||
| Live Photos | Not listed | |
| Rich link previews | Not listed | |
| Voice messages | ||
| Contact cards | ||
| Polls | Not listed | |
| Chat backgrounds | Not listed | Not listed |
| Location sharing | Not listed | |
| iMessage apps | Not listed | Not listed |
| Live app cards | Not listed | Not listed |
| Sender name and photo | ||
| FaceTime calls | ||
| Delivery status | ||
| iMessage availability check | Not listed | |
| Focus and Notify Anyway | Not listed | Not listed |
| Numbers and delivery | ||
| Managed lines | ||
| Dedicated numbers | ||
| Shared numbers | ||
| Bring your own number | Not listed | |
| Line pooling | ||
| SMS fallback | ||
| RCS fallback | Not listedHomepage says SMS or RCS fallback; API docs only describe SMS retry. | 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 listedMentioned only as a fallback on the homepage. | |
Not supportedNot offered | ||
| Telegram | Not supported | Not supportedNot offered |
| Slack | Not listed | |
Not supportedNot offered | ||
| Phone calls | Not supportedNot offered; calls are 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 | |
| Webhooks | ||
| Signed webhooks | Not listedWebhook docs do not mention signatures. | |
| MCP server | Not listed | |
| Open source | ||
| Self-hosting | Not listedOnly the open-source FaceTime link connector runs on your own machine. | Not listedHosted service on Project Blue lines. Self-hosting is not mentioned. |
| Local testing | Not listedSSE stream and dev inbox avoid a public webhook, but a real phone is still needed. | 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 | Not listed | |
| CRM integrations | ||
| Built for AI agents | ||
| Agent framework | Not listed | |
| Agent framework integrations | Not listed | |
| Streaming replies | Not listed | Not listed |
| Agent group chats | Not listed | Not listed |
| Human handoff | ||
| Audit logs | Not listed | Not listed |
| Message history API | ||
| Plans and compliance | ||
| Free plan | ||
| Public pricing | ||
| No per-message fees | ||
| Uptime SLA | Not listed | Not listedSite cites a 99.9% uptime record and a public status page. No contractual SLA found. |
| Isolated infrastructure | ||
| SOC 2 Type II | Not listed | Not listed |
| GDPR |
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
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 Chert if you need read receipts, edit and unsend, Live Photos and rich link previews.
Choose Project Blue if you need iMessage availability check, bring your own number, RCS and WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
Chert supports 47 of the 77 features compared here, and Project Blue supports 42. Chert adds read receipts, edit and unsend, Live Photos, rich link previews and polls. Project Blue adds iMessage availability check, bring your own number, RCS, WhatsApp and Slack.
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. 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 read receipts on its site or in its docs.
Project Blue does not list edit and unsend on its site or in its docs.
Project Blue does not list Live Photos on its site or in its docs.