Chert vs rustpush
Compare Chert and rustpush 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
rustpush
Rust library for the iMessage, FaceTime and APNs protocols
- Starting price
- Free
- Free plan
- Free source (SSPL v1)
Chert supports 47 of the 77 features compared here, and rustpush supports 39.
Where Chert is ahead
and 12 more in the table below.
Where rustpush is ahead
- Mentions
- Threaded replies
- Animated text effects
- Stickers
- Formatted text
- Chat backgrounds
- iMessage apps
- Live app cards
and 4 more in the table below.
Feature comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| iMessage messaging | ||
| iMessage | ||
| Group chats | ||
| Group management | ||
| Group name and photo | ||
| Mentions | Not listed | |
| Tapbacks | ||
| Threaded replies | Not listedHomepage mentions reply context; no reply-to field in the API docs. | |
| Typing indicators | ||
| Read receipts | ||
| Edit and unsend | ||
| Message effects | ||
| Animated text effects | Not listed | |
| Stickers | Not listed | |
| Formatted text | Not listed | |
| Attachments | ||
| Live Photos | ||
| Rich link previews | ||
| Voice messages | ||
| Contact cards | Not listed | |
| Polls | Not listed | |
| Chat backgrounds | Not listed | |
| Location sharing | ||
| iMessage apps | Not listed | |
| Live app cards | Not listed | |
| Sender name and photo | ||
| FaceTime calls | ||
| Delivery status | ||
| iMessage availability check | Not listed | |
| Focus and Notify Anyway | Not listed | |
| Numbers and delivery | ||
| Managed lines | Not supportedA library; you register your own Apple ID and device identity | |
| Dedicated numbers | Not supportedNot offered | |
| Shared numbers | Not supported | |
| Bring your own number | Not listed | |
| Line pooling | Not listed | |
| SMS fallback | Not listed | |
| RCS fallback | Not listedHomepage says SMS or RCS fallback; API docs only describe SMS retry. | Not listed |
| Outbound-first messaging | ||
| Calls on the iMessage number | ||
| Other channels | ||
| SMS | ||
| RCS | Not listedMentioned only as a fallback on the homepage. | Not listed |
Not supportedNot offered | Not supportedNot offered | |
| Telegram | Not supported | Not supported |
| Slack | Not listed | Not supported |
Not supportedNot offered | Not supported | |
| Phone calls | Not supportedNot offered; calls are FaceTime only. | Not supportedNot offered; FaceTime only |
| Apple Messages for Business | Not supportedNot offered | Not supportedNot offered |
| Unified channel API | ||
| Developer tools | ||
| REST API | Not supportedRust library only; no HTTP API | |
| TypeScript SDK | Not listedRust crate only | |
| Python SDK | Not listed | |
| Other SDKs | ||
| CLI | Not listed | |
| Webhooks | Not supportedLibrary only; your code receives messages directly, no webhooks | |
| Signed webhooks | Not supportedNo webhooks | |
| MCP server | Not listed | Not listed |
| Open source | ||
| Self-hosting | Not listedOnly the open-source FaceTime link connector runs on your own machine. | |
| 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 | Not listed | |
| OpenTelemetry | Not listed | Not listed |
| No-code integrations | Not listed | Not listed |
| CRM integrations | Not listed | |
| 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 | Not listed | |
| Audit logs | Not listed | Not listed |
| Message history API | ||
| Plans and compliance | ||
| Free plan | ||
| Public pricing | Not listedNo prices or commercial license terms published | |
| No per-message fees | ||
| Uptime SLA | Not listed | |
| Isolated infrastructure | ||
| SOC 2 Type II | Not listed | Not listedSelf-hosted; compliance is up to the operator |
| GDPR | Not listed |
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
Sourcerustpush
rustpush is free source under SSPL v1; you supply Apple hardware identifiers or an always-on iPhone relay, and anyone offering it as a service must publish their service's source.
Pricing model: free self-hosted library
SourceWhich should you choose?
Choose Chert if you need contact cards, polls, managed lines and dedicated numbers.
Choose rustpush if you need mentions, threaded replies, animated text effects and stickers.
Frequently asked questions
Chert supports 47 of the 77 features compared here, and rustpush supports 39. Chert adds contact cards, polls, managed lines, dedicated numbers and shared numbers. rustpush adds mentions, threaded replies, animated text effects, stickers and formatted text.
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. rustpush: rustpush is free source under SSPL v1; you supply Apple hardware identifiers or an always-on iPhone relay, and anyone offering it as a service must publish their service's source.
rustpush does not list contact cards on its site or in its docs.
rustpush does not list polls on its site or in its docs.
rustpush does not support managed lines.