Chert vs Sendblue

Chert supports 47 of the 77 features compared here, and Sendblue supports 58.

Feature comparison

Feature	Chert	Sendblue
iMessage messaging
iMessage	Supported	Supported
Group chats	Supported2 to 31 recipients; first group message must be text only.	BetaGroup API is in beta on select plans. AI Agent plan can only reply in existing groups.
Group management	SupportedCreate, add or remove participants, and leave a group.	BetaAdd and remove participants in iMessage groups via the beta groups API.
Group name and photo	SupportedSet a group's display name and icon.	SupportedRename groups and set group photos on supported lines.
Mentions	Not listed	Not listed
Tapbacks	SupportedSix standard tapbacks; inbound tapbacks show in message history.	PartialSend classic tapbacks or any emoji. No inbound reaction events documented.
Threaded replies	Not listedHomepage mentions reply context; no reply-to field in the API docs.	Supportedreply_to on V2 iMessage lines, in direct and group chats.
Typing indicators	SupportedBest effort; group typing is not supported on every line.	SupportedSend and receive. iMessage 1:1 only, not in groups.
Read receipts	SupportedMark chats read; messages carry read_at when known.	PartialCan mark chats read (1:1). Outbound statuses stop at DELIVERED, with no read status.
Edit and unsend	PartialEdit within 15 minutes; no unsend endpoint documented.	Not supportedDocs say editing is not supported via API and delete does not unsend.
Message effects	SupportedApple send effects, validated against an allowed list.	Supported13 send_style values.
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 100MB on iMessage, 5MB on SMS.
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.	PartialDocs say links expand only after the recipient saves your contact.
Voice messages	SupportedNative voice notes on enabled lines; inbound memos arrive as attachments, no transcript.	SupportedSend .caf files to render as inline voice notes.
Contact cards	SupportedBuilds a vCard bubble in DMs and groups.	SupportedSend .vcf files via media_url.
Polls	SupportedEnabled lines only; read votes by polling, no vote webhooks yet.	Not listed
Chat backgrounds	Not listed	Not listed
Location sharing	PartialOne-time location pin on enabled lines; not Live Location or Find My.	SupportedFind My request, read and live watch. Dedicated iMessage lines only.
iMessage apps	Not listed	SupportedApp Cards for your own Messages extension. V2 lines, not on the free plan.
Live app cards	Not listed	PartialUpdates go out as new messages in the same App Card session; Sendblue says the original is not edited.
Sender name and photo	SupportedNative name-and-photo sharing on enabled lines (share_native).	SupportedName and Photo Sharing profile per line, shared into direct iMessage chats.
FaceTime calls	SupportedInbound audio and video, outbound audio only, bridged to your LiveKit agent.	PartialOutbound FaceTime audio over WebRTC (Agora). Needs a purchased FaceTime line.
Delivery status	SupportedPer-message status with delivered_at, and the channel used (iMessage or SMS).	SupportedStatus callbacks from REGISTERED through SENT or DELIVERED.
iMessage availability check	Not listed	SupportedLookup API checks a phone number or email for iMessage.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	SupportedChert-managed sender lines assigned to your tenant.	Supported
Dedicated numbers	Supported$250/mo per line, arranged on a call; no self-serve checkout yet.	Supported
Shared numbers	SupportedFree 24-hour trial and $25/mo Shared plan on a shared line.	SupportedFree sandbox uses a shared number with verified contacts only.
Bring your own number	Not listed	PartialOnly by porting the number in, which adds 3 to 5 days.
Line pooling	SupportedPicks and pins a sender line per recipient from your assigned lines.	SupportedNumber pooling with sticky sending. Automatic line selection needs account enablement.
SMS fallback	PartialLines enabled for SMS retry only; plain-text 1:1 messages, not groups or media.	Supported
RCS fallback	Not listedHomepage says SMS or RCS fallback; API docs only describe SMS retry.	SupportediMessage, then RCS, then SMS. RCS on V2 lines.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedFirst send to a new recipient creates a lead and pins a line.	SupportedFull outbound on Enterprise or Blue Ocean; Free and AI Agent plans are inbound-first
Calls on the iMessage number	PartialHomepage offers one number for iMessage and FaceTime; docs say identities are not unified yet.	SupportedDashboard calls and FaceTime from the texting number; API calls via your Twilio caller ID.
Other channels
SMS	PartialOnly as an automatic retry after a failed iMessage, on enabled lines.	Supported
RCS	Not listedMentioned only as a fallback on the homepage.	SupportedV2 lines.
WhatsApp	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered
Telegram	Not supported	Not supported
Slack	Not listed	Not listed
Email	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email addresses.
Phone calls	Not supportedNot offered; calls are FaceTime only.	PartialNo native calling API. Dashboard calls, outbound via your Twilio caller ID, inbound forwarding.
Apple Messages for Business	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered
Unified channel API	PartialiMessage and SMS retry share one API; FaceTime uses a separate API.	SupportedOne API for iMessage, RCS and SMS, the only channels offered.
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.	Supportedsendblue on npm.
Python SDK	BetaSource preview on GitHub; not released on PyPI.	Supportedsendblue on PyPI.
Other SDKs	BetaRust, C#/.NET, C++ and Go clients are source previews on GitHub.	PartialGo, Rust and Ruby packages, listed as community packages.
CLI	BetaFaceTime CLI on npm's beta tag; the SDK adds a chert-sdk CLI for sends.	Supported@sendblue/cli: signup, messaging, contacts and webhooks.
Webhooks	SupportedMultiple subscriptions with event filters; message.received for inbound.	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 per-subscription secret over timestamp and raw body.	PartialSends your shared secret in an sb-signing-secret header. No HMAC signature.
MCP server	Not listed	Supportedsendblue-api-mcp via npx.
Open source	PartialSDKs are MIT and a FaceTime link connector is Apache-2.0; the service is closed.	PartialSDKs and CLI are MIT or Apache-2.0 on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	Not listedOnly the open-source FaceTime link connector runs on your own machine.	Not listedSold as a hosted service on Sendblue's Apple devices; 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 listed
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	SupportedDurable event log with replay by event ID, polling and SSE.	PartialNo replay. Docs say to repair gaps by listing messages updated since a timestamp.
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	Not listed	SupportedZapier, Make and GoHighLevel. Docs FAQ says n8n resources are coming soon.
CRM integrations	SupportedSalesforce managed package and HubSpot app.	SupportedGoHighLevel, HubSpot, Salesforce, Close and Monday.com.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialChert-managed FaceTime assistants and a LiveKit voice-agent starter; messaging is send and receive.	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter.
Agent framework integrations	PartialFaceTime calls connect to LiveKit agents; no messaging framework integrations.	SupportedSendblue-maintained Vercel Chat SDK adapter.
Streaming replies	Not listed	Not supportedDocs say message editing is not supported via the API.
Agent group chats	Not listed	BetaA line can add another of your own dedicated lines to a group, via the beta groups API.
Human handoff	SupportedSlack reply triage with approve-to-send drafts, plus a console reply pane.	SupportedShared team inboxes with assignment, and agents that escalate to a rep.
Audit logs	Not listed	PartialSecurity page says all API requests are logged. No customer-facing audit log documented.
Message history API	PartialLast 200 messages per chat; no pagination yet.	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	Partial24-hour trial with 10 messages and 10 FaceTime minutes on a shared line.	SupportedFree sandbox: shared number, up to 10 verified contacts, no webhooks.
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedAI Agent plan at $100/mo per line. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	SupportedFlat monthly prices; paid plans have usage limits that are not spelled out.	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not listed	Supported99.99% uptime SLA on the Enterprise plan
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedDedicated $250/mo line for your project; lower plans use shared lines	SupportedA dedicated HIPAA instance for HIPAA customers
SOC 2 Type II	Not listed	SupportedSOC 2 Type II, report on request.
GDPR	SupportedPrivacy policy sets out GDPR legal bases and rights.	SupportedPrivacy policy says Sendblue adheres to GDPR. DPAs on request.

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 edit and unsend, Live Photos and polls.

Choose Sendblue if you need threaded replies, iMessage apps, live app cards and iMessage availability check.

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