Claw Messenger vs Linq

Claw Messenger supports 32 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	Claw Messenger	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedOnly phone numbers registered to the account can reach the agent	Supported
Group chats	PartialGrowth plan and up; every participant must be a registered number	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	PartialCreate a group by sending to several numbers; no add or remove member calls	SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo	Not listedDocs only describe receiving group rename events	SupportedSet display_name and group_chat_icon on group chats.
Mentions	Not listed	SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks	SupportedSend and receive, including custom emoji reactions	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	SupportedreplyTo on send; inbound messages carry replyTo	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	Supported	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	SupportedMark as read on send; read status events on receive	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	Not listed	PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects	Not listed	Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects	Not listed	Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers	Not listed	SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text	Not listed	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	SupportedGeneric media attachments from HTTPS URLs	SupportedUp to 10MB by URL, 100MB with pre-upload.
Live Photos	Not listed	Not listed
Rich link previews	Not listed	Supportedlink parts render as rich previews on iMessage and RCS.
Voice messages	Not supportedFAQ: native voice-note bubbles are not verified; audio goes as a plain file	SupportedDedicated voice memo endpoint renders the native iMessage voice bubble.
Contact cards	Not listed	SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls	Not listed	SupportedCreate, add options, vote and read tallies, with poll webhooks. Not as a chat's first message.
Chat backgrounds	Not listed	SupportedColor, animated or photo backgrounds, in direct and group chats.
Location sharing	Not listed	SupportedRequest, read and stop Find My shares. Live location is a $79/mo add-on on Pro.
iMessage apps	Not listed	SupportedPro plan. Cards from your own Messages extension, or Linq-hosted cards (Experiences).
Live app cards	Not listed	SupportedUpdate App Card replaces a delivered iMessage app or Experience card in place.
Sender name and photo	Not listed	SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, shared per chat via Name and Photo Sharing.
FaceTime calls	Not supportedFAQ: no voice calls; text and media only	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	Supportedaccepted, delivered, read and failed status events	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	Not listedRouting picks the channel automatically; no reachability check is documented	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	SupportedProvider runs the line; agents run on Linux, Docker, Windows or cloud	Supported
Dedicated numbers	SupportedAgency tier ($199/month per subtenant); self-serve uses shared numbers	SupportedPaid lines are dedicated. Provisioned by Linq, no self-serve number API.
Shared numbers	SupportedSelf-serve plans send from a shared number that may change between messages	SupportedFree Hobby tier uses a Shared Line, inbound-first, 20 contacts.
Bring your own number	Not listedFAQ says numbers come from a pool; bringing your own is not mentioned	Not listed
Line pooling	Not listed	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	SupportediMessage with automatic RCS and SMS fallback	Supported
RCS fallback	Supported	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedSelf-serve plans start up to 20 new conversations per rolling 24 hours	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	Not supportedFAQ: voice calls are not supported	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	Supportedservice: SMS on send	Supported
RCS	Supportedservice: RCS on send	Supported
WhatsApp	Not supportedNot offered	BetaSeparate WhatsApp API in beta. Access by request, no SLA.
Telegram	Not supported	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Not supported	Not supported
Email	Not supported	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email handles.
Phone calls	Not supportedFAQ: voice calls are not supported	PartialAPI does not place or answer calls; it forwards inbound calls. Calling lives in the Linq Blue app.
Apple Messages for Business	Not supportedNot offered	Not listedAI context page mentions it, but no product page or docs were found.
Unified channel API	SupportedOne send call routes across iMessage, RCS and SMS	PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one API. WhatsApp is a separate API with its own keys and SDKs.
Developer tools
REST API	SupportedREST for sends and number routes; WebSocket is the main event channel	Supported
TypeScript SDK	PartialOnly framework packages on npm (OpenClaw plugin, n8n node, MCP); no general SDK	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	PartialOnly LangChain and CrewAI tool packages on PyPI; no general SDK	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	Not supportedProvider lists its SDK story as REST and WebSocket from any language	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Not listed	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	PartialDocs: self-serve inbound is WebSocket only; webhooks are for approved managed setups	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-signed	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	Supported@emotion-machine/claw-messenger-mcp, five tools	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	Not supportedCore service is not published; only MIT starter repos and plugins	PartialSDKs, CLI and adapters are Apache-2.0 or MIT on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	Not supportedProvider lists itself as hosted	Not supportedLinq describes itself as fully managed, in contrast to self-hosted options.
Local testing	Not listedSetup test sends a real message to a phone you control	Not listedThe CLI streams webhooks locally, but tests still use a real phone.
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	SupportedInbound messages are stored and redelivered on reconnect; sync replays since a time	PartialRetries for 30 minutes; after that, re-fetch chats or ask Linq for a manual replay.
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	PartialW3C trace IDs on every response and webhook for OTel backends. No export of Linq spans by default.
No-code integrations	Partialn8n node for self-hosted n8n, send only; no Zapier or Make	SupportedLinq Blue works as a GoHighLevel messaging provider. No n8n, Make or Zapier found for the API.
CRM integrations	Not supportedProvider: no native HubSpot, Salesforce or GoHighLevel connector	SupportedVia Linq Blue: GoHighLevel, HubSpot and Salesforce.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialPlugins for OpenClaw, Hermes, LangChain and CrewAI; no framework of its own	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter and OpenClaw and Hermes plugins.
Agent framework integrations	SupportedOwn packages for LangChain, CrewAI, OpenClaw, Hermes and n8n	SupportedLinq-maintained Vercel Chat SDK adapter, plus OpenClaw and Hermes Agent plugins.
Streaming replies	Not listed	Not supportedDocs say the Chat SDK adapter buffers streams into one final message.
Agent group chats	Not listed	Not listed
Human handoff	Not listed	Not listed
Audit logs	Not listed	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	Partialsync replays saved inbound messages since a timestamp; no history API	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	Not supportedNo free tier; 7-day trial with a card	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	PartialFlat plans with hard monthly message caps; Agency charges $0.005 per extra message	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not supportedTerms: high availability is a goal, uptime is not guaranteed	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedAgency subtenants get their own line, key and routing	SupportedDedicated lines across 4 data centers on paid plans; Hobby uses a shared line
SOC 2 Type II	Not supportedProvider: no public certifications yet	SupportedType I and Type II, reports for 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
GDPR	Not listed	SupportedDPA 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.

Pricing

Which should you choose?

Choose Claw Messenger if its pricing fits better: it does not support anything here that Linq lacks.

Choose Linq if you need group name and photo, mentions, edit and unsend and message effects.

Frequently asked questions

• Photon vs Claw Messenger

• Photon vs Linq
• Blooio vs Linq
• Sendblue vs Linq
• Zernio vs Linq
• LoopMessage vs Linq
• Blue Reacher vs Linq
• Chert vs Linq
• Miss Blue vs Linq
• Bland vs Linq
• BlueBubbles vs Linq