Clerk AI vs Linq

Clerk AI supports 26 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	Clerk AI	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	Not supportedNo iMessage support	Supported
Group chats	Not supported	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	Not supported	SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo	Not supported	SupportedSet display_name and group_chat_icon on group chats.
Mentions	Not supported	SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks	Not supported	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	Not supported	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	Not supported	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	Not supported	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	Not supported	PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects	Not supported	Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects	Not supported	Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers	Not supported	SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text	Not supported	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	Not supported	SupportedUp to 10MB by URL, 100MB with pre-upload.
Live Photos	Not supported	Not listed
Rich link previews	Not supported	Supportedlink parts render as rich previews on iMessage and RCS.
Voice messages	Not supported	SupportedDedicated voice memo endpoint renders the native iMessage voice bubble.
Contact cards	Not supported	SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls	Not supported	SupportedCreate, add options, vote and read tallies, with poll webhooks. Not as a chat's first message.
Chat backgrounds	Not supported	SupportedColor, animated or photo backgrounds, in direct and group chats.
Location sharing	Not supported	SupportedRequest, read and stop Find My shares. Live location is a $79/mo add-on on Pro.
iMessage apps	Not supported	SupportedPro plan. Cards from your own Messages extension, or Linq-hosted cards (Experiences).
Live app cards	Not supported	SupportedUpdate App Card replaces a delivered iMessage app or Experience card in place.
Sender name and photo	Not supported	SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, shared per chat via Name and Photo Sharing.
FaceTime calls	Not supported	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	Not supported	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	Not supported	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not supported	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	Not supportedNo iMessage support	Supported
Dedicated numbers	SupportedClerk supplies numbers and handles 10DLC and carrier registration.	SupportedPaid lines are dedicated. Provisioned by Linq, no self-serve number API.
Shared numbers	Not listed	SupportedFree Hobby tier uses a Shared Line, inbound-first, 20 contacts.
Bring your own number	SupportedConnect your current carrier or VoIP service (Twilio, RingCentral and others) and keep your numbers.	Not listed
Line pooling	Not listed	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	Not supportedNo iMessage support; RCS messages fall back to SMS	Supported
RCS fallback	Not supportedNo iMessage support	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedBuilt for outbound calls, texts and campaigns, with TCPA and consent checks before each send.	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	Not supportedNo iMessage support	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	SupportedSMS and MMS.	Supported
RCS	SupportedRCS for Business with rich cards, carousels and suggestions. Startup plan and up.	Supported
WhatsApp	SupportedStartup plan ($149/month) and up.	BetaSeparate WhatsApp API in beta. Access by request, no SLA.
Telegram	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Not listed	Not supported
Email	PartialAgents can send email with a Send Email tool; no email inbox channel is documented.	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email handles.
Phone calls	SupportedAI voice agents for inbound and outbound calls, with transfer and voicemail detection.	PartialAPI does not place or answer calls; it forwards inbound calls. Calling lives in the Linq Blue app.
Apple Messages for Business	SupportedFull channel with Apple Pay, list and time pickers, forms, sign-in and iMessage app launch.	Not listedAI context page mentions it, but no product page or docs were found.
Unified channel API	SupportedOne send endpoint keyed on the sender inbox; webhooks carry a channel field.	PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one API. WhatsApp is a separate API with its own keys and SDKs.
Developer tools
REST API	SupportedTeams API key. The pricing page lists API access from the Startup plan.	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Not listedThe API landing page mentions SDKs, but none are documented.	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	Not listed	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	Not listed	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Not listed	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	Supportedmessage.sent, delivered, read, failed and received, RCS postbacks and opt-ins.	Supported
Signed webhooks	PartialNo HMAC signature; an optional static auth header is sent for you to check.	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	SupportedHosted at mcp.clerk.chat with OAuth: send messages, manage contacts, run campaigns.	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	Not supportedClosed platform	PartialSDKs, CLI and adapters are Apache-2.0 or MIT on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	Not supportedHosted cloud service only	Not supportedLinq describes itself as fully managed, in contrast to self-hosted options.
Local testing	Not listed	Not listedThe CLI streams webhooks locally, but tests still use a real phone.
Custom channel providers	SupportedBring your own carrier (Twilio, Bandwidth, Telnyx and others) under the same inboxes and API.	Not listed
Event replay	PartialUp to 5 retries with exponential backoff from about 2 minutes; attempts shown in the dashboard.	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	SupportedMake and n8n integrations; Iterable and other tools can trigger agents by webhook.	SupportedLinq Blue works as a GoHighLevel messaging provider. No n8n, Make or Zapier found for the API.
CRM integrations	SupportedSalesforce, Microsoft Dynamics and HubSpot.	SupportedVia Linq Blue: GoHighLevel, HubSpot and Salesforce.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	SupportedNo-code pipeline builder with LLM nodes, tools, knowledge base search and voice AI nodes.	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter and OpenClaw and Hermes plugins.
Agent framework integrations	Not listed	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	SupportedLive teammates can take over threads; calls transfer to a person or call queue.	Not listed
Audit logs	Not listedConversations are kept with transcripts as an audit trail; no account audit log found.	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	SupportedFind messages and find calls endpoints.	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedPay as you Go tier is free with 100 credits.	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	Not supportedUsage is billed in credits ($0.045 each, $0.030 on Startup).	Supported
Uptime SLA	PartialOnly Clerk Chat's Enterprise plan lists defined SLAs; no public SLA terms.	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	Not listed	SupportedDedicated lines across 4 data centers on paid plans; Hobby uses a shared line
SOC 2 Type II	SupportedSOC 2 Type II.	SupportedType I and Type II, reports for 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
GDPR	SupportedPrivacy policy and Enterprise page name GDPR and UK GDPR.	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 Clerk AI if you need bring your own number, email, Apple Messages for Business and custom channel providers.

Choose Linq if you need iMessage, group chats, group management and group name and photo.

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