Dial vs Inkbox

Dial supports 44 of the 77 features compared here, and Inkbox supports 45.

Feature comparison

Feature	Dial	Inkbox
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedNeeds an iMessage number, provisioned through the API. Pay-as-you-go accounts only.	SupportedShared router service on every plan, or a dedicated line from the Startup plan.
Group chats	SupportedSend to and read iMessage groups the number was added to. Polls work in groups; replies and reactions do not.	SupportedDedicated lines only, 2 to 8 remote participants. Shared service is 1:1.
Group management	Not supportedDocs say Dial cannot create a group, join one or accept an invite link.	PartialCreate a group by sending to 2 to 8 numbers. No add or remove member API in V1.
Group name and photo	Not listedGroup names are read live from the line; no way to set a name or photo is documented.	Not listed
Mentions	Not listed	Not listed
Tapbacks	SupportedSix tapback names or any single emoji. Sent only on inbound messages; received on message.received.	SupportedSend, replace and remove 7 tapbacks including eyes; inbound tapbacks arrive by webhook.
Threaded replies	SupportedNative threaded replies to inbound iMessage or RCS messages, one-to-one only.	Supportedreply_to_message_id in 1:1 and group chats, with thread reads. Falls back to a plain reply.
Typing indicators	PartialSend only, one-to-one and in groups. No inbound typing events are documented.	PartialSend only, in 1:1 chats. Groups and inbound typing events are not supported.
Read receipts	PartialReports when recipients read your iMessages. No way to mark inbound messages read.	PartialSend read receipts in 1:1 chats. No read status for your own sent messages is documented.
Edit and unsend	Not listed	Not listed
Message effects	Not listed	Supported4 bubble and 9 full-screen send styles, in 1:1 and dedicated-line groups.
Animated text effects	Not listed	Not listed
Stickers	Not listed	Not listed
Formatted text	Not listed	Not listed
Attachments	SupportedOne attachment per iMessage, 5 MB. Images, audio, video, PDF, vCard and iCalendar. No HEIC.	SupportedOne media item per message, uploads up to 10 MiB. No media before the recipient's first reply.
Live Photos	Not listed	Not listed
Rich link previews	Not listed	Not listed
Voice messages	SupportedA single audio file on an iMessage number is sent as a native voice message.	Not listed
Contact cards	SupportedSend .vcf files as media. Inbound cards arrive as text/vcard media (since October 2026).	PartialThe router sends the agent's contact card on connect. Sending other vCards is not documented.
Polls	Supported2 to 10 options, one-to-one or in iMessage groups. Votes arrive as events with a live tally.	Not listed
Chat backgrounds	Not listed	Not listed
Location sharing	Not listed	Not listed
iMessage apps	Not listed	Not listed
Live app cards	Not listed	Not listed
Sender name and photo	SupportedSet the first name, last name and photo shown beside the number's iMessages.	SupportedDedicated lines share the identity's display name and avatar automatically.
FaceTime calls	Not listed	Not listedCalls run over iMessage lines, but the docs do not say whether they are FaceTime.
Delivery status	PartialiMessage sends report no delivery receipts; delivery is inferred once a read arrives.	Supportedimessage.sent, imessage.delivered and imessage.delivery_failed webhooks, per recipient in groups.
iMessage availability check	SupportedLookup endpoint checks whether any number can receive iMessage or WhatsApp.	SupportedReturns iMessage, SMS or RCS for any E.164 number.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	SupportediMessage numbers are provisioned through the API, with asynchronous setup. No Mac or device needed.	SupportedShared router lines and dedicated lines run by Inkbox. No Mac needed.
Dedicated numbers	SupportedEach number belongs to your account. Docs say only US numbers can be provisioned now.	SupportedStartup plan includes one dedicated iMessage number. VoIP numbers for calls and SMS from Developer.
Shared numbers	Not listed	SupportedFree and paid plans include shared iMessage. The human must text the router first.
Bring your own number	Not listed	Not listed
Line pooling	Not listedDocs suggest splitting recipients across several iMessage numbers by hand; no automatic pooling found.	BetaOrganization-owned shared iMessage pools, beta and by request only.
SMS fallback	SupportediMessage numbers fall back to RCS or SMS automatically, at no message charge.	SupportedInkbox tries iMessage first and can fall back to SMS; was_downgraded marks it.
RCS fallback	Supported	PartialDocs describe SMS fallback, and the service field can report rcs. The transport cannot be chosen.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedCold outbound allowed. Each iMessage number can start up to 50 new conversations a day.	PartialDedicated lines can start chats, up to 40 new recipients a day. Shared service needs the human to text first.
Calls on the iMessage number	SupportediMessage numbers also place and receive AI voice calls, or forward inbound calls.	SupportedAgents place and receive voice calls over shared and dedicated iMessage lines.
Other channels
SMS	SupportedTwo-way SMS; MMS to US and Canada. Subscription accounts can text US numbers only.	SupportedSMS and MMS on dedicated VoIP numbers, US and Canada included. Group MMS is beta.
RCS	PartialOnly as automatic fallback from iMessage numbers; not a channel you can pick.	PartialOnly as a transport reported on iMessage lines; not a channel you can pick.
WhatsApp	BetaBeta, enabled per account. Runs on an iMessage number, one attachment per message.	Not supportedNot offered
Telegram	Not supportedNot offered	Not supported
Slack	Not supportedNot offered as a channel. A Zapier app can forward messages to Slack.	BetaSlack is in beta: read, reply, files and retained history search.
Email	Not supportedNot offered	SupportedEach identity gets a mailbox, with custom domains and IMAP/SMTP access.
Phone calls	SupportedInbound and outbound AI voice calls with transcripts.	SupportedInbound and outbound calls with your own WebSocket agent or Inkbox Voice AI (beta).
Apple Messages for Business	Not listedDocs say iMessage numbers send over Apple Messages for Business, but no business chat product is documented.	Not supportedNot offered
Unified channel API	SupportedOne messages endpoint and event format for SMS, iMessage and WhatsApp, plus calls.	PartialOne identity and one webhook subscription across channels, but separate APIs per channel.
Developer tools
REST API	Supported	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Supported@getdial/sdk	Supported@inkbox/sdk
Python SDK	Supporteddial-sdk	Supportedinkbox on PyPI
Other SDKs	Not supportedSDK overview lists only Node and Python clients, plus agent framework packages.	SupportedRust SDK (inkbox crate).
CLI	Supporteddial CLI, installed with a shell script or npx. Needs Node 22 or later.	Supported@inkbox/cli
Webhooks	Supported	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 over timestamp and body, X-Dial-Signature header.	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 with a per-identity signing key.
MCP server	SupportedRemote server with OAuth at getdial.ai/mcp, or local stdio through the CLI.	SupportedRemote Streamable HTTP endpoint at inkbox.ai/mcp, with a separate ChatGPT endpoint.
Open source	PartialThe Chat SDK adapter is MIT on GitHub. The platform is closed.	PartialSDK, CLI, skills and examples are MIT on GitHub. The service is closed.
Self-hosting	Not listedSelf-Hosted mode only means calls are driven by your own agent server; the platform itself is hosted.	Not listed
Local testing	Not listed	Not listed
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	PartialWebhooks retry up to 6 attempts. The live stream replays only about 2 minutes of missed events.	SupportedDelivery log with replay. Incoming-call and Slack deliveries cannot be replayed.
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	SupportedZapier app with message and call triggers, and send, call and provision actions.	Not listed
CRM integrations	Not listed	Not listed
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialHosted AI voice agent runs calls from a prompt. Messaging is send and receive only.	PartialIdentity layer with contact memories across email, texts and calls. No conversation framework.
Agent framework integrations	SupportedLangChain, Vercel AI SDK, CrewAI, AutoGen, Microsoft Agent Framework and a Vercel Chat SDK adapter.	SupportedPlugins for Hermes Agent, OpenClaw, OpenCode, Codex, Claude Code and DeepSeek Harness.
Streaming replies	Not listed	Not listed
Agent group chats	Not listed	Not listedAgents can reach each other over A2A tasks, but not in group chats.
Human handoff	PartialThe voice agent can transfer a call to a person. No handoff for messaging.	PartialPeople can reply from the Console, and Voice AI can transfer a call. No handoff controls for agents.
Audit logs	Not listed	Not listed
Message history API	SupportedList and search messages, up to the 100 most recent per request.	SupportedList and read conversations and threads, with search on texts and email.
Plans and compliance
Free plan	Supported$5 of free credit, no card. Free accounts are capped at 5-minute calls and 2 concurrent calls.	SupportedFree: 3 identities, shared iMessage up to 2,000 messages a month and 3 recipients at a time.
Public pricing	Supported	Supported
No per-message fees	PartialMessages from a $250/month iMessage number are free. SMS on standard numbers is billed per message.	PartialiMessage is capped per plan with no per-message fee. Extra SMS/MMS and call minutes cost $0.03 each.
Uptime SLA	PartialUptime SLA listed for Enterprise only.	Not listed
Isolated infrastructure	Not listed	PartialDedicated iMessage infrastructure is listed for Enterprise only.
SOC 2 Type II	PartialSite says SOC 2 certified. Report type and a report are not published.	Not listed
GDPR	SupportedDPA covers GDPR and UK GDPR, with Standard Contractual Clauses.	Not listedThe DPA names the CCPA only; GDPR is not mentioned.

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 Dial if you need voice messages, polls, WhatsApp and no-code integrations.

Choose Inkbox if you need group management, message effects, shared numbers and line pooling.

Frequently asked questions

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