What is the difference between Dial and LoopMessage?

Dial supports 44 of the 77 features compared here, and LoopMessage supports 53. Dial adds polls, sender name and photo, CLI, agent framework and agent framework integrations. LoopMessage adds group management, group name and photo, edit and unsend, message effects and animated text effects.

How much do Dial and LoopMessage cost?

Dial: Pay-as-you-go starts with $5 of free credit. A standard number is $3 a month plus metered SMS and calls, an iMessage number is $250 a month with free messages, and Enterprise is custom. LoopMessage: A free sandbox covers 5 contacts; dedicated senders start at $59.99 a month, with add-ons for a phone number, SMS/RCS fallback, WhatsApp and outbound-first.

Does LoopMessage support polls?

LoopMessage does not list polls on its site or in its docs.

Does LoopMessage support sender name and photo?

LoopMessage does not list sender name and photo on its site or in its docs.

Does LoopMessage support CLI?

LoopMessage does not list CLI on its site or in its docs.

Dial vs LoopMessage

Compare Dial and LoopMessage side by side: iMessage features, channels, developer tools, pricing and compliance, checked on each provider's own site.

Dial

Phone numbers with calls, SMS and iMessage for AI agents

Starting price: $3/month per standard number; $250/month per iMessage number
Free plan: $5 free credit, no credit card required

Visit Dial Read more

LoopMessage

iMessage, SMS, RCS and WhatsApp on one number

Starting price: $59.99/month per sender (Light)
Free plan: Sandbox: $0, 5 contacts, testing only; free shared plan for schools and non-profits

Visit LoopMessage Read more

Dial supports 44 of the 77 features compared here, and LoopMessage supports 53.

Where Dial is ahead

Where LoopMessage is ahead

and 8 more in the table below.

Feature comparison

Feature	Dial	LoopMessage
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedNeeds an iMessage number, provisioned through the API. Pay-as-you-go accounts only.	Supported
Group chats	SupportedSend to and read iMessage groups the number was added to. Polls work in groups; replies and reactions do not.	SupportedSend and receive in iMessage groups; not available in the sandbox.
Group management	Not supportedDocs say Dial cannot create a group, join one or accept an invite link.	SupportedCreate groups (needs the Init conversations add-on) and add or remove members.
Group name and photo	Not listedGroup names are read live from the line; no way to set a name or photo is documented.	SupportedSet group name (32 characters max) and photo with PATCH.
Mentions	Not listed	Not listed
Tapbacks	SupportedSix tapback names or any single emoji. Sent only on inbound messages; received on message.received.	SupportedSix tapbacks or any emoji; inbound reactions arrive as message_reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	SupportedNative threaded replies to inbound iMessage or RCS messages, one-to-one only.	Supportedreply_to_id on send; inbound webhooks carry a thread object.
Typing indicators	PartialSend only, one-to-one and in groups. No inbound typing events are documented.	SupportedUp to 60 seconds; fails if the chat had no two-way activity in the last 5 minutes.
Read receipts	PartialReports when recipients read your iMessages. No way to mark inbound messages read.	PartialYou can mark chats read; no read event is documented for your outbound messages.
Edit and unsend	Not listed	SupportedEdit within 15 minutes, unsend within 2 minutes of sending.
Message effects	Not listed	Supported13 bubble and screen effects via the effect field.
Animated text effects	Not listed	SupportedMarkup for shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom and jitter.
Stickers	Not listed	PartialInbound messages can have type sticker; sending stickers is not documented.
Formatted text	Not listed	SupportedBold, italic, underline, strikethrough and text sizes in iMessage.
Attachments	SupportedOne attachment per iMessage, 5 MB. Images, audio, video, PDF, vCard and iCalendar. No HEIC.	SupportedUp to 10 public HTTPS file URLs per message.
Live Photos	Not listed	Not listed
Rich link previews	Not listed	SupportedLinks get rich previews by default; preview: false sends plain text.
Voice messages	SupportedA single audio file on an iMessage number is sent as a native voice message.	SupportedSend audio files as voice messages; inbound audio is transcribed.
Contact cards	SupportedSend .vcf files as media. Inbound cards arrive as text/vcard media (since October 2026).	Supportedcontact_file adds a vCard to the message.
Polls	Supported2 to 10 options, one-to-one or in iMessage groups. Votes arrive as events with a live tally.	Not listedA helpdesk article lists polls among features, but no poll API is documented.
Chat backgrounds	Not listed	Not listed
Location sharing	Not listed	PartialInbound messages can have type location; sending a location is not documented.
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.	Not listedDocs suggest sending a vCard so recipients see your name and photo.
FaceTime calls	Not listed	Not supportedFaceTime API is in progress on the roadmap; today only an inbound FaceTime call webhook.
Delivery status	PartialiMessage sends report no delivery receipts; delivery is inferred once a read arrives.	Supportedmessage_delivered and message_failed webhooks, plus a status lookup by ID.
iMessage availability check	SupportedLookup endpoint checks whether any number can receive iMessage or WhatsApp.	PartialThrough LoopLookup, a separate LoopMessage service.
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.	SupportedDedicated senders run on hardware LoopMessage rents to you.
Dedicated numbers	SupportedEach number belongs to your account. Docs say only US numbers can be provisioned now.	SupportedPhone number option is +$15/mo per dedicated sender; email senders also offered.
Shared numbers	Not listed	SupportedShared senders for AI assistant use from $20/mo; free sandbox for testing.
Bring your own number	Not listed	PartialYou can port a US number in; your own Apple IDs are not accepted.
Line pooling	Not listedDocs suggest splitting recipients across several iMessage numbers by hand; no automatic pooling found.	SupportedSender pools balance new contacts across senders and match replies to the right one.
SMS fallback	SupportediMessage numbers fall back to RCS or SMS automatically, at no message charge.	SupportedPaid add-on, +$15/mo per dedicated sender; included on shared plans.
RCS fallback	Supported	SupportedSame add-on uses RCS instead of SMS when the device supports it.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedCold outbound allowed. Each iMessage number can start up to 50 new conversations a day.	PartialInit conversations add-on (+$30/mo), warm-up and recent opt-in required; no cold messaging.
Calls on the iMessage number	SupportediMessage numbers also place and receive AI voice calls, or forward inbound calls.	PartialInbound cell calls to the sender number are forwarded (add-on); no outbound calls.
Other channels
SMS	SupportedTwo-way SMS; MMS to US and Canada. Subscription accounts can text US numbers only.	SupportedSet channel to sms; needs the SMS/RCS add-on.
RCS	PartialOnly as automatic fallback from iMessage numbers; not a channel you can pick.	SupportedSet channel to rcs; needs the SMS/RCS add-on.
WhatsApp	BetaBeta, enabled per account. Runs on an iMessage number, one attachment per message.	SupportedAdd-on, +$10/mo, on the same phone number and API.
Telegram	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedPlanned on the roadmap, not available yet.
Slack	Not supportedNot offered as a channel. A Zapier app can forward messages to Slack.	Not listed
Email	Not supportedNot offered	Not listed
Phone calls	SupportedInbound and outbound AI voice calls with transcripts.	PartialInbound cell calls are forwarded to a number you choose (add-on); no call API.
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; the helpdesk contrasts LoopMessage with it.
Unified channel API	SupportedOne messages endpoint and event format for SMS, iMessage and WhatsApp, plus calls.	SupportediMessage, SMS, RCS and WhatsApp on one number and one API.
Developer tools
REST API	Supported	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Supported@getdial/sdk	PartialNo own SDK; Twilio's SDKs work through the Twilio-compatible API.
Python SDK	Supporteddial-sdk	PartialNo own SDK; docs show Twilio's Python SDK pointed at the Twilio-compatible API.
Other SDKs	Not supportedSDK overview lists only Node and Python clients, plus agent framework packages.	PartialNo own SDKs; Twilio's SDKs work through the Twilio-compatible API.
CLI	Supporteddial CLI, installed with a shell script or npx. Needs Node 22 or later.	Not listed
Webhooks	Supported	SupportedRetried up to 30 times over several hours.
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 over timestamp and body, X-Dial-Signature header.	PartialYou set an authorization header and verify it; no HMAC signature.
MCP server	SupportedRemote server with OAuth at getdial.ai/mcp, or local stdio through the CLI.	PartialDocumentation-only MCP server; no access to your account or messages.
Open source	PartialThe Chat SDK adapter is MIT on GitHub. The platform is closed.	PartialOnly the n8n node is MIT on GitHub; the platform 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 listedThe sandbox needs a real iPhone or Mac to message it.
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.	PartialWebhook history API to fetch past events; no replay call.
OpenTelemetry	Not listed	Not listed
No-code integrations	SupportedZapier app with message and call triggers, and send, call and provision actions.	Supportedn8n, Zapier, Pipedream, HighLevel and LeadConnector.
CRM integrations	Not listed	SupportedHighLevel CRM and LeadConnector; no HubSpot or Salesforce found.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialHosted AI voice agent runs calls from a prompt. Messaging is send and receive only.	Not listed
Agent framework integrations	SupportedLangChain, Vercel AI SDK, CrewAI, AutoGen, Microsoft Agent Framework and a Vercel Chat SDK adapter.	Not listed
Streaming replies	Not listed	Not listed
Agent group chats	Not listed	Not listed
Human handoff	PartialThe voice agent can transfer a call to a person. No handoff for messaging.	PartialPeople can reply from Slack, email or the embedded inbox; no agent handoff controls.
Audit logs	Not listed	PartialMessage, webhook and API request history kept; no account audit log found.
Message history API	SupportedList and search messages, up to the 100 most recent per request.	SupportedPaginated history per contact, filterable by date, direction and type.
Plans and compliance
Free plan	Supported$5 of free credit, no card. Free accounts are capped at 5-minute calls and 2 concurrent calls.	SupportedSandbox with 5 contacts; free shared plan for schools and non-profits.
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.	SupportedUnlimited messages; plans cap unique active contacts per day.
Uptime SLA	PartialUptime SLA listed for Enterprise only.	Not supportedHelpdesk says LoopMessage does not provide SLAs or contracts.
Isolated infrastructure	Not listed	SupportedA dedicated sender's number and server are allocated to you alone.
SOC 2 Type II	PartialSite says SOC 2 certified. Report type and a report are not published.	Not supportedHelpdesk says LoopMessage has not been through a SOC 2 audit.
GDPR	SupportedDPA covers GDPR and UK GDPR, with Standard Contractual Clauses.	SupportedHelpdesk says data is stored following GDPR.

Feature

Dial

LoopMessage

iMessage messaging

iMessage

Needs an iMessage number, provisioned through the API. Pay-as-you-go accounts only.

Group chats

Send to and read iMessage groups the number was added to. Polls work in groups; replies and reactions do not.

Send and receive in iMessage groups; not available in the sandbox.

Group management

Not supportedDocs say Dial cannot create a group, join one or accept an invite link.

Create groups (needs the Init conversations add-on) and add or remove members.

Group name and photo

Not listedGroup names are read live from the line; no way to set a name or photo is documented.

Set group name (32 characters max) and photo with PATCH.

Mentions

Not listed

Tapbacks

Six tapback names or any single emoji. Sent only on inbound messages; received on message.received.

Six tapbacks or any emoji; inbound reactions arrive as message_reaction webhooks.

Threaded replies

Native threaded replies to inbound iMessage or RCS messages, one-to-one only.

reply_to_id on send; inbound webhooks carry a thread object.

Typing indicators

PartialSend only, one-to-one and in groups. No inbound typing events are documented.

Up to 60 seconds; fails if the chat had no two-way activity in the last 5 minutes.

Read receipts

PartialReports when recipients read your iMessages. No way to mark inbound messages read.

PartialYou can mark chats read; no read event is documented for your outbound messages.

Edit and unsend

Not listed

Edit within 15 minutes, unsend within 2 minutes of sending.

Message effects

Not listed

13 bubble and screen effects via the effect field.

Animated text effects

Not listed

Markup for shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom and jitter.

Stickers

Not listed

PartialInbound messages can have type sticker; sending stickers is not documented.

Formatted text

Not listed

Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough and text sizes in iMessage.

Attachments

One attachment per iMessage, 5 MB. Images, audio, video, PDF, vCard and iCalendar. No HEIC.

Up to 10 public HTTPS file URLs per message.

Live Photos

Not listed

Rich link previews

Not listed

Links get rich previews by default; preview: false sends plain text.

Voice messages

A single audio file on an iMessage number is sent as a native voice message.

Send audio files as voice messages; inbound audio is transcribed.

Contact cards

Send .vcf files as media. Inbound cards arrive as text/vcard media (since October 2026).

contact_file adds a vCard to the message.

Polls

2 to 10 options, one-to-one or in iMessage groups. Votes arrive as events with a live tally.

Not listedA helpdesk article lists polls among features, but no poll API is documented.

Chat backgrounds

Not listed

Location sharing

Not listed

PartialInbound messages can have type location; sending a location is not documented.

iMessage apps

Not listed

Live app cards

Not listed

Sender name and photo

Set the first name, last name and photo shown beside the number's iMessages.

Not listedDocs suggest sending a vCard so recipients see your name and photo.

FaceTime calls

Not listed

Not supportedFaceTime API is in progress on the roadmap; today only an inbound FaceTime call webhook.

Delivery status

PartialiMessage sends report no delivery receipts; delivery is inferred once a read arrives.

message_delivered and message_failed webhooks, plus a status lookup by ID.

iMessage availability check

Lookup endpoint checks whether any number can receive iMessage or WhatsApp.

PartialThrough LoopLookup, a separate LoopMessage service.

Focus and Notify Anyway

Not listed

Numbers and delivery

Managed lines

iMessage numbers are provisioned through the API, with asynchronous setup. No Mac or device needed.

Dedicated senders run on hardware LoopMessage rents to you.

Dedicated numbers

Each number belongs to your account. Docs say only US numbers can be provisioned now.

Phone number option is +$15/mo per dedicated sender; email senders also offered.

Shared numbers

Not listed

Shared senders for AI assistant use from $20/mo; free sandbox for testing.

Bring your own number

Not listed

PartialYou can port a US number in; your own Apple IDs are not accepted.

Line pooling

Not listedDocs suggest splitting recipients across several iMessage numbers by hand; no automatic pooling found.

Sender pools balance new contacts across senders and match replies to the right one.

SMS fallback

iMessage numbers fall back to RCS or SMS automatically, at no message charge.

Paid add-on, +$15/mo per dedicated sender; included on shared plans.

RCS fallback

Same add-on uses RCS instead of SMS when the device supports it.

Outbound-first messaging

Cold outbound allowed. Each iMessage number can start up to 50 new conversations a day.

PartialInit conversations add-on (+$30/mo), warm-up and recent opt-in required; no cold messaging.

Calls on the iMessage number

iMessage numbers also place and receive AI voice calls, or forward inbound calls.

PartialInbound cell calls to the sender number are forwarded (add-on); no outbound calls.

Other channels

SMS

Two-way SMS; MMS to US and Canada. Subscription accounts can text US numbers only.

Set channel to sms; needs the SMS/RCS add-on.

RCS

PartialOnly as automatic fallback from iMessage numbers; not a channel you can pick.

Set channel to rcs; needs the SMS/RCS add-on.

BetaBeta, enabled per account. Runs on an iMessage number, one attachment per message.

Add-on, +$10/mo, on the same phone number and API.

Not supportedNot offered

Not supportedPlanned on the roadmap, not available yet.

Slack

Not supportedNot offered as a channel. A Zapier app can forward messages to Slack.

Not listed

Not supportedNot offered

Not listed

Phone calls

Inbound and outbound AI voice calls with transcripts.

PartialInbound cell calls are forwarded to a number you choose (add-on); no call API.

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; the helpdesk contrasts LoopMessage with it.

Unified channel API

One messages endpoint and event format for SMS, iMessage and WhatsApp, plus calls.

iMessage, SMS, RCS and WhatsApp on one number and one API.

Developer tools

REST API

TypeScript SDK

@getdial/sdk

PartialNo own SDK; Twilio's SDKs work through the Twilio-compatible API.

Python SDK

dial-sdk

PartialNo own SDK; docs show Twilio's Python SDK pointed at the Twilio-compatible API.

Other SDKs

Not supportedSDK overview lists only Node and Python clients, plus agent framework packages.

PartialNo own SDKs; Twilio's SDKs work through the Twilio-compatible API.

CLI

dial CLI, installed with a shell script or npx. Needs Node 22 or later.

Not listed

Webhooks

Retried up to 30 times over several hours.

Signed webhooks

HMAC-SHA256 over timestamp and body, X-Dial-Signature header.

PartialYou set an authorization header and verify it; no HMAC signature.

MCP server

Remote server with OAuth at getdial.ai/mcp, or local stdio through the CLI.

PartialDocumentation-only MCP server; no access to your account or messages.

Open source

PartialThe Chat SDK adapter is MIT on GitHub. The platform is closed.

PartialOnly the n8n node is MIT on GitHub; the platform 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 listedThe sandbox needs a real iPhone or Mac to message it.

Custom channel providers

Not listed

Event replay

PartialWebhooks retry up to 6 attempts. The live stream replays only about 2 minutes of missed events.

PartialWebhook history API to fetch past events; no replay call.

OpenTelemetry

Not listed

No-code integrations

Zapier app with message and call triggers, and send, call and provision actions.

n8n, Zapier, Pipedream, HighLevel and LeadConnector.

CRM integrations

Not listed

HighLevel CRM and LeadConnector; no HubSpot or Salesforce found.

Built for AI agents

Agent framework

PartialHosted AI voice agent runs calls from a prompt. Messaging is send and receive only.

Not listed

Agent framework integrations

LangChain, Vercel AI SDK, CrewAI, AutoGen, Microsoft Agent Framework and a Vercel Chat SDK adapter.

Not listed

Streaming replies

Not listed

Agent group chats

Not listed

Human handoff

PartialThe voice agent can transfer a call to a person. No handoff for messaging.

PartialPeople can reply from Slack, email or the embedded inbox; no agent handoff controls.

Audit logs

Not listed

PartialMessage, webhook and API request history kept; no account audit log found.

Message history API

List and search messages, up to the 100 most recent per request.

Paginated history per contact, filterable by date, direction and type.

Plans and compliance

Free plan

$5 of free credit, no card. Free accounts are capped at 5-minute calls and 2 concurrent calls.

Sandbox with 5 contacts; free shared plan for schools and non-profits.

Public pricing

No per-message fees

PartialMessages from a $250/month iMessage number are free. SMS on standard numbers is billed per message.

Unlimited messages; plans cap unique active contacts per day.

Uptime SLA

PartialUptime SLA listed for Enterprise only.

Not supportedHelpdesk says LoopMessage does not provide SLAs or contracts.

Isolated infrastructure

Not listed

A dedicated sender's number and server are allocated to you alone.

SOC 2 Type II

PartialSite says SOC 2 certified. Report type and a report are not published.

Not supportedHelpdesk says LoopMessage has not been through a SOC 2 audit.

GDPR

DPA covers GDPR and UK GDPR, with Standard Contractual Clauses.

Helpdesk says data is stored following GDPR.

Checked on each provider's own site and docs on 2026-10-25. “Not listed” means the provider does not mention it.

Pricing

Dial

Pay-as-you-go starts with $5 of free credit. A standard number is $3 a month plus metered SMS and calls, an iMessage number is $250 a month with free messages, and Enterprise is custom.

Pricing model: per number plus metered usage; iMessage messages free on an iMessage number

Source

LoopMessage

A free sandbox covers 5 contacts; dedicated senders start at $59.99 a month, with add-ons for a phone number, SMS/RCS fallback, WhatsApp and outbound-first.

Pricing model: flat per sender with daily contact caps, plus monthly add-ons

Source