Dial vs MessageBlue
Compare Dial and MessageBlue 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
MessageBlue
iMessage API for agents, with bring-your-own-number
- Starting price
- $100/month per line
- Free plan
- $0 with your own number and Mac, all features, limited seats
Dial supports 44 of the 77 features compared here, and MessageBlue supports 38.
Where Dial is ahead
- Threaded replies
- Contact cards
- Polls
- Sender name and photo
- RCS fallback
- Calls on the iMessage number
- RCS
and 6 more in the table below.
Feature comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| iMessage messaging | ||
| iMessage | ||
| Group chats | ||
| Group management | ||
| 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 | ||
| Threaded replies | Not listed | |
| Typing indicators | ||
| Read receipts | ||
| Edit and unsend | Not listed | Not listed |
| Message effects | Not listed | Not listed |
| Animated text effects | Not listed | Not listed |
| Stickers | Not listed | Not listed |
| Formatted text | Not listed | Not listed |
| Attachments | ||
| Live Photos | Not listed | Not listed |
| Rich link previews | Not listed | Not listed |
| Voice messages | ||
| Contact cards | Not listed | |
| Polls | 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 | Not listed | |
| FaceTime calls | Not listed | Not listedInbox video call button is marked coming soon; voice calls need the team to enable. |
| Delivery status | ||
| iMessage availability check | ||
| Focus and Notify Anyway | Not listed | Not listed |
| Numbers and delivery | ||
| Managed lines | ||
| Dedicated numbers | ||
| Shared numbers | Not listed | Not listed |
| Bring your own number | Not listed | |
| Line pooling | Not listedDocs suggest splitting recipients across several iMessage numbers by hand; no automatic pooling found. | |
| SMS fallback | ||
| RCS fallback | Not listedMarketing pages say SMS or RCS fallback; docs only describe SMS. | |
| Outbound-first messaging | ||
| Calls on the iMessage number | Not listedInbox voice call button says to contact the team; number used is not stated. | |
| Other channels | ||
| SMS | ||
| RCS | Not listedMentioned only as a fallback on marketing pages. | |
Not supportedNot offered | ||
| Telegram | Not supportedNot offered | Not supported |
| Slack | Not supportedNot offered as a channel. A Zapier app can forward messages to Slack. | Not supported |
Not supportedNot offered | Not supported | |
| Phone calls | Not listedInbox voice call button says to contact the team; call type and number not stated. | |
| 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 | ||
| Developer tools | ||
| REST API | ||
| TypeScript SDK | ||
| Python SDK | ||
| Other SDKs | ||
| CLI | Not listedThe API page mentions a CLI, but none is documented. | |
| Webhooks | ||
| Signed webhooks | ||
| MCP server | ||
| Open source | Not listed | |
| Self-hosting | Not listedSelf-Hosted mode only means calls are driven by your own agent server; the platform itself is hosted. | |
| Local testing | Not listed | |
| Custom channel providers | Not listed | Not listed |
| Event replay | ||
| OpenTelemetry | Not listed | Not listed |
| No-code integrations | ||
| CRM integrations | Not listed | |
| Built for AI agents | ||
| Agent framework | ||
| Agent framework integrations | Not listedSite says it works with LangChain and the Vercel AI SDK via webhooks; no official integration. | |
| Streaming replies | Not listed | Not listed |
| Agent group chats | Not listed | Not listed |
| Human handoff | ||
| Audit logs | Not listed | |
| Message history API | ||
| Plans and compliance | ||
| Free plan | ||
| Public pricing | ||
| No per-message fees | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| Isolated infrastructure | Not listed | |
| SOC 2 Type II | ||
| GDPR | Not listed |
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
SourceMessageBlue
Free when you bring your own number on your own Mac; a dedicated line is $100 a month on Startups & SMB, and Business and Enterprise are contact sales.
Pricing model: flat per line
SourceWhich should you choose?
Choose Dial if you need threaded replies, contact cards, polls and sender name and photo.
Choose MessageBlue if you need group management, bring your own number, line pooling and self-hosting.
Frequently asked questions
Dial supports 44 of the 77 features compared here, and MessageBlue supports 38. Dial adds threaded replies, contact cards, polls, sender name and photo and RCS fallback. MessageBlue adds group management, bring your own number, line pooling, self-hosting and local testing.
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. MessageBlue: Free when you bring your own number on your own Mac; a dedicated line is $100 a month on Startups & SMB, and Business and Enterprise are contact sales.
MessageBlue does not list threaded replies on its site or in its docs.
MessageBlue does not list contact cards on its site or in its docs.
MessageBlue does not list polls on its site or in its docs.