imbridge vs Linq

imbridge supports 38 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	imbridge	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedThrough Messages on your own Apple Silicon Mac, SIP disabled	Supported
Group chats	SupportedSend to and stream a group by name or GUID; group change events	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	Not supportedREADME: the helper can, but the Python API does not wrap it yet	SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo	Not supportedNot in the Python API yet; it reads rename and photo change events only	SupportedSet display_name and group_chat_icon on group chats.
Mentions	SupportedSpan(mention=...) in groups; mentions_me() checks incoming messages	SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks	SupportedClassic six, any emoji or a sticker; send, remove and receive	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	Supportedreply() to a message, files as replies too; reply_to on incoming	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	SupportedShow yours, groups included; seeing others is best effort on macOS 26+	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	Supportedmark_read() plus read status and read_at on your messages	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	SupportedEdit up to 5 times in 15 minutes, unsend within 2; macOS 13+	PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects	Supported13 bubble and screen effects	Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects	SupportedSpan effects: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter and more	Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers	SupportedSend stickers, stick them on messages or use as tapbacks; macOS 14+	SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough spans; macOS 15+	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	SupportedPhotos, GIFs, videos and documents, up to 20 files in one message	SupportedUp to 10MB by URL, 100MB with pre-upload.
Live Photos	Not listed	Not listed
Rich link previews	Supportedsend_link() sends the preview card Messages builds; public pages only	Supportedlink parts render as rich previews on iMessage and RCS.
Voice messages	SupportedSend audio or text-to-speech as a voice message; read transcripts	SupportedDedicated voice memo endpoint renders the native iMessage voice bubble.
Contact cards	SupportedSend .vcf files as attachments	SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls	SupportedCreate, vote and read tallies; macOS 26+	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	PartialSends and reads static location pins; no live location or Find My	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 listed	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	Supportedsending, sent, delivered, read or failed; groups and SMS stop at sent	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	Not listed	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Supportedfocus_status() reports whether a Focus silences someone	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	Not supportedYou run your own Mac	Supported
Dedicated numbers	Not supportedNot offered; uses your own Apple ID	SupportedPaid lines are dedicated. Provisioned by Linq, no self-serve number API.
Shared numbers	Not supported	SupportedFree Hobby tier uses a Shared Line, inbound-first, 20 contacts.
Bring your own number	SupportedYour own Apple ID; pick which of its numbers a program uses	Not listed
Line pooling	Not listed	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	PartialNew chats go over SMS when the person has no iMessage; needs Text Message Forwarding	Supported
RCS fallback	Not listed	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedStart a chat with an allowed NewContact; country code required	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	Not listed	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	PartialThrough your iPhone with Text Message Forwarding on	Supported
RCS	PartialMessage service can read RCS; sending RCS is not documented	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 supported	PartialAPI does not place or answer calls; it forwards inbound calls. Calling lives in the Linq Blue app.
Apple Messages for Business	Not supported	Not listedAI context page mentions it, but no product page or docs were found.
Unified channel API	PartialiMessage, SMS and RCS rows share one message model; no other channels	PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one API. WhatsApp is a separate API with its own keys and SDKs.
Developer tools
REST API	Not supportedPython library, CLI and MCP server; no HTTP API or server process	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Not listed	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	SupportedThe core product: pip install imbridge, Python 3.10+	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	Not listed	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Supportedimbridge CLI for sending, history, search, watch and setup checks, with JSON output	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	Not supportedNo server or webhooks; new messages arrive through Python streams or imbridge watch	Supported
Signed webhooks	Not supportedNo webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	Supportedimbridge mcp over stdio, with send, reply, react, poll and read tools	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	SupportedApache-2.0; helper built from BlueBubbles' Apache-2.0 helper	PartialSDKs, CLI and adapters are Apache-2.0 or MIT on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	SupportedSelf-hosted only, on your own Mac	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	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	Supportednew_messages(since=rowid) and history paging read whatever arrived while offline	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	Not listed	SupportedLinq Blue works as a GoHighLevel messaging provider. No n8n, Make or Zapier found for the API.
CRM integrations	Not listed	SupportedVia Linq Blue: GoHighLevel, HubSpot and Salesforce.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialPer-chat handles, send allowlist and rate limits for agents; not a full framework	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	Not listed	Not listed
Audit logs	Not listed	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	Supportedhistory(), search() and chats() read the Messages database	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree, Apache-2.0 software	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	SupportedFree, Apache-2.0; no paid plans mentioned	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	SupportedFree software; no fees	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not supportedApache-2.0 software provided without warranty; uptime depends on your Mac	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedRuns entirely on your Mac	SupportedDedicated lines across 4 data centers on paid plans; Hobby uses a shared line
SOC 2 Type II	Not listedSelf-hosted; compliance is up to whoever runs it	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 imbridge if you need Focus and Notify Anyway, bring your own number and self-hosting.

Choose Linq if you need group management, group name and photo, chat backgrounds and iMessage apps.

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