imessage-rs vs Linq

imessage-rs supports 36 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	imessage-rs	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedYour own Mac on macOS 15+; AppleScript sends, Private API for the rest	Supported
Group chats	SupportedChats by GUID, with group webhooks for renames and members	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	SupportedCreate chats, add and remove participants, leave; Private API (SIP disabled)	SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo	SupportedRename, set or remove the group icon; Private API (SIP disabled)	SupportedSet display_name and group_chat_icon on group chats.
Mentions	SupportedMention parts in multipart messages	SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks	SupportedClassic, emoji or sticker reactions; Private API (SIP disabled)	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	SupportedselectedMessageGuid and partIndex on sends	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	SupportedStart and stop, plus typing-indicator webhooks; Private API (SIP disabled)	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	SupportedMark chats read or unread; read receipts arrive as updated-message events	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	SupportedEdit and unsend endpoints; Private API (SIP disabled)	PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects	SupportedEffects such as slam and invisible ink; Private API (SIP disabled)	Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects	Not listed	Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers	PartialSticker tapbacks; sending standalone stickers is not documented	SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text	SupportedMarkdown converted to bold, italic, underline and strikethrough	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	SupportedMultipart uploads and downloads, with HEIC and CAF conversion	SupportedUp to 10MB by URL, 100MB with pre-upload.
Live Photos	PartialDownload received Live Photos; sending is not documented	Not listed
Rich link previews	Not listed	Supportedlink parts render as rich previews on iMessage and RCS.
Voice messages	SupportedisAudioMessage flag on attachment sends	SupportedDedicated voice memo endpoint renders the native iMessage voice bubble.
Contact cards	Not listed	SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls	Not listed	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	PartialReads Find My device and friend locations; no in-chat location sharing documented	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	SupportedCreate FaceTime links, answer and leave calls; Private API in FaceTime.app	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	Supportedupdated-message events for delivered and read, plus message-send-error	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	SupportediMessage and FaceTime availability endpoints	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	SupportedFocus status per handle and a notify endpoint for silenced messages	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; an endpoint switches the active iMessage alias	Not listed
Line pooling	Not listed	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	Not listed	Supported
RCS fallback	Not listed	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedPOST /api/v1/chat/new creates a chat	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	PartialFaceTime only, on the same Apple ID; no phone calls	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	Not listed	Supported
RCS	Not listed	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 supportedNot offered; FaceTime only	PartialAPI does not place or answer calls; it forwards inbound calls. Calling lives in the Linq Blue app.
Apple Messages for Business	Not supportedNot offered	Not listedAI context page mentions it, but no product page or docs were found.
Unified channel API	Not supportedNo other channels documented	PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one API. WhatsApp is a separate API with its own keys and SDKs.
Developer tools
REST API	SupportedBlueBubbles-compatible API on 127.0.0.1:1234; password as a query parameter	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Not listed	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	Not listed	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	SupportedRust crates on crates.io, such as imessage-db and imessage-private-api	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Not listedThe server binary has a bootstrap command for config; no messaging CLI documented	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	Supported17 event types; URLs set in config.yml or flags, not at runtime	Supported
Signed webhooks	Not supportedPlain JSON POST with no signature header	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	Not listed	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	SupportedMIT	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	PartialWebhooks are fire-and-forget; query messages after a timestamp to catch up	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	Not listed	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter and OpenClaw and Hermes plugins.
Agent framework integrations	PartialDocumented setup for OpenClaw through its BlueBubbles channel; no own plugins	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	SupportedMessage and chat query endpoints over the Messages database	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree, MIT software	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	SupportedFree, MIT; no paid plans mentioned	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	SupportedFree software; no fees	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not supportedMIT 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 imessage-rs if you need Live Photos, FaceTime calls, Focus and Notify Anyway and bring your own number.

Choose Linq if you need animated text effects, rich link previews, contact cards and polls.

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