imessage-sdk vs Linq

imessage-sdk supports 23 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	imessage-sdk	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	PartialThrough an account with Blooio, Comms by Osis, Photon or Sendblue; the SDK sends nothing itself	Supported
Group chats	BetaExperimental provider-level APIs only; disabled in the normalized v0.1 client	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	Not listed	SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo	Not listed	SupportedSet display_name and group_chat_icon on group chats.
Mentions	Not supportedGroup conversations and mentions are postponed in v0.1	SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks	PartialAdd and remove on Blooio and Photon; add-only on Sendblue through its provider API	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	PartialBlooio and Photon only	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	PartialStart and stop on Blooio, Photon and Sendblue	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	PartialBlooio and Photon; Sendblue mark-read is account-dependent	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	Not supportedNot available for any built-in provider in v0.1	PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects	Not supportedExcluded from the v0.1 scope	Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects	Not listed	Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers	Not listed	SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text	Not supportedChat SDK Markdown is sent as plain text	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	PartialURL, Blob or bytes depending on the provider; Comms is text only	SupportedUp to 10MB by URL, 100MB with pre-upload.
Live Photos	Not listed	Not listed
Rich link previews	Not listed	Supportedlink parts render as rich previews on iMessage and RCS.
Voice messages	Not listed	SupportedDedicated voice memo endpoint renders the native iMessage voice bubble.
Contact cards	Not supportedContacts are excluded from the v0.1 scope	SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls	Not supportedExcluded from the v0.1 scope	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	Not supportedExcluded from the v0.1 scope	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 supportedExcluded from the v0.1 scope	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	PartialMessage statuses are in the model; coverage depends on the provider	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	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	PartialUses lines from the hosted provider you connect; the SDK provides none	Supported
Dedicated numbers	Not supportedNot offered; numbers come from the provider you connect	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	Not listed	Not listed
Line pooling	Not supportedOne provider and connection per client; routing across lines is left to the app	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	SupportedOpen a direct conversation on all four providers	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	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 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	Not supportediMessage only; the SDK unifies providers, not channels	PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one API. WhatsApp is a separate API with its own keys and SDKs.
Developer tools
REST API	Not supportedTypeScript library and CLI; no HTTP API of its own	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Supportedimessage-sdk core plus @imessage-sdk provider packages on npm	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	Not listed	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	Not listed	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Supportedimessage-cli with JSON input and output, keychain-saved connections and dry runs	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	PartialNormalized webhooks for Blooio, Photon and Sendblue; not Comms	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedVerifies Blooio and Photon signatures and Sendblue's shared-secret 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	Not listedBuilt-in providers are hosted services; custom providers could wrap other transports	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	SupporteddefineProvider() contract for your own provider adapters	Not listed
Event replay	BetaPhoton provider-level event stream with durable cursors, marked experimental	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	PartialNo own framework; ships a Chat SDK adapter and an agent-friendly CLI	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter and OpenClaw and Hermes plugins.
Agent framework integrations	Supported@imessage-sdk/chat-adapter for Vercel's Chat SDK (chat-sdk.dev)	SupportedLinq-maintained Vercel Chat SDK adapter, plus OpenClaw and Hermes Agent plugins.
Streaming replies	Not supportedNative Chat SDK response streaming is postponed in v0.1	Not supportedDocs say the Chat SDK adapter buffers streams into one final message.
Agent group chats	Not supportedGroup conversations are postponed in v0.1	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	PartialGet a message or conversation; no provider-neutral history pagination yet	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree, MIT; the provider account is billed separately	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	SupportedFree, MIT; provider pricing applies	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	PartialThe SDK is free; per-message costs depend on the provider	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not supportedMIT software provided without warranty; uptime depends on the provider	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	Not listedDepends on the connected provider	SupportedDedicated lines across 4 data centers on paid plans; Hobby uses a shared line
SOC 2 Type II	Not listed	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-sdk if you need custom channel providers.

Choose Linq if you need group management, group name and photo, mentions and edit and unsend.

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