Inkbox vs Linq

Inkbox supports 45 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	Inkbox	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedShared router service on every plan, or a dedicated line from the Startup plan.	Supported
Group chats	SupportedDedicated lines only, 2 to 8 remote participants. Shared service is 1:1.	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	PartialCreate a group by sending to 2 to 8 numbers. No add or remove member API in V1.	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 listed	SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks	SupportedSend, replace and remove 7 tapbacks including eyes; inbound tapbacks arrive by webhook.	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	Supportedreply_to_message_id in 1:1 and group chats, with thread reads. Falls back to a plain reply.	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	PartialSend only, in 1:1 chats. Groups and inbound typing events are not supported.	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	PartialSend read receipts in 1:1 chats. No read status for your own sent messages is documented.	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	Not listed	PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects	Supported4 bubble and 9 full-screen send styles, in 1:1 and dedicated-line groups.	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 listed	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	SupportedOne media item per message, uploads up to 10 MiB. No media before the recipient's first reply.	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	PartialThe router sends the agent's contact card on connect. Sending other vCards is not documented.	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	Not listed	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	SupportedDedicated lines share the identity's display name and avatar automatically.	SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, shared per chat via Name and Photo Sharing.
FaceTime calls	Not listedCalls run over iMessage lines, but the docs do not say whether they are FaceTime.	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	Supportedimessage.sent, imessage.delivered and imessage.delivery_failed webhooks, per recipient in groups.	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	SupportedReturns iMessage, SMS or RCS for any E.164 number.	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	SupportedShared router lines and dedicated lines run by Inkbox. No Mac needed.	Supported
Dedicated numbers	SupportedStartup plan includes one dedicated iMessage number. VoIP numbers for calls and SMS from Developer.	SupportedPaid lines are dedicated. Provisioned by Linq, no self-serve number API.
Shared numbers	SupportedFree and paid plans include shared iMessage. The human must text the router first.	SupportedFree Hobby tier uses a Shared Line, inbound-first, 20 contacts.
Bring your own number	Not listed	Not listed
Line pooling	BetaOrganization-owned shared iMessage pools, beta and by request only.	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	SupportedInkbox tries iMessage first and can fall back to SMS; was_downgraded marks it.	Supported
RCS fallback	PartialDocs describe SMS fallback, and the service field can report rcs. The transport cannot be chosen.	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	PartialDedicated lines can start chats, up to 40 new recipients a day. Shared service needs the human to text first.	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	SupportedAgents place and receive voice calls over shared and dedicated iMessage lines.	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	SupportedSMS and MMS on dedicated VoIP numbers, US and Canada included. Group MMS is beta.	Supported
RCS	PartialOnly as a transport reported on iMessage lines; not a channel you can pick.	Supported
WhatsApp	Not supportedNot offered	BetaSeparate WhatsApp API in beta. Access by request, no SLA.
Telegram	Not supported	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	BetaSlack is in beta: read, reply, files and retained history search.	Not supported
Email	SupportedEach identity gets a mailbox, with custom domains and IMAP/SMTP access.	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email handles.
Phone calls	SupportedInbound and outbound calls with your own WebSocket agent or Inkbox Voice AI (beta).	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	PartialOne identity and one webhook subscription across channels, but separate APIs per channel.	PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one API. WhatsApp is a separate API with its own keys and SDKs.
Developer tools
REST API	Supported	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Supported@inkbox/sdk	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	Supportedinkbox on PyPI	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	SupportedRust SDK (inkbox crate).	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Supported@inkbox/cli	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	Supported	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 with a per-identity signing key.	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	SupportedRemote Streamable HTTP endpoint at inkbox.ai/mcp, with a separate ChatGPT endpoint.	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	PartialSDK, CLI, skills and examples are MIT on GitHub. The service is closed.	PartialSDKs, CLI and adapters are Apache-2.0 or MIT on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	Not listed	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	SupportedDelivery log with replay. Incoming-call and Slack deliveries cannot be replayed.	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	PartialIdentity layer with contact memories across email, texts and calls. No conversation framework.	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter and OpenClaw and Hermes plugins.
Agent framework integrations	SupportedPlugins for Hermes Agent, OpenClaw, OpenCode, Codex, Claude Code and DeepSeek Harness.	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 listedAgents can reach each other over A2A tasks, but not in group chats.	Not listed
Human handoff	PartialPeople can reply from the Console, and Voice AI can transfer a call. No handoff controls for agents.	Not listed
Audit logs	Not listed	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	SupportedList and read conversations and threads, with search on texts and email.	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree: 3 identities, shared iMessage up to 2,000 messages a month and 3 recipients at a time.	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	PartialiMessage is capped per plan with no per-message fee. Extra SMS/MMS and call minutes cost $0.03 each.	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not listed	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	PartialDedicated iMessage infrastructure is listed for Enterprise only.	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 listedThe DPA names the CCPA only; GDPR is not mentioned.	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 Inkbox if you need Slack, email and human handoff.

Choose Linq if you need group name and photo, mentions, edit and unsend and animated text effects.

Frequently asked questions

• Photon vs Inkbox
• Blooio vs Inkbox
• Inkbox vs Sendblue
• Inkbox vs Zernio
• Inkbox vs LoopMessage
• Blue Reacher vs Inkbox
• Chert vs Inkbox
• Inkbox vs Miss Blue
• Bland vs Inkbox

• Photon vs Linq
• Blooio vs Linq
• Sendblue vs Linq
• Zernio vs Linq
• LoopMessage vs Linq
• Blue Reacher vs Linq
• Chert vs Linq
• Miss Blue vs Linq
• Bland vs Linq
• BlueBubbles vs Linq