LoopMessage vs Linq

LoopMessage supports 53 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	LoopMessage	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	Supported	Supported
Group chats	SupportedSend and receive in iMessage groups; not available in the sandbox.	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	SupportedCreate groups (needs the Init conversations add-on) and add or remove members.	SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo	SupportedSet group name (32 characters max) and photo with PATCH.	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	SupportedSix tapbacks or any emoji; inbound reactions arrive as message_reaction webhooks.	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	Supportedreply_to_id on send; inbound webhooks carry a thread object.	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	SupportedUp to 60 seconds; fails if the chat had no two-way activity in the last 5 minutes.	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	PartialYou can mark chats read; no read event is documented for your outbound messages.	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	SupportedEdit within 15 minutes, unsend within 2 minutes of sending.	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 via the effect field.	Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects	SupportedMarkup for shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom and jitter.	Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers	PartialInbound messages can have type sticker; sending stickers is not documented.	SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text	SupportedBold, italic, underline, strikethrough and text sizes in iMessage.	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	SupportedUp to 10 public HTTPS file URLs per message.	SupportedUp to 10MB by URL, 100MB with pre-upload.
Live Photos	Not listed	Not listed
Rich link previews	SupportedLinks get rich previews by default; preview: false sends plain text.	Supportedlink parts render as rich previews on iMessage and RCS.
Voice messages	SupportedSend audio files as voice messages; inbound audio is transcribed.	SupportedDedicated voice memo endpoint renders the native iMessage voice bubble.
Contact cards	Supportedcontact_file adds a vCard to the message.	SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls	Not listedA helpdesk article lists polls among features, but no poll API is documented.	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	PartialInbound messages can have type location; sending a location is not 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 listedDocs suggest sending a vCard so recipients see your name and photo.	SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, shared per chat via Name and Photo Sharing.
FaceTime calls	Not supportedFaceTime API is in progress on the roadmap; today only an inbound FaceTime call webhook.	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	Supportedmessage_delivered and message_failed webhooks, plus a status lookup by ID.	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	PartialThrough LoopLookup, a separate LoopMessage service.	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	SupportedDedicated senders run on hardware LoopMessage rents to you.	Supported
Dedicated numbers	SupportedPhone number option is +$15/mo per dedicated sender; email senders also offered.	SupportedPaid lines are dedicated. Provisioned by Linq, no self-serve number API.
Shared numbers	SupportedShared senders for AI assistant use from $20/mo; free sandbox for testing.	SupportedFree Hobby tier uses a Shared Line, inbound-first, 20 contacts.
Bring your own number	PartialYou can port a US number in; your own Apple IDs are not accepted.	Not listed
Line pooling	SupportedSender pools balance new contacts across senders and match replies to the right one.	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	SupportedPaid add-on, +$15/mo per dedicated sender; included on shared plans.	Supported
RCS fallback	SupportedSame add-on uses RCS instead of SMS when the device supports it.	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	PartialInit conversations add-on (+$30/mo), warm-up and recent opt-in required; no cold messaging.	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	PartialInbound cell calls to the sender number are forwarded (add-on); no outbound calls.	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	SupportedSet channel to sms; needs the SMS/RCS add-on.	Supported
RCS	SupportedSet channel to rcs; needs the SMS/RCS add-on.	Supported
WhatsApp	SupportedAdd-on, +$10/mo, on the same phone number and API.	BetaSeparate WhatsApp API in beta. Access by request, no SLA.
Telegram	Not supportedPlanned on the roadmap, not available yet.	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Not listed	Not supported
Email	Not listed	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email handles.
Phone calls	PartialInbound cell calls are forwarded to a number you choose (add-on); no call API.	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; the helpdesk contrasts LoopMessage with it.	Not listedAI context page mentions it, but no product page or docs were found.
Unified channel API	SupportediMessage, SMS, RCS and WhatsApp on one number and one API.	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	PartialNo own SDK; Twilio's SDKs work through the Twilio-compatible API.	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	PartialNo own SDK; docs show Twilio's Python SDK pointed at the Twilio-compatible API.	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	PartialNo own SDKs; Twilio's SDKs work through the Twilio-compatible API.	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Not listed	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	SupportedRetried up to 30 times over several hours.	Supported
Signed webhooks	PartialYou set an authorization header and verify it; no HMAC signature.	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	PartialDocumentation-only MCP server; no access to your account or messages.	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	PartialOnly the n8n node is MIT on GitHub; the platform 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 listedThe sandbox needs a real iPhone or Mac to message it.	Not listedThe CLI streams webhooks locally, but tests still use a real phone.
Custom channel providers	Not listed	Not listed
Event replay	PartialWebhook history API to fetch past events; no replay call.	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	Supportedn8n, Zapier, Pipedream, HighLevel and LeadConnector.	SupportedLinq Blue works as a GoHighLevel messaging provider. No n8n, Make or Zapier found for the API.
CRM integrations	SupportedHighLevel CRM and LeadConnector; no HubSpot or Salesforce found.	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	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	PartialPeople can reply from Slack, email or the embedded inbox; no agent handoff controls.	Not listed
Audit logs	PartialMessage, webhook and API request history kept; no account audit log found.	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	SupportedPaginated history per contact, filterable by date, direction and type.	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedSandbox with 5 contacts; free shared plan for schools and non-profits.	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	SupportedUnlimited messages; plans cap unique active contacts per day.	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not supportedHelpdesk says LoopMessage does not provide SLAs or contracts.	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedA dedicated sender's number and server are allocated to you alone.	SupportedDedicated lines across 4 data centers on paid plans; Hobby uses a shared line
SOC 2 Type II	Not supportedHelpdesk says LoopMessage has not been through a SOC 2 audit.	SupportedType I and Type II, reports for 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
GDPR	SupportedHelpdesk says data is stored following GDPR.	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 LoopMessage if you need bring your own number and human handoff.

Choose Linq if you need mentions, polls, chat backgrounds and iMessage apps.

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