Mac Messages MCP vs Linq

Mac Messages MCP supports 25 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	Mac Messages MCP	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedReads chat.db and sends through Messages.app	Supported
Group chats	SupportedRead and send to named group chats by chat ID; no files to groups	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	Not supportedDocs say creating groups or changing members is not supported	SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo	Not supportedDocs say editing a group chat is not supported	SupportedSet display_name and group_chat_icon on group chats.
Mentions	Not supportedOnly text and files can be sent	SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks	BetaUnreleased: reads show tapback tags; docs say sending is not supported	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	BetaUnreleased: reads tag replies; sending inline replies is not offered	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	Not supportedNo tool for it	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	Not supportedDocs say marking messages read is not supported	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	Not supportedDocs say editing and unsending are not supported	PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects	Not supportedDocs say effects cannot be sent	Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects	Not supportedOnly text and files can be sent	Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers	Not supported	SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text	Not supported	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	PartialReleased: search and fetch attachments; sending files is unreleased on main	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 listed	SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls	Not supportedOnly text and files can be sent	SupportedCreate, add options, vote and read tallies, with poll webhooks. Not as a chat's first message.
Chat backgrounds	Not supportedNo tool for it	SupportedColor, animated or photo backgrounds, in direct and group chats.
Location sharing	Not supported	SupportedRequest, read and stop Find My shares. Live location is a $79/mo add-on on Pro.
iMessage apps	Not supported	SupportedPro plan. Cards from your own Messages extension, or Linq-hosted cards (Experiences).
Live app cards	Not supported	SupportedUpdate App Card replaces a delivered iMessage app or Experience card in place.
Sender name and photo	Not supported	SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, shared per chat via Name and Photo Sharing.
FaceTime calls	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	BetaUnreleased: reads tag outbound messages that were not delivered	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	PartialGuesses from past messages in chat.db; no live Apple lookup	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not supportedNo tool for it	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	Not supportedRuns on 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 supportedNot offered	SupportedFree Hobby tier uses a Shared Line, inbound-first, 20 contacts.
Bring your own number	SupportedYour own Apple ID on your own Mac	Not listed
Line pooling	Not supportedNot offered	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	SupportedFalls back to SMS for one-to-one sends; group chats stay iMessage	Supported
RCS fallback	Not listedDocs say SMS/RCS fallback, but the code sends through the SMS service	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedSend to any phone number, email or contact	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	Not supportedNot offered	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	PartialOnly as the automatic fallback for one-to-one sends, through the Mac's SMS account	Supported
RCS	Not listedNot documented beyond the fallback wording	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 and SMS share the same send and read tools	PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one API. WhatsApp is a separate API with its own keys and SDKs.
Developer tools
REST API	Not supportedstdio MCP only	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Not supportedNot offered	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	SupportedThe package exports its read and send functions	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	Not supportedNot offered	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Betamac-messages-cli is on main but not in a PyPI release yet	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	Not supportedNo webhooks; an unreleased tool waits for new messages	Supported
Signed webhooks	Not supportedNo webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	Supportedstdio, also packaged as a Claude Desktop extension	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	SupportedRuns 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	BetaUnreleased since_rowid cursor reads every message after a stored row	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	PartialClaude Desktop extension and an agent skill; no framework adapters	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	BetaUnreleased confirm=true asks a human through MCP elicitation before sending	Not listed
Audit logs	Not listed	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	SupportedRecent messages, fuzzy search and paging from chat.db	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree, open-source software	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	SupportedFree; no paid tiers	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	SupportedFree software with no usage fees	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not supportedMIT license, provided as is	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedRuns on your own Mac	SupportedDedicated lines across 4 data centers on paid plans; Hobby uses a shared line
SOC 2 Type II	Not listedRuns locally; compliance is up to the user	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 Mac Messages MCP if you need bring your own number, self-hosting and human handoff.

Choose Linq if you need group management, group name and photo, mentions and typing indicators.

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