messages.dev vs Sinch

Compare messages.dev and Sinch side by side: iMessage features, channels, developer tools, pricing and compliance, checked on each provider's own site.

messages.dev

TypeScript-first iMessage, RCS and SMS API
Starting price
$99/month per line
Free plan
Sandbox: 50 messages a day to your own paired phone

Sinch

CPaaS with 13 messaging channels in one API
Starting price
$0.0078 per US 10DLC SMS, plus carrier fees
Free plan
Free developer account with an SMS sandbox and test credit

messages.dev supports 30 of the 77 features compared here, and Sinch supports 33.

Feature comparison

Featuremessages.devSinch
iMessage messaging
iMessage
Supported
Not supportedNo iMessage support
Group chats
SupportedSend into existing groups once someone in them has messaged; receive group messages.
Not supported
Group management
Not supportedDocs say Apple does not let third-party software create groups; no member endpoints.
Not supported
Group name and photo
Not listed
Not supported
Mentions
Not listed
Not supported
Tapbacks
SupportedSix tapbacks; reaction.added and reaction.removed webhooks.
Not supported
Threaded replies
Supportedreply_to with a message ID or GUID.
Not supported
Typing indicators
SupportedSending works; inbound typing events are not delivered yet.
Not supported
Read receipts
PartialYou can mark chats read; inbound read receipts are not delivered yet.
Not supported
Edit and unsend
Not listedNot in the endpoint list in llms.txt.
Not supported
Message effects
Not listed
Not supported
Animated text effects
Not listed
Not supported
Stickers
Not listed
Not supported
Formatted text
Not listed
Not supported
Attachments
SupportedOne uploaded file per message.
Not supported
Live Photos
Not listed
Not supported
Rich link previews
Not listed
Not supported
Voice messages
SupportedNative waveform voice messages; inbound memos include Apple's transcription.
Not supported
Contact cards
SupportedSDK helper builds the vCard, photo included.
Not supported
Polls
Not listed
Not supported
Chat backgrounds
Not listed
Not supported
Location sharing
Not listed
Not supported
iMessage apps
Not listed
Not supported
Live app cards
Not listed
Not supported
Sender name and photo
Not listed
Not supported
FaceTime calls
Not listed
Not supported
Delivery status
PartialOutbox status pending, claimed, sent or failed; no separate delivered or read state.
Not supported
iMessage availability check
Not listed
Not supported
Focus and Notify Anyway
Not listed
Not supported
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines
SupportedTerms say messages.dev runs the Mac hardware, Apple IDs and carrier links for each line.
Not supportedNo iMessage support
Dedicated numbers
Supported$99/mo per line with a dedicated number.
SupportedSearch and rent numbers by API, CLI or dashboard
Shared numbers
SupportedShared sandbox line, 50 messages a day, only to your own paired phone.
Not listed
Bring your own number
Not listed
PartialImport and text-enable numbers kept at another carrier; US and Canada only
Line pooling
PartialMultiple lines supported, but you choose the line per user in your own code.
Not listed
SMS fallback
Not listedLines can be iMessage, SMS or auto; fallback behaviour is not documented.
Not supportedNo iMessage support; Conversation API can fall back from other channels to SMS
RCS fallback
Not listed
Not supportedNo iMessage support
Outbound-first messaging
Not supportedContact-first: the recipient must message your line before you can send.
SupportedBusiness-initiated sends; WhatsApp needs approved templates
Calls on the iMessage number
Not listed
Not supportedNo iMessage support
Other channels
SMS
SupportedSMS lines use the same endpoints; audio messages are iMessage only.
SupportedSMS and MMS channels in Conversation API
RCS
Not listedHomepage and terms mention RCS; the API docs do not document it.
Supported
WhatsApp
Not supportedNot offered
Supported
Telegram
Not supported
SupportedTelegram Bot channel
Slack
Not supported
Not supportedNot offered
Email
Not supported
SupportedThrough Sinch Mailgun and Mailjet, a separate API from Conversation API
Phone calls
Not supported
SupportedVoice API for PSTN, SIP and in-app calls, plus Elastic SIP Trunking
Apple Messages for Business
Not supported
Not listed
Unified channel API
SupportediMessage and SMS lines share the same endpoints.
PartialConversation API covers 13 messaging channels; email and voice use separate APIs
Developer tools
REST API
Supported
Supported
TypeScript SDK
Supported@messages-dev/sdk, MIT.
SupportedNode.js SDK
Python SDK
Not supportedOnly a TypeScript SDK; docs point other languages to the REST API.
Supported
Other SDKs
Not supported
SupportedJava and .NET
CLI
Supportedmessages-dev CLI: send, list, manage webhooks and stream events.
Supported@sinch/cli for numbers, messaging, voice, fax, SIP and Functions
Webhooks
Supportedmessage.received, message.sent, reaction.added and reaction.removed.
Supported
Signed webhooks
SupportedHMAC-SHA256 over timestamp and raw body, 5-minute replay window.
SupportedHMAC-SHA256 over body, nonce and timestamp; OAuth 2.0 option
MCP server
Not listed
BetaDeveloper Preview MCP server for messaging, email, numbers, verification, voice; plus a Docs MCP
Open source
PartialTypeScript SDK and CLI are MIT on GitHub; the service is closed.
Not supportedClosed platform; SDKs and MCP server are Apache-2.0
Self-hosting
Not listed
Not listed
Local testing
PartialSDK builds signed test webhook deliveries; real messaging still needs your phone.
PartialFree SMS sandbox simulates sends and delivery statuses; no phone emulator
Custom channel providers
Not listed
PartialChatlayer Webhook channel plugs a custom channel into a bot; Conversation API channels are fixed
Event replay
Not listed
PartialCallbacks retried with exponential backoff (window unstated); List Messages can fetch missed inbound
OpenTelemetry
Not listed
Not listed
No-code integrations
Not listed
SupportedZapier for Conversation API; official n8n node on GitHub; Make and Zapier for Sinch Engage
CRM integrations
Not listed
SupportedSalesforce Marketing Cloud and Service Cloud; HubSpot through Sinch Engage
Built for AI agents
Agent framework
Not listed
SupportedChatlayer, a no-code chat and voice bot builder with NLP and generative AI
Agent framework integrations
Not listed
PartialVoice Relay tutorial uses LangChain; OpenAI Agents SDK support is via the MCP server only
Streaming replies
Not listed
PartialVoice only: Voice Relay speaks TTS text chunks as they arrive; message PATCH edits metadata only
Agent group chats
Not listed
Not supportedA Conversation API conversation has two participants, one app and one contact
Human handoff
Not listed
SupportedChatlayer hands off to Contact Pro, Salesforce Service Cloud, Genesys and others
Audit logs
Not listed
Not listed
Message history API
SupportedCursor-paginated chats and messages per line.
SupportedList messages and conversations; retention depends on processing mode
Plans and compliance
Free plan
SupportedSandbox: 50 messages a day to your own paired phone.
SupportedFree developer account with an SMS sandbox (simulated sends to verified numbers) and test credit
Public pricing
Supported
Supported
No per-message fees
Supported$99/mo per line with unlimited messages.
Not supportedBilled per message, plus carrier fees
Uptime SLA
PartialCustom SLAs on Enterprise only; terms say no formal uptime SLA at launch.
SupportedMessaging SLA targets 99.95% monthly availability under an Order Form
Isolated infrastructure
SupportedDedicated infrastructure on the Enterprise plan
Not listed
SOC 2 Type II
Not supportedSite footer lists SOC 2 as in progress.
SupportedType II for SMS API, Mailgun, Fax API and others; Voice and Chatlayer have Type I
GDPR
SupportedSite says GDPR compliant; a DPA is available on request.
SupportedPrivacy program led by a DPO; DPA available

Checked on each provider's own site and docs on 2026-10-25. “Not listed” means the provider does not mention it.

Pricing

messages.dev

The sandbox is free for 50 messages a day; a production line is $99 a month with unlimited messages, and Enterprise is custom.

Pricing model: flat per line, no per-message fees

Source

Sinch

Pay as you go per message for SMS, MMS, RCS and voice, with carrier fees on top and custom plans through sales.

Pricing model: per message

Source

Which should you choose?

Choose messages.dev if you need iMessage, group chats, tapbacks and threaded replies.

Choose Sinch if you need bring your own number, outbound-first messaging, RCS and WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions