messages.dev vs Telnyx
Compare messages.dev and Telnyx 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
Telnyx
Low per-part SMS pricing with carrier fees at cost
- Starting price
- $0.004 per US SMS part plus carrier fee
- Free plan
- Trial account with $5 testing credit
messages.dev supports 30 of the 77 features compared here, and Telnyx supports 36.
Where messages.dev is ahead
and 6 more in the table below.
Where Telnyx is ahead
and 12 more in the table below.
Feature comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| iMessage messaging | ||
| iMessage | Not supportedNo iMessage support | |
| Group chats | Not supported | |
| Group management | Not supported | |
| Group name and photo | Not listed | Not supported |
| Mentions | Not listed | Not supported |
| Tapbacks | Not supported | |
| Threaded replies | Not supported | |
| Typing indicators | Not supported | |
| Read receipts | 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 | Not supported | |
| Live Photos | Not listed | Not supported |
| Rich link previews | Not listed | Not supported |
| Voice messages | Not supported | |
| Contact cards | 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 | Not supported | |
| iMessage availability check | Not listed | Not supported |
| Focus and Notify Anyway | Not listed | Not supported |
| Numbers and delivery | ||
| Managed lines | Not supportedNo iMessage support | |
| Dedicated numbers | ||
| Shared numbers | Not listed | |
| Bring your own number | Not listed | |
| Line pooling | ||
| SMS fallback | Not listedLines can be iMessage, SMS or auto; fallback behaviour is not documented. | Not supportedNo iMessage support; RCS can fall back to SMS or MMS |
| RCS fallback | Not listed | Not supportedNo iMessage support |
| Outbound-first messaging | ||
| Calls on the iMessage number | Not listed | Not supportedNo iMessage support |
| Other channels | ||
| SMS | ||
| RCS | Not listedHomepage and terms mention RCS; the API docs do not document it. | |
Not supportedNot offered | ||
| Telegram | Not supported | Not supportedNot offered |
| Slack | Not supported | Not supported |
Not supported | ||
| Phone calls | Not supported | |
| Apple Messages for Business | Not supported | Not supportedNot offered |
| Unified channel API | ||
| Developer tools | ||
| REST API | ||
| TypeScript SDK | ||
| Python SDK | ||
| Other SDKs | ||
| CLI | ||
| Webhooks | ||
| Signed webhooks | ||
| MCP server | Not listed | |
| Open source | ||
| Self-hosting | Not listed | Not listed |
| Local testing | ||
| Custom channel providers | Not listed | Not listed |
| Event replay | Not listed | |
| OpenTelemetry | Not listed | |
| No-code integrations | Not listed | |
| CRM integrations | Not listed | |
| Built for AI agents | ||
| Agent framework | Not listed | |
| Agent framework integrations | Not listed | |
| Streaming replies | Not listed | |
| Agent group chats | Not listed | |
| Human handoff | Not listed | |
| Audit logs | Not listed | |
| Message history API | ||
| Plans and compliance | ||
| Free plan | ||
| Public pricing | ||
| No per-message fees | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| Isolated infrastructure | ||
| SOC 2 Type II | ||
| GDPR |
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
SourceTelnyx
Pay as you go per message part, with carrier fees passed through at cost and no platform fee.
Pricing model: per message
SourceWhich should you choose?
Choose messages.dev if you need iMessage, group chats, tapbacks and threaded replies.
Choose Telnyx if you need bring your own number, outbound-first messaging, RCS and WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
messages.dev supports 30 of the 77 features compared here, and Telnyx supports 36. messages.dev adds iMessage, group chats, tapbacks, threaded replies and typing indicators. Telnyx adds bring your own number, outbound-first messaging, RCS, WhatsApp and email.
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. Telnyx: Pay as you go per message part, with carrier fees passed through at cost and no platform fee.
Telnyx does not support iMessage.
Telnyx does not support group chats.
Telnyx does not support tapbacks.