Mobile Text Alerts vs Linq

Mobile Text Alerts supports 22 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	Mobile Text Alerts	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	BetaClosed beta via account manager; email-style Sender Identity; recipients must message first to opt in	Supported
Group chats	Not listed	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	Not listed	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	Not listed	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	Not listed	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	Not listed	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	Not listed	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	Not listed	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	BetaDocs cite larger photo and video attachments on the iMessage route; limits not documented	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 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	Not listedSender Identity sets an email-style name and domain; contact name and photo are not mentioned	SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, shared per chat via Name and Photo Sharing.
FaceTime calls	Not supportedNo calling offered	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	Betadelivery-status webhooks also cover the iMessage route	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	Not listedRouting checks iMessage capability internally; no lookup endpoint is documented	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not listed	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	BetaMobile Text Alerts provisions Sender Identities on its own verified domain, custom domains on request	Supported
Dedicated numbers	SupportedDedicated toll-free, 10DLC and short codes; a toll-free number is included on the trial	SupportedPaid lines are dedicated. Provisioned by Linq, no self-serve number API.
Shared numbers	Not listed	SupportedFree Hobby tier uses a Shared Line, inbound-first, 20 contacts.
Bring your own number	Not listed	Not listed
Line pooling	SupportedDedicated Number Pools with a sticky sender per subscriber	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	BetaFalls back to SMS when iMessage fails or the subscriber has not opted in	Supported
RCS fallback	Not listed	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	PartialSMS yes; iMessage needs an inbound opt-in message to the Sender Identity first	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	Not supportedNo calling offered	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	SupportedSMS and MMS over 10DLC, toll-free and short codes	Supported
RCS	SupportedRBM agents with automatic SMS fallback	Supported
WhatsApp	Not supportedNot offered	BetaSeparate WhatsApp API in beta. Access by request, no SLA.
Telegram	Not supported	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Not supportedNot a channel; a Slack integration sends notifications	Not supported
Email	Not supportedNot offered	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	SupportedOne /send endpoint routes SMS, MMS, RCS and iMessage by subscriber status	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@mobiletextalerts/typescript-sdk	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	Not supportedNot yet; only a TypeScript SDK is published	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	Not supportedOnly a TypeScript SDK is published so far	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Not listed	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	Supportedmessage-reply, message-send and delivery-status events	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 in X-Signature; no timestamp in the signed value	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	SupportedRemote Actions MCP server (OAuth or API key) to send and schedule messages; plus docs MCP	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	Not supportedClosed platform	PartialSDKs, CLI and adapters are Apache-2.0 or MIT on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	Not supportedHosted cloud service only	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	Not listed	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	SupportedZapier and HighLevel	SupportedLinq Blue works as a GoHighLevel messaging provider. No n8n, Make or Zapier found for the API.
CRM integrations	SupportedHubSpot and Salesforce	SupportedVia Linq Blue: GoHighLevel, HubSpot and Salesforce.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	PartialHosted AI chatbots per number, set by instructions and files; not an agent SDK	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	Not listed	Not listed
Audit logs	Not listed	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	SupportedThreads API plus sent-message export	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	Partial14-day free trial with 50 messages	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	Not supportedPlans include a message allowance; extra messages cost $0.04 each	Supported
Uptime SLA	Not listed	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	Not listed	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 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 Mobile Text Alerts if its pricing fits better: it does not support anything here that Linq lacks.

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

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