Photon vs Linq

Photon supports 75 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	Photon	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedManaged cloud lines, or your own Mac with the local provider	Supported
Group chats	SupportedOn the Business plan (dedicated lines)	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	SupportedCreate groups and add, remove or leave members; Business plan (dedicated lines)	SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo	SupportedRename groups and set group photos; Business plan (dedicated lines)	SupportedSet display_name and group_chat_icon on group chats.
Mentions	SupportedSend @mentions in multipart messages and read mention ranges on inbound	SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks	SupportedSix native tapbacks plus emoji reactions, send and receive	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	Supported	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	Supported	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	SupportedMark chats read and receive read events; group receipts are best-effort	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	SupportedEdit within 15 minutes and unsend within 2 minutes (Apple limits)	PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects	SupportedAll bubble and screen effects, including invisible ink	Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects	SupportedPer-range effects such as bloom, shake, explode and jitter	Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers	SupportedPlace image stickers on any bubble with position, scale and rotation; sticker events inbound	SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text	SupportedMarkdown rendered as native bold, italic, underline and strikethrough	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	SupportedFiles up to 100 MiB by default, including Live Photos	SupportedUp to 10MB by URL, 100MB with pre-upload.
Live Photos	SupportedHEIC still plus MOV companion uploaded as one Live Photo	Not listed
Rich link previews	Supportedrichlink() asks Messages to render its own preview	Supportedlink parts render as rich previews on iMessage and RCS.
Voice messages	Supported	SupportedDedicated voice memo endpoint renders the native iMessage voice bubble.
Contact cards	SupportedvCard or structured contacts, plus the bot's own native contact card	SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls	SupportedCreate, vote, add options and receive poll events; all managed plans	SupportedCreate, add options, vote and read tallies, with poll webhooks. Not as a chat's first message.
Chat backgrounds	Supported	SupportedColor, animated or photo backgrounds, in direct and group chats.
Location sharing	SupportedFind My requests and live location; Business plan	SupportedRequest, read and stop Find My shares. Live location is a $79/mo add-on on Pro.
iMessage apps	SupportedCustom and live app cards; iMessage mini apps on the Business plan	SupportedPro plan. Cards from your own Messages extension, or Linq-hosted cards (Experiences).
Live app cards	SupportedEdit an app card in place and render live UI without a new bubble	SupportedUpdate App Card replaces a delivered iMessage app or Experience card in place.
Sender name and photo	SupportedShares the agent's name and photo automatically; Business plan	SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, shared per chat via Name and Photo Sharing.
FaceTime calls	Not listed	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	SupportedSent, delivered, read and send-error fields per message	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	SupportedCheck if a number or email can get iMessage, SMS or RCS before sending	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	SupportedCheck if a recipient has Focus on, then trigger Notify Anyway	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	SupportedSpectrum Cloud runs the Mac fleet; no Mac needed	Supported
Dedicated numbers	Supported$250 per line per month on Business	SupportedPaid lines are dedicated. Provisioned by Linq, no self-serve number API.
Shared numbers	SupportedFree and Pro route each user through a managed shared pool	SupportedFree Hobby tier uses a Shared Line, inbound-first, 20 contacts.
Bring your own number	SupportedYour own Apple ID when self-hosting on a Mac, and your own number for WhatsApp Business	Not listed
Line pooling	SupportedBusiness: auto-scale adds lines and a routing endpoint balances users	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	SupportedOn every plan per pricing; carrier rules apply to fallback traffic	Supported
RCS fallback	Supported	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedBusiness plan, up to 50 new contacts per line per day	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	SupportedPlace and receive SIP calls from the line people already text	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	BetaStandalone SMS and MMS numbers with 10DLC in the 2.0 beta; SMS fallback on iMessage lines today	Supported
RCS	PartialSent on the iMessage line when the recipient cannot get iMessage	Supported
WhatsApp	SupportedWhatsApp Business, one-to-one, on the Business plan	BetaSeparate WhatsApp API in beta. Access by request, no SLA.
Telegram	Supported	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Supported@spectrum-ts/slack provider on npm and GitHub	Not supported
Email	BetaYour own domain with DKIM, SPF and inbound MX in the 2.0 beta	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email handles.
Phone calls	SupportedSIP calls on iMessage lines; the 2.0 beta adds calls on SMS numbers	PartialAPI does not place or answer calls; it forwards inbound calls. Calling lives in the Linq Blue app.
Apple Messages for Business	BetaListed as available in the 2.0 beta	Not listedAI context page mentions it, but no product page or docs were found.
Unified channel API	SupportedOne Spectrum SDK across channels, and one REST model in the 2.0 beta	PartialiMessage, RCS and SMS share one API. WhatsApp is a separate API with its own keys and SDKs.
Developer tools
REST API	SupportedREST API for projects and lines; sending over REST in the 2.0 beta	Supported
TypeScript SDK	Supportedspectrum-ts, plus low-level iMessage and WhatsApp SDKs	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	Betaphotonhq-api on PyPI, for the 2.0 beta API	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	SupportedGo client for Advanced iMessage; Rust and Go clients for the 2.0 API	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Supported@photon-ai/cli manages projects, lines, users and billing	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	Supported	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, plus Standard Webhooks signatures	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	SupportedHosted MCP server, plus an MCP server for the docs	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	SupportedMIT: spectrum-ts, imessage-kit and most SDKs	PartialSDKs, CLI and adapters are Apache-2.0 or MIT on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	SupportedRun the open-source core on your own Mac and number, no Spectrum Cloud	Not supportedLinq describes itself as fully managed, in contrast to self-hosted options.
Local testing	SupportedTerminal chat UI provider, no phone or number needed	Not listedThe CLI streams webhooks locally, but tests still use a real phone.
Custom channel providers	SupporteddefinePlatform plugs any interface into the same Spectrum API	Not listed
Event replay	SupportedCatch up on events after a disconnect from a durable sequence	PartialRetries for 30 minutes; after that, re-fetch chats or ask Linq for a manual replay.
OpenTelemetry	SupportedOpt-in messaging traces in spectrum-ts, and traces in the 2.0 beta dashboard	PartialW3C trace IDs on every response and webhook for OTel backends. No export of Linq spans by default.
No-code integrations	Supportedn8n community nodes and a Dify plugin	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	SupportedSpectrum is a multi-channel agent framework with streaming replies	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter and OpenClaw and Hermes plugins.
Agent framework integrations	SupportedVercel Chat SDK, Mastra, LangChain, Convex and others	SupportedLinq-maintained Vercel Chat SDK adapter, plus OpenClaw and Hermes Agent plugins.
Streaming replies	SupportedAI output streams into one iMessage bubble, edited in place	Not supportedDocs say the Chat SDK adapter buffers streams into one final message.
Agent group chats	BetaAgents find other agents and add them to a group chat (2.0 beta)	Not listed
Human handoff	BetaA person can reply in a conversation from the 2.0 beta Inbox	Not listed
Audit logs	BetaAPI logs and traces in the 2.0 beta dashboard	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	SupportedList and get messages per chat	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedUp to 10 users on shared lines	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	SupportedNo per-message fees for iMessage, WhatsApp or Telegram; SMS, voice and email are metered in the 2.0 beta	Supported
Uptime SLA	SupportedContractual SLA on the Enterprise plan	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedEach line runs in an isolated, dedicated environment	SupportedDedicated lines across 4 data centers on paid plans; Hobby uses a shared line
SOC 2 Type II	SupportedStated on photon.codes	SupportedType I and Type II, reports for 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
GDPR	SupportedPrivacy policy covers GDPR rights and SCC transfers	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 Photon if you need Live Photos, Focus and Notify Anyway, bring your own number and Telegram.

Choose Linq if you need CRM integrations.

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