Photon vs ZeroSettle

Photon supports 75 of the 77 features compared here, and ZeroSettle supports 33.

Feature comparison

Feature	Photon	ZeroSettle
iMessage messaging
iMessage	SupportedManaged cloud lines, or your own Mac with the local provider	Supported
Group chats	SupportedOn the Business plan (dedicated lines)	PartialUp to 31 people. Turned on per number by ZeroSettle support on request.
Group management	SupportedCreate groups and add, remove or leave members; Business plan (dedicated lines)	SupportedCreate, rename, add, remove and leave. Needs group chats turned on for the number.
Group name and photo	SupportedRename groups and set group photos; Business plan (dedicated lines)	PartialGroup name can be set by API; group photo changes are only received as events.
Mentions	SupportedSend @mentions in multipart messages and read mention ranges on inbound	Not listed
Tapbacks	SupportedSix native tapbacks plus emoji reactions, send and receive	SupportedSix classic tapbacks: send, remove and receive through reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	Supported	Supportedreply_to on texts, photos, videos and polls, not on voice messages.
Typing indicators	Supported	SupportedSend, and receive as opt-in webhook events, in direct and group chats.
Read receipts	SupportedMark chats read and receive read events; group receipts are best-effort	Not supportedDocs: no read or delivered events; a send that returns 200 has only reached Apple.
Edit and unsend	SupportedEdit within 15 minutes and unsend within 2 minutes (Apple limits)	Not supportedDocs: edit and unsend have no ZeroSettle equivalent.
Message effects	SupportedAll bubble and screen effects, including invisible ink	Supported13 bubble and screen effects, including invisible ink.
Animated text effects	SupportedPer-range effects such as bloom, shake, explode and jitter	Not listed
Stickers	SupportedPlace image stickers on any bubble with position, scale and rotation; sticker events inbound	Not listed
Formatted text	SupportedMarkdown rendered as native bold, italic, underline and strikethrough	Not listed
Attachments	SupportedFiles up to 100 MiB by default, including Live Photos	PartialPhotos, videos (10 credits each) and voice messages only; documents cannot be sent.
Live Photos	SupportedHEIC still plus MOV companion uploaded as one Live Photo	Not listedInbound Live Photos arrive as stills; sending is not documented.
Rich link previews	Supportedrichlink() asks Messages to render its own preview	Not listed
Voice messages	Supported	SupportedNative audio bubble, sent and received.
Contact cards	SupportedvCard or structured contacts, plus the bot's own native contact card	Not supportedDocs: contact cards cannot be sent.
Polls	SupportedCreate, vote, add options and receive poll events; all managed plans	SupportedSend polls, read live results and receive poll.voted events. Only after the contact replies.
Chat backgrounds	Supported	SupportedSet or remove (preset or custom image) and receive background.changed events.
Location sharing	SupportedFind My requests and live location; Business plan	Not supportedDocs: locations cannot be sent.
iMessage apps	SupportedCustom and live app cards; iMessage mini apps on the Business plan	Not supportedDocs: Sendblue app cards have no ZeroSettle equivalent.
Live app cards	SupportedEdit an app card in place and render live UI without a new bubble	Not supportedNo iMessage app support.
Sender name and photo	SupportedShares the agent's name and photo automatically; Business plan	SupportedBrand name and photo set by API and shared automatically with each new conversation.
FaceTime calls	Not listed	Not supportedDocs: the number exists only for iMessage.
Delivery status	SupportedSent, delivered, read and send-error fields per message	PartialSent and failed only; what happens after Apple accepts a message is not visible.
iMessage availability check	SupportedCheck if a number or email can get iMessage, SMS or RCS before sending	Not supportedNo lookup endpoint; a first send to a non-iMessage handle returns 422 and sends nothing.
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	SupportedNumbers run on Apple hardware ZeroSettle operates in a server facility.
Dedicated numbers	Supported$250 per line per month on Business	SupportedEvery plan includes your own number; more can be added from the console or API.
Shared numbers	SupportedFree and Pro route each user through a managed shared pool	Not listed
Bring your own number	SupportedYour own Apple ID when self-hosting on a Mac, and your own number for WhatsApp Business	Not supportedTerms: lines are provisioned, owned and controlled by ZeroSettle. No porting offered.
Line pooling	SupportedBusiness: auto-scale adds lines and a routing endpoint balances users	SupportedSeveral numbers work as one: new contacts go to the line with most room left.
SMS fallback	SupportedOn every plan per pricing; carrier rules apply to fallback traffic	Not supportedDocs: iMessage only, with no SMS fallback.
RCS fallback	Supported	Not supportedDocs: iMessage only, with no RCS fallback.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedBusiness plan, up to 50 new contacts per line per day	Partial5 new contacts a day on Pro, 50 on Growth; at most 2 messages before a first reply.
Calls on the iMessage number	SupportedPlace and receive SIP calls from the line people already text	Not supportedDocs: the number exists only for iMessage.
Other channels
SMS	BetaStandalone SMS and MMS numbers with 10DLC in the 2.0 beta; SMS fallback on iMessage lines today	Not supportedNo SMS channel; iMessage only.
RCS	PartialSent on the iMessage line when the recipient cannot get iMessage	Not supportedNo RCS channel; iMessage only.
WhatsApp	SupportedWhatsApp Business, one-to-one, on the Business plan	Not supportedNot offered
Telegram	Supported	Not supported
Slack	Supported@spectrum-ts/slack provider on npm and GitHub	Not supportedNot offered as a channel; docs show a Slack relay you build yourself.
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	Not supportedNot offered
Apple Messages for Business	BetaListed as available in the 2.0 beta	Not supported
Unified channel API	SupportedOne Spectrum SDK across channels, and one REST model in the 2.0 beta	Not supportedSingle channel
Developer tools
REST API	SupportedREST API for projects and lines; sending over REST in the 2.0 beta	SupportedBearer-token REST API.
TypeScript SDK	Supportedspectrum-ts, plus low-level iMessage and WhatsApp SDKs	Not supportedDocs tell integrators to use plain HTTPS and JSON, no SDK.
Python SDK	Betaphotonhq-api on PyPI, for the 2.0 beta API	Not supported
Other SDKs	SupportedGo client for Advanced iMessage; Rust and Go clients for the 2.0 API	Not supported
CLI	Supported@photon-ai/cli manages projects, lines, users and billing	Not listed
Webhooks	Supported	SupportedOne URL gets message, reaction, poll, background, group and opt-in typing events.
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, plus Standard Webhooks signatures	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 over timestamp and raw body, 300 s tolerance.
MCP server	SupportedHosted MCP server, plus an MCP server for the docs	SupportedRemote MCP server with OAuth 2.1, mainly for setup and testing; adds group and agent tools.
Open source	SupportedMIT: spectrum-ts, imessage-kit and most SDKs	Not supportedProprietary hosted service; terms reserve all rights to the software.
Self-hosting	SupportedRun the open-source core on your own Mac and number, no Spectrum Cloud	Not supportedHosted only; lines run on hardware ZeroSettle owns and controls.
Local testing	SupportedTerminal chat UI provider, no phone or number needed	Partialtest_webhook sends a signed synthetic event; the operator can push simulated inbound events.
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	PartialWebhooks retried 3 times, no replay; catch up by paging messages with after_id.
OpenTelemetry	SupportedOpt-in messaging traces in spectrum-ts, and traces in the 2.0 beta dashboard	Not listed
No-code integrations	Supportedn8n community nodes and a Dify plugin	SupportedZapier app with triggers and actions, and a GoHighLevel app.
CRM integrations	Not listed	SupportedClose, HubSpot and GoHighLevel apps. Group messages are not logged in Close or HubSpot.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	SupportedSpectrum is a multi-channel agent framework with streaming replies	BetaHosted AI agent (Beta) with business context, triggers, files and MCP tools; no code framework.
Agent framework integrations	SupportedVercel Chat SDK, Mastra, LangChain, Convex and others	Not listed
Streaming replies	SupportedAI output streams into one iMessage bubble, edited in place	Not supportedNo message editing, so a reply cannot be streamed into one bubble.
Agent group chats	BetaAgents find other agents and add them to a group chat (2.0 beta)	Not listedThe hosted agent never replies to other ZeroSettle numbers; API use is not documented.
Human handoff	BetaA person can reply in a conversation from the 2.0 beta Inbox	PartialTeam can answer in the console; the hosted agent is on or off per line group, no per-thread takeover.
Audit logs	BetaAPI logs and traces in the 2.0 beta dashboard	Not listed
Message history API	SupportedList and get messages per chat	SupportedCursor-paged history of every message in both directions.
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedUp to 10 users on shared lines	Not supportedNo free trial; a 30-day money-back guarantee instead.
Public pricing	Supported	Supported
No per-message fees	SupportedNo per-message fees for iMessage, WhatsApp or Telegram; SMS, voice and email are metered in the 2.0 beta	SupportedFlat per number. Videos and hosted-agent texts use included credits.
Uptime SLA	SupportedContractual SLA on the Enterprise plan	Not supportedHomepage cites 99.9% uptime, but ZeroSettle says it publishes no SLA.
Isolated infrastructure	SupportedEach line runs in an isolated, dedicated environment	PartialDocs refer to each number's own phone; the API and console are shared.
SOC 2 Type II	SupportedStated on photon.codes	Not listedEnterprise plan lists 'SOC 2, DPA and security reviews'; no report or type is stated.
GDPR	SupportedPrivacy policy covers GDPR rights and SCC transfers	PartialPrivacy policy covers EEA and UK rights and SCC transfers; a DPA is listed for Enterprise.

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 mentions, read receipts, edit and unsend and animated text effects.

Choose ZeroSettle if you need CRM integrations.

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