Sinch vs Linq

Sinch supports 33 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	Sinch	Linq
iMessage messaging
iMessage	Not supportedNo iMessage support	Supported
Group chats	Not supported	SupportedPro plan. Up to 31 recipients. No read or delivery receipts in groups.
Group management	Not supported	SupportedAdd and remove participants and leave a group, iMessage groups only, 3-member minimum.
Group name and photo	Not supported	SupportedSet display_name and group_chat_icon on group chats.
Mentions	Not supported	SupportedGroup chats only. Notifies iMessage recipients even in a muted chat.
Tapbacks	Not supported	SupportedSix classic tapbacks or any emoji, send and receive via reaction webhooks.
Threaded replies	Not supported	Supportedreply_to with optional part_index. iMessage only.
Typing indicators	Not supported	SupportedSend and receive, in direct and group chats. iMessage only.
Read receipts	Not supported	SupportedMark chats read and receive message.read. One-to-one chats only.
Edit and unsend	Not supported	PartialEdit text up to 5 times within 15 minutes. Delete does not unsend from the recipient's device.
Message effects	Not supported	Supported11 screen and 4 bubble effects.
Animated text effects	Not supported	Supportedtext_decorations animations: big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, jitter.
Stickers	Not supported	SupportedPeel emoji or images onto messages, send stickers, or place them inline in text.
Formatted text	Not supported	SupportedBold, italic, underline and strikethrough ranges, plus animated text. iMessage only.
Attachments	Not supported	SupportedUp to 10MB by URL, 100MB with pre-upload.
Live Photos	Not supported	Not listed
Rich link previews	Not supported	Supportedlink parts render as rich previews on iMessage and RCS.
Voice messages	Not supported	SupportedDedicated voice memo endpoint renders the native iMessage voice bubble.
Contact cards	Not supported	SupportedSend .vcf files as media parts.
Polls	Not supported	SupportedCreate, add options, vote and read tallies, with poll webhooks. Not as a chat's first message.
Chat backgrounds	Not supported	SupportedColor, animated or photo backgrounds, in direct and group chats.
Location sharing	Not supported	SupportedRequest, read and stop Find My shares. Live location is a $79/mo add-on on Pro.
iMessage apps	Not supported	SupportedPro plan. Cards from your own Messages extension, or Linq-hosted cards (Experiences).
Live app cards	Not supported	SupportedUpdate App Card replaces a delivered iMessage app or Experience card in place.
Sender name and photo	Not supported	SupportedContact card API sets name and photo, shared per chat via Name and Photo Sharing.
FaceTime calls	Not supported	Not supportedDocs say the API does not place or answer calls.
Delivery status	Not supported	Supportedsent, delivered, read and failed webhooks. Groups report sent only.
iMessage availability check	Not supported	Supportedcheck_imessage and check_rcs endpoints.
Focus and Notify Anyway	Not supported	Not listed
Numbers and delivery
Managed lines	Not supportedNo iMessage support	Supported
Dedicated numbers	SupportedSearch and rent numbers by API, CLI or dashboard	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	PartialImport and text-enable numbers kept at another carrier; US and Canada only	Not listed
Line pooling	Not listed	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	Not supportedNo iMessage support; Conversation API can fall back from other channels to SMS	Supported
RCS fallback	Not supportedNo iMessage support	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedBusiness-initiated sends; WhatsApp needs approved templates	SupportedFree Hobby tier is inbound-first. Docs recommend inbound-first flows to avoid flagging.
Calls on the iMessage number	Not supportedNo iMessage support	PartialAPI forwards inbound calls on the line; outbound needs caller-ID masking via another provider.
Other channels
SMS	SupportedSMS and MMS channels in Conversation API	Supported
RCS	Supported	Supported
WhatsApp	Supported	BetaSeparate WhatsApp API in beta. Access by request, no SLA.
Telegram	SupportedTelegram Bot channel	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Not supportedNot offered	Not supported
Email	SupportedThrough Sinch Mailgun and Mailjet, a separate API from Conversation API	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email handles.
Phone calls	SupportedVoice API for PSTN, SIP and in-app calls, plus Elastic SIP Trunking	PartialAPI does not place or answer calls; it forwards inbound calls. Calling lives in the Linq Blue app.
Apple Messages for Business	Not listed	Not listedAI context page mentions it, but no product page or docs were found.
Unified channel API	PartialConversation API covers 13 messaging channels; email and voice use separate APIs	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	SupportedNode.js SDK	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	Supported	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	SupportedJava and .NET	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	Supported@sinch/cli for numbers, messaging, voice, fax, SIP and Functions	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	Supported	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedHMAC-SHA256 over body, nonce and timestamp; OAuth 2.0 option	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	BetaDeveloper Preview MCP server for messaging, email, numbers, verification, voice; plus a Docs MCP	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	Not supportedClosed platform; SDKs and MCP server are Apache-2.0	PartialSDKs, CLI and adapters are Apache-2.0 or MIT on GitHub. The messaging platform is closed.
Self-hosting	Not listed	Not supportedLinq describes itself as fully managed, in contrast to self-hosted options.
Local testing	PartialFree SMS sandbox simulates sends and delivery statuses; no phone emulator	Not listedThe CLI streams webhooks locally, but tests still use a real phone.
Custom channel providers	PartialChatlayer Webhook channel plugs a custom channel into a bot; Conversation API channels are fixed	Not listed
Event replay	PartialCallbacks retried with exponential backoff (window unstated); List Messages can fetch missed inbound	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 for Conversation API; official n8n node on GitHub; Make and Zapier for Sinch Engage	SupportedLinq Blue works as a GoHighLevel messaging provider. No n8n, Make or Zapier found for the API.
CRM integrations	SupportedSalesforce Marketing Cloud and Service Cloud; HubSpot through Sinch Engage	SupportedVia Linq Blue: GoHighLevel, HubSpot and Salesforce.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	SupportedChatlayer, a no-code chat and voice bot builder with NLP and generative AI	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter and OpenClaw and Hermes plugins.
Agent framework integrations	PartialVoice Relay tutorial uses LangChain; OpenAI Agents SDK support is via the MCP server only	SupportedLinq-maintained Vercel Chat SDK adapter, plus OpenClaw and Hermes Agent plugins.
Streaming replies	PartialVoice only: Voice Relay speaks TTS text chunks as they arrive; message PATCH edits metadata only	Not supportedDocs say the Chat SDK adapter buffers streams into one final message.
Agent group chats	Not supportedA Conversation API conversation has two participants, one app and one contact	Not listed
Human handoff	SupportedChatlayer hands off to Contact Pro, Salesforce Service Cloud, Genesys and others	Not listed
Audit logs	Not listed	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	SupportedList messages and conversations; retention depends on processing mode	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree developer account with an SMS sandbox (simulated sends to verified numbers) and test credit	SupportedHobby: $0, up to 20 contacts, through the CLI.
Public pricing	Supported	SupportedPro from $260/mo. Enterprise is custom.
No per-message fees	Not supportedBilled per message, plus carrier fees	Supported
Uptime SLA	SupportedMessaging SLA targets 99.95% monthly availability under an Order Form	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	SupportedType II for SMS API, Mailgun, Fax API and others; Voice and Chatlayer have Type I	SupportedType I and Type II, reports for 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
GDPR	SupportedPrivacy program led by a DPO; DPA available	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 Sinch if you need bring your own number, Telegram, email and local testing.

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

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