Vonage vs Linq

Vonage supports 36 of the 77 features compared here, and Linq supports 63.

Feature comparison

Feature	Vonage	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	SupportedVirtual numbers in 80+ countries, rented via dashboard, CLI or Numbers API	SupportedPaid lines are dedicated. Provisioned by Linq, no self-serve number API.
Shared numbers	PartialShared Sandbox senders for WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger and Instagram, for trying the API only	SupportedFree Hobby tier uses a Shared Line, inbound-first, 20 contacts.
Bring your own number	PartialCan SMS-enable an existing US toll-free number; other numbers are ported in	Not listed
Line pooling	BetaNumber Pools API for outbound SMS is in beta for qualifying customers	SupportedManaged load balancing (Pro): send without from and Linq picks and fails over lines.
SMS fallback	Not supportedNo iMessage support; RCS and WhatsApp can fail over to SMS	Supported
RCS fallback	Not supportedNo iMessage support	SupportedOrder is iMessage, then RCS, then SMS.
Outbound-first messaging	SupportedBusiness-initiated SMS; WhatsApp needs approved templates outside the 24-hour window	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 through the Messages API	Supported
RCS	SupportedRCS Business Messaging in the UK, Germany and 10+ other countries	Supported
WhatsApp	Supported	BetaSeparate WhatsApp API in beta. Access by request, no SLA.
Telegram	Not supportedNot offered	Not supportedNot offered
Slack	Not supported	Not supported
Email	SupportedTransactional email as a Messages API channel, inbound and outbound	Not supportedNot offered. iMessage can be sent to Apple ID email handles.
Phone calls	SupportedVoice API for PSTN, SIP and in-app calls	PartialAPI does not place or answer calls; it forwards inbound calls. Calling lives in the Linq Blue app.
Apple Messages for Business	Not supportedNot offered	Not listedAI context page mentions it, but no product page or docs were found.
Unified channel API	SupportedMessages API covers SMS, MMS, RCS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber and email	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 written in TypeScript, Apache-2.0	Supported@linqapp/sdk
Python SDK	SupportedApache-2.0	Supportedlinq-python
Other SDKs	SupportedJava, Kotlin, PHP, Ruby, .NET; iOS, Android and web client SDKs	SupportedOfficial Go SDK.
CLI	SupportedVonage CLI for apps, numbers and JWTs	Supported@linqapp/cli: signup, sending, and a local webhook listener.
Webhooks	SupportedInbound message and message status webhooks	Supported
Signed webhooks	SupportedHS256 JWT signed with the signature secret, plus SHA-256 payload hash	SupportedHMAC-SHA256, Standard Webhooks format, with replay protection.
MCP server	SupportedDocs MCP server plus tooling MCP that sends SMS, WhatsApp, RCS and voice	Supported@linqapp/sdk-mcp with docs search and code execution tools.
Open source	Not supportedClosed platform; SDKs, CLI 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	Not listedDocs suggest a Prism mock API server; no virtual phone or simulator found	Not listedThe CLI streams webhooks locally, but tests still use a real phone.
Custom channel providers	SupportedConversation API custom events add your own channels (e.g. WeChat) to a conversation	Not listed
Event replay	PartialOnly automatic retries on 429 or 5xx, backing off to every 15 minutes, discarded after 24 hours	PartialRetries for 30 minutes; after that, re-fetch chats or ask Linq for a manual replay.
OpenTelemetry	Not listedNo OpenTelemetry export found in the API or Cloud Runtime docs	PartialW3C trace IDs on every response and webhook for OTel backends. No export of Linq spans by default.
No-code integrations	SupportedMicrosoft Power Automate connector and Node-RED; blog tutorials cover n8n and Make	SupportedLinq Blue works as a GoHighLevel messaging provider. No n8n, Make or Zapier found for the API.
CRM integrations	SupportedVonage Conversations for Salesforce: SMS, MMS and WhatsApp in the CRM	SupportedVia Linq Blue: GoHighLevel, HubSpot and Salesforce.
Built for AI agents
Agent framework	SupportedAI Studio, a low-code builder for virtual agents on voice and messaging	PartialNo own framework. Maintains a Vercel Chat SDK adapter and OpenClaw and Hermes plugins.
Agent framework integrations	SupportedPipecat: Vonage Audio Serializer and Video Transport, for voice and video agents	SupportedLinq-maintained Vercel Chat SDK adapter, plus OpenClaw and Hermes Agent plugins.
Streaming replies	PartialVoice only: AI speech streamed into calls over WebSockets (e.g. Pipecat); messages can be revoked, not edited	Not supportedDocs say the Chat SDK adapter buffers streams into one final message.
Agent group chats	PartialGroup MMS in the Messages API and multi-member Conversation API chats; no agent-to-agent docs	Not listed
Human handoff	SupportedAI Studio Live Agent Routing node hands chats to human agents with history	Not listed
Audit logs	SupportedAudit API for account events, a $550 per month add-on	SupportedDashboard Activity page plus account-change webhooks with actor and origin.
Message history API	PartialNo list endpoint in Messages API; Reports API returns past message records, priced per tier	Supported
Plans and compliance
Free plan	SupportedFree Sandbox (100 messages a month, chat apps only) plus free credit at signup	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 a platform fee on top of carrier fees	Supported
Uptime SLA	Supported99.99% platform availability SLA on the paid Premium and Enterprise support plans	SupportedContractual SLAs on the Enterprise plan; marketing cites 99.95%
Isolated infrastructure	PartialOnly dedicated email sending IPs (Advanced plan); no single-tenant messaging found	SupportedDedicated lines across 4 data centers on paid plans; Hobby uses a shared line
SOC 2 Type II	SupportedCovers the Core API (SMS and Voice); AI Studio pending	SupportedType I and Type II, reports for 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
GDPR	SupportedData Processing Addendum for Communications APIs with GDPR Article 28 terms	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 Vonage if you need bring your own number, email, custom channel providers and streaming replies.

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

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