TL;DR: Sendblue, Blooio, Tuco AI, and iBluSend each publish different entry prices, setup fees, and per-line costs on their own pricing pages, and none of them publishes a rate for a 25 or 100 sub-account agency rollout, so any number past their published tier is a quote you still have to request. This piece puts every price we could confirm, the RCS, SMS fallback, FaceTime Audio, and A2P detail that comes with it, and a fill-in worksheet for three agency sizes in one place, sourced from each vendor’s own pages checked October 19, 2026. Beam’s own pricing isn’t published here either: text the team for a quote and compare it against what you fill into the worksheet.
What does each iMessage API provider charge, and what comes with it, in October 2026?
Here is every price we could confirm directly on a vendor’s own pricing page, next to what actually ships at that price. “Not documented” means the reviewed page does not state that capability as of this check; it does not mean the feature is unavailable on request.
| Provider | Entry price | Highest published price | One-time setup fee | RCS | SMS fallback | FaceTime Audio | A2P 10DLC fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beam | Text our team for a quote | Text our team for a quote | Text our team for a quote | Yes, on supported Android phones | Yes | Yes, including routing to a Voice AI agent | Not required for iMessage lines; still required for SMS by number type |
| Sendblue | $0 Free Sandbox, inbound only, up to 10 verified contacts | $100/month per dedicated line (AI Agent); Enterprise is custom, checked October 19, 2026 | Not stated on its pricing page | Yes, stated on its pricing page | Yes, listed as “$0 SMS fallback fees” | Yes, listed as “FaceTime Audio via API” on its homepage | “$0 A2P registration” stated on its pricing page |
| Blooio | $39/month Starter, shared number | $289/month per dedicated line (Commercial Dedicated); Enterprise Dedicated $195 to $389 per line, checked October 19, 2026 | Not stated; $75 one time for a custom area code | Not documented on its pricing page | Not documented on its pricing page | Only on Commercial Dedicated and Enterprise Dedicated, listed as available by request | Not documented on its pricing page |
| Tuco AI | $149/month Starter plus a $335 one-time setup fee | $299/month Growth plus the same setup fee, checked October 19, 2026 | $335 per line, covering a dedicated Mac mini, a warmed Apple ID, and carrier verification | Not documented on its pricing page | Yes, per its own pricing comparison post | Not documented on its pricing page | Not documented on its pricing page |
| iBluSend | $39/month Solo, 1 line, no API access | $399/month Agency, 15 lines, checked October 19, 2026 | Not stated on its pricing page | Only through your own connected Telnyx account, per its Telnyx integration article | Not documented as “SMS fallback” on its pricing page; Android SMS devices are included starting on the Starter plan | Included starting on the Pro plan ($199/month) | Required on Telnyx-routed SMS/RCS traffic, per the same article |
How does each vendor actually structure its plans?
The headline number on a pricing page rarely tells you what a second or fifth line costs. Here is the full tier breakdown for each vendor, sourced from its own pricing page checked October 19, 2026.
Sendblue publishes three tiers. Free Sandbox is $0, inbound only, limited to 10 verified contacts, with no dedicated number and no webhooks. AI Agent is $100 per month per dedicated line, with up to 1,000 inbound contacts per day and webhooks included, and its own pricing page does not state outbound capability at that tier. Enterprise is custom and volume based, adding full outbound messaging, multiple dedicated lines, SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance, and a dedicated account manager. Sendblue’s pricing page notes that volume discounts apply at 10 or more lines or on annual billing, without publishing the discounted rate.
Blooio publishes five tiers. Free Trial is $0 with 20 free messages total, not recurring. Starter is $39 per month on a shared number with 5 new contacts per day. Commercial Shared is $89 per month on a shared number with 15 new contacts per day. Commercial Dedicated is $289 per month per line with unlimited conversations per day. Inbound is $98 per month for a reply-only dedicated number built for AI agents that cannot start new conversations. Enterprise Dedicated runs $195 to $389 per line per month at 6 or more lines, with Blooio stating discounts of up to 50% at volume without publishing the exact breakpoints. A custom area code adds a one-time $75 charge on dedicated and Inbound plans.
Tuco AI publishes two tiers on its pricing page: Starter at $149 per month plus a $335 one-time setup fee per line covering a dedicated Mac mini, a warmed Apple ID, and carrier verification, with 50 new conversations per day and 150 messages per day per line. Growth adds the next tier at $299 per month plus the same setup fee, with 100 or more new conversations per day, per Tuco’s own pricing comparison post. Neither Tuco page states whether an agency running several sub-accounts needs one Starter or Growth plan per line or per account, which matters a great deal once you start multiplying.
iBluSend publishes four tiers. Solo is $39 per month for 1 line, 1 sub-account, no Android SMS, and no API access. Starter is $79 per month for 2 lines, 2 sub-accounts, 2 Android SMS devices, and 10,000 webhook or API events per month. Pro is $199 per month for 5 lines, 5 sub-accounts, 5 Android SMS devices, 50,000 webhook or API events per month, and FaceTime Audio included. Agency is $399 per month for 15 lines, 15 sub-accounts, 15 Android SMS devices, 200,000 webhook or API events per month, white label branding, a custom domain, and up to 50 team members. Annual billing saves 17% on Starter, Pro, and Agency.
Where does Beam fit if it doesn’t publish a price here?
Beam doesn’t list a dollar figure on this page, and the rest of this comparison isn’t the place to introduce one. What’s actually documented: Beam sends iMessage, RCS where the Android phone and carrier support it, and SMS fallback from the same connected line, with FaceTime Audio that can route to your team or to a Voice AI agent, inside a GoHighLevel integration that gives every client its own workspace, inbox, numbers, and API key. The developer API exposes sending, webhooks, and MCP access for agents that need to read and reply programmatically.
On the A2P question specifically: Beam does not require A2P registration to turn on an iMessage line. Carrier rules still apply to SMS by number type, so a local 10DLC number still needs A2P 10DLC registration, a toll free number still needs toll free verification, and a short code still needs carrier approval regardless of which vendor sends it. Beam is not a carrier; it connects to carrier infrastructure the same way the other vendors in this table do, and none of that changes by choosing one API provider over another. If rebilling a client under an agency brand is part of your decision, check the current agency rebilling status and the client workspace launch steps directly rather than assuming it from a sales page.
A fill-in cost worksheet for 5, 25, and 100 sub-accounts
Before filling anything in, confirm one thing per vendor: is the published price per line, per sub-account, or per workspace? Tuco AI’s and Sendblue’s own pages leave that ambiguous above their base tier, so treat any multiplication below as a starting estimate, not a quote.
| Agency size | Sendblue | Blooio | Tuco AI | iBluSend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 sub-accounts | $100 x 5 = $500/month on AI Agent, inbound only; outbound needs an Enterprise quote | $289 x 5 = $1,445/month on Commercial Dedicated | $149 x 5 = $745/month plus $1,675 one-time setup on Starter, if billed per line; confirm with Tuco | $199/month on Pro, which covers exactly 5 lines |
| 25 sub-accounts | $100 x 25 = $2,500/month is a straight multiplication, not a published bulk rate; Sendblue’s own page routes 10+ lines to a volume quote | $195 to $389 x 25 = $4,875 to $9,725/month on Enterprise Dedicated; exact rate not published | $149 x 25 = $3,725/month or $299 x 25 = $7,475/month plus $8,375 setup, if billed per line; confirm with Tuco | No published tier past 15 lines; Agency covers 15 of the 25, the remaining 10 need a quote |
| 100 sub-accounts | Not a published rate at this volume; contact Sendblue for an Enterprise quote | $195 to $389 x 100 = $19,500 to $38,900/month on Enterprise Dedicated; exact rate not published | $149 x 100 = $14,900/month or $299 x 100 = $29,900/month plus $33,500 setup, if billed per line; confirm with Tuco | No published tier at this size; contact iBluSend for a quote |
Fill in Beam’s column yourself after a real conversation, since no public price exists to drop into this table; text the team for the number and add it alongside the rows above.
Four steps for using this worksheet with a real client:
- Confirm whether a plan is billed per line, per sub-account, or per workspace, since two of the four vendors above don’t state it past their base tier.
- Put a one-time setup fee into month one only, not into every month, when you build a year-one total.
- Ask every vendor what happens to delivery, support quality, or a volume discount once you cross their published tier.
- Price the lines beyond a vendor’s top published tier as a quote line item in your proposal rather than a guess, so a client contract doesn’t rest on an estimate you made up.
What should you confirm before signing with any iMessage API vendor?
Run this checklist against whichever vendor is ahead on your shortlist, including Beam:
- Per-line or per-account billing. Ask directly whether a quoted monthly price covers one line or an entire sub-account, and get it in writing before you build a client rate card.
- Setup fee scope. If a one-time fee is charged, confirm whether it repeats every time you add a line, as Tuco AI’s $335 figure appears to for each dedicated Mac mini.
- RCS dependency. Confirm whether RCS ships out of the box or requires a separately connected carrier account, the way iBluSend’s RCS routes through your own Telnyx connection.
- FaceTime Audio tier. Confirm which plan actually includes it. Blooio and Tuco AI don’t document it on their pricing pages, Sendblue lists it as a feature, and iBluSend includes it from its Pro plan up.
- A2P scope by number type. iMessage itself doesn’t need A2P registration, but any SMS number you add still follows the rules by number type; see A2P 10DLC registration for what applies to local, toll free, and short code numbers.
- Volume above the top published tier. None of the four vendors in this comparison publishes a rate for a 25 or 100 sub-account rollout, so get that number in writing before you promise a client a flat monthly rate at scale.
- Sending pace at launch. A published price doesn’t tell you how fast a brand-new line can safely message new contacts; review iMessage sending limits before setting a client’s expectations for day one volume.
- Consent and opt-out handling. Confirm how the vendor enforces STOP requests at the send layer regardless of which channel carried the message, separate from any pricing question.
Which provider fits which agency scenario?
| If your agency mainly needs | Worth checking |
|---|---|
| A completely free way to test the raw API before any client commitment | Sendblue’s Free Sandbox |
| The lowest paid entry price to try one dedicated line | Blooio’s Starter plan |
| A flat, quotable setup fee per line and dedicated hardware you can put in a client proposal | Tuco AI’s Starter or Growth plan |
| Multiple Android SMS devices and sub-accounts bundled into one plan without per-line math | iBluSend’s Starter or Pro plan |
| RCS, SMS fallback, and FaceTime Audio tied to a Voice AI agent inside a GoHighLevel workflow, without an A2P wait on the iMessage line itself | Text Beam’s team for a quote and run it against the GoHighLevel setup and the worksheet above |
If the same client also needs outbound AI calling alongside texting, line up the cost of that separately before combining it into one proposal; RizzDial’s GoHighLevel page covers the calling side of that budget.
For a side-by-side on a single competitor instead of all four at once, see Beam vs Sendblue, Beam vs Blooio, Beam vs Tuco AI, or Beam vs iBluSend. The Sendblue alternatives guide and Blooio alternatives guide cover switching questions beyond price alone.
What are common questions about iMessage API pricing?
Which iMessage API provider has the lowest entry price in October 2026?
Among the providers with published numbers, Sendblue’s Free Sandbox costs $0 but only allows inbound messages to up to 10 verified contacts with no dedicated number and no webhooks (Sendblue pricing, checked October 19, 2026). Blooio’s Starter plan is the lowest paid plan at $39 per month on a shared number (Blooio pricing, checked October 19, 2026). Neither includes a dedicated line, multiple sub-accounts, or confirmed RCS.
Do any of these providers charge separate A2P 10DLC fees for iMessage itself?
iMessage traffic doesn’t run through A2P 10DLC, since that registration is a carrier requirement tied to certain SMS and MMS number types, not to iMessage. Sendblue’s pricing page lists “$0 A2P registration” as an included line item (Sendblue pricing, checked October 19, 2026). iBluSend’s own integration article says the RCS and SMS traffic it routes through a separately connected Telnyx account still needs “10DLC or toll free verification for U.S. SMS traffic” (iBluSend Telnyx integration article, checked October 19, 2026). Blooio and Tuco AI’s own pricing pages don’t list a separate A2P fee as of this check.
Which providers publish FaceTime Audio as an included feature?
Sendblue’s site lists FaceTime Audio via API as a feature (Sendblue, checked October 19, 2026). iBluSend includes FaceTime Audio calling starting on its Pro plan at $199 per month (iBluSend pricing, checked October 19, 2026). Blooio lists FaceTime as available only by request on its Commercial Dedicated and Enterprise Dedicated tiers (Blooio pricing, checked October 19, 2026). Tuco AI’s pricing page does not document FaceTime Audio as of this check.
Does any provider publish pricing for a 25 or 100 sub-account agency rollout?
No. Every vendor reviewed here publishes single-line or small-tier pricing and routes larger volume to a custom quote: Sendblue’s Enterprise tier, Blooio’s Enterprise Dedicated range, and iBluSend’s pricing page tops out at its 15-line Agency plan (Sendblue pricing, Blooio pricing, iBluSend pricing, all checked October 19, 2026). Treat a multiplied single-line rate as an estimate only, and confirm the real number with the vendor before building a client budget.
Can an agency skip the A2P 10DLC wait entirely by using iMessage?
For the iMessage channel specifically, Beam does not require A2P registration to activate an iMessage line. Carrier rules still apply to SMS by number type: local 10DLC numbers need A2P 10DLC registration, toll free numbers need toll free verification, and short codes need carrier approval. Review A2P 10DLC registration for the rules by number type before promising a client an instant SMS launch.
What should an agency confirm before picking a vendor from this comparison?
Confirm whether the published plan price is billed per line, per sub-account, or per workspace, whether a one-time setup fee repeats per line, what happens to pricing above the vendor’s top published tier, and whether RCS and FaceTime Audio are included outright or depend on a separately connected carrier account. Run one paid test line with your own contact before committing a client’s full sub-account count to any vendor.
See the real number next to this worksheet
Every row above came from a vendor’s own pricing page, checked October 19, 2026, except Beam’s, which stays blank here on purpose. Fill in your own agency size, 5, 25, or 100 sub-accounts, run it against the worksheet, and then get the one number this page can’t publish for you.
Text our team to try it: /#interactive-demo