LoopMessage vs Photon: which iMessage API
The axis is what the meter counts. LoopMessage counts unique active daily contacts; Photon counts users on your side and puts the number model behind the paywall.
LoopMessage is for
Products messaging many people occasionally, where a daily contact count is the binding constraint.
Photon is for
Products with few operators and a lot of conversation, or anyone who wants to start free.
Side by side
| LoopMessage | Photon | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Advertised from | $59.99/mo | Free |
| The tier most people need | $119.99/mo | $250/mo |
| Setup fee | Not published | None |
| Per-message fees | None | None |
| Delivery | ||
| Number | Shared or dedicated | Shared or dedicated |
| Can message first | Paid add-on | Included |
| SMS or RCS fallback | Paid add-on | Included |
| Policy | ||
| Compliance claimed | None published | SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 and HIPAA claimed on its trust centre, 25 policies listed, 0 subprocessors and 0 documents published there |
| When it breaks | Publishes a status page | Publishes a status page |
Rows where the two agree are dimmed. Checked 2026-09-11.
What actually differs
They differ on price, delivery, and policy.
LoopMessage's Light plan is $59.99 for up to 300 unique active daily contacts and Regular is $99.99 for a thousand, with a phone number, fallback and conversation initiation each charged separately on top. Photon is free for up to ten users on a shared pool, $25 for a hundred users, and $250 per line for a dedicated number.
The meters point at different things and the wrong one will hurt. If you message thousands of different people occasionally, LoopMessage's daily contact ceiling binds first. If a small team runs a lot of conversation, Photon's user count is the cheaper axis. Photon also includes RCS and SMS fallback on every paid tier where LoopMessage charges $15 a month for it, and includes outbound throughout where LoopMessage charges $30.
The same products, against others
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