Photon alternative
Photon is an open source framework that connects AI agents to iMessage, SMS and RCS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, and more. Developers use it to put an agent they build into the chats people already use. We are a personal assistant you text on a public US and Canada number.
Same channel. Different job. Photon gives builders the plumbing. We are the assistant you text for yourself.
This is not a ChatGPT comparison. That post is already written: Why Use AI Chat SMS When You Can Just Use ChatGPT?.
We already compared Instinct, Homer, Dunnit, Pally, Poke, Sidekicks, Martin, TwoThumbs, Olly, Sarai, Tomo, Caddy, Iris, Boba, Arlo, Catch, Notis, Zapia, Memorae, and Lindy. Provider pages cover Sendblue, Twilio, Linq, and Blooio.
What Photon says
Photon describes itself as an open source framework that connects your agents to the interfaces people use every day. Its developer platform is called Spectrum. You can self host the open source core, or use the hosted service and let Photon handle setup and scaling.
The iMessage feature list is long. Agents can send styled text with bubble effects, photos, files, and voice notes, plus tapbacks, threaded replies, and typing indicators. They can send polls, share contact cards, receive live location with permission, and run group chats with names and photos. Custom chat backgrounds need iOS 26.
Photon also offers mini apps inside iMessage, phone calls on the same number, and WhatsApp for users outside the US. On the pricing page, mini apps, phone calls, WhatsApp, dedicated lines, and the full group messaging API are listed on Business and Enterprise, not Free or Pro. Every plan falls back to SMS or RCS when iMessage isn't available.
Photon says it is SOC 2 Type II compliant. It also offers infrastructure designed to support HIPAA compliance for healthcare teams.
Photon is free for up to 10 users. Pro is $25 a month for up to 100 users, Business is $250 per line a month with dedicated iMessage lines, and Enterprise is custom. Plans are on photon.codes/pricing.
Their site is photon.codes.
What you get if you text us
Text (305) 588-2170, a public number for the US and Canada. Native Messages. No app.
Fifty free messages. No account or card to start. Nothing to build first.
On iPhone and Mac you get real iMessage blue bubbles. Android and other phones get SMS or RCS through the carrier.
Brief me on tech news every morning at 7
Done. Your first tech briefing lands tomorrow at 7:00 AM.
Remind me Friday at 4 to send the invoice
Got it. I'll text you Friday at 4:00 PM to send the invoice.
Reminders arrive as texts. Daily briefings on any topic you pick. Memory that carries across conversations.
Web search, /image, and personas with /mode.
Connect Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Outlook. Text /connect gmail or /connect calendar, or just ask. You get an OAuth link you control.
We are the assistant, not the framework. You text us. You don't build on us.
After the free messages, Unlimited is $15 a month (100 a day, 2,000 a month fair use), or message packs from $10.
If you want the product explanation, You can text an AI agent now and Your AI texting assistant are already written.
Side by side
| AI Chat SMS | Photon | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A personal AI assistant you text. | An open source framework and hosted platform, called Spectrum, for connecting agents you build to messaging apps. |
| Availability | Today. Text (305) 588-2170. US and Canada. No app, no account, no code. | Today. Sign up at photon.codes, then build and connect your own agent. |
| Price | 50 free messages. No card to start. Then unlimited at $15/month, or message packs from $10. | Free for up to 10 users. Pro $25/month for up to 100 users. Business $250/line/month. Enterprise is custom. |
| Who it is for | You, in your own Messages. | Developers and teams building agents. |
| Reminders | Yes. They arrive as texts. | You build them into your agent. |
| Memory | Yes. It carries across conversations. | Your agent holds the context. |
| Briefings | Yes. Daily briefs on any topic you pick. | You build them. |
| Gmail and Google Calendar | Yes. /connect gmail and /connect calendar. | You wire them into your own agent. |
| Docs, Sheets, Outlook | Yes. Same /connect list. | You wire your own integrations. |
| Web search, images, personas | Yes. Web search, /image, and /mode. | You bring your own model and tools. |
| iMessage | Real blue bubbles on iPhone and Mac. | Full direct messaging API and polls on every plan. Full group messaging API and mini apps on Business and Enterprise. |
| Other channels | SMS or RCS on Android. US and Canada. | SMS and RCS fallback on every plan. WhatsApp and phone calls on Business and Enterprise. |
| Numbers | One public number for everyone. | Free and Pro assign each of your users a number from a shared pool. Business and Enterprise get dedicated lines. |
| Compliance | Your own OAuth link for each account you connect. | SOC 2 Type II compliant. HIPAA support for healthcare teams. |
Where Photon wins
Building your own agent? Photon gives it the iMessage features most providers skip, like polls, threaded replies, voice notes, live location, and custom backgrounds. The core is open source, so you can self host or let Photon run it. One framework also reaches SMS, RCS, Telegram, Slack, and Discord.
Business and Enterprise add dedicated lines, group messaging, mini apps, phone calls, and WhatsApp. Photon is SOC 2 Type II compliant and supports HIPAA work for healthcare teams. If you are shipping an agent product to lots of people, that is what Photon built.
Where we win
Nothing to build. Text a published number and the assistant is already there, with no framework, no agent code, and no hosting. Fifty free messages, then a flat $15 a month for unlimited.
It works for you out of the box. Reminders come back as texts, daily briefs cover any topic you pick, and memory carries across conversations. You also get web search, /mode personas, /image, and Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and Outlook on /connect. Blue bubbles on iPhone, SMS and RCS on Android.
Which one you want
Building an agent that needs iMessage, WhatsApp, or Slack? That is Photon.
Want an assistant in Messages you can text right now, with 50 free messages? That is us.
Questions people ask
How much does Photon cost?
Photon is free for up to 10 users. Pro is $25 a month for up to 100 users, Business is $250 per line a month with dedicated iMessage lines, and Enterprise is custom. Unlimited users on Business requires Auto Scale.
Is Photon an AI assistant I can text?
No. Photon is the framework developers use to put their own agents into iMessage and other apps. You bring the agent. To text an assistant today, text (305) 588-2170.
What is Photon Spectrum?
Spectrum is Photon's developer platform. You can self host the open source core, or use the hosted service and let Photon handle setup and scaling.
Do I need to code to use AI Chat SMS?
No. Text the number. There is no API key and no account to create first.
Does AI Chat SMS work on Android?
Yes. Android and other phones get SMS or RCS through the carrier. On iPhone and Mac you get real iMessage blue bubbles.
What does AI Chat SMS cost after the 50 free messages?
Unlimited is $15 a month, with fair use of 100 messages a day and 2,000 a month. You can also buy message packs from $10.
Text it today
No download. No code.
Text (305) 588-2170. Fifty free messages. US and Canada. Standard message rates apply.
Ready to text your AI?
No app to download. Text us to start — one tap opens Messages with our number. 50 free messages to start.
Text (305) 588-2170
US & Canada only. Standard message rates apply.