# 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP vs Linq (slim)

> Linq scores 71.7 (BB) to 360dialog WhatsApp's 50.5 (D) for whatsapp messaging. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/360dialog-vs-linq.md (~5,200 tokens) · this version ~3,080 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/360dialog-vs-linq.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/360dialog-vs-linq
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-11-07
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Linq scores 71.7 (BB) on agent readiness against 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP's 50.5 (D), and leads in every scored category. Both do whatsapp messaging.

- 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP: D 50.5, rank #1047 of 1486 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/360dialog.min.md
- Linq: BB 71.7, rank #150 of 1486 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/linq.min.md
- 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP, good for WhatsApp-only senders who want Meta's rates without a per-message markup and a flat fee per number.
- Linq, good for Agents that talk to people over iMessage with SMS fallback, such as assistants and concierge bots. Ahead on Reliability, 83 against 75; Schema & documentation, 93 against 70; Agent ergonomics, 90 against 53; Security & auth, 50 against 35; Payments & pricing, 40 against 35; Maintenance & community, 83 against 8; Transparency & trust, 72 against 49. Also Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better; Runs on your own machine; Free to start without a card.

| Category | 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP | Linq |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 75 | 83 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 70 | 93 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 53 | 90 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 35 | 50 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 35 | 40 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 8 | 83 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 49 | 72 |

| Fact (where they differ) | 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP | Linq |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor | 360dialog | Linq App Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://waba-v2.360dialog.io` | `https://api.linqapp.com/api/partner/v3` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Licence | none | Proprietary service under Linq App Inc.'s terms of service and sale. The TypeScript, Python and Go SDKs, the MCP server and the CLI are Apache-2.0 |
| Tools exposed | none | 2 |
| MCP registry | not listed | `io.github.linq-team/linq` |
| Last release | none | 2026-11-05 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-04-14 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-10 | 2026-06-26 |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | yes |
| Popularity | none | 264k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |

Why the edge:
- Maintenance & community, Linq +75: 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP 8 (No changelog or release notes found. The Usernames and BSUID page dates Meta's rollout of business-scoped user IDs by month (in webhooks March to April 2026, Meta's Contact Book April 2026, sending from early July 2026), and the Messages reference, which follows Meta's Cloud API payloads, carries the `recipient` field for it. These are Meta's Cloud API changes carried through 360dialog's proxy, not a dated change 360dialog made to its own API, so they don't set recency (0, as on 1 October). No dated API change since 6 August. The marketing message price cap ("Open Beta since 1 October 2026") is a beta and doesn't count, and Direct Send's move to general availability carries no date (0). Closed service with a support response-time page and no public changelog (8 of 15). No official SDKs (0). No packages to assess (0). 0+0+8+0+0 = 8.); Linq 83 (`@linqapp/sdk` and `@linqapp/sdk-mcp` 0.80.0 on 5 November 2026 (30). Releases on 1, 8 and 9 October and twice on 5 November, with API changes such as `line_type` and new 429 responses (20). Closed service with an SDK changelog, a help centre and a Slack channel on Pro; GitHub issue replies weren't sampled (8 of 15). `io.github.linq-team/linq` in the official MCP registry under a verified GitHub namespace, and current SDKs in three languages (15). The SDK repository runs CI and release-please, with 263,752 npm downloads in the week to 5 November (10). 30 + 20 + 8 + 15 + 10 = 83.)
- Agent ergonomics, Linq +37: 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP 53 (Responses follow Meta's Cloud API shapes. GET /message_templates takes a `fields` list for field selection and a `limit` (18 of 25). Cursor pagination with `after` and `before` and next and previous links on the template list. We checked that list only (15 of 20). Error codes with resolution steps an agent can act on (15 of 20). No idempotency key found, and the MCP docs don't mention tool annotations (0 of 20). No official SDKs. A send needs only the D360-API-KEY header and a Cloud API message body (5 of 15).); Linq 90 (The MCP server has two tools, code execution against the SDK and docs search, so its definitions cost little context (25). Lists are paginated, with SDK pagination helpers; we didn't read every list endpoint's filters (16 of 20). Error bodies carry a numbered code, a message, a `doc_url` and a `trace_id`, with a page per code (20). `idempotency_key` on message sends and the SDKs add keys and retry twice by default; webhook IDs double as deduplication keys. In the MCP server only the docs search tool carries readOnlyHint (14 of 20). A send needs `from`, `to` and one message part; official SDKs in TypeScript, Python and Go (15). 25 + 16 + 20 + 14 + 15 = 90.)
- Schema & documentation, Linq +23: 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP 70 (The Markdown reference pages embed an OpenAPI 3.1.0 document titled Messaging API, version 1.52.4 on 4 November (1.50.7 on 2 October), with a D360-API-KEY header scheme and response schemas. We read the Templates section in full. We found no standalone download, so an agent has to collect it page by page (20 of 25). llms.txt listing 305 pages, a .md version of every page and an ?ask= query parameter that answers questions (10). API reference pages describe endpoints and parameters, mostly following Meta's Cloud API payloads (12 of 20). Typed query parameters and response schemas in the spec, with enums not checked (10 of 15). More than 60 error codes, each with a suggested fix (13 of 15). The spec carries a version number and flags the legacy /v1/configs template endpoints as deprecated, but we found no changelog (5 of 15).); Linq 93 (OpenAPI 3.1 file for the Partner API and another for WhatsApp, both public (25). llms.txt, llms-full.txt and Markdown for every page (10). Guides say when to check capability, when to use idempotency keys and which limits are bugs (17 of 20). 93 enums in the spec and typed parts for messages (14 of 15). Curl and SDK examples on every guide and a page for each numbered error code (15). Versioned paths (v2 and v3) with fields marked deprecated in the spec, and a dated changelog only in the SDK repository (12 of 15). 25 + 10 + 17 + 14 + 15 + 12 = 93.)
- Transparency & trust, Linq +23: 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP 49 (Closed service with terms of use in the Hub (15). The privacy policy covers the website, names 360dialog GmbH in Grünwald and was updated on 10 September 2026. The Legal Information page links two English DPA files we didn't open, and the docs say the Cloud API keeps messages for at most 30 days, but we found no sub-processor list for the service (15 of 30). No deprecation policy. The OpenAPI flags deprecated template endpoints without dates (5 of 20). Website trackers are listed with locations, but service sub-processors and hosting locations aren't (0 of 20).); Linq 72 (Closed service with clear terms from Linq App Inc. (14 April 2026); SDKs, MCP server and CLI are Apache-2.0 (15 of 30). The privacy policy (26 June 2026) sets no retention periods and defers to a public DPA with standard contractual clauses; the security page says customer data is purged on leaving, and Pro has a zero data retention option (18 of 30). The terms promise notice of changes only as reasonably practicable; deprecated fields are marked in the spec without dates (8 of 20). Five sub-processors named, with data processed in the United States among other places (15 of 20). 15 + 18 + 8 + 15 = 56.)
- Security & auth, Linq +15: 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP 35 (The Messaging API takes one key per phone number in the D360-API-KEY header. Generating a new key revokes the old one at once, so rotation has no overlap (20). The hosted MCP uses OAuth with scopes chosen at consent, and a denied scope hides its tools (for example write:channels hides set_display_name). The messaging key has no read-only variant (10 of 20). Inbound WhatsApp messages are untrusted text. Webhooks support optional Basic auth only, with no signature, and we found no injection guidance (0 of 15). No customer audit log found. The docs say the Cloud API keeps messages for at most 30 days (5 of 15). The ISO 27001 reference in the docs is Meta's, for the Cloud API. No security.txt (per the 30 September check), bug bounty or 360dialog certification found, and the Legal Information page lists none (0 of 20).); Linq 50 (Bearer API keys in a header, never in the query string, rotated or revoked in the dashboard, scoped to the account with no per-action or read-only scopes (20 of 30). Sandbox keys reach only verified handles, and the MCP server's `--code-allow-http-gets` and method allow and block lists limit its code tool; no approval step for sends (10 of 20). Inbound iMessage and SMS text reaches the agent, and no prompt-injection guidance was found in the docs or the MCP instructions (0 of 15). Every response carries a `trace_id`; no operator request log was found in the docs (5 of 15). SOC 2 Type II reports for 2024, 2025 and 2026 and a 2026 penetration test on request, a vulnerability disclosure policy open on the trust centre and SECURITY.md in the SDK repository; no security.txt or bug bounty (15 of 20). 20 + 10 + 0 + 5 + 15 = 50.)
- Reliability, Linq +8: 360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP 75 (Status page at status.360dialog.com on Instatus, with 10 360dialog components, 3 Meta ones and subscriptions (20). In the 90 days from 6 August the page posts one incident, "Some disruptions to Messaging" from 16 October 17:12 to 17 October 07:11 UTC (13 hours 59 minutes), with customers reporting authorisation errors on sends after Meta changed messaging permissions on one of 360dialog's applications, worked around the same day. Read as partial by its label and scope (minor, 20); as a major outage the line would be 10. August, September and November show no notices. Throughput is published, up to 80 messages a second on standard plans and 1,000 on the Higher Throughput tier (15). The error list maps the endpoint rate-limit error to request throttling or exponential backoff, with no Retry-After and no idempotency key for sends, so backoff guidance alone (10, this run's settled value for that reading; 8 on 1 October). No SLA. The support page sets first-response targets and nothing commits to uptime (0, per the 2 October check). The Messaging API is generally available (10). 20+20+15+10+0+10 = 75.); Linq 83 (Read with the hosted lines. status.linqapp.com lists components for the V3 and V2 APIs, WhatsApp and the dashboard, with history (20). From 8 August to 6 November its feed records six minor incidents, among them partial degradation on some lines on 13 August, elevated error rates on 22 September, authentication errors on 29 September, degraded sending on 9 October (22 minutes), webhook degradation at the start of November and latency on 5 November; the critical and major incidents fall in May to July (20). Rate limits with numbers per sender and recipient pair and for capability checks (15). 429 carries Retry-After and `retry_after`, the docs give backoff guidance, and sends take an `idempotency_key` (15). llms.txt states 99.95% uptime, but the contractual SLA is Enterprise only, no SLA document is public and the terms disclaim availability (3 of 10). Partner API v3 is generally available (10). 20 + 20 + 15 + 15 + 3 + 10 = 83.)