# Linq vs YCloud (slim)

> Linq scores 71.7 (BB) to YCloud's 64.8 (B) for sms. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linq-vs-ycloud.md (~4,050 tokens) · this version ~2,080 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linq-vs-ycloud.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linq-vs-ycloud
- 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 YCloud's 64.8 (B), and leads in every scored category. Both do sms.

- Linq: BB 71.7, rank #150 of 1486 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/linq.min.md
- YCloud: B 64.8, rank #455 of 1486 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ycloud.min.md
- Linq, good for Agents that talk to people over iMessage with SMS fallback, such as assistants and concierge bots. Ahead on Agent ergonomics, 90 against 83; Security & auth, 50 against 31; Payments & pricing, 40 against 35; Maintenance & community, 83 against 74; Transparency & trust, 72 against 53. Also Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better; Runs on your own machine.
- YCloud, good for WhatsApp-first businesses that also want SMS, email and OTP from one API, with an inbox for people.

| Category | Linq | YCloud |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 83 | 79 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 93 | 90 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 90 | 83 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 50 | 31 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 40 | 35 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 83 | 74 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 72 | 53 |

| Fact (where they differ) | Linq | YCloud |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor | Linq App Inc. | YCloud International Pte. Ltd. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.linqapp.com/api/partner/v3` | `https://api.ycloud.com/v2` |
| Transports | HTTP, stdio | HTTP |
| Pricing | Paid | Freemium |
| Licence | 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 | Proprietary service under YCloud's terms of service. The Node.js SDK is MIT |
| Tools exposed | 2 | none |
| MCP registry | `io.github.linq-team/linq` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-11-05 | 2026-11-03 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-04-14 | 2026-09-03 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-06-26 | 2026-04-03 |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 264k npm/wk | none |

Why the edge:
- Security & auth, Linq +19: 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.); YCloud 31 (One API key in the `X-API-Key` header, never in the URL, rotated by creating a new key and revoking the old one; no scopes found (20 of 30). Trial accounts send only to pre-verified numbers; no read-only key or approval step (4 of 20). Inbound WhatsApp and SMS text arrives through webhooks, with no prompt-injection guidance (0 of 15). Every response carries a request ID; no operator request log was found in the docs (5 of 15). No certification is named on the pages read, the about page shows an unlabelled ISO image, and there is no security.txt or disclosure policy (2 of 20). 20 + 4 + 0 + 5 + 2 = 31.)
- Transparency & trust, Linq +19: 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.); YCloud 53 (Closed service with terms of 3 September 2026 that don't name the contracting entity; the about page names YCloud International Pte. Ltd. The Node SDK is MIT (12 of 30). The privacy policy (3 April 2026) gives no retention periods, mentions no DPA and says the primary servers are in Singapore (8 of 30). The terms promise reasonable notice of changes only to those who subscribe to it; v1 is kept as legacy (7 of 20). No sub-processor list; the data location is named (5 of 20). 12 + 8 + 7 + 5 = 32.)
- Maintenance & community, Linq +9: 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.); YCloud 74 (`@ycloud-cpaas/ycloud-sdk-node` 1.17.2 on 3 November 2026 (30). Releases 1.17.0 (23 October), 1.17.1 (26 October) and 1.17.2 in the window (20). Closed service with a ticket desk; GitHub issue replies weren't sampled (6 of 15). Current official SDKs in four languages, generated from the spec; no MCP server in the docs or registry (15). The Node SDK repository has no CI workflow in the clone we read (3 of 10). 30 + 20 + 6 + 15 + 3 = 74.)
- Agent ergonomics, Linq +7: 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.); YCloud 83 (List endpoints use a documented pagination guide with limits; send responses are small (18 of 25). Pagination and filters (18 of 20). Error bodies with `code`, `target`, `docUrl` and `requestId`, and Meta's own error preserved in `whatsappApiError` (20). `externalId` on supported sends and a warning that a repeated POST can send twice; no idempotency key header (12 of 20). A send needs a recipient and content; official SDKs for Node.js, Java, Go and PHP (15). 18 + 18 + 20 + 12 + 15 = 83.)
- Payments & pricing, Linq +5: Linq 40 (No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Public plan prices only, Hobby $0 and Pro from $260 a month, with no per-message fee (10 of 20). Hobby is free with no card, and the Pro trial needs no card (20). `linq signup` creates an account, an API key and a number from a terminal, but a person has to read back the emailed code, so half (10 of 20). 0 + 10 + 20 + 10 = 40.); YCloud 35 (No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Plan prices public, WhatsApp at Meta's rate with no markup and email at $0.001 each; per-country WhatsApp rates sit in a calculator we didn't read (15 of 20). The Free plan includes the messaging API with no card (20). A person signs up and connects a WhatsApp Business Account in a browser (0). 0 + 15 + 20 + 0 = 35.)