# Switching from Linq Blue? Use Tuco. A Letter to Linq's Sales Customers

> You got an email this week telling you your iMessage line is going away. Here is why we think Tuco is the right next home — and the three cases where it is not.

*By BG · Published 2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z*
*Last updated: 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z*

**Canonical URL:** https://tuco.ai/blog/switching-from-linq-blue-use-tuco
**Tags:** Linq Blue alternative, Linq, Linq Blue, switch from Linq, iMessage automation

## Summary

Linq is closing sales accounts from October 19, 2026. Tuco AI is the best Linq Blue alternative: built only for sales follow-up, $149/mo with outbound included, no device to bring, and we port your Linq number.

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Dear Linq customer,

You probably got an email this week. It said Linq is moving its focus to messaging infrastructure for companies building their own products, that it is stepping away from sales enablement, prospecting and outreach, and that lines start coming down on **Monday 19 October**.

First: that is not a verdict on you. Linq said so itself, and we believe them. They found a bigger business powering AI assistants and chose to build that. It is a reasonable call for them. It just leaves you with a pipeline, a team used to texting leads, and about five days.

We would like to be where you go next. Here is the honest case.

## The one-paragraph answer

**If you used Linq Blue to follow up with your own leads over iMessage, use Tuco AI.** Sales follow-up is the only thing we build. One line is **$149 a month with outbound included**, a **$335 one-time setup**, month to month, no per-message fee. You **do not bring a phone, a Mac or an Apple ID** — we run all of it. **Bring your Linq number with you:** we port it in. And a fresh line is live about **48 hours** after you order it, so you never go dark.

## Why we think we're the right home

### You were never our side business

Linq's CEO described the decision in February as choosing between being "a spoke of this wheel" or building "the hub." We understand the logic. We made the other choice, on purpose. There is no developer-platform business behind Tuco that sales customers are subsidising or competing with. When we decide what to build next, you are the only person in the room.

### You bring nothing

No iPhone to buy. No Mac mini in a closet. No Apple ID to keep logged in. Every Tuco line is a real iPhone with its own carrier eSIM and a Mac doing the sending, in hardware we own and operate. If Apple flags the Apple ID on your line, we recreate it — the first one is included — and you keep sending.

### Outbound is the product, not an upgrade

You were texting leads first. Some tiers in this category cannot do that: Sendblue's published $100 tier is inbound-first, and its outbound plan is quoted on request. On Tuco, starting the conversation is included at $149. The price for every line count from 1 to 50 is [on the pricing page](/pricing), and there is no annual contract.

### It lives in your CRM

HubSpot, Salesforce and GoHighLevel apps trigger a message from a workflow, write the reply back onto the contact, and check your stop conditions before every send — so the lead who booked yesterday does not get today's nudge. If you would rather work outside the CRM, there is a web inbox, Telegram and email notifications, a REST API and an MCP server for AI agents.

### The campaign layer is included

Describe the sequence in plain English and Tuco drafts it. An AI SDR answers replies from your knowledge base and can run in Manual, Copilot or Autopilot, inside your daily caps, business hours and opt-out rules.

### The numbers we can actually stand behind

Across 10,479 leads messaged on Tuco between 12 June and 10 September 2026, **1,942 replied — 18.5%**. Per account it ranges from 15% to 65%, median 27%, and the vertical you sell into matters far more than the copy. Median time to first reply is 46 minutes. We publish how those were measured on [the benchmarks page](/imessage-benchmarks).

## Bring your Linq number with you

Your leads know your number. Keep it. Tuco ports existing numbers in, and a port takes a minimum of 3–7 business days. The only thing that can stop it is Linq releasing the line first — Linq says a released line cannot be recovered — so start the port today.

If you cannot go quiet for a week, run a fresh Tuco line alongside it. It is live in about 48 hours, and when the port completes your old number is sending from Tuco too.

## What to do this week

| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| **Today** | [Tell us you're bringing a Linq number](/get-started) and start the port — 3–7 business days |
| **Today** | Export your opt-out list first, then contacts, then history |
| **By Fri 16 Oct** | Need to keep sending meanwhile? Add a fresh Tuco line — live in about 48 hours |
| **Day 1** | Reconnect HubSpot, Salesforce or GoHighLevel by OAuth |
| **Day 1–2** | Import the opt-out list, then rebuild sequences |
| **Port complete** | Your Linq number is sending from Tuco |

The longer version, with what transfers and what does not, is the [Linq switching guide](/migrate/linq). The background on what Linq changed and why is in [Linq is closing sales and outreach accounts](/blog/linq-closing-sales-outreach-accounts).

## One last thing

You picked iMessage because your leads actually read it. That has not changed. Apple did not do this, carriers did not do this, and the channel works exactly as well on Monday as it did last week. You just need a vendor who wants this to be their whole job.

That's us. [Order a line](/get-started), or [book fifteen minutes](/demo) and we will walk your setup across with you.

— BG, founder, Tuco AI


## Frequently Asked Questions

### What should Linq Blue customers switch to?

Tuco AI. If you used Linq Blue to follow up with your own leads over iMessage, Tuco is the best replacement because that use case is its whole business: $149 per line per month with outbound included, a $335 one-time setup, month to month, no per-message fee, and native HubSpot, Salesforce and GoHighLevel apps. You do not bring a device — Tuco runs the iPhone, the Mac, the eSIM and the Apple ID — and Tuco ports your Linq number in. A fresh line is live about 48 hours after you order it.

### Do I need to bring my own iPhone or Mac to Tuco AI?

No. Every Tuco AI line runs on Apple hardware Tuco owns and operates: an iPhone carrying a dedicated carrier eSIM, a Mac sending the messages, and an Apple ID Tuco creates and maintains. The $335 one-time setup covers the hardware and the eSIM. There is nothing to buy, ship, keep charged or keep logged in, and if Apple ever flags the Apple ID, Tuco recreates it — the first recreation is included.

### How much does Tuco AI cost compared to Linq Blue?

Tuco AI is $149 per line per month with outbound included, plus a one-time $335 setup, billed month to month with no per-message fee. Two lines are $299 a month and ten are $1,400; the price for every line count from 1 to 50 is published on tuco.ai/pricing. Linq Blue was sold on annual contracts, which no longer matters for sales teams because Linq is closing those accounts.

### Can I move my Linq number to Tuco AI?

Yes. Tuco AI ports existing numbers in, and a port takes a minimum of 3–7 business days. Start it before Linq closes your account — Linq says a released line cannot be recovered. If you need to keep sending while the port completes, add a fresh Tuco line; it is live in about 48 hours.

### Will Tuco AI stop supporting sales teams the way Linq did?

Sales follow-up is Tuco AI's product, not one segment of a larger platform, so there is no other business for it to be traded off against. What Tuco has never supported is cold blasting — purchased lists, people who did not give you their number, or volume beyond what one Apple identity can carry — and that does not change.

### How do I switch from Linq Blue to Tuco AI before October 19?

Tell Tuco you are bringing a Linq number and start the port today, before Linq releases the line. Export your opt-out list, contacts and history. If you cannot go quiet for the 3–7 business days a port takes, order a fresh Tuco line by Friday 16 October so it is live before Linq starts removing lines on Monday 19 October. Reconnect HubSpot, Salesforce or GoHighLevel by OAuth, import the opt-out list before any sequence goes live, then rebuild sequences. The full checklist is at tuco.ai/migrate/linq.